Disney poised to call global media review after Fox takeover

Disney is preparing to launch a global media review, Campaign US has learned.

The media behemoth will call for a closed pitch in which only incumbents are invited.

OMD, Dentsu Aegis Network’s Carat and WPP’s Mindshare are among those fighting for the business.

It is believed MediaLink is acting as an advisor throughout the pitch process, which will be procurement-led. MediaLink was not available to comment.

The review is expected to kick off in the coming weeks and close by the end of 2019.

Earlier this week, Campaign US reported Disney shifted a chunk of media business over to OMD. Omnicom’s OMDE (Entertainment) arm will take on media buying and planning in the United States for Twentieth Century Fox Films Corp, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and other affiliates.

However, it has since emerged that this is an interim agreement for 2019 upfront purposes only.

OMD is already the media agency of record for Disney's motion picture titles and platforms, including Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Pixar, Walt Disney Studios and Walt Disney Animation.

It is understood that Publicis Media's Zenith and MDC's Assembly were incumbents for the Twentieth Century Fox business.

A spokesperson for Assembly said at the time: "This move has been anticipated and planned for since the announcement of the Disney acquisition and related management changes. We’re extremely proud of the work we’ve done together and wish Fox all the best going forward."

OMD has a longstanding relationship with Disney. The agency took on media responsibilities for Disney’s movie business back in 2013, shifting work away from Publicis. Back then the account was estimated to be valued at $800 million. OMDE was created to serve Disney.

This latest move comes just weeks after Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox entertainment assets in a deal that closed at $71.3 billion more than a year after it was announced.

When the merger was reported in 2017, Disney’s annual advertising spend was estimated to be $2.6 billion. Meanwhile, Fox’s total advertising expense was marked at $2.2 billion.

The Walt Disney Company did not comment. Both Dentsu and WPP have not yet responded to a request for comment. Zenith and OMD referred comment to the client.