Spanish Court Orders Meta To Pay Nearly €481 Million To Publishers

A Madrid mercantile court on Thursday ordered Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, to pay roughly €481 million in damages to 81 Spanish media outlets after finding that the company had engaged in unfair competition by using personal data to build advertising products that disadvantaged news publishers.

The decision by Mercantile Court No. 15 in Madrid concluded that Meta processed user data in ways that gave it a distinct commercial edge over legacy publishers in the sale of digital advertising, harming competition in Spain’s digital advertising market. The court set the compensation at approximately €481 million, about $550 million, following litigation brought by a consortium of print and online news organizations seeking redress for lost advertising revenue and market share.

The ruling centers on the role of user data in tailoring and pricing online ads. Spanish publishers argued that Meta’s ability to combine vast amounts of personal data with sophisticated targeting tools allowed the company to deliver higher performing ads, to the detriment of news outlets that cannot match that level of user information. The court accepted that argument and characterized the conduct as an abuse of a market advantage under competition principles applied in Spain.

Meta said it would consider its options including appeal. The company has previously defended its advertising practices as compliant with applicable law and framed its ad services as part of an open internet economy in which publishers can reach audiences through multiple channels. The company’s platforms remain major destinations for news consumption, but the dynamics of monetizing that attention have been contentious for years.

The ruling carries potential implications beyond the immediate financial award. It represents one of the more forceful judicial findings in Europe against a large platform for the competitive effects of data driven advertising. Legal analysts said the decision could encourage other publishers to pursue similar claims in Spain or elsewhere in the European Union, and could draw the attention of regulators focused on platform power and data use.

For Spanish media, the judgment offers a rare legal victory after a decade during which many publishers saw print circulation and traditional ad revenue decline while audience attention shifted online. Compensation may provide relief to some outlets, but experts cautioned that a one time payment does not resolve the structural challenges facing journalism, including audience fragmentation and the difficulty of converting social platform traffic into sustainable direct revenue.

The case also raises practical questions about enforcement and damages collection. A court award does not guarantee prompt payment, and an appeal would suspend enforcement as the legal process unfolds. If Meta pursues appeals in Spanish courts and potentially European tribunals, the litigation could stretch for years, creating legal uncertainty for both publishers and platforms.

The Madrid ruling adds to a growing legal and regulatory scrutiny of how major technology firms use personal data to build advertising businesses. Policymakers and courts across Europe are increasingly examining whether the architecture of the digital advertising ecosystem distorts competition and undermines independent news media. The immediate outcome for the Spanish publishers will depend on whether the award is upheld on appeal and on the broader market responses that follow.