The Commission concluded there would be no substantial loss of competitive pressure on Omnicom following the acquisition.
New Zealand authorities have cleared Omnicom's takeover of IPG.
The deal is unlikely to substantially lessen competition, according to the regulator the New Zealand Commerce Commission.
Some New Zealand media agencies and local stakeholders had raised concerns that Omnicom’s proposed US$19.9 billion global acquisition of Interpublic Group (IPG) could significantly reduce competition in the media buying market.
The regulator didn't agree.
“Our investigation found that, while Omnicom and Interpublic compete to supply marketing and communications services and media buying services to advertiser clients throughout New Zealand, the merged entity is likely to continue to face strong competitive constraint from other large ... agencies, as well as local independent agencies supplying these services, following the acquisition,” said commission deputy chair Anne Callinan.
“The merged entity is also likely to continue to face a degree of competitive constraint from advertiser clients and their ability to in-house ... and procure media directly from media owners.
“On the buy side, rival media buyers are likely to continue to constrain the merged entity in the procurement of media inventory.”
In Australia, the competition watchdog the ACCC is expected to hand down its ruling by Thursday, July 24.
Omnicom applied for clearance from the Commerce Commission on February 28, 2025.
The application outlined the acquisition of 100% of IPG via a wholly owned subsidiary, bringing together two of the world’s largest advertising holding companies.
On March 26, the Commission released a Statement of Preliminary Issues (SoPI), identifying key areas of concern, notably whether the deal would lessen competition in the supply of media planning and buying services in New Zealand.
The statement noted the merged entity would have a substantial presence across all major media channels and could limit competitive options for large advertisers.
The document prompted industry submissions from local independent players, with both raising red flags over the deal’s implications for agency choice, pricing, and the negotiating power of smaller agencies.
The Independent Media Agencies of New Zealand (IMANZ), in a submission dated April 7, argued the merger would consolidate too much power into the hands of one global group, reducing diversity in the market and ultimately leading to poorer outcomes for clients.
IMANZ pointed to the already high degree of market control exerted by multinational holding groups and warned that this merger would tilt the balance even further in their favour.
Lassoo Media, in its submission, took a similarly critical position.
The Auckland-based independent agency claimed the merger would entrench market dominance and distort the playing field for mid-tier and smaller agencies.
Lassoo noted that advertisers could face fewer meaningful options for media services, particularly for high-value accounts that require competitive media rates and strategic independence.
The submissions suggested the combined Omnicom–IPG entity would represent a disproportionate share of media spend, especially in television and digital channels.
Concerns also extended to potential impacts on media owner negotiations, with the merged agency group likely to wield unmatched leverage in rate setting and inventory access.
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