WME Group is slimming down: The company is selling 160over90, its sports marketing and creative agency unit, to French advertising giant Publicis Groupe.
Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Publicis is paying more than $500 million for 160over90, Variety has confirmed. The price tag was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The deal is subject to the customary closing conditions including regulatory approvals. Endeavor, the predecessor company of WME Group, acquired 160over90 in 2018 for a reported $200 million.
160over90 has more than 670 employees across the U.S., U.K., Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. The division has worked on activations for global brands including the NFL’s Super Bowls, the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup.
With 160over90, Publicis said it will offer “an end-to-end ecosystem where cultural relevance drives measurable growth.” The company’s Publicis Sports Intelligence platform, powered by Epsilon identity, is able to let marketers plan, personalize and measure investments and outcomes across media, experiential, content, hospitality, sponsorships, and commerce.
In addition, Publicis is forming a strategic partnership with WME to allow early-stage collaboration between WME’s talent and IP roster and Publicis to “create opportunities across talent, content financing, and marketing partnerships.” WME talent clients include Olympic figure-skating gold medalist Alysa Liu, tennis pro Carlos Alcaraz, and actors Teyana Taylor and Michael. B. Jordan.
The combined Publicis Sports group will report to Suzy Deering, CEO of Publicis Sports, and sit within PMX. Robbie Henchman, most recently president of 160over90, will remain at WME as a senior partner and president of WME’s brand representation business, and oversee the strategic partnership between WME and Publicis.
“After building our industry-leading position in identity resolution, commerce, and creators, our next big bet is sport,” Arthur Sadoun, CEO Publicis Groupe, said in a statement. In the age of AI, it has become one of the most high-value channels for clients, delivering unparalleled cultural relevance, live engagement, and measurable impact.”
Mark Shapiro, president and managing partner of WME Group, said: “160over90 has earned its reputation as a trusted partner to many of the world’s most influential brands, consistently delivering unique experiences and valuable partnerships on the biggest stages in sports. Combining forces with Publicis Sports will create an unmatched offering for brands looking to move faster and create deeper connections with sports fans, properties, and content. Additionally, WME Group’s new collaboration with Publicis Groupe will deliver more opportunities for our talent and partners to realize their business ambitions at scale.”
Publicis, expanding its move in the sports sector, last year acquired Adopt and Bespoke. It also inked a recent partnership with Magic Johnson Enterprises and launched the Influential Sports strategy and talent practice.
Endeavor closed a deal to go private with private-equity firm Silver Lake in March 2025 whereupon Endeavor changed its name to WME Group. The company spun out TKO Group, parent of WWE and UFC, in 2023. Last month, WME laid off 30 employees, about 3% of its staff.
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