How to Shape the Future
The Outside Broadcast Branch sought to find out how people felt about the recent CMA report into the price fixing of freelancer pay in Sports and Events and launched a poll in May 2025.
The CMA discovered approximately fifteen instances between 2014 and October 2021, where at least two companies exchanged competitively sensitive information about freelance pay in sports broadcasting. Sky was not fined for reporting its involvement early on in the investigation. The other companies involved received fines totalling over £4 million, although they benefited from leniency and settlement discounts.
The fines could have been much larger, as potentially the CMA can fine companies up to 10% of their global annual turnover. This landmark decision by the CMA to penalise the sports broadcasters has put these companies on the defensive and left them uncertain about their next steps. This decision brings an end to a lengthy probe and demonstrates the focus on employers ensuring fair competition in labour markets is essential. Therefore, to prevent this happening in the future employers should negotiate with Bectu.
The Outside Broadcasting Branch sought to gauge freelancer’s opinion on this CMA report by distributing a poll to both members and non-members of Bectu. It consisted of just two questions and 313 responses were received, all of which were collected anonymously.
Question 1
Question 2
Most notably, 78% of participants supported using the outcome of the CMA report to initiate meaningful discussions about rates and terms and conditions.
A secondary course of action suggested by 18.8% of participants to look to take out Class Action against the guilty parties. The OB Branch have asked the Head of Bectu to consult lawyers on a class action. While class actions can provide a way to pursue claims that might not be economically viable individually, they also involve risks and potential drawbacks.
A much smaller number of responses, 3.2 % advocated for a “wait and see” approach regarding how broadcasters react to the fines, implying a more cautious and less proactive stance.
Attitude Towards CMA Report Findings
The overall sentiment regarding the CMA Report findings reflects anger over the conclusions but also a sense of opportunity. Many pragmatically indicate that the CMA report, even though it found all the major broadcasters guilty, offers a constructive leverage point for further discussions and actions.
OB Branch Recommendations
The results of the poll clearly indicate that the OB Branch should take advantage of this opportunity to initiate meaningful discussions about rates and terms and conditions (T&Cs). There seems to be a strong desire to renegotiate these terms with broadcasters and facilities companies. Given the revelations of widespread unfair practices that suppressed freelancers’ rates, this should be considered the minimum action to be pursued.