Annoyed that your smart TV wants to steer you to certain services? The EU is being asked by streamers to clamp down and make TVs work more neutrally

Date:
Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:55:54 +0000

Description:
Broadcasters and streamers say smart TVs are becoming 'gatekeepers', and want the EU to act to make sure certain services don't get preferential treatment

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from
us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was
successful An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Broadcasters are concerned about the power of big TV tech The EU has been asked to regulate major TV platforms as "gatekeepers" Virtual digital assistants may be gatekeepers too A battle's brewing between broadcasters and big tech: in Europe some of the biggest names in television are urging regulators to apply the toughest 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 anti-trust chief Teresa Ribera claiming that certain platform providers are "gaining growing ability to shape outcomes for millions of users and businesses by controlling access to audiences and content distribution", Reuters reports. ACT represents some very big names in TV including NBCUniversal, The Walt Disney Corporation, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount+, Sky, ITV, Canal+, RTL, Mediaset, and TF1 Groupe. Article continues below You may like I spoke to the CEO of a TV manufacturer about the future of TV hardware EU Parliament said no mass surveillance of your chats but the Chat Control saga isn't done EU goes soft on Big Tech in digital rules overhaul

"It is crucial that the Commission designate major TV operating systems as gatekeepers and ensure adequate oversight to guarantee fairness and contestability," ACT says. What is ACT so upset about, and why does it
matter? The argument is that smart TV platforms on the best TVs are becoming gatekeepers of what content people see, and should be designated as such
under the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA).

You can see their point if you switch 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 who 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 an ongoing thorn in US tech firms' sides: it's designed to curb market power of the very biggest companies, most of which are based in the
US, and it's been used to clip the wings of Google, Microsoft, Meta and Apple among others. The current US administration is not a fan, and says the DMA is "discriminatory" against US firms, though it's notable that many US-led firms are actually calling for this change. Get daily insight, inspiration and
deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

ACT wants the DMA to ensure that smart TV firms do not unfairly prioritize some apps and content, for example by funnelling 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 can "become de facto gatekeepers for media content through 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 up iOS to third-party app stores and app sideloading, Apple did so, but only for EU customers. Thinking of buying a new TV? Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll
tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/televisions/annoyed-that-your-smart-tv-wants-to-stee r-you-to-certain-services-the-eu-is-being-asked-by-streamers-to-clamp-down-and -make-tvs-work-more-neutrally


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