Spain’s National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC) has imposed fines totaling €4,033.38 before reductions on prominent influencers Ibai Llanos, Jordi Wild and Nachter for breaches of audiovisual advertising rules, including failures to protect minors and improper promotion of medicinal products. The sanctions were publicly reported on July 23, 2026, and early payment reduced the combined amount payable to €2,877.91. Nachter’s reduction also reflected his acknowledgment of responsibility.
The CNMC’s decisions concern obligations under Spain’s General Audiovisual Communication Law, including rules for identifying advertising and protecting minors, as well as requirements for medicine promotion. The cited legal basis is Article 158.31, which applies to “users of special relevance” (usuarios de especial relevancia, or UER), a category that brings certain professional or high-impact online creators within the scope of audiovisual rules. The cases involve three distinct compliance issues: advertising that was not clearly identified, fighting content without required protections for young viewers, and medicine promotions lacking required warnings.
Ibai Llanos was fined €710, reduced by 20% to €568 for early payment. The CNMC’s case concerned promotional videos posted on X, formerly Twitter, in connection with the event La Velada del Año. The regulator found that commercial brands appeared without clear enough visual indications to distinguish advertising from editorial or entertainment content. The case places responsibility on how the creator presented the material, rather than treating compliance solely as the hosting platform’s concern.
Jordi Wild received a penalty of €1,543.44, reduced to €1,241.95 after prompt settlement, a reduction of €301.49, or approximately 19.5%. The case involved extreme-contact fighting content linked to the Dogfight Wild Tournament and published on his YouTube channels @ElRinconDeGiorgio and @dwt_fighting. The CNMC found that the material lacked required age classifications and safeguards for minors, including warnings and access restrictions.
Nachter received the largest initial fine, €1,779.94, which fell by €711.98, or approximately 40%, to €1,067.96 after he acknowledged responsibility and paid early. The CNMC found that posts on his social media and social media profiles promoting over-the-counter cold remedies lacked required health warnings and clear advertising identification. The case links influencer-marketing disclosure rules with Spain’s separate requirements for advertising medicinal products.
The CNMC’s Regulatory Supervision Board approved all three decisions, with one dissenting vote. Together, the cases show how the regulator is applying audiovisual obligations to creators publishing across four platforms: X and YouTube, as well as social media and social media. Platform policies and technical tools do not remove creators’ responsibility for presenting commercial or age-sensitive content appropriately.
In a related move, the CNMC recently awarded a €32,800 contract to Portuguese analytics firm Primetag to automate the monitoring of influencer videos for undisclosed commercial placements. The move echoes EU-level enforcement, including the record fine imposed on AliExpress for failing to control illegal sales, as detailed in this recent report.
Spanish law requires advertising to be marked directly and visibly within audiovisual content, since viewers may not read accompanying text descriptions. The CNMC has clarified that vague terms such as “collaboration” or “brand ambassador” do not meet transparency standards. The disclosure requirement also applies when the advertiser makes no direct payment.
Before these fines, the CNMC had issued warnings to other creators, including Lola Lolita, Peldanyos, Sofía Suescun, Tamara Gorro and Samantha Vallejo-Nágera, following complaints from the Association of Communication Users (AUC). Those earlier cases involved undisclosed promotions of financial, food and fashion services. They did not result in penalties because they predated the regulator’s current interpretative guidelines.
Spain’s tighter digital advertising rules reflect a wider European push for transparency and consumer protection in online media. These decisions reinforce the expectation that influencers follow audiovisual standards, particularly when their content reaches large audiences or touches sensitive areas such as health and the protection of minors. For creators and brands, the penalties make clear the need for visible advertising labels and appropriate safeguards for audiences, alongside required warnings for medicinal products.
