Why Agencies Are Investing In Entertainment Before The Ad Buy

Campaign Asia reported on October 5 that Dentsu has made a material capital investment in The Angry Birds Movie 3 while serving as a producer and the film's global agency of record. Business Insider reported that it is Dentsu's first material capital investment in a film and that the group is contributing to the movie's US$66 million marketing and distribution budget.

That combination matters because Dentsu is not simply buying media around entertainment. It is putting capital behind a property, helping market it, and gaining earlier access to the commercial opportunities that sit around the film.

Dentsu Is Buying Earlier Access To The IP

As global agency of record, Dentsu oversees media strategy, planning and activation across more than 50 markets, with China, Japan and Australia among the priority markets. Campaign Asia also reported that Dentsu gets the first opportunity to bring clients into integrations and co-promotions on projects it backs, and that a couple of clients have already been integrated into the film.

Dan Pantumsinchai, managing director of gaming and entertainment at Dentsu APAC, said the arrangement gives brands "early access to the film IP." That is a different agency proposition from negotiating media after a property has already been packaged for advertisers.

Earlier access can give brands more room to shape integrations, talent participation and launch activity before the most valuable inventory is fixed. It can also give the agency a role in deciding how commercial partnerships are designed, not just where media budgets are placed.

Entertainment Is Becoming An Agency Capital Strategy

Dentsu is not alone. Business Insider reported that WPP's Motion Entertainment funds and produces film, television and digital content, while Publicis Media Content & Innovation has financed projects including the sitcom DINKS to create earlier opportunities for client participation.

The timing also matters for Dentsu. Its first-half 2026 organic growth was 0.3%, while Japan grew 5%, helped in part by sports and entertainment operations. In its August earnings call, Dentsu said it plans to expand sports and entertainment by using Japan-originated IP and stronger collaboration across its global network.

That makes The Angry Birds Movie 3 more than a sponsorship play. It sits inside a broader attempt to build revenue and client relationships around entertainment assets while Dentsu restructures parts of its international business.

Earlier Access Creates A New Governance Question

The upside for a CMO is straightforward: an agency with capital in a film may be able to open doors earlier and structure integrations that are harder to secure through a conventional sponsorship process.

The governance issue is also clear. When the same partner can recommend an entertainment property, help finance it, manage its media and sell client integrations around it, the commercial relationship becomes more complex.

That does not make the recommendation conflicted by default. It does mean brands need clearer disclosure and decision rules. Procurement and marketing teams should know where the agency has an economic interest, how integration pricing was benchmarked, what alternatives were considered and how the program will be measured against other uses of the same budget.

APAC Marketers Need Rules Before The Opportunity Arrives

The regional relevance is practical. Dentsu's priority markets for the film include China, Japan and Australia, while the agency's APAC leadership is directly involved in the entertainment push. A global property may offer early access, but the value of that access will vary by market, audience, distribution partner and local activation rights.

For regional CMOs, the useful question is not whether branded entertainment deserves more budget. It is whether the organization has a process for evaluating opportunities when its agency is also an investor, producer or rights-linked commercial partner.

If agencies continue moving upstream into entertainment financing, the advantage will not come only from buying access earlier. It will come from proving that earlier access creates better commercial outcomes without weakening the independence of the advice brands are paying for.