MAM
IMG, WPP join forces for global licensing collaboration
MUMBAI: Communications services group WPP and IMG Worldwide, the global sports, fashion and media company, have announced a worldwide partnership to collaborate in offering consumer products licensing and merchandising services.
As part of the multi-year agreement, WPP and IMG will establish a joint team and share resources to offer and provide licensing services to clients from WPP‘s portfolio of agencies.
WPP CEO Martin Sorrell commented, “More than ever, licensing is emerging as one of the new creative ways of developing brands and sales. It is a capability we see as increasingly important to our clients. We wanted to offer this important discipline in a global execution and with the market leader – that is IMG. In our view, there could be no better partner to help us achieve our goals in this area.”
IMG‘s Sports and Entertainment Group president George Pyne said, “WPP‘s agencies have an impressive roster of clients coupled with the brand knowledge and consumer insights that come from years of experience working with them. We believe that our global execution capability and specialized expertise in the licensing business coupled with their deep-rooted knowledge and relationships with certain client companies can yield some very beneficial and successful partnerships. This is a really natural collaboration that was waiting to happen.”
Executives from the WPP-IMG partnership will be meeting with advertisers who have expressed interest in developing brand licensing programmes or who have potential to do so.
The new WPP venture is an additive unit to IMG Licensing‘s existing operations and the latter will continue to serve existing and new clients without change.
Brands
SpiceJet’s recovery takes flight as market share doubles
Domestic market share jumps from 1.9 per cent in September to 4.3 per cent by December
GURUGRAM: SpiceJet has staged a sharp domestic comeback, more than doubling its market share in just three months as rapid capacity expansion restores the airline’s presence across key routes.
India’s low-cost carrier lifted its domestic market share from 1.9 per cent in September 2025 to 4.3 per cent by December, driven by a 56 per cent rise in capacity during the third quarter following the induction of 16 aircraft.
The capacity surge translated into a broader network, tighter schedules and stronger passenger traction, helping the airline regain lost ground in several high-traffic markets.
Momentum has continued into the current quarter. SpiceJet doubled its available seat kilometres (ASKMs) from about 55 crore to 105 crore, marking a significant strengthening of its operational footprint. Over the full year, the airline plans to more than double capacity again, targeting 220 crore ASKs by winter 2026 and operating over 300 daily flights.
To support the expansion, SpiceJet is working to scale its fleet to around 60 aircraft through a mix of wet and damp leases, alongside the phased return of grounded planes. The airline has also signed a memorandum of understanding for the induction of 10 additional aircraft.
SpiceJet chief business officer Debojo Maharshi, said the rapid rise in market share reflected steady progress in rebuilding capacity and restoring network depth. The airline’s focus, he added, remained on improving reliability, strengthening connectivity and scaling operations in a measured and sustainable manner.
