Copenhagen, October 23, 2025 — The Danish authority announced that the Copenhagen City Court has fined outdoor advertising company AFA Decaux DKK 10 million (approximately $1.5 million) for illegally coordinating discount rates with competitor Clear Channel Denmark over a period exceeding six years.
Long-Running Coordination on Discounts
According to the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority (KFST), the two firms aligned their rebate structures between September 2008 and April 2015, affecting advertisers’ purchasing outdoor media space at bus stops, stations, and airports.
The coordination covered rebates on media commissions, information allowances, and guarantees, and for part of the period — September 2008 to December 2011 — also involved cash discounts.
Deputy Director Tine Rønde said the case underscored the seriousness of long-term coordination: “For more than six years, the two companies coordinated their discount rates without customers realising it happened at their expense. Companies must set their own prices independently — this was a serious and prolonged violation.”
Court and Enforcement History
The court characterised the infringement as serious and long-term, noting the company’s group turnover and that part of the conduct occurred before a 2013 penalty increase.
Clear Channel Denmark had already admitted the infringement in April 2024 and paid an out-of-court fine of DKK 6 million ($ 931,932).
The Competition Council initially ruled in 2018 that the companies had violated the law. The case proceeded through various legal stages until 2023, with the National Unit for Special Crime (NSK) handling the criminal prosecution after the authority’s police referral.
The case predates the 2021 amendment to the Competition Act, under which the Danish authority itself now handles fine proceedings.
