Smart TVs and virtual assistants from Google, Amazon, Apple, and Samsung should be subject to the EU's strictest tech regulations due to their increasing market influence, the largest broadcasters globally informed EU antitrust leader Teresa Ribera.
The appeal from the Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe (ACT), which comprises members like Canal+, RTL, Mediaset, ITV, Paramount+, NBCUniversal, Walt Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, Sky, and TF1 Groupe, arises amid growing worries among broadcasters regarding Big Tech's intrusion into their sector as they resist competition from these rivals.
The broadcasters indicated that Android TV, rising in market share from 16percent to 23percent between 2019 and 2024, Amazon Fire OS, which increased from 5percent to 12percent during the same timeframe, and Samsung's Tizen OS, currently holding a 24percent market share, should be labeled as gatekeepers per the EU's Digital Markets Act, referencing data from a market study projected for 2025.
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The DMA, which took effect in 2023, establishes requirements designed to limit the influence of large tech firms, enhance competition, and increase options for consumers.
"Consequently, a small group of operators is increasingly acquiring the power to influence results for millions of users and companies by managing access to audiences and content dissemination," ACT stated in a letter to Ribera.
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"Reports state that the Commission must identify significant TV operating systems as gatekeepers and provide sufficient oversight to ensure fairness and competitiveness."
The advocacy group stated that their large tech competitors might have reasons to keep end-users trapped in their own ecosystem and to either contractually or technically limit linking or redirecting, such as from one media app to another media app.
The European Commission has not yet classified any virtual assistants as gatekeepers according to the DMA.
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"The absence of roles for virtual assistants results in a regulatory gap, enabling influential AI assistants to serve as unofficial gatekeepers of media content via mobile devices, smart speakers, and in-vehicle radio infotainment systems, while evading DMA responsibilities," the broadcasters assert.