EU broadcasters call for stricter regulations on Big Tech's influence over Smart TVs.

      The Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe (ACT) issued a statement on Monday, urging the European Commission to classify smart TV operating systems and virtual assistant platforms as ‘gatekeepers’ under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).

      This request aims to broaden regulatory measures against the increasing market influence of Big Tech companies, which broadcasters contend are intensifying their control over content distribution and audience access through smart TVs and smartphones utilizing virtual assistants.

      The statement underscores the rivalry between traditional broadcasters and Big Tech firms, whose market presence has consistently increased in recent years. For instance, Android TV's market share grew from 16% to 23%, while Amazon Fire OS climbed from 5% to 12% during the same timeframe, bolstered by a dual strategy of proprietary devices and licensing arrangements with third-party TV manufacturers. Samsung’s Tizen OS maintained a 24% market share.

      Although Connected TVs (CVTs) are enriching the European media, gaming, and other industries, broadcasters caution that these opportunities might be jeopardized by their role as intermediaries, which could promote gatekeeping practices by shaping user visibility and access. The providers of CTV operating systems enforce gatekeeping by encouraging or limiting end-user engagement, effectively keeping users within their ecosystem.

      ACT asserts that this concentration of control could enable a few operators to monopolize the sector by “managing access to audiences and content distribution.” The organization emphasized the necessity for the Commission to “designate major TV operating systems as gatekeepers and implement adequate oversight to ensure fairness and competitiveness.”

      ACT also advocated for Virtual Assistants (VAs) to be included under DMA regulations as gatekeepers, pointing to a regulatory gap that allows AI assistants to govern and recommend media content across applications without being bound by DMA requirements.

      The Association, comprising members such as Canal+, RTL, Mediaset, ITV, Paramount+, NBCUniversal, Walt Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, Sky, and TF1 Groupe, urged Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera to enforce DMA regulations based on qualitative criteria, even when platforms do not meet quantitative standards like having 45 million monthly active users or a €75 billion market capitalization.

      Furthermore, they called for a reevaluation of how “business users” are defined in determining whether virtual assistants should be designated as gatekeepers, as part of the ongoing DMA review. Other signatories of the statement include the Association of European Radios (AER), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), egta, Confindustria Radio Televisioni (CRTV), UTECA, and VOP.