German media regulator ZAK has categorised the in-car entertainment systems from Audi, BMW/Mini and Tesla as user interfaces at its latest meeting.
The ‘Tesla Media Player’ has also been classified as a media platform. This is a milestone for ZAK, as it is the first time that it has included media offerings from car manufacturers into its regulations.
According to ZAK, its decision is in line with the legislator’s view that regulation should be seen from the result: “We need variety which actually reaches people. Having a large number of offerings alone does not create variety, which is why media legislation principles that ensure the accessibility of media offerings also apply to new types of services.”
ZAK Chair Dr Eva Flecken said: “It sounds strange at first, but it’s the case: In-car entertainment systems are in the media regulator’s focus for good reasons. After all, these interfaces decide which media offerings can reach the ears of listeners in the car. We are therefore dealing with new gatekeepers, which the legislator is consequently placing under supervision.”
Dr Thorsten Schmiege, Coordinator of the Infrastructure and Innovation Committee, added: “Radio plays a central role in the car. It’s about access to local news or ad hoc warning messages, but also about users who expect to be able to easily find radio stations and content worth listening to in the car. With their notifications, car manufacturers are recognising their responsibility to implement media variety in the car. We assume that other car manufacturers will follow suit in the near future and we will also strongly urge them to do so.”
