(Reuters)

Britain’s competition regulator fined four sports broadcast and production companies about 4 million pounds ($5.2 million) in total on Friday for sharing sensitive information about fees for freelance camera operators and sound technicians.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said five companies – Sky, BT, IMG, ITV and the BBC – admitted “to breaking the law” after “colluding” on pay rates for freelancers.

BT, IMG, ITV and the BBC were given a discount on penalties since they assisted the regulator in the case, while Sky was exempted because it notified the regulator before it began its investigation, the regulator said.

The regulator said it had found 15 instances where a pair of companies unlawfully shared sensitive information about pay with each other, including on day rates and pay rises.

“Companies should set rates independently of each other so pay is competitive – not doing so could leave workers out of pocket,” Juliette Enser, executive director for competition enforcement at the CMA, said in a statement.

Spokespeople for Sky, which is owned by Comcast, ITV, IMG and BT said that they had taken steps to strengthen compliance with competition law rules. A BBC spokesperson said the corporation had co-operated with the CMA throughout its probe and highly valued the freelancers it works with.

The CMA began its investigation in 2022 into how sports broadcasters shared sensitive information about freelancers’ pay. Various parties were under its radar, with some being added and removed through the review.

The watchdog also said it was closing a separate probe relating to non-sports TV production and broadcasting.