WME keeps shrinking, selling its sports agency for $500 million

by

WME, the Beverly Hills-based talent agency, continues to downsize.

Publicis Groupe, a French communications company, has acquired 160over90, the sports marketing division of an unnamed company. While the specific financial details haven’t been revealed, Publicis announced the purchase on Thursday. According to The Wall Street Journal, the deal is worth more than $500 million.

160over90 is a leading global sports marketing and creative agency. They’re famous for their work on huge sporting events like the Super Bowl, Olympics, and World Cup, and currently have a team of over 670 people worldwide.

According to Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun, the company is now focusing on sports as its next major growth area. He explains that in the current age of artificial intelligence, sports have become incredibly valuable for clients, offering strong cultural connections, real-time audience interaction, and demonstrable results.

Hollywood Inc.

Casey Wasserman’s agency has rebranded as ‘The Team’ as he and his investors look to sell the company, formerly known by his name.

Publicis, a French company, announced it’s creating a comprehensive system focused on culturally relevant content to boost business results. They also intend to improve how they use data, leveraging their Publicis Sports Intelligence platform to better plan and track investments throughout the company.

WME and 160over90 have formed a partnership. WME will continue working with 160over90 and will help connect its clients with new opportunities in media.

This sale is part of a larger effort by WME to reduce its size. WME’s parent company, Endeavor, became privately owned in 2025 after a deal with Silver Lake, and was then renamed WME Group. Since then, the company has been streamlining its operations. Earlier, WME sold IMG Academy, On Location Experiences, and Professional Bull Riders to TKO Group Holdings, another company under WME Group’s control.

As part of the effort to streamline the company, WME laid off 30 employees last month.

Hollywood Inc.

In a deal paid for entirely with stock, TKO Group Holdings will acquire Professional Bull Riders, the live event company On Location, and the global sports marketing firm IMG.

Mark Shapiro, president of WME Group, stated that 160over90 has become a well-respected and reliable partner for leading global brands, consistently creating memorable experiences and strong relationships at major sporting events.

Partnering with Publicis Sports will give brands a unique opportunity to quickly build stronger relationships with sports fans, teams, and content creators.

Publicis is continuing to invest in sports, recently adding another company to its portfolio. This follows last year’s purchases of sports agencies Adopt and Bespoke.

Read More

2026-04-02 23:01