ACT represents Europe’s commercial audiovisual champions — responsible, accountable, and invested in high-quality content for Europeans. They offer a model for how media can contribute to Europe’s culture, democracy, and economy by providing value-added content and a safe environment for viewers of all ages. ACT calls for European solutions that enable the industry to survive and thrive amid the radical changes brought by digital technologies.
OUR VISION
As commercial broadcasters and on-demand services, ACT members are Europe’s home-grown champions — distinct from public broadcasters and competing on market terms against tech gatekeepers:
- We are the backbone of Europe’s commercial audiovisual ecosystem, delivering trusted news, popular entertainment, and sport to millions every day.
- But this success story is under pressure. ACT members face unfair competition from unregulated tech gatekeepers with unmatched scale, capital, and technology — tilting the playing field and threatening Europe’s ability to sustain its own vibrant audiovisual sector and jobs.
Our services provide what matters most to Europeans: trusted journalism, entertainment for all, live sport, and diverse cultural content that reflect and strengthen Europe’s identity — but these values are under threat:
- We operate with full legal accountability under EU and national law, ensuring protections for viewers and responsibility to society — obligations that many global competitors do not share.
- We carry a duty of care to both our audiences and the people behind the screen — the writers, creators, journalists, and production teams who depend on a sustainable ecosystem for their livelihoods.
- Without the right framework, and without ensuring access is not eroded by tech gatekeepers’ business models, this public value is at risk.
If Europe wants to preserve pluralism, cultural diversity, and democratic resilience, it needs strong European audiovisual players at its core that can easily be found by European viewers:
- With the right policies, ACT members will continue to be the partners Europe can rely on: investing billions each year in European creativity, skills, and growth; protecting audiences and upholding European values; and providing a counterweight to unregulated information flows that undermine trust and cohesion.
- We are calling for a Europe that:
- Fosters a robust and competitive European audiovisual industry
- Champions pluralism and innovation through fair competition
- Secures creativity and investment through strong IP rights, ensuring European creativity is protected and rewarded in the digital and AI-driven future.
OUR MISSION
Promote and defend the ACT Vision in EU legislative discussions and EU media by responding to public inquiries, proactively creating and disseminating industry information and positions as well as organising physical and online policy discussion platforms to promote the collective interests of its Members.
The purpose of the ACT is to promote the collective interest of its members by:
- Facilitating the definition of common positions, proposals and actions on, including without limitation, regulatory environment, professional rules, programming;
- Explaining to national, international or European policy makers the contribution the television industry makes to European society, in terms of, including without limitation, culture, news and to the European economy, in terms of, including without limitation, growth, innovation, jobs;
- Influencing the EU’s political and policy agenda; and
- Keeping its members informed and appraised of relevant developments.