Europe’s biggest television broadcasters are pressing Brussels to curb what they call the outsized sway of smart TV platforms over what viewers watch. The industry alliance argues that platforms owned by Google, Amazon, Apple, and Samsung increasingly steer content choices, and it wants the European Commission to bring these services squarely under the Digital Markets Act.
The Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe (ACT) has asked EU antitrust officials to treat connected TV operating systems and content interfaces as gatekeepers, according to reporting from Reuters and statements by the group. In its view, control of the TV home screen, search, and voice results lets platform owners favor their own apps and storefronts, distorting competition and limiting choice.
Broadcasters Warn Of Gatekeeper Control
At the heart of the complaint is findability. When viewers switch on a television, the rows they see first, which app opens by default, and which results surface to a voice query can make or break audience reach. ACT—which counts Canal+ Group, Disney, ITV, NBCUniversal, Paramount, RTL, Sky, TF1, and Warner Bros. Discovery among its members—says a handful of platforms can now set those defaults across millions of screens.
Industry figures cited by the broadcasters estimate Samsung’s Tizen at roughly 24% of Europe’s smart TV market, Google’s Android TV/Google TV at about 23%, and Amazon’s Fire TV at around 13%, placing close to 70% of viewing gateways with just a few operators. That concentration, the group argues, gives platform owners leverage to bundle, prioritize, and upsell their own video services and ad inventory.
The DMA already bars designated gatekeepers from self-preferencing, tying, or unfairly restricting switching. It also empowers the Commission to fine violators up to 10% of global turnover, rising to 20% for repeat offenses. While the law typically uses hard thresholds—such as 45 million monthly active users in the EU or a €75 billion market capitalization—the Commission can also designate additional services following a market investigation when qualitative evidence of gatekeeper power emerges.
In practical terms, broadcasters want stricter rules around home screen prominence, app store terms, and search neutrality on TVs. They point to familiar flashpoints in adjacent markets—like disputes over app carriage, default placements, or algorithmic visibility—as evidence that without clear obligations, the playing field tilts toward platform-owned services. Past clashes involving major streaming apps on TV platforms have shown how distribution bottlenecks can delay launches or limit reach.
Virtual Assistants In The Crosshairs For EU Scrutiny
The broadcasters also want the EU to scrutinize voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri. Their argument is that spoken queries increasingly decide what viewers watch—whether via a smart TV remote, a speaker, or an in-car system—and that assistants can become de facto gatekeepers by privileging certain services in answers and recommendations.
That concern echoes findings from the European Commission’s sector inquiry into consumer IoT, which highlighted the central role of voice assistants and potential conflicts of interest when platform owners compete with the services they intermediate. As generative AI layers blend with traditional assistants, the risk that a single interface steers attention only grows, the broadcasters contend.
What A Clampdown Could Mean For Viewers
If the Commission expands DMA obligations to connected TV platforms, viewers could see more balanced home screens, transparent recommendation criteria, and clearer choice prompts rather than default nudges toward a platform’s own apps. Search and voice results might be required to rank relevant content from multiple providers side by side, not just the owner’s catalogue.
Platform companies are likely to counter that integration improves ease of use, combats fragmentation, and subsidizes affordable hardware. They may also argue that existing DMA designations—for example, covering mobile operating systems or app stores—already constrain self-preferencing across their ecosystems. The regulatory challenge is to preserve innovation and coherent user experiences while preventing lock-in and discriminatory placement.
Next Steps In Brussels On Connected TV Gatekeepers
The Commission can launch a market investigation to assess whether smart TV operating systems, content discovery layers, and voice assistants should be designated as core platform services under the DMA. Several of the named companies are already DMA gatekeepers for other services, but a designation targeting TV interfaces would bring tailored obligations to the living room.
With European regulators intensifying enforcement across digital markets, the stakes are high for how viewers find films, sports, and news on connected screens. Whether Brussels opts for formal designations, guidance on prominence, or case-by-case actions, the outcome will shape who controls the front door to Europe’s biggest screen—and how fairly that door opens to competing services.
