Top Spanish YouTubers fined nearly Ksh.300K for failing to reveal commercial content

YouTubers Ibai, Jordi Wild and Nachter received fines ranging from 710 euros to nearly 1,800 euros ($810-$2,000) for failing to clearly identify commercial content, inadequate safeguards for minors and the promotion of medicines without meeting specific advertising requirements, the CNMC said in a statement.

"Users must be able to know, in a simple way, when they are viewing commercial communication," it said, adding that advertising must be distinguishable from editorial content.

Streamer and YouTuber star Ibai Llanos, known online as Ibai, was fined 710 euros for promoting a drink brand during videos broadcast on X from a sporting event without making clear that the content was advertising.

Ibai, a former esports commentator who has become one of Spain's biggest online personalities through his livestreams and celebrity sporting events, has more than 17 million followers on Twitch.

YouTuber Jordi Wild was fined 1,543 euros for failing to display the necessary warnings for content that could be sensitive for minors on his YouTube channel, which has more than 12 million subscribers.

The regulator said that failing to classify content aimed at protecting minors could reduce the effectiveness of parental control systems.

A third influencer, Nachter, who has around six million YouTube subscribers, was fined 1,779 euros for promoting an anti-flu medicine on his platforms without complying with requirements for pharmaceutical advertising.

These include advising users to read the product information leaflet or consult a pharmacist if in doubt.

The fines come as Spanish authorities tighten scrutiny of influencer marketing, with social media personalities increasingly subject to rules traditionally applied to television and other advertising channels.