Jessica O'ConnorAn investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found some of the largest sports broadcast and production companies have shared sensitive information about fees for freelance workers such as camera operators and sound technicians.
Four companies – BT, IMG, ITV and BBC – have agreed to pay fines totalling £4,240,356.
These fines take into account discounts received by all four companies because they admitted to breaking the law and settled the case.
For BT, IMG and ITV the fine is also lower than it would have been because, after they became aware of the investigation, they came forward about their involvement and assisted the CMA in its investigation under its leniency programme.
Sky is exempt from a financial penalty as it alerted the CMA to its involvement, before the investigation had been launched.
The five companies investigated by the CMA often engaged freelancers to assist with the production and broadcasting of sports content such as major football games and rugby tournaments.
The CMA found 15 instances where a pair of companies unlawfully shared sensitive information about pay with each other, including on day rates and pay rises.
In most cases, the explicit aim was to coordinate how much to pay freelancers. For example, on one occasion a business told another they have “no intention of getting into a bidding war” but “want to be aligned and benchmark the rates”.
In a separate instance, a company said they wanted to “present a united front” with its competitor.
Juliette Enser, executive director for competition enforcement at the CMA, said: “Millions watch sports on TV each day, with production teams working behind the scenes to make this possible – and it is only right they are paid fairly.
“Labour markets are important for economic growth as a whole. Good recruitment and employment practices help people access the right jobs where they’re paid appropriately and make it easier for businesses to expand and find the workers they need.
“Companies should set rates independently of each other so pay is competitive – not doing so could leave workers out of pocket.
“Employers must ensure those who hire staff know the rules and stick to them to prevent this happening in the future.”
A spokesperson from IMG said: “As previously reported, IMG was one of the subjects of a CMA investigation that began in 2022, and has fully cooperated with the CMA’s enquiries.
“That investigation concluded today, 21 March 2025, and related to historical activity limited to the UK.
“This matter has now been resolved, and IMG has taken all necessary steps to address any prior compliance issues.”
A Sky spokesperson said: “Sky takes compliance with competition law extremely seriously.
“As soon as we became aware of the issue, we proactively notified the CMA and cooperated fully with their investigation.
“We acknowledge their findings and have taken steps to further strengthen our internal policies and procedures to ensure compliance with competition law rules moving forward.”
An ITV spokesperson said: “ITV is fully committed to complying with competition law and cooperated with the CMA throughout its investigation.
“In light of the CMA’s investigation we have implemented further enhanced competition law compliance measures across the business.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC takes its competition law obligations seriously and has co-operated with the CMA throughout its investigation, which involved a number of sports broadcasters.
“The BBC was involved in three of the 15 infringements identified by the CMA and admitted liability for these as soon as possible.
“We highly value the freelancers we work with, both in Sport and across the BBC, and we will continue to work hard with the freelance community to invest in, and develop, talent.”
A BT Group spokesperson said: “We take our competition law obligations seriously and co-operated with the CMA throughout this investigation.
“Having accepted the findings of this investigation, we have agreed to settle this case.
“We remain committed to making sure our obligations are embedded into all levels of our business and have taken a number of steps to strengthen our competition and compliance initiatives.
