WPP Media has increased its lead over Omnicom Media in the final COMvergence Australia billings report before Omnicom’s takeover of IPG Mediabrands comes into effect.
Nonetheless, market leader OMD enjoys a healthy lead over EssenceMediacom, which has gained ground due to some notable wins.
The 2025 Australia New Business Barometer recorded a total reviewed media spend of $1.7 billion, representing 19 per cent of total billings controlled by the Big Six and independent agencies.
At a group level, WPP Media grew media billings by 12 per cent to $2.65 billion compared to Omnicom’s $2.42 billion (up 2 per cent).
Publicis Media ranked third with $1.84 billion after posting 6.7 per cent growth.
If Omnicom Media and IPG Mediabrands were combined, Omnicom Media would catapult into pole position with $3.7 billion in billings.
The growth figures broadly align with which holding groups won the largest media pitches of the year.
As B&T revealed, Suncorp and Lion, two of the largest reviews, were awarded to WPP Media, as were other notable additions in HBO Max and Isuzu (see table below).
Publicis Media won Mars, Aldi, Flight Centre and HBF, while Omnicom’s only top 10 win was Bunnings, which moved from Initiative to PHD (which are not both in the same group).
The 10 largest media pitches: 2025
| Client | Winner | Incumbent |
| 1. Suncorp | WPP OpenEra (led by Mindshare) | OMD |
| 2. Lion | EssenceMediacom | UM |
| 3. Bunnings | PHD | Initiative |
| 4. Mars | Zenith | EssenceMediacom |
| 5. HBO Max | EssenceMediacom | New advertiser |
| 6. Aldi | Zenith | Zenith |
| 7. Optus | Accenture Song | UM |
| 8. Flight Centre | Zenith | Rapid Media |
| 9. Isuzu | EssenceMediacom | EssenceMediacom |
| 10. HBF | Starcom | UM |
OMD retains top spot
Australia’s largest media agency, OMD, handles the most billings of $1.53 billion after growing by 1.3 per cent.
They are followed by EssenceMediacom in second place, which grew billings by 12.7 per cent to $1.08 billion, with Wavemaker in third with $845 million (up 0.5 per cent).
COMvergence estimates that digital media accounted for 64 per cent of Australia media billings in 2025, totalling USD $5.8 billion (up 7 per cent) across the Big Six groups and major independent agencies.
Omnicom dominates NZ
In New Zealand, Omnicom Media Group retains the top position with a 38.1 per cent industry market share after growing group billings by 6.6 per cent to $805 million.
Publicis Media follows with USD $345 million in billings (up 2 per cent), and WPP Media ranked third with USD $225.7 million after billings shrunk by 6.1 per cent.
At the agency level, PHD retains the top position with total billings of N$532 million (up 8.6 per cent), followed by OMD with N$357 million (+up 11.5 per cent vs. 2024) and Publicis Groupe’s MBM in third with $251 million (up 4.2 per cent. Carat and FCB Media complete the top 5.
