Key Points:
- Major European broadcasters want smart TVs and virtual assistants treated as tech “gatekeepers.”
- The companies targeted include major brands such as Google, Amazon, Apple, and Samsung.
- Broadcasters fear that these tech giants control too much of the audience and content distribution.
- The industry group specifically warned about the growing power of AI assistants like Alexa and Siri.
A massive fight is brewing between traditional television networks and Silicon Valley tech giants. On Monday, the world’s largest broadcasters formally asked the European Union to crack down on smart TVs and virtual assistants. The networks argue that companies like Google, Amazon, Apple, and Samsung now hold far too much market power and need strict regulation under the EU’s toughest technology laws.
The Association of Commercial Television and Video-on-Demand Services in Europe, known as ACT, led this coordinated charge. This powerful group represents massive entertainment companies, including Walt Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount+, Sky, and NBCUniversal. They directed their urgent message straight to the EU antitrust chief, Teresa Ribera. This move highlights a bitter, ongoing battle for market share and control over how audiences consume entertainment in their own living rooms.
The broadcasters brought hard numbers to back up their claims. They pointed to a 2025 market study showing how rapidly tech companies are taking over the television screen. From 2019 to 2024, Google’s Android TV increased its market share from 16% to 23%. During that same period, Amazon Fire OS jumped from 5% to 12%. Meanwhile, Samsung’s Tizen operating system currently commands a massive 24% of the market. Because of these huge numbers, the broadcasters want these specific operating systems officially designated as “gatekeepers” under the Digital Markets Act.
The Digital Markets Act, which took effect in 2023, specifically targets the immense power of major technology companies. The law aims to boost fair competition and expand choices for everyday consumers. By labeling these tech giants as gatekeepers, the EU can force them to follow strict obligations regarding how they operate their platforms and treat competing businesses.
In their letter to Ribera, the broadcasters laid out their primary fear. They warned that a very small number of tech operators are gaining the ability to shape outcomes for millions of users. By controlling the television’s operating system, these tech giants effectively control audience access and dictate how content is distributed.
The lobbying group argued that big tech companies have a strong financial incentive to trap users inside their own closed ecosystems. For example, a smart TV interface might contractually or technically restrict a user from easily clicking a link that redirects them from one media app to a competing media app. To stop this behavior, the broadcasters stated, “The Commission must designate major TV operating systems as gatekeepers and ensure adequate oversight to guarantee fairness and contestability.”
The European Commission, which serves as the EU’s official antitrust enforcer, confirmed it has received the letter and is currently assessing the demands. Representatives from Google, Amazon, Apple, and Samsung did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the situation.
Beyond smart TVs, the broadcasters also raised serious alarms about virtual assistants. These voice-activated tools, like Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri, are becoming central to how people find information and entertainment. The group also noted that OpenAI recently entered this specific field with a feature called Tasks for its incredibly popular ChatGPT artificial intelligence bot.
Currently, the European Commission has not labeled any virtual assistant as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act. The broadcasters warn that this hesitation creates a dangerous regulatory void. They argue that powerful AI assistants are already acting as de facto gatekeepers for media content, whether that content plays through a mobile phone, a smart speaker in the kitchen, or a car’s radio infotainment system.
To fix this, the coalition urged Ribera to use qualitative criteria to subject these smart TVs and virtual assistants to the strict rules. Currently, the law relies on quantitative benchmarks, meaning a service usually needs more than 45 million monthly active users and a market capitalization of at least 75 billion euros ($87 billion) to trigger the gatekeeper label. The broadcasters argue that the government should look beyond the raw numbers and focus on the actual power these tools hold in the modern media landscape.
