What Havas Media Group does

Havas Media Group (legally operating as Havas Media Network) is a global media agency network and a subsidiary of Vivendi, headquartered at 2 bis rue Godefroy in Puteaux, France. The network comprises two core global media brands, Havas Media and Arena Media, supported by three specialized units: Havas Market (commerce connectivity, marketplace onboarding, retail media production, fulfillment/logistics), Havas Play (entertainment and sports activation, branded content, gaming, experiential + live), and CSA (end-to-end data and technology solutions). Operations span 140+ countries with 10,000+ media specialists serving major enterprise brands across luxury (LVMH, Hermes, Dolce & Gabbana, Hugo Boss, Mango), consumer goods (Unilever, Reckitt, Red Bull, JDE, Lidl, Carrefour, Pepco), automotive (Hyundai/Kia), pharma (Sanofi, Isdin), aviation (Emirates, Iberia), finance (Fidelity), telecom (Telefónica), logistics (Maersk), sportswear (Puma, Decathlon), and media (Canal+).

Underlying the service portfolio is an audience-first data ecosystem powered by AI and machine learning, which Havas states is used to deliver personalized and seamlessly connected customer journeys, optimize media campaign performance, and produce measurable incremental growth for clients. The network also maintains proprietary research capacity, including the June 2026 launch of 'The Science of Desire,' a thought-leadership initiative redefining growth in the age of AI. The September 2022 acquisition of UK-based data-led creative agency additive+ further strengthened the data engineering and creative solutions layer integrated within Havas Media Group UK.

Havas Media Group generates revenue through agency fees, media buying commissions, and strategic consulting engagements in a B2B professional services model. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; engagements are quote-based, consistent with enterprise media agency norms. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales engagement with global brand CMOs and procurement leaders through field-sales and account-management teams across the network's offices. The parent Havas Group is led by Chairman & CEO Yannick Bolloré and sits within Vivendi's diversified media conglomerate structure, providing capital, content adjacencies, and cross-platform leverage not available to independent agencies. Q1 2026 net revenue organic growth of +2.5% indicates positive but modest commercial momentum.

Name

Havas Media Group

Legal name

Havas Media Network

Website

https://havasmediagroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1835

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Havas Media Group is a global media agency network (Havas Media Network) operating in 140+ countries with 10,000+ specialists, serving enterprise brand clients across luxury, consumer goods, retail, automotive, pharma, and other verticals. Revenue is generated through agency fees and commissions across five sub-brands: Havas Media, Arena Media, Havas Market, Havas Play, and CSA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media Agency Services

NAICS

Media Buying Agencies (54183), Media Buying Agencies (541830), Media Representatives (54184), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams) (BPAFAIAJ)

Keywords

• Media planning buying
• Media agency services
• Digital commerce media
• Data driven marketing
• Entertainment sports activation

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Media Agency Services: Havas Media Network provides comprehensive media services including buying & planning, data solutions, entertainment and sports activation, e-commerce solutions, and commerce connectivity. Revenue is generated through agency fees, media buying commissions, and strategic consulting engagements with global brands.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Havas Media Group is a global media experience network that sells media agency services to enterprise brand clients. It delivers media strategy, planning and buying, data-driven audience targeting, e-commerce and commerce connectivity, entertainment and sports activation, and end-to-end data and technology solutions through specialized sub-brands (Havas Media, Arena Media, Havas Market, Havas Play, CSA). Services are powered by an in-house audience-first data ecosystem optimized through AI and machine learning.

Product overview

Havas Media Group operates as a global media network with a platform-plus-services architecture. The core network, Havas Media Network, delivers media strategy, activation, commerce, data & tech, and measurement services through five distinct operational units: Havas Media (buying and planning), Arena Media (boutique client services), Havas Market (e-commerce solutions), Havas Play (entertainment and sports activation), and CSA (data and technology solutions). The network employs an audience-first data ecosystem optimized through AI and machine learning to deliver personalized customer journeys at global scale across 140+ countries with 10,000+ specialists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Havas Media: The most dynamic media network, combining human ingenuity with machine intelligence to power client growth
• Arena Media
• Havas Market
• Havas Play
• CSA

Products and services

• Havas Media

Quantifiable outcome

• Net revenue organic growth of +2.5% in Q1 2026

Named customers25 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• TurespañacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024Turespaña appointed Havas Media to handle international media, as announced in May 2026. This represents a significant government tourism body partnership for international media management.
• additive+coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2022Havas Group acquired UK-based data-led creative agency additive+ to expand its regional presence in the UK, including Edinburgh. additive+ integrates into Havas Media Group UK and builds on its existing data solutions, servicing clients across the UK, Europe, and the US.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• WPP (GroupM): Largest global advertising holding company; GroupM is its media investment arm operating Wavemaker, Mindshare, MediaCom, and Essence. Directly comparable as a global media agency network serving the same enterprise client base with media buying, planning, and data services.
• Publicis Groupe (Publicis Media): Global advertising holding company; Publicis Media houses Starcom, Zenith, and Digitas. Directly comparable media network offering media strategy, buying, data, and digital transformation services to global brands, with overlapping client rosters.
• Omnicom Group (Omnicom Media Group): Global advertising holding company whose Omnicom Media Group houses Hearts & Science, OMD, PHD, and Annalect. Closely comparable in offering media buying, planning, and analytics to large multinational advertisers worldwide.
• IPG Mediabrands: Media investment arm of Interpublic Group, operating UM, Initiative, Mediabrands Publishing, and Kinesso. Direct competitor offering global media planning, buying, and data-led marketing services to enterprise brands.
• Dentsu (Dentsu International / dentsu Media): Japanese-headquartered global advertising holding company; Dentsu Media operates Carat, dentsu X, iProspect globally. Closely comparable global media network with strong data and digital capabilities serving multinational brands.

Direct peers

• Havas Creative Network: Sister network within Havas Group providing creative, advertising, and content services. Same parent (Vivendi) and overlapping client base; complementary offering means they often pitch together versus the holding-company competitors.

Emerging players

• Accenture Song: Accenture's creative and marketing services arm, rapidly scaling through acquisitions (Droga5, IMJ, Creative Drive). Represents the consulting-led disruption of traditional media agencies and a growing competitor for enterprise marketing budgets.
• Stagwell Global: Challenger holding company operating Assembly, Anomaly, ForwardPMX, and media-led agencies. Comparable digital-first media and communications network competing for share against legacy holding-company media networks including Havas.
• Deloitte Digital: Consultancy-led digital marketing arm of Deloitte, competing for integrated commerce, CRM, and media mandates. Represents the broader in-housing/consultancy trend pulling enterprise media budgets away from traditional agency networks.

Regional players

• Horizon Media: Largest US-independent media agency, offering media planning, buying, analytics, and creative services. Comparable in capabilities though concentrated in the North American market where Havas Media competes head-to-head on enterprise accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/havasmediauk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Havas Media Group