Major UK Drama Antitrust Probe Dropped; BBC & Others Fined $5.4M For Colluding Over Crew Pay In Sports Production

deadline.com:

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has dropped a major antitrust investigation into some of the country’s biggest drama producers over how they paid freelance crew members.

BBC, ITV, Hartswood Films, and Sister were among those being investigated, but the regulator has decided to close the case as it “no longer constitutes an administrative priority.” No ruling has been made on whether the companies broke competition rules.

The CMA has also concluded a separate investigation into freelancer rates in sports production, fining the BBC, ITV, BT, and IMG £4.2M ($5.4M) for colluding over how much they pay crew.

The CMA launched the investigation into scripted production in October 2023, spooking producers in the market who had to hand over troves of WhatsApps and emails to lawyers in an effort to prove their innocence.