EU Media Urge Targeted Digital Fairness Act on Tech Firms

In Brussels, Europe's leading broadcasters and media organizations have urged European Union regulators to direct a forthcoming law against unfair digital practices toward major technology companies, rather than imposing broad requirements on already regulated media sectors, according to a letter sent to top officials.

The Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe, known as ACT, conveyed these concerns in an April 21 letter to European Commission Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath and technology chief Henna Virkkunen. ACT represents major players including Canal, RTL, Mediaset, ITV, Paramount, NBCUniversal, Walt Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, Sky, and TF1 Groupe. The group argued that the proposed Digital Fairness Act, slated for introduction by McGrath later this year, risks undermining media business models and diversity if applied uniformly.

The legislation aims to address deceptive online tactics, such as dark patterns in digital interfaces that encourage addictive user engagement, misleading influencer promotions, opaque pricing strategies, and subscription mechanisms that hinder cancellations. ACT warned that a one-size-fits-all...