Insurance for TV & Film Freelancers
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Insurance for TV & Film Freelancers

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If you're a freelancer in TV and film, the production company's insurance usually won't cover you or your kit. This guide explains the main types of insurance broadcast freelancers take out, what each one covers and what clients typically expect, so you can work out what you actually need.

Last updated November 2026. This is general information, not financial advice. Speak to an insurance broker about the right cover for you.

Do TV and film freelancers need insurance?

Production companies, facilities and broadcasters have their own insurance, but it's there to protect them. It may not cover a mistake you make, an injury to a member of the public on your shoot or damage to equipment you bring. Many clients now ask freelancers to show their own cover before they're booked, and some won't book you without it.

Being freelance also means losing the safety net employees have, such as sick pay. Insurance can fill some of that gap.

Public liability insurance

Public liability insurance covers you if someone claims that you injured them or damaged their property while you were working. It's the policy most clients ask for, and the one most relevant to filming.

Typical examples:

  • A member of the public trips over a cable you've run across a pavement on a location shoot.
  • You knock over a light stand that damages a venue's floor or fittings.
  • You spill a drink over someone else's mixing desk or edit suite.

Many clients ask for at least £1 million of public liability cover. Bectu members can get low-cost public liability insurance through the union.

Professional indemnity insurance

Professional indemnity insurance covers you if a client claims your work, advice or a mistake cost them money. For example, footage is lost because of a mistake in the edit, a deadline is missed, or a graphic infringes someone else's copyright. It pays for defending the claim and any damages. It matters most for editors, producers, directors and anyone whose work is delivered as a finished product. Clients often ask for £1 million of cover here too.

Equipment (kit) insurance

Broadcast and film kit is expensive to replace. Equipment insurance covers your own kit against theft, loss and accidental damage. Specialist media insurers also cover hired-in equipment, which is important because the hire company will usually hold you responsible if anything happens to it. You can buy annual cover for kit you own, or short-term cover for a single hire.

Check the small print for theft from vehicles, kit left unattended, cover abroad and whether the policy pays the replacement value or the second-hand value.

Employers' liability insurance

If you employ anyone, even an assistant for a single day, you're usually required by law to have employers' liability insurance. Most solo freelancers don't need it, but it's worth checking if you take people on.

Personal accident and income protection

As a freelancer you don't get sick pay from a client. Personal accident cover pays out if you're injured. Income protection replaces part of your income if illness or injury stops you working for a longer period. Health insurance providers such as Vitality and Westfield Health offer policies for the self-employed.

Tax investigation insurance

Tax investigation insurance pays your accountant's fees if HMRC investigates your tax affairs, including checks on IR35, VAT or PAYE. It's popular with freelancers who work through their own limited company. For more on IR35, see our guide to IR35 for broadcast freelancers.

Freelancer insurance vs production insurance

If you're searching for "TV production insurance" or "film production insurance", it's worth knowing there are two different things:

  • Production insurance is taken out by the production company to cover the whole production: cast, crew, equipment, locations, third-party liability and things like weather or delays.
  • Freelancer insurance covers you as an individual: your liability, your professional mistakes and your kit.

If you're producing your own projects, you'll need production insurance. If you're crewing on someone else's production, you'll usually need your own freelancer cover, even if the production is insured.

Insurance when you work through Frame 25

Frame 25 contractors are covered under our company policies while they're working on an assignment. It's still worth having your own policy for work you take on directly, and for your own equipment.

Insurers that specialise in contractors and freelancers include Kingsbridge and Caunce O'Hara.

How much insurance do you need?

  • Check what your regular clients require. Many ask for £1 million of public liability and professional indemnity cover.
  • Add up what it would cost to replace your kit, and check you're covered when you hire equipment in.
  • Think about how long you could manage without income if you couldn't work.
  • Speak to a broker who understands media work, and compare a few quotes.

Freelancer insurance FAQs

What insurance do I need as a freelance camera operator?

Usually public liability and equipment cover, including hired-in kit, as a minimum. Professional indemnity is worth adding if you deliver finished footage. See our camera operator jobs and rates guide.

Do I need public liability insurance for filming in public?

It's strongly recommended, and many councils, locations and clients ask for proof of cover before filming in public places.

Does the production company's insurance cover freelancers?

Not always. Production insurance protects the production. It may not cover your own mistakes, your liability or your kit, so check before you rely on it.

Can I get one policy that covers everything?

Many specialist insurers sell combined policies for media freelancers that bundle public liability, professional indemnity and equipment cover.

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