On 23 March, a coalition of audiovisual media and radio sector representatives called on the European Commission to designate connected TV operating systems and virtual assistant platforms as gatekeepers under the scope of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), in a letter addressed to Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera ahead of the Commission’s upcoming DMA review.

Both connected TVs and virtual assistants have, so far, received limited regulatory attention despite their growing role in shaping access to content and services. In 2025, the Commission’s own summary of the DMA consultation noted calls from stakeholders to designate these additional services as gatekeepers. 

“The DMA must remain forward-looking. Services such as connected TVs and virtual assistants are already shaping how audiences access content, and they should be subject to appropriate oversight before harmful practices take hold” said François Lavoir, Senior EU Policy Adviser at the EBU.

The letter calls on the European Commission to use the DMA’s provision to:

• Designate major connected TV OS and virtual assistant providers as gatekeepers.
• Open a market investigation for the designation of these services where necessary.
• Amend the definition of "business users" in the context of the ongoing review of the DMA. The definition must be interpreted broadly, applied in a technology-neutral manner, and encompass all entities that significantly rely on gatekeepers’ services to reach end users.

The letter stressed that early intervention is essential to preserve competition and consumer choice, warning that once gatekeeping positions are entrenched, they become significantly harder to address.

Read the full letter.