A group of European broadcasting associations has called on the European Commission to designate major connected TV operating systems and virtual assistant providers as gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act.
In a joint statement addressed to Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera, the organisations said the forthcoming DMA review should better reflect the growing influence of connected TV platforms and virtual assistants in shaping access to media services.
Among the signatories are the Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe, the Association of European Radios, the European Broadcasting Union, egta, UTECA and VAUNET.
The signatories argued that both categories have so far received limited regulatory attention, despite their increasing role in content discovery, distribution and audience reach.
On connected TVs, the associations warned that the European market is becoming more concentrated around a small number of large ecosystem platforms. Citing market data covering 2019 to 2024, they said Android TV increased its share from 16% to 23%, Amazon Fire OS rose from 5% to 12%, while Samsung’s Tizen maintained a 24% share.
According to the groups, this gives a limited number of operators growing power to influence outcomes for both audiences and content providers by controlling distribution and visibility on the main screen in the home.
They said connected TV operating system providers can act as central intermediaries between media providers and end users, with the ability to affect the discoverability, accessibility and use of media services. The statement also warned that platform operators may seek to keep users inside their own ecosystems and could use contractual or technical restrictions to limit linking or redirection between media apps.
The associations said this could damage broadcasters’ distribution models, restrict cooperation between media providers and reduce interoperability between services.
They also argued that the definition of a core platform service should not depend on the device through which it is delivered, saying a device-based approach risks inconsistent application of DMA obligations.
The groups raised similar concerns over virtual assistants, noting that although they are already listed as a category of core platform service in the DMA, none has yet been designated.
They said the rapid development of virtual assistants, particularly with the integration of generative AI, risks creating a regulatory gap in which powerful assistant platforms become de facto gatekeepers for media content on smartphones, smart speakers and in-car infotainment systems without being subject to DMA rules.
The statement also criticised the current DMA interpretation of business users in the context of virtual assistants, arguing that it is too narrow and fails to capture the range of companies that rely on those platforms to reach consumers.
The associations called on the Commission to designate major connected TV OS and virtual assistant providers as gatekeepers, or, if they do not meet the quantitative thresholds, to open a market investigation under Article 3(8) using qualitative criteria.
They also urged Brussels to review the definition of business users during the DMA review, saying it should be interpreted more broadly and in a technology-neutral way.
The groups said they were ready to support the Commission with data, technical expertise and further discussion on the next steps.
