Stories
India Media Pitches Hit $838M in H1 2026; Wavemaker, Publicis Media Lead Rankings
- •India's media agency pitches reached an estimated $838 million in the first half of 2026, according to COMvergence's New Business Barometer.
- •Wavemaker led individual agency rankings with $147 million in net new-business value, followed by Zenith ($126 million) and Starcom ($71 million).
- •Publicis Media topped agency groups with $218 million in net new-business value, surpassing WPP Media ($198 million).
- •Major account movements included Reckitt, L’Oréal, Wipro, Netflix, and Flipkart, contributing to the significant media spend.
- •Local pitches dominated India's agency market, accounting for 86% ($719 million) of the total assessed media spend, indicating a focus on India-specific reviews.
Key Questions Answered
Wavemaker topped the agency rankings with $147 million in net new-business value, followed by Zenith ($126 million) and Starcom ($71 million). At the agency-group level, Publicis Media led with $218 million, narrowly ahead of WPP Media at $198 million.
Local pitches overwhelmingly dominated India's agency market in H1 2026, accounting for 46 out of 62 assessed account moves and retentions. This represented $719 million in estimated media spend, or roughly 86% of the total assessed market value.
L’Oréal India appointed Publicis Media as its integrated media agency of record following a strategic review. This appointment aligns with the beauty major's transformation agenda focused on data-led marketing, advanced analytics, and digital-first consumer engagement.
