Source · Select Committees · Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 19
19
Paragraph: 95
We are concerned that the full potential of the Digital Markets Unit is not being...
Recommendation
We are concerned that the full potential of the Digital Markets Unit is not being realised under its current proposed remit. We recommend that the Government should broaden the Digital Markets Unit’s remit to consider whether the dominance of online platforms gives them undue influence over the ability of consumers to access public service broadcasting content online and through streaming.
Paragraph Reference:
95
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government announced the introduction of a new pro-competition regime for digital markets in November 2020. In April this year a new regulator, the Digital Markets Unit (DMU), was launched to ensure digital firms with substantial and enduring market power cannot exploit their positions in ways that harm consumers and businesses. This will allow for more proactive oversight and swifter action to address competition concerns in fast- moving digital markets. The new Unit will take a sector-neutral approach, examining the role of platforms across a range of digital markets with a view to promoting competition. A central part of the new regime will be a mandatory code of conduct to govern the relationships between digital platforms with substantial and enduring market power and different groups of users which rely on their services. The Government has asked the DMU to look at how a code would address the harms resulting from market dominance in specific sectors of the digital economy, including how it would govern the relationships between platforms and content producers such as news publishers. The Government will consult on the new pro-competition regime this year and legislate as soon as parliamentary time allows.