NextFin News - A coalition of the world’s most influential broadcasters has formally petitioned the European Union to expand the reach of its Digital Markets Act (DMA) to include smart TV operating systems and virtual assistants, marking a significant escalation in the battle over the digital living room. In a letter sent Monday to EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera, the Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe (ACT) argued that Google, Amazon, Apple, and Samsung have become entrenched gatekeepers that dictate how millions of viewers discover and consume content.
The timing of the appeal is no coincidence. As traditional linear television viewership continues to erode, the interface of the smart TV has become the primary point of entry for global audiences. By controlling the underlying software—such as Google TV, Amazon’s Fire TV, and Samsung’s Tizen—these tech giants possess the technical capability to prioritize their own streaming services or those of high-paying partners, effectively burying local broadcasters and public service media under layers of algorithmic recommendations. The broadcasters contend that without "gatekeeper" designations for these platforms, the diversity of the European media landscape is at risk of being stifled by Silicon Valley’s commercial interests.
Under the current DMA framework, designated gatekeepers must adhere to strict rules regarding self-preferencing and data transparency. However, the initial wave of designations focused largely on search engines, social networks, and mobile app stores. The broadcasters’ letter highlights a regulatory blind spot: while a smartphone is a personal gatekeeper, the smart TV is the household gatekeeper. Samsung, for instance, holds a dominant position in the global TV market, yet its operating system has largely escaped the same level of scrutiny applied to Alphabet’s Android or Apple’s iOS. The inclusion of virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri in the petition further underscores the fear that voice-activated search will become another opaque layer of curation that favors Big Tech ecosystems.
The financial stakes are immense. Advertising revenue is increasingly tied to the data harvested by these operating systems, which track every click and "watch time" metric with granular precision. If the EU Commission heeds the broadcasters' call, it would force these companies to provide more prominent placement for local media apps and share more robust viewership data with content creators. This would represent a major shift in leverage, moving power away from the hardware manufacturers and back toward the production houses that provide the actual substance of the viewing experience.
Critics of the proposal argue that heavy-handed regulation could stifle innovation in user interface design and complicate the seamless experience consumers expect from modern smart devices. Yet, the momentum in Brussels appears to be shifting toward broader enforcement. Ribera, who took over the antitrust portfolio following the 2024 elections, has signaled a willingness to revisit the scope of the DMA to ensure it remains "future-proof." The outcome of this petition will likely determine whether the television remains an open window to a variety of voices or becomes a walled garden controlled by a handful of platform owners.
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