The German media authorities are reorganising their personnel: From January 2026, Dr Thorsten Schmiege, President of the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for New Media, will take over as Chair of the Directors' Conference of the State Media Authorities (DLM). He succeeds Dr Eva Flecken from the Medienanstalt Berlin-Brandenburg, who previously held the position.

With the change at the top, Schmiege is moving into a central media policy role in a phase of growing regulatory challenges. In future, his tasks will also include chairing the Commission for Licensing and Supervision, which is responsible in particular for monitoring broadcasting and platform providers.

For the film and streaming industry, the new appointment could mean that issues of platform regulation, media diversity and transparency in the digital markets will become more of a focus. The General Conference of the Media Authorities confirmed the personnel decision for the 2026/2027 term of office.