Omnicom named as AT&T's integrated creative and media agency
Omnicom, including its Hearts & Science and BBDO units, has beaten off rival WPP to be named as AT&T's integrated creative and media agency, in an estimated $50bn move which sees "creative, media, data and analytics combined under one entity." In 2015, AT&T and DirecTV together spent almost $2bn on measure media, and are now looking to build a "creative, media, digital data and analytics team."

Telecommunications giant AT&T consolidated its advertising business with Omnicom after a closed creative and media review that pitted the holding company against arch rival WPP. BBDO will retain the creative business, while the recently formed Hearts & Science unit will be media agency of record.

This review, which began in June, came nearly two years after the company entered talks to acquire DirecTV in a deal worth an estimated $50 billion. BBDO had been the incumbent agency on the AT&T business since 2007, and Grey served as agency of record for DirecTV since 2010.