GroupM tops global COMvergence rankings for 2022

OMD topped the network rankings, though EssenceMediacom is primed to take the top spot for 2023.
By Josh Kolm
July 12, 2023

GroupM is once again leading the global industry in terms of billings, according to the finalized 2022 figures from industry analytics firm COMvergence.

COMvergence prepares its annual rankings by analyzing global media spending from both major networks and independent agencies. The firm also re-calibrated its 2021 figures to avoid comparison to billings from Russia, reflecting the withdrawal of the major holding companies from the country in early 2022.

GroupM had $63.9 billion USD in global billings last year, representing year-over-year growth of 7.2% and a 15.9% share of the global market. Publicis Media grew its billings by 8.5% to $45.7 billion USD, with Omnicom Media Group growing by 8.2% to $38.2 billion.

It was an Omnicom agency that led the agency network rankings, with OMD topping the list at $22.5 billion USD in billings, up 1.6% year-over-year. It was followed by two GroupM agencies: Mindshare, despite the agency’s billings falling by 1.2%, and MediaCom, which grew its global billings by 20.7% to reach $20 billion USD.

Essence, which merged with MediaCom earlier this year, had $4.9 billion USD in billings last year, the fifteenth-most globally. COMvergence expects that the combined EssenceMediacom will be the top network for 2023, based on last year’s figures.

Dentsu’s Carat was fourth on the network rankings, growing its billings by 2.1% to $16.7 billion USD. Publicis’ Starcom was fifth, growing by 10.9% to hit $16.4 billion USD in billings.

In 2022, 60% of global billings were handled by the major agency networks, with the remainder handled by a mix of local agencies, independents and in-house teams.

The 107 local independent agencies covered in the measurement had roughly $25.5 billion in billings last year, representing 11% of the total that COMvergence measured. International independent agencies – which include the likes of Horizon Media and the agencies within Plus Company – had $11.6 billion in billings. Horizon’s total billings for 2022 were $7.7 billion, making it far and away the leader among independents.