Publicis Media topped the rankings for advertising business in the first half of 2026, pulling in $3.24 billion in billings worldwide, according to a new report from agency research firm COMvergence.
The figure covers wins, losses, and client retentions on a net basis. Key account wins for the group included Adidas in China, HP, Microsoft, and Prada.
Omnicom Media came in second with $3.15 billion, boosted by new business from Delta, IBM, and Subway. WPP rounded out the top three at $2.98 billion, helped by the highest client-retention volume among the industry’s five biggest holding groups. Its wins and retentions included Estée Lauder, Jaguar Land Rover, and Wendy’s.
Two of the five major groups posted losses for the period: Dentsu was down $181 million, while Havas Media Network slipped by $343 million, as both lost more business than they won.
Olivier Gauthier, founder and chief executive of COMvergence, said the results point to a bigger shift in the industry: companies are increasingly consolidating their media spending into dedicated, centralized units run directly by the holding groups rather than through their traditional agency brands. According to the report, these dedicated units picked up 26%, or $5 billion, of the $19.2 billion in total media spending reviewed during the half. WPP’s own centralized unit accounted for the largest share of this at $2.24 billion, followed by Publicis Media at $1.50 billion and Omnicom Media at $1.11 billion.
At the individual agency level, Omnicom’s PHD ranked first globally with $750 million in net new business, driven largely by the $440 million global Adidas account and the retention of Dyson. Publicis Groupe’s Zenith placed second at $653 million, while WPP’s Wavemaker took third with $566 million.
COMvergence’s report reviewed 1,970 account moves and retentions across 49 countries, involving 1,070 advertisers and a combined $19.2 billion in media spending, up 9% from the same period in 2025. The United States accounted for 39% of the total spend reviewed, followed by China at 15%. The overall retention rate across the industry stood at 28%.
