Europe’s biggest broadcasters just fired a shot at Samsung and other tech giants over who controls what you see on your TV screen. A powerful coalition of media companies, including Disney, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery, is now pushing EU regulators to crack down on smart TV platforms they say act as unfair gatekeepers to millions of living rooms across the continent.
The fight is not about picture quality or hardware specs. It is about the software layer sitting between you and your favorite shows.
Why Samsung’s TV Market Power Is Under Fire
Samsung has ranked as the world’s number one TV brand for 20 consecutive years, holding a 29.1% share of the global TV market in 2025, according to market research firm Omdia.1 The company also dominates the premium segment, capturing 54.3% of TVs priced above $2,500 and 52.2% of sets above $1,500.1
But the real concern here goes far beyond selling hardware.
Samsung builds the operating system running on millions of its smart TVs, and since the brand controls the main menu, it gets to decide which streaming apps get the best placement on a TV’s home screen.2 According to a 2025 market study, Samsung’s Tizen OS holds a 24% market share among smart TV operating systems, placing it at the very top.3
That means Samsung does not just sell you the TV. It also controls what you see the moment you turn it on.
Samsung TV Plus, a free ad-supported streaming service (FAST), comes pre-installed on all Samsung smart TVs released after 2016, offering over 4,300 free live TV channels.4 The platform boasts more than 88 million monthly active users.5
For smaller streaming apps and local broadcasters, this setup creates an uneven playing field where visibility depends on how much you can afford to pay.
Samsung Tizen OS smart TV gatekeeper EU DMA regulation debate
Broadcasters Call for Stricter Regulation
The Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe (ACT), whose members include Canal+, RTL, Mediaset, ITV, Paramount+, NBCUniversal, Walt Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Sky, and TF1 Groupe, sent a letter to EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera on March 23, 2026.6
Their demand is clear.
“A limited number of operators are therefore gaining growing ability to shape outcomes for millions of users and businesses by controlling access to audiences and content distribution,”7 ACT said in the letter, which was first reported by Reuters.
“It is crucial that the Commission designate major TV operating systems as gatekeepers and ensure adequate oversight to guarantee fairness and contestability,”7 the broadcasters added.
The coalition wants EU regulators to label smart TV operating systems as “gatekeepers” under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). They cited data showing Android TV grew from 16% to 23% market share between 2019 and 2024, while Amazon Fire OS rose from 5% to 12% in the same period.6
Here is a quick look at how the smart TV OS market breaks down:
| Smart TV OS | Market Share (2024) | Growth (2019 to 2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Tizen OS | 24% | Stable leader |
| Google Android TV | 23% | Up from 16% |
| Amazon Fire OS | 12% | Up from 5% |
The letter was also signed by the Association of European Radios (AER), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), and several other industry organizations.6
What the Digital Markets Act Could Change
The DMA is a European Union regulation, effective since May 2023, designed to make digital markets fairer by curbing the power of major online platforms known as “gatekeepers.”8
Under the DMA, any platform with more than 45 million monthly active EU users and a market valuation above 75 billion euros is presumed to be a gatekeeper.9 Designated gatekeepers face strict rules that prevent them from favoring their own services over competitors.
If smart TV operating systems get included, here is what could change:
- Samsung, Google, and Amazon would be barred from giving their own streaming services top billing on home screens
- Smaller apps and local broadcasters would get fairer placement without paying premium fees
- TV makers could not use technical barriers to lock users into their own ecosystem
- Remote control shortcut buttons tied to specific apps might face new scrutiny
The broadcasters are asking Ribera to apply the DMA based on qualitative criteria, even if these platforms do not meet the standard quantitative thresholds.10 This is a bold ask because it would expand the law’s reach beyond its original design.
The European Commission confirmed it received the letter, and a preliminary assessment is expected by late April 2026.11
Virtual Assistants Add Another Layer of Concern
The battle does not stop at TV screens.
Broadcasters also raised concerns about virtual assistants, which increasingly serve as intermediaries for media consumption. Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri dominate the market, while OpenAI entered the space last year with a beta feature called Tasks for ChatGPT.3
The European Commission has yet to label any virtual assistants as gatekeepers under the DMA. The broadcasters say this creates “a regulatory void, allowing powerful AI assistants to become de facto gatekeepers for media content through mobile phones, smart speakers and in-car radio infotainment services.”12
Think about it this way. When you ask your voice assistant to play a show, who decides which app opens first? If that choice is influenced by the platform owner rather than your actual preference, broadcasters argue that is a form of hidden control over content access.
Television stations warn that these assistants work across a wide range of devices, from TVs to phones to cars to smart speakers. This cross-platform presence, combined with massive data collection on viewing habits, reinforces their position as key intermediaries without a proper regulatory framework.13
What This Means for Viewers and the Industry
This debate reflects a broader shift in how media is consumed across Europe. Smart TVs have become the primary interface for streaming services, while virtual assistants are emerging as key access points for audio content. These trends give platform operators significant influence over user behavior and content discovery.3
For everyday viewers, the outcome of this regulatory push could reshape the experience of turning on a TV. If the European Commission heeds the broadcasters’ demands, smart TVs and voice assistants could be included in the list of services subject to the most demanding rules of the European digital market, potentially translating into more neutral interfaces and greater transparency.13
Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung were all approached for comment, but none had responded publicly as of this writing.11
For now, the letter sits with EU Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera. But this is not just another lobbying effort. With some of the world’s largest media companies standing behind it, backed by hard market data and a growing public conversation about platform fairness, this push has real teeth. Whether you watch local news on a small European channel or binge global hits on a major streaming platform, the rules being discussed right now in Brussels could decide what shows up on your screen tomorrow. That matters to all of us. Drop your thoughts in the comments below and let us know where you stand on this debate.
