Broadcasters Urge Gatekeeper Status for Amazon Fire OS after 12% Share Gain
European broadcasters urged the EU to designate Amazon Fire OS as a Digital Markets Act gatekeeper after its market share rose from 5% to 12% between 2019 and 2024. They warned that Amazon’s ecosystem controls could restrict app linking and consumer choice on smart TVs and virtual assistants.
1. Broadcasters Demand Gatekeeper Status
The Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe urged the EU competition authority to designate Amazon Fire OS as a gatekeeper under the DMA, joining calls for Google’s Android TV and Samsung’s Tizen to face stricter oversight.
2. Fire OS Market Share Growth
Amazon Fire OS market share climbed from 5% in 2019 to 12% in 2024, while Android TV’s share rose to 23% and Tizen held 24%, highlighting the growing influence of smart TV operating systems in content distribution.
3. Potential DMA Obligations for Amazon
Gatekeeper designation would impose obligations on Amazon to ensure fair access, prevent self-preferencing and allow third-party app installations and linking, potentially reshaping its device ecosystem strategies and revenue models.
4. Virtual Assistant Regulation Gap
Broadcasters also warned that virtual assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri and AI chatbots have become de facto content gatekeepers, yet remain outside DMA rules, creating a regulatory void for media distribution through voice interfaces.