Publicis Groupe to buy LiveRamp for $2.2bn
Advertising and communications giant Publicis Groupe has entered into an agreement to acquire data collaboration platform LiveRamp in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $2.2bn, as the group accelerates its push into AI-powered business transformation.
Publicis is set to acquire LiveRamp. Source: Publicis.
Digital ecosystems
The deal, which values LiveRamp at $38.50 per share, represents a 29.8% premium on the company’s closing share price on 15 May 2026. Publicis said the acquisition would strengthen its capabilities in “data co-creation” — a growing area focused on securely combining datasets across organisations to improve artificial intelligence systems and enterprise automation.
Publicis said the acquisition would expand its addressable market and support higher long-term growth targets. The company has now raised its 2027 and 2028 objectives for net revenue growth and headline earnings per share.
LiveRamp, which employs around 1,300 people globally, operates a platform that enables brands, retailers, publishers and technology partners to collaborate and activate data securely across digital ecosystems. The company works with more than 25,000 publisher domains and over 500 technology and data partners across 14 markets.
The acquisition will see LiveRamp integrated into Publicis’ technology segment alongside Publicis Sapient, while continuing to operate as a neutral and interoperable platform.
According to Publicis, the combination of LiveRamp’s data collaboration tools with Epsilon’s identity capabilities and its internal AI platform, Marcel, will help clients build more advanced AI agents powered by proprietary and co-created datasets.
Publicis chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun said the deal was part of the group’s long-term strategy to invest ahead of major market shifts.
“By building the future of data co-creation, we’re empowering our clients to generate new, exclusive and proprietary data, to build the smartest, most differentiated AI agents on top of the leading LLMs,” said Sadoun.
He added that Publicis expected to rapidly deploy LiveRamp’s capabilities globally through its “Power of One” model.
More resources
Scott Howe, who will continue leading LiveRamp following the acquisition, said the transaction would provide the company with greater scale and resources to continue innovating its platform.
“Our customers and partners have always been our North Star, and by joining forces with Publicis, we will have greater resources and flexibility to scale our business,” Howe said.
Publicis said LiveRamp would continue to maintain its existing privacy protections, commercial arrangements and open-access approach for clients and partners after the transaction closes.
The acquisition has been unanimously approved by the boards of both companies and is expected to close before the end of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and shareholder consent.