Omnicom–Interpublic merger wins unconditional EU approval

The European Commission has unconditionally approved Omnicom Group’s proposed $13.25 billion all-stock acquisition of Interpublic Group, ruling that the merger will not impede competition in the European Economic Area.

The deal, announced in December 2024, brings together Omnicom, currently the world’s third-largest advertising buyer, and Interpublic, the fourth-largest. The combined entity is expected to become the biggest global advertising network, bolstering its ability to compete with large technology platforms that have expanded their dominance in digital advertising and AI-led marketing.

In its assessment, the Commission examined the impact of the transaction across national markets for marketing communication services (MCS) and media buying services (MBS). According to the regulator, both companies operate widely in these markets across Europe.

Following its investigation, the Commission found that “the merged entity would hold moderate market positions” and would continue to face strong competitive pressure from global groups such as WPP, Publicis, Dentsu-Aegis and Havas. It added that customers would retain the ability to switch agencies due to the bidding nature of the sector, short contract cycles, and limited switching costs.

The Commission also noted that media owners would maintain “sufficient countervailing power” even if the merged group attempted to leverage its media buying position, given the high concentration among media owners in several European markets.

On this basis, the regulator concluded that the merger “would be unlikely to raise competition concerns on any of the markets examined in the EEA”, and cleared the deal without conditions.

Omnicom and Interpublic, both headquartered in the United States, provide a range of advertising, media, data, public relations and specialised communication services globally.

The transaction was formally notified to the Commission on 20 October 2025. Under EU merger rules, the regulator generally has 25 working days from notification to issue a Phase I decision unless an in-depth Phase II review is warranted.

More details will be published in the Commission’s public case register under the reference M.11902.