Publicis Media Wins US$10B in New Billings as Market Contracts
Publicis Media captured $10B in new client billings in 2025, ranking #1 globally while the broader pitch market contracted 4%. A breakdown of how the holding group dominated agency new business rankings.
Publicis Media ranked #1 globally for new business in 2025, capturing US$10 billion in new client billings, according to the Final 2025 Global New Business Barometer published by COMvergence. That figure represents approximately one-third of all media spending that moved between agencies worldwide last year.
Publicis Sweeps Top Three Agency Network Rankings
The US$10 billion total was driven by major account wins including Coca-Cola in North America and 15 additional global or regional clients. These included Aldi, Barilla, Campari, Dropbox, LinkedIn, Mars, Paramount, PayPal, and Santander, spanning consumer goods, financial services, technology, and healthcare.
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At the individual agency network level, Publicis occupied all three top spots globally. Starcom ranked first with US$2.7 billion in total new business, followed by Initiative at US$2.4 billion and Spark Foundry at US$2.1 billion. In net new business terms, Starcom led with gains exceeding US$1.9 billion, followed by Spark Foundry at US$896.3 million and Initiative at US$1.4 billion.
A single late-year win amplified the group's totals considerably. Kenvue's global media assignment, valued at US$1.09 billion and awarded in December 2025, accounted for more than 10% of Publicis Media's full-year billings figure.
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WPP Posts Losses as Pitch Market Contracts
The broader competitive picture showed a contracting market overall. COMvergence analyzed more than 4,400 account moves and retentions across 49 countries, covering 2,335 advertisers and US$37.4 billion in total reviewed spend. That total declined 4% compared to 2024.
WPP Media was the only major holding group to post negative results, losing 27% of the total media spend reviewed, equivalent to US$6.9 billion. Mediabrands, Dentsu, Havas Media Network, and Omnicom Media Group each recorded between US$1.3 billion and US$1.8 billion in net new business gains, well behind Publicis Media's total.
Industry-wide business retention fell to just 21% in 2025, the lowest rate in eight years. Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun addressed the competitive environment directly, stating: "Despite Omnicom taking over IPG to become the largest player in 2026, the outstanding efforts of our teams and the scale of our growth in 2025 mean that this year we are maintaining and increasing our leadership position as the #1 media buyer in the US and China, the two most important markets for global clients, where scale still matters."
GCC Leadership Mirrors Global Performance
In the Middle East and GCC region, Publicis Media ranked #1 as a media group, with Spark Foundry ranking #1 by agency network, according to COMvergence regional data. Tony Wazen, CEO of Publicis Media Middle East, attributed the performance to the group's integrated model: "We bring together media, data and technology in a way that delivers measurable outcomes for our clients."
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The United States accounted for 34% of all reviewed media spend in the barometer, followed by the United Kingdom at 10% and China at 8%. Publicis Media's US wins alone exceeded US$5 billion, including Coca-Cola, Kenvue, Mars, PayPal, and TJX.
Independent agencies collectively captured US$5 billion, or 13%, of total reviewed media spend in 2025, with Horizon Media leading that group through wins including Spectrum at US$800 million and Peloton at US$225 million.
The COMvergence barometer covers full-year 2025 performance across 49 markets.
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