Dentsu tops Irish media agency New Business rankings in H1 as global pitches reshape market. September 25, 2026 Dentsu emerged as the leading media agency group in Ireland during the first half of 2026, as a relatively small number of major international account reviews had a significant impact on the Irish media agency market, according to new figures from the media research firm COMvergence. The research firm's latest New Business Barometer tracked 28 media account moves and pitches in Ireland during the six months, representing approximately €40.5m in media spend. Of this, around €13.2m related to pitches originating in the Irish market while €27.3m was associated with regional or global pitches. Around €19.4m, or 49% of the total spend reviewed, related to accounts ultimately retained by incumbent agencies. Dentsu topped the Irish agency group rankings with approximately €14.7m in total new business, including retentions. Its performance was largely driven by the Heineken account, valued by COMvergence at around €10.4m, and Netflix, worth approximately €4.8m. WPP Media was second with around €5.5m, helped by business including Jaguar Land Rover, valued at approximately €2.1m, Just Eat at €1.7m and Demant Group at €1.4m. Core and Omnicom Media followed with approximately €2.6m each, according to COMvergence. However, the underlying figures also show significant differences between new client gains and retained business. According to the COMvergence table, Dentsu's Irish result included around €15.2m in retained business, leaving the group approximately €500,000 down on a net basis when retentions are excluded. WPP Media recorded approximately €2.9m in net new business excluding retentions, Omnicom Media around €2 million, and Core Group with approximately €700,000. At individual agency level, Red Star headed the Irish rankings with approximately €10.4m followed by iProspect on €4.8m, Mindshare (WPP Media) on €4.5 million, PHD (Omnicom Media Group) on €2.6m and Spark Foundry Ireland (Core) on €1.9m. The largest accounts reviewed during the period included Heineken at approximately €10.4m, Netflix at €4.8m, Allianz Health & Life at €2.8m and JLR and Adidas, each valued at around €2.1m. The figures also underline the extent to which developments in the Irish media agency market are being determined by international rather than locally-run pitches. While local pitches accounted for 58% of the media spend reviewed by COMvergence globally, they represented just 28% of the spend reviewed in Ireland during the first six months of 2026. In the UK, meanwhile, WPP Media emerged as the leading media agency group during the first half of the year. COMvergence tracked 88 account moves and pitches representing $1.1 bn (€967.6m) in media spend. Of this, $475m (€417.8m) related to local pitches and $658m (€578.8m) to regional or global reviews. Retained accounts accounted for $223m (€196.2m), or 20% of the spend reviewed. The global picture was different again, with Publicis Media taking the top position among the five largest international media agency groups. Publicis Media generated $3.24 bn (€2.85 bn) in total new business, including $903m (€794m) in retained billings. Omnicom Media was second with $3.15bn (€2.77 bn), including $1.68 bn (€1.48 bn in new-client wins and $1.48 bn (€1.30 bn) in retentions. WPP Media ranked third on $2.98 bn(€2.62 billion). Dentsu and Havas Media Network, by contrast, finished the first half in negative territory, with Dentsu recording minus $181m (€159m) and Havas minus $343m (€302m) as losses outweighed wins and retentions. COMvergence also identified a wider structural change in the international agency market, with increasing volumes of major advertiser business being consolidated within bespoke or centralised operations run directly by the large agency holding groups rather than being assigned solely to their traditional agency networks. These centralised operations accounted for $5 bn (€4.40 bn), or 26%, of the $19.2 bn (€16.89 bn) in media spend reviewed globally during the first half. Overall, COMvergence assessed 1,970 media account moves and retentions across 49 countries, involving 1,070 advertisers and $19.2 billion (€16.89 billion) in reviewed media spend during the first half of 2026, an increase of 9% on the same period in 2025. Independent agencies captured $3 bn (€2.64 bn, representing 16% of total global spend reviewed. Olivier Gauthier, founder and CEO COMvergence, commented:"What Adworld is seeing is a clear shift towards the consolidation of media business within bespoke, centralized solutions operated directly by the Big 5 holding groups, outside their global agency brands. In H1 2026, these solutions secured 26%, or $5.0 bn, of the $19.2 bn in total reviewed media spend. "WPP Media led this shift, assigning $2.24 bn, or 69% of its total new wins, to its standalone group unit. Publicis Media followed with $1.50 bn (47%), and Omnicom Media with $1.11 bn (34%). Our H1 2026 New Business Barometer confirms that this model is becoming an increasingly significant force in the media landscape," Gauthier added.

Kodansha partners with Dentsu to expand Attack on Titan, Ghost in the Shell and Blue Lock brand collaborations across the Americas. The new deal gives advertisers access to major franchises including Attack on Titan, Ghost in the Shell and Blue Lock for campaigns, events and fan experiences. All content is independently fact-checked & reviewed - its editorial standards Kodansha's global hit Attack on Titan is among the major franchises included in the new Dentsu partnership. (Image via MAPPA) Dentsu has entered a new partnership with Japanese publishing giant Kodansha that will give brands across the Americas access to some of the publisher's biggest anime and manga properties. The agreement includes globally recognized franchises such as Attack on Titan, Ghost in the Shell and Blue Lock, creating new opportunities for advertising campaigns and fan-focused experiences. Under the arrangement, Dentsu will act as the primary contact for marketers seeking to use Kodansha-owned intellectual property in promotional campaigns throughout the Americas. The partnership comes as anime and manga continue expanding beyond their traditional fan communities and becoming increasingly attractive to mainstream brands. Dentsu will handle Kodansha IP activations. The partnership will allow participating brands to incorporate Kodansha properties into campaigns, sponsorships, live events and experiential marketing. Dentsu says the arrangement is designed to provide companies with a streamlined way to access a broad range of Kodansha-owned IP through a single point of contact. The agency is also integrating its proprietary Japanese intellectual property research into its Dentsu.Connect data and identity platform. Kodansha's catalog is among the first major beneficiaries of that integration, giving marketers additional data-driven tools when developing campaigns around anime and manga audiences. Caroline Hughes, Dentsu's Global Integrated Client Partner, described the significance of the partnership, saying, She added that the deal will give clients access to culturally established IP while enabling brand-focused activations designed around fans. Stay in the Loop Kodansha is similarly positioning the agreement as a way to create new commercial opportunities around its characters and stories. Tomoki Moriguchi, Director of the publisher's Rights Merchandising Department, said the company is excited to work with Dentsu to bring its IP to brands across the Americas. Anime IP continues expanding in North america. The partnership arrives as Kodansha continues strengthening its presence among North American anime and manga audiences. The publisher has already used properties such as Blue Lock for major promotional collaborations, including a 2026 partnership with Concacaf. Kodansha also brought its Kodansha House fan experience to Los Angeles alongside Anime Expo in 2026, highlighting franchises including Attack on Titan, Ghost in the Shell and Blue Lock. With Dentsu now serving as a dedicated route for commercial partnerships, these franchises could appear in more brand campaigns and live experiences across the Americas. MANGA / LIGHT NOVEL 10.0 /10 (1) Britney Jones Verified since 2024 Editorial Assistant Britney Jones is a Bangalore-based Editorial Assistant at OtakuKart and a passionate writer with a keen interest in anime, gaming, and manga. She spends her free time gaming and graphic designing when she's not covering new manga launches and shōnen series announcements. Thread. Share your take. All comments are held for review before appearing.