EU Broadcasters Push for Regulation of Smart TVs, AI Assistants
In Focus
- AI assistants are not regulated in the EU
- Broadcasters want regulators to regulate Smart TVs under the DMA
- The European Commission is assessing the letter from broadcasters
EU broadcasters want regulators to place Amazon, Apple, Samsung, and Google Smart TVs as well as virtual assistants under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). According to Reuters, the broadcasters termed Smart TV content control regulation in the EU as necessary to curb the growing market dominance of smart TVs.
Call to Designate Smart TVs as Gatekeepers
The Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe (ACT) called on the EU regulator to designate smart TV operating systems as gatekeepers. The broadcasters cited a 2025 market survey which showed that Google’s Android TV market share rose from 16% to 23% between 2019 and 2024.
Amazon’s Fire OS also expanded its market share from 5% to 12% over the same period, while Samsung’s Tizen OS controls 24% of the market.
“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. It is crucial that the Commission designate major TV operating systems as gatekeepers and ensure adequate oversight to guarantee fairness and contestability,” ACT said in its letter to the EU Antitrust Chief, Teresa Ribera.
The move is the first public action that ACT has taken with regard to big tech’s smart TV content control in Europe. This is not the first time a lobby group has pressured EU regulators to act on the big techs. Earlier this month, EU publishers asked antitrust regulators to conclude investigations into Google’s self-preferencing practices in the region and impose a fine.
Big Tech’s Ecosystem Advantage Highlighted
EU broadcasters claim that big techs could use incentives to keep end-users in their ecosystems and contractual control linking or redirection. For instance, tech companies can limit users from shifting from one media application to another. ACT also raised concerns over the deployment of virtual assistants by big techs,which include Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri.
“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 added.
AI assistants are not designated as gatekeepers in Europe. Last week, Amazon started rolling out the upgraded version of Alexa+ AI assistant in the U.K. Alexa+ integrates seamlessly with Fire TV in the Alexa app.
Recently, Apple signed a deal to power Siri with Google’s Gemini AI. Under the deal, Apple’s Foundation Model will run on Gemini models and cloud technology. Last year, OpenAI introduced a feature called Tasks in ChatGPT.
Regulator Urged to Disregard Quantitative Rule
EU broadcasters want the antitrust chief to subject AI assistants and smart TVs to the DMA based on a qualitative criteria, even though they don’t meet the qualitative benchmark. Under the DMA, platforms with 45 million active users per month and 75 billion euros in market capitalization are to be designated as gatekeepers.
The European Commission, which serves as the competition enforcer, acknowledged receipt of the letter and committed to assess the issues raised by broadcasters. Members of ACT include Mediaset, Paramount+, ITV, NBCUniversal, Walt Disney, and Warner Bros Discovery.
