Publicis Media tops 2025 global new business rankings with $10 billion haul: COMvergence report

PARIS: In the high-stakes world of media pitches, 2025 turned into a very public affair for Publicis Media. The French network swept the global new business race with a staggering $10 billion in new client billings, according to the latest report from COMvergence.

The agency group accounted for nearly one-third of all global media spend that changed hands during the year, making it the undisputed winner in both total and net new business rankings.

The study, titled Final 2025 Global New Business Barometer, tracked more than 4,400 media account moves and retentions across 49 countries. In total, media reviews covered $37.4 billion worth of business in 2025, down 4 per cent from the previous year.

At the heart of Publicis Media’s bumper year were major wins including Coca-Cola in North America, alongside 15 global and regional accounts such as Aldi, Barilla, Campari, Dropbox, Essilor, Friesland Campina, Goodyear, Kenvue, LinkedIn, Mars, Paramount, PayPal, Santander, Savencia and The Magnum Ice Cream Company.

Trailing behind Publicis Media were Mediabrands in second place, Dentsu in third, Havas Media Network in fourth and Omnicom Media Group in fifth. Each of these groups generated between $1.3 billion and $1.8 billion in total new business.

If Publicis was popping champagne corks, it was a far gloomier picture at WPP Media. The company was the only one among the so-called Big 6 media groups to post negative results in both total and net new business terms. WPP Media lost 27 per cent, or $6.9 billion, of the media spend that shifted between agencies during the year.

At the agency network level, Starcom emerged as the top-performing brand globally, securing $2.7 billion in total new business value. The network’s growth was driven by global wins including Mars and Aldi, along with the retention of Luxottica in the United States.

Initiative followed closely with $2.4 billion in new business, helped by major victories such as Bayer globally, Paramount Network and Anthropic in the US. Spark Foundry completed the top three with $2.1 billion, powered largely by Kenvue and Paramount wins.

The same three agencies also dominated the net new business rankings. Starcom added $1.9 billion in net gains, Spark Foundry recorded $1.7 billion and Initiative delivered $1.4 billion.

The report also highlighted a growing shift towards bespoke standalone media units outside traditional agency structures. Around 13 per cent of all media spend reviewed in 2025 was captured by these custom-built operations, led by Publicis Media with $2.6 billion and WPP Media with $1.4 billion.

One of the sharpest trends in this year’s report was the collapse in retention rates. Globally, only 21 per cent of accounts under review stayed with incumbent agencies, marking the lowest retention level recorded in eight years.

Among agency networks, Initiative held on to the highest number of existing client relationships after competitive pitches. Publicis Media posted the strongest overall retention rate among the Big 6 groups, while WPP Media retained just 16 per cent of the $8.3 billion in billings it defended.

Independent agencies also punched above their weight. More than 170 independent firms collectively secured $5 billion, or 13 per cent, of total reviewed spend. Standout wins included Spectrum’s $800 million account with Horizon Media, Peloton’s $225 million business and StarzPlay’s $200 million account.

Meanwhile, Accenture Song landed its first major media account in Australia with Optus, valued at $45 million, while L’Oréal handed its Canadian digital media business to Cosmos5.

Geographically, the United States remained the biggest battleground, accounting for 34 per cent of all media spend reviewed globally. The UK followed with 10 per cent, while China contributed 8 per cent.

With billions of dollars continuing to move between agencies and retention rates sliding further, the global media business is increasingly looking less like a long marriage and more like speed dating with spreadsheets.