- Broadcasters are worried about the power of big television technologies
- EU has been asked to regulate major TV platforms as ‘gatekeepers’
- Virtual digital assistants can also be gatekeepers
A battle is brewing between broadcasters and Big Tech: in Europe some of the biggest names in TV are urging regulators to apply the strictest possible rules to smart TVs and their virtual digital assistants.
The Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe (ACT) has written to EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera, stating that certain platform providers are “gaining increasing ability to shape outcomes for millions of users and businesses by controlling access to audiences and the distribution of content,” PakGazette reports.
ACT represents some very big names in television, including NBCUniversal, The Walt Disney Corporation, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount+, Sky, ITV, Canal+, RTL, Mediaset and TF1 Groupe.
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“It is crucial that the Commission designate the major television operating systems as gatekeepers and ensure adequate oversight to ensure fairness and contestability,” ACT says.
Why is ACT so upset and why is it important?
The argument is that smart TV platforms on top TVs are becoming gatekeepers of the content people watch, and should be designated as such under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
You can see his point if you turn on a recent smart TV with its recommended apps, channels and content. In some cases, the TV platform and virtual assistant are also provided by companies that also have their own streaming services, as is the case with Amazon, which makes the Fire TV platform and also has Prime Video, or Apple, which has the Apple TV service on the Apple TV 4K.
The DMA is a thorn in the side of American tech companies: it is designed to curb the market power of the largest companies, most of which are based in the US, and has been used to clip the wings of Google, Microsoft, Meta and Apple, among others. The current US administration is not a supporter of it and says the DMA is “discriminatory” against US companies, although it is notable that many US-led companies are calling for this change.
ACT wants the DMA to ensure that smart TV companies do not unfairly prioritize some apps and content, for example by funneling you towards particular content they own or have deals with when you search for something.
They also want smart assistants such as Alexa and Siri to be covered by the legislation, amid concerns that they could “become de facto gatekeepers of multimedia content across mobile phones, smart speakers and in-car radio infotainment services”.
If ACT is successful, it could mean a change in the way smart TVs and virtual assistants work, but most likely only in the EU: for example, when regulators ordered Apple to open iOS to third-party app stores and app downloads, Apple did so, but only for EU customers.
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