Local pitches dominate India’s media account landscape in H1 2025: COMvergence

India’s media account marketplace remained overwhelmingly local in the first half of 2025, according to COMvergence’s latest New Business Barometer report. The independent research and data consultancy found that 98% of all assessed account moves and retentions in India during January to June 2025 were country-specific pitches—a striking contrast to the global average of 61%.

Between January and June 2025, COMvergence tracked 73 moves and retentions in India, representing media spends of an estimated $605 million. Of these, only 11 were global or multi-market pitches, valued at $61 million, while 62 accounts and pitches with a combined value of $544 million were local.

EssenceMediacom led the agency rankings for H1 2025 with a new business value of over $217 million. It was followed by Starcom with more than $70 million, Havas Media with over $22 million, while Mindshare and PHD tied in fourth place at above $14 million each.

At the agency group level, WPP Media emerged on top with a new business value of over $242 million. Publicis Media secured second place with over $76 million, and Omnicom Media Group ranked third at more than $30 million.

Account shifts from prominent advertisers including Godrej Group, Hero Motocorp, Dabur, Mars, LinkedIn and Suzuki Motorcycles were among the significant developments shaping India’s media agency market during the period.

COMvergence noted that India’s tilt towards local pitches was not just pronounced but significantly higher than international patterns. Globally, the share of local pitches in H1 2025 stood at 61%, compared with India’s 98%.

The global picture also pointed to a more robust market. COMvergence assessed more than 1,840 media account moves and retentions worldwide (covering 1,195 advertisers across 49 countries) amounting to $17.6 billion—marking a 7% increase versus H1 2024. The U.S. represented 45% of total spend reviewed, while China accounted for 11%.

The findings reveal notable shifts in India over a year. In H1 2024, COMvergence had assessed 72 account moves and retentions worth an estimated $352 million. Only five were global or multi-market, valued at $76 million, while 67 accounts worth $276 million were local—placing India at 78% local pitches versus a global average of 65%.

In agency rankings for H1 2024, PHD led with over $63 million in new business, followed by Initiative with more than $46 million. EssenceMediacom and Zenith tied at third place with over $29 million each. At the group level, GroupM headed the table with over $83 million, ahead of Omnicom Media Group (+$54 million) and Mediabrands (+$48 million).

Account moves that dominated the Indian market during H1 2024 included Volkswagen, Meesho, Hewlett Packard, Levi’s, Oppo and Spotify.

Globally, COMvergence assessed more than 1,740 media account moves and retentions (covering 1,210 advertisers across 49 countries) in H1 2024, with total billings of $16.4 billion.

The consistent dominance of local pitches underlines the uniquely fragmented and regionally nuanced nature of India’s advertising ecosystem. While multinational accounts remain a factor, India’s agency competition appears far more heavily driven by local brand ambitions and market-specific requirements.

With India’s advertising economy continuing to grow and diversify, the outsized role of local pitches highlights both opportunity and competition. For agencies, this means sharper focus on region-specific expertise and client demands rather than an overreliance on global account wins.

The data also suggests that while India remains an outlier compared to global norms, the scale of movement in its market is accelerating. Between H1 2024 and H1 2025, assessed media spends grew from $352 million to $605 million—a near 72% jump.

As media investments become increasingly localised, agency networks operating in India may need to recalibrate strategies, with lessons for global markets where localisation is becoming more pronounced.