Spain: Final report on competition in the online advertising sector in Spain

On 7 July 2021, the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC) published its study on competition in the Spanish digital advertisement sector, following a consultation in 2019. The CNMC found that Google and Facebook dominate the sector by accounting for more than 70% of the online advertising market (in 2019), including search and display advertising. Those numbers as well as the revenue generated (€3.45 billion in 2019) are rising steadily. The CNMC stated that this dominance is the reason for Google's and Facebook's advantage in the sector, partly due to the great amount of user data accumulated. As a consequence, the CNMC calls for more supervision and the creation of regulations for the online advertising market. Consumers shall be better protected and have the right to privacy and compensation for the use of their data. Publishers and advertisers shall be better protected by increasing transparency and limiting mergers and acquisitions in the sector that reduce competition.