Nunn Media Acquires Thump Media in Push for Tech-Driven Scale
Nunn Media's majority stake acquisition of Brisbane-based Thump Media signals how independent agencies must leverage proprietary tech and AI to compete with larger holding companies in Australia's ...
Independent media agency Nunn Media has acquired a majority stake in Brisbane-based Thump Media, marking the latest consolidation in Australia's competitive media agency market. The deal, announced this week, will see Thump Media's 27-person team gain access to Nunn's proprietary audience intelligence platform while maintaining its brand identity and operational structure.
Thump Media founder Chris Franke, who previously held sales roles at AAP and News Corp before launching the agency in 2015, will transition from managing director to CEO. The agency operates from offices in Brisbane and Sydney.
Technology Infrastructure Drives Acquisition Strategy
Nunn Media founder Matt Nunn told Mumbredia that the acquisition reflects fundamental shifts in agency economics. "It's increasingly difficult for independent media agencies to grow and scale today without a strong foundation in data, technology, and artificial intelligence," Nunn said. "Media agencies can't operate the way they did in the past, and we saw an opportunity for growth by partnering with Thump and bringing our technology to their operation."
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The technology at the center of this deal is Kaspar, Nunn's proprietary audience intelligence platform scheduled to launch in the first half of 2026. According to Nunn, Thump Media's integration of Kaspar "will be a game-changer for the firm and its clients, contributing to more precise media campaigns and stronger performance."
Nunn Media now manages over 500 million dollars in client billings with approximately 200 employees across Melbourne, Sydney, and the United States. Recent client wins include Sunrice's media planning and buying across Australia and New Zealand, alongside Spotlight, Anaconda, Harris Scarfe, Baker's Delight, and Melbourne Airport.
Consolidation Wave Reshapes Independent Agency Landscape
The Nunn-Thump deal follows Nunn Media's acquisition of Sydney-based digital marketing firm Indago Digital in late 2024, which was subsequently merged into Nunn's international digital agency division, Alley Group. The pattern demonstrates an acquisition-and-integration strategy focused on technology deployment rather than cost-cutting through headcount reduction.
This consolidation trend has accelerated across Asia Pacific following the December 2024 Omnicom-IPG merger, which triggered subsequent deals including McKinsey-ET Medialabs in March 2025, White Rivers Media-Veefin, and Gozoop-YAAP acquisitions. Independent agencies face growing performance gaps of 40% to 60% in conversion metrics compared to larger holding companies, driven by fragmented advertising technology systems and insufficient data analytics capabilities.
Despite 86% of marketers prioritizing coordination across multiple platforms, only 10% have achieved unified advertising technology systems. This creates an execution gap that smaller independent agencies struggle to bridge without significant capital investment or strategic partnerships.
Market Pressures Favor Technology-Enabled Agencies
Asia Pacific's media landscape increasingly demands sophisticated technology infrastructure. Online video revenues are projected to grow from US$64 billion in 2024 to US$89 billion by 2029, with Connected TV penetration reaching 360 million homes by 2030. Digital advertising now dominates 70% of media budgets in Asia, with streaming platform penetration hitting 62.5% by 2029 in mobile-first Southeast Asian markets.
Edge computing spend in Asia Pacific reached US$48.9 billion in 2024, up 16.2% year-over-year, driven by data sovereignty requirements and low-latency AI service demands. Data center capacity is growing at 20% annually to reach 24,800 megawatts by 2028, particularly in Vietnam and India.
Some independent agencies have responded by forming collaborative networks rather than pursuing acquisitions. The Asia Marketing Network launched in 2025 across Japan, Singapore, China, and Hong Kong, offering shared expertise and technology access through open platforms as an alternative to holding company consolidation.
The Nunn-Thump integration is expected to complete in the coming months, with Kaspar deployment across Thump's client operations beginning upon the platform's first-half 2026 launch.
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