Study: Discoverability of media services to be improved in the EU

Study: Discoverability of media services to be improved in the EU

On 29 September 2026, the Ministry of Transport and Communications released a study on improving the discoverability of domestic media services under the EU Directive on audiovisual media services (AVMS Directive).

The study suggests that, at this stage, Finland should not draft national regulation on improving the discoverability of domestic media services. Discoverability refers to how easily users can find a media service, for example through the home screen of a smart television.

Under the current EU regulatory framework, Finland has limited scope to influence the operators that have the greatest impact on the discoverability of media services. These include providers of operating systems and application stores as well as manufacturers of smart devices. They are mainly established outside Finland, so the impacts of national regulation are expected to remain limited.

The European Commission is currently reviewing the AVMS Directive and making preparations for its reform. According to the study, instead of preparing national regulation, Finland should now actively contribute to future EU regulation. This would allow uniform decisions across the EU on the discoverability of domestic media services, and regulation could be directed at those operators that have the greatest influence over discoverability.

Basis in EU legislation

The AVMS Directive allows EU Member States to take measures to ensure the appropriate prominence of audiovisual media services of general interest (so-called prominence regulation).

The purpose is to promote the discoverability of these media services on smart devices and in digital services and platforms, such as the operating systems of smart TVs. Prominence regulation is one means to strengthen the competitiveness of national media companies in relation to international players.

The background to regulation lies in the current market situation, in which large international services, and device manufacturers and operating system providers can agree on a commercial basis on the visibility of services in TV remote controls and home screens, for example. In practice, smaller national players are not in a position to negotiate such agreements.

The parliamentary working group that assessed the tasks and funding of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) stated in its report in September 2024 that the Government should look into concrete measures to promote commercial media, with particular attention to improving the discoverability of domestic media services in line with the AVMS Directive. In addition to the present study, the measures have been reviewed in a memorandum published in February 2026 on the current state of the domestic media sector, its outlook and measures to boost its competitiveness.

What's next?

The European Commission is due to submit a legislative proposal on the revision of the AVMS Directive in 2026. Finland is actively contributing within the EU to the future revision of the Directive.

Inquiries:

Roosa Patrakka, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 342 192, [email protected]

Eero Salojärvi, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 342 123, [email protected]