LONDON: The number of global marcomms mergers and acquisitions deals has risen by 7% in the last quarter, driven by an increase in cross-border activity.
There were a total of 264 deals from July through September, compared with 246 in the April-to-June period, according to Results International.
Thirty-six percent of these were international, up from 26% in the previous three months.
WPP is the most active buyer in the sector, with 14 deals in the third quarter. It has made 29 investments this year.
There was a geographical shift in activity in the period. Although the majority of companies acquired during the quarter were based in North America (38%), that percentage declined from 46% in the previous quarter. There was an increase in activity in Asia-Pacific, up to 21% from 16% in the second quarter.
Integrated agencies were the most popular targets at 10% of the total, up from 7% last quarter.
This article originally appeared on Campaign UK.
