Ad giants Omnicom and Interpublic in merger talks, WSJ reports

Advertising and marketing conglomerate Omnicom Group, opens new tab is in advanced talks to acquire Interpublic Group, opens new tab in an all-stock deal that would value Interpublic between $13 billion and $14 billion, excluding debt, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

The deal, if reached, would be expected to attract regulatory scrutiny as it seeks to merge the world’s third-largest ad buyer – Omnicom – with the fourth-largest – Interpublic. Both companies are based in New York.

Interpublic owns brands such as McCann, Weber Shandwic and Mediabrands, and had a market value of around $10.9 billion as of Friday. Omnicom was valued at $20.2 billion and owns the likes of BBDO and TBWA.
Interpublic’s shares have fallen 10.36% year to date to $29.48.

A transaction could be announced as early as this week, the Journal reported, adding that the exact terms of the deal being discussed could not be learned.

Information from Reuters