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.”
The CMA has 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. Hat Trick Productions, Red Planet Pictures, and Tiger Aspect Productions were also caught up in the probe.
“It is important to note that the CMA has not reached a decision on whether the parties infringed competition law and no assumption should be made that there has been any such infringement,” the CMA said. “A decision to close the Investigation on administrative priority grounds does not prevent the CMA from opening an investigation in the future if its priorities change.”
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