Publicis to acquire LiveRamp for $2.2bn
May 18, 2026
Publicis Groupe has entered into an agreement to acquire LiveRamp, the data collaboration platform.
With this acquisition, for a total enterprise value of $2.2 billion (€1.8bn), Publicis says it furthers its investment in technology, data, and AI-services to unlock new opportunities for the agentic era. In doing so it will expand its addressable market, allowing it to raise its 20272028 objectives on net revenue and headline EPS growth at constant currency.
LiveRamp is a global data collaboration platform that enables companies to unify, manage and activate data across the digital ecosystem. Interoperable by design, it connects over 25,000 publisher domains and 500+ technology and data partners across 14 markets, and enables thousands of brands, retailers, media platforms, and data providers to collaborate and connect data effectively, efficiently and securely. With 1,300 employees, and a model anchored in a highly recurring revenue base, LiveRamp has delivered a trailing five year CAGR of 13 per cent.
Under the terms of the agreement, Publicis Groupe will acquire LiveRamp for a total enterprise value of $2.167 billion in an all-cash transaction, based on an acquisition price of $38.50 per share.
The transaction represents a total equity value of $2.546 billion and includes acquired net cash of $379 million.
The purchase price represents a 29.8 per cent premium to LiveRamp’s closing share price on May 15th, the last trading day prior to the announcement of the agreement.
The acquisition is expected to be accretive to Publicis Groupe’s headline EPS from the first year of consolidation, excluding transaction-related costs. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of both Publicis Groupe and LiveRamp.
Arthur Sadoun, Chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe, commented: “LiveRamp joining Publicis Groupe is the latest demonstration of our commitment to investing in new talent and innovation, ahead of market shifts. After acquiring Epsilon in 2019 in the name of personalization at scale and enabling our clients to take back control of their data from the walled gardens, by shifting from cookies to identity, once again we are looking ahead to what’s next. 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. It will be valuable for our clients’ business growth, and a new addressable market for Publicis.”
Sadoun continued: “Thanks to the Power of One, we expect to be able to quickly unite and deploy LiveRamp’s capabilities globally for clients. Adding it to our ecosystem of Publicis Sapient, Epsilon, and Marcel, means we will go even further, and faster, in delivering agentic transformation to clients, whatever their stage of enterprise readiness, safely, transparently, and in their own environments. Beyond its technology platform, LiveRamp is a team of outstanding talent, that we have had the opportunity to work closely with through our strategic partnership. We’re looking forward to welcoming them all to the Publicis family.”
Scott Howe, CEO of LiveRamp, added: “We are thrilled to announce our agreement with Publicis, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter for LiveRamp and all our stakeholders. 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, continue innovating our platform, and help them unlock even greater value from their data. This transaction also represents the best path forward for our shareholders, delivering significant and certain cash value at a compelling premium. Above all, this outcome is a testament to our employees, whose hard work and dedication have made LiveRamp the trusted partner it is today, and who will have new opportunities to grow and thrive as part of a global industry leader.”
Following the acquisition, LiveRamp will continue to be led by Howe, who will report directly to Sadoun.
LiveRamp’s numbers will be reported within the Groupe’s Technology segment, like Publicis Sapient. LiveRamp will continue to operate as a neutral, interoperable platform and provide open access across the ecosystem. No current or prospective customer will be prohibited from accessing, or restricted in using, its services.