Exclusive-EU Digital Rules Should Apply to Big Tech's Smart TVs, Broadcasters Tell Antitrust Chief

Exclusive-Broadcasters urge EU to tighten rules for Big Tech in smart TV standoff

By Foo Yun Chee

Broadcasters Call for Stricter EU Oversight on Big Tech in Smart TV and Virtual Assistant Markets

BRUSSELS, March 23 (Reuters) - Google, Amazon, Apple and Samsung's smart TVs and virtual assistants should fall under the EU’s toughest tech rules because of their growing market power, the world's largest broadcasters told EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera on Monday.

The call by the Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe (ACT) whose members include Canal+, RTL, Mediaset, ITV, Paramount+, NBCUniversal, Walt Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, Sky and TF1 Groupe underscores the battle between broadcasters and Big Tech for market share in a lucrative industry.

Market Share Growth and Gatekeeper Status

Android TV, which increased its market share from 16% to 23% from 2019 to 2024, Amazon Fire OS whose market share rose from 5% to 12% in the same period and Samsung's Tizen OS with its 24% market share should be designated as gatekeepers under the EU's Digital Markets Act, the broadcasters said, citing data from a 2025 market study.

The DMA, applicable since 2023, sets out obligations aimed at curbing the power of major tech companies, boosting competition and expanding consumer choice.

Broadcasters Warn of Gatekeeper Power

BROADCASTERS WARN OF GATEKEEPER POWER

"A limited number of operators are therefore gaining growing ability to shape outcomes for millions of users and businesses by controlling access to audiences and content distribution," ACT said in a letter to Ribera seen by Reuters, the first public broadside from broadcasters against Big Tech.

"It is crucial that the Commission designate major TV operating systems as gatekeepers and ensure adequate oversight to guarantee fairness and contestability," the broadcasters said.

Concerns Over Ecosystem Control and Competition

The lobbying group said their Big Tech rivals may have incentives to retain end-users within their own ecosystem and to contractually or technically restrict linking or redirection, for example from one media application to another media application.

The Commission, which acts as the EU competition enforcer, confirmed receipt of the letter and said it was assessing its contents.

Google, Amazon, Apple and Samsung did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.

Virtual Assistants and Regulatory Gaps

The broadcasters also voiced concerns about virtual assistants, the most well known of which are Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri, while OpenAI entered the field last year with a beta feature called Tasks for its AI chatbot ChatGPT.

The European Commission has yet to label any virtual assistants as gatekeepers under the DMA.

Potential for AI Assistants to Become Gatekeepers

"The lack of designation of virtual assistants creates a regulatory void, allowing powerful AI assistants to become de facto gatekeepers for media content through mobile phones, smart speakers and in-car radio infotainment services, without being subject to DMA obligations," the broadcasters said.

Recommendations and Industry Support

They urged Ribera to subject smart TVs and virtual assistants to the DMA on the basis of qualitative criteria even if they do not meet the quantitative benchmarks which are more than 45 million monthly active users and 75 billion euros ($87 billion) in market capitalisation.

Signatories to the letter include the Association of European Radios (AER), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the European association of television and radio sales houses (egta), Confindustria Radio Televisioni (CRTV), Televisión Comercial en Abierto (UTECA) and Verband Österreichischer Privatsender (VOP).

($1 = 0.8643 euros)

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Louise Heavens and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)