- WPP Media emerged as the global leader in Q1 2026 new business rankings, securing $1.5 billion in client billings through major wins including Jaguar Land Rover, Estée Lauder, and SC Johnson.
- Bespoke, centralised media solutions are reshaping the industry, with 25% of the $7 billion reviewed spend awarded directly to custom teams within WPP Media, Omnicom Media, and Publicis Media.
- Omnicom Media Group strengthened its competitive position after consolidating six agency networks, delivering $1 billion in new wins and $1 billion in retentions, highlighting the value of scale and integration.
- Retention rates remain a critical growth driver, reaching 38% globally, with Publicis Media achieving the strongest client retention performance among the Big 5 agency groups.
- Independent agencies continue gaining momentum, capturing $1.4 billion or 20% of reviewed spend, led by Horizon Media and Local Planet, signalling growing advertiser appetite for agile, non-holding company solutions.
According to COMvergence’s Q1 2026 Global New Business Barometer (NBB), WPP Media led both the Total and Net New Business global rankings, generating $1.5 billion in new client billings.
Key wins included Jaguar Land Rover and Estée Lauder globally, and SC Johnson in North America. The newly formed Omnicom Media Group – now consolidating results from six agency networks: Initiative, Hearts & Science, Mediahub, OMD, PHD, and UM followed in second place, combining $1 billion in new client wins with $1B in retentions, including Delta Airlines and Dyson.
Publicis Media ranked third, with a comparatively modest new business performance relative to the other two groups.
Q1 2026 TOTAL NEW BUSINESS RANKING (incl. retentions) – BIG 5 MEDIA AGENCY GROUPS
Olivier Gauthier, Founder and CEO of COMvergence, commented: “Of the $7 billion in total reviewed media spend, 25% – representing $1.8 billion – was awarded to bespoke solutions operated directly by one of the Big 3 holding groups: WPP Media, Omnicom Media, and Publicis Media.
“WPP Media secured $1.2 billion, followed by Omnicom Media with $520 million and Publicis Media with $80 million.
“Our Global Q1 2026 New Business Barometer marks the first time that group-dedicated teams have represented such a significant share of total reviewed spend, reflecting the growing consolidation of media business within bespoke, centralized group solutions.”
At agency network level, Wavemaker ranked number one globally with a Total New Business Value of $382 million, driven primarily by the retentions of Huawei in China and Reckitt in India. EssenceMediacom ranks second, boosted by the retention of the Estée Lauder account in China, while Hearts & Science takes third position on the back of the retention of Cox Automotive in the US and the win of Xiaomi in China.
In terms of net new business (excluding retentions), Local Planet – a consortium of independent media agencies present in 50+ countries – leads the ranking with $146 million in incremental billings won, driven primarily by the strong performance of German-based agency Pilot.
Q1 2026 TOTAL NEW BUSINESS RANKING (incl. retentions) – TOP 5 MEDIA AGENCY NETWORKS
In Q1 2026, COMvergence assessed 600 media account moves and retentions across 49 countries, involving 390 advertisers and totaling $7B (+6% vs. Q1 2025). The US accounted for 33% of total spend reviewed globally, followed by China at 23%.
The overall retention rate was 38%, one of the highest rates over the past few years. Publicis Media recorded the highest overall retention rate among the Big 5 in retaining client relationships after competitive pitches, followed by Omnicom Media (70%) and WPP Media (62%).
Independent agencies – over 100 assessed in the report – captured $1.4 billion, representing 20% of total spend reviewed, with approximately one third of this volume attributed to Horizon Media, the largest US independent, including wins of Discover and WeightWatchers.
Sources: Account move information is derived from industry business press and company news websites which are then validated by all the agencies studied (a total of over 1,000 agencies across 50 countries cooperating with COMvergence).
COMvergence is a leading global research firm specializing in providing in-depth insights into the media and advertising landscape. Through its comprehensive reports, interactive tools and data analytics, COMvergence helps advertisers, media agencies, consulting firms, and AdTech companies to gain a clearer understanding of the competitive landscape, agency performance, and key industry trends.
