Remember back in May, Publicis opened its wallet and shelled out $2.2 billion to acquire LiveRamp. The news had many across the industry wondering what would actually happen and what the implications would be, as LiveRamp is a powerful platform that many media buyers across the globe rely on. 

Yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) agreed to the acquisition but gave specific terms that seek to preserve LiveRamp’s neutrality and accessibility to the broader digital advertising industry. Meaning: play nice and fair, or else...

Under the FTC’s consent order, Publicis and LiveRamp must provide nondiscriminatory access and support to LiveRamp’s products and services for five years. They are prohibited from denying, degrading, or impairing customers’ access to these offerings. Additionally, firewalls must be implemented to ensure that Publicis cannot access or use LiveRamp customer data and confidential business information. An independent auditor will review compliance with these measures every six months for the first two years after the LiveRamp transaction closes, followed by an annual audit for the subsequent three years.

In June 2026, one month after news of the acquisition, WPP’s Cindy Rose announced at an event during Cannes that the agency would end its use of LiveRamp.