Marketing Services: Global M&A and Public Company Performance H1 2021

We are pleased to share with you the H1 2021 Marketing Services Sector Review, where we analyse global M&A activity and public market performance in the marketing services sector. We continue to see very good levels of deal activity in the Marketing Services sector with H1 2021 deal volume up by 22% on H1 2020 at 369 and 303 total deals respectively.

Private equity continued to drive M&A in H1 2021, as confidence in the space holds strong. So much so that six of the top 10 buyers in the period were private equity (either directly or via portfolio companies).

S4 remains the most active trade buyer over the first half of 2021 with six deals as it continues its targeted M&A strategy across digital content, media and data. The continued upward trajectory in the public markets reflects building confidence as global economies continue to recover