Omnicom-Interpublic merger cleared by European regulators

(Sharecast News) - Omnicom's $13.3bn takeover of rival Interpublic Group (IPG) was cleared by EU regulators on Monday without conditions, with the proposed tie-up expected to pose "no competition concerns". Omnicom and IPG, which are currently the third and fourth-largest advertising buyers in the world, announced in December 2024 that they would create the world's biggest ad agency in a $13.25bn all-stock deal.

The transaction was thought to attract heavy scrutiny from regulators, after opposition from authorities stopped a $35bn merger between Omnicom and Publicis Groupe in 2013.

However, the European Commission said that the partnered companies would only hold "moderate" market positions in the ad and media landscape across the continent.

"The Commission concluded that the merger would raise no competition concerns in the European Economic Area," the Commission said in a statement.

"The merged entity would hold moderate market positions on such markets. Moreover, the merged entity would be sufficiently constrained by the presence of several competitors, including large international advertising groups with a global reach, such as WPP, Dentsu-Aegis, Publicis and Havas."

Omnicom futures were rising 0.2% to $75.00 in pre-market deals in New York, having slumped by almost 30% since the deal was first announced nearly 12 months ago.