Disney, Warner Brothers Discovery and other broadcasters to EU: Upcoming act should target Big Tech not them because …

Europe’s largest broadcasters and publishers have urged EU regulators: a new law designed to clean up the internet may accidentally cripple the region’s media industry. In a letter sent to EU officials on April 21, a coalition of media powerhouses, including Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount+, Canal+ and Sky, urged the European Commission to focus its upcoming “Digital Fairness Act” (DFA) on Silicon Valley giants (like primarily Alphabet’s Google, Apple, Meta’s Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft) rather than heavily regulated local broadcasters.According to a report by news agency Reuters, the groups argue that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to regulation threatens the business models that fund independent journalism and cultural content.

The fight against ‘Dark Patterns’

The Digital Fairness Act, which is expected to be proposed by EU Justice Chief Michael McGrath later this year, aims to protect consumers from addictive designs, or features that keep users scrolling for hours. Others include dark patterns or website layouts that trick users into clicking things; subscription traps that are services that are easy to join but nearly impossible to cancel, and unclear marketing and pricing practices.While the media groups support protecting consumers, they argue that their sectors are already “well-regulated” and uphold high editorial standards. “New measures must focus on the segment of the digital environment where significant responsibility gaps persist, rather than our well-regulated sectors that already uphold high editorial standards,” ⁠the group said, adding that applying the same strict rules to a local radio station as to a massive global social media platform is, they claim, a mistake.

One of the biggest points of contention involves features like autoplay, recommendation systems and personalised ads. While regulators often view these as “addictive” or “problematic,” broadcasters argue they are “vital revenue streams” that keep the creative industries alive.The letter was signed by the European Publishers Council and the Motion Picture Association, including Canal+, RTL, Mediaset, ITV, Paramount+, NBCUniversal, Walt Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, Sky and TF1 Groupe.They told McGrath and EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen that restricting these tools could have a “disproportionate impact” on sectors that are essential for democracy and media pluralism.

What broadcasters are asking

The coalition is calling for an “evidence-based” approach that targets specific risks rather than blanket rules. They argue that the focus should remain on the segment of the digital world where “significant responsibility gaps persist”.“New measures must focus on the segment of the digital environment where problems exist. Not our sectors that already uphold high standards,” the group stated.