2026-11-03——
Publicis Groupe completes $2.2 billion acquisition of LiveRamp
A short entry: a summary of the public record, checked against its sources, not yet read and analysed by Gianluca. How the register works
Publicis Groupe has completed its acquisition of data connectivity platform LiveRamp, first announced in May 2026 at a total enterprise value of $2.167 billion based on $38.50 per share. LiveRamp will continue to operate under its own brand with Scott Howe as CEO. The deal closed less than two weeks after Publicis came to terms with the Federal Trade Commission on a proposed consent order.
What happened
- The transaction has a total enterprise value of $2.167 billion and a total equity value of $2.546 billion, including acquired net cash of $379 million, at $38.50 per share.
- The $38.50 per share price represents a 29.8% premium to LiveRamp's closing share price on May 15, 2026.
- Under the proposed FTC consent order, for five years Publicis and LiveRamp must provide non-discriminatory access to LiveRamp's standalone products and services on fair and reasonable terms.
- The proposed order requires firewalls to prevent Publicis from accessing or using LiveRamp customer data and confidential business information from customers' use of LiveRamp's standalone products and services.
- An independent auditor will audit compliance every six months for the first two years after close, then annually for the following three years.
- The LiveRamp deal is Publicis' largest acquisition since its $4.4 billion purchase of Epsilon in 2019.
Who is involved
Publicis Groupe
Publicis Groupe S.A. is a French multinational advertising and public relations company.
LiveRamp
LiveRamp is an American SaaS company that offers a data connectivity platform.
Sources
- mediapost.com — primary
- publicisgroupe.com — party background
- adweek.com — party background
- en.wikipedia.org — party background
- sec.gov — party background
Announced 2026-11-03