Publicis Groupe to acquire sports agency 160over90

Publicis Groupe has agreed to acquire global sports and culture-first agency 160over90. The move aims to drive measurable business outcomes by connecting brands to fans and audiences through unmatched technology, data, and scale across sport and culture. 

160over90, a division of WME Group, is a global sports marketing and creative agency that has over 670 employees across the US, UK, EMEA and APAC, and supports sports and culture strategies and activations for global brands, delivering unforgettable moments across Super Bowls, Olympic Games, the World Cup, amongst others.

As part of the acquisition, 160over90 will be integrated with Publicis Sports and powered by the Groupe’s technology assets, Epsilon data, and scale in media to create the world’s premier data-driven sport and culture agency.

The combined Publicis Sports group will report to Suzy Deering, CEO of Publicis Sports, and sit within PMX to ensure access and unified delivery to all Publicis agencies and clients.

Meanwhile, Robbie Henchman, most recently president of 160over90, will remain at WME Group as a senior partner and president of WME’s brand representation business, and oversee the strategic partnership between WME Group and Publicis Groupe.

This move comes upon the fact that sports has become the anchor of premium media and modern marketing, commanding unrivaled live audiences and cultural relevance. The sports media market is valued at US$150 billion while sports sponsorships have surpassed US$90 billion globally.

With 160over90, Publicis will offer an end-to-end ecosystem where cultural relevance drives measurable growth through integrating the full-service capabilities of Publicis Sports and 160over90, to create sports marketing solutions, with reach across the US, UK, EMEA, and APAC.

The creation of strategic partnership with WME Group also enables early-stage collaboration between WME’s preeminent talent and IP roster and Publicis to create opportunities across talent, content financing, and marketing partnerships.

The acquisition also aims to activate Influential, a creator platform to extend the reach and impact of athletes as socially connected creators, storytellers, and community leaders.

This acquisition continues to build on Publicis Sports’ roster of sports and culture-first capabilities, including the acquisitions of Adopt and Bespoke in 2025, as well as a recent partnership with Magic Johnson Enterprises and the launch of Influential Sports, a first-of-its-kind practice that brings sports strategies together with talent at scale.

Arthur Sadoun, CEO Publicis Groupe: “After building our industry-leading position in identity resolution, commerce, and creators, our next big bet is sport. In the age of AI, it has become one of the most high-value channels for clients, delivering unparalleled cultural relevance, live engagement, and measurable impact."

"By combining 160over90’s scale and expertise in sports experiences, culture, and talent with the industry’s most powerful connected influencer platform, experiential capabilities, and data-driven insights, we are disrupting a highly fragmented landscape by creating a unified, end-to-end platform that connects brands to fans in ways that are both meaningful and measurable," he added.

Dave Penski, CEO Publicis Connected Media, commented: “Sport has become the most powerful intersection of culture, commerce and community. As brands invest more in the space, Publicis Groupe and 160over90 are uniquely positioned to advance and integrate sports marketing as an addressable and measurable channel, not just across media, but sponsorships, talent, and live activations.”

Mark Shapiro, president and managing partner of WME Group, said, “160over90 has earned its reputation as a trusted partner to many of the world’s most influential brands, consistently delivering unique experiences and valuable partnerships on the biggest stages in sports."

"Combining forces with Publicis Sports will create an unmatched offering for brands looking to move faster and create deeper connections with sports fans, properties, and content. Additionally, WME Group’s new collaboration with Publicis Groupe will deliver more opportunities for our talent and partners to realise their business ambitions at scale," he added.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Publicis Groupe for more information.

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