2026 pitch season begins: Rs 1,200 crore-plus media mandates up for grabs

New Delhi: With teams back from the annual December break, India’s pitch season has kicked into high gear, with big media and creative mandates now up for review.

With an estimated Rs 1,200 crore+ worth of major media pitches currently active, agencies are fiercely battling for strategic assignments that are expected to influence brand communication strategies through the year.

Consumer electronics giant Samsung India has formally initiated a multi-agency media pitch for its Indian business, with the mandate estimated at roughly Rs 300 crore. It covers media planning and buying duties across its portfolio, spanning mobile phones, consumer electronics and home appliances, making it one of the largest ongoing media reviews this year.

A key driver behind the review, according to multiple industry sources, is the global merger between Omnicom and Interpublic Group (IPG), which has created a potential conflict-of-interest scenario with Apple, Samsung’s biggest global rival, given Omnicom’s role on Apple’s global media assignments.

As a result, Omnicom Media India agencies, including incumbent Lodestar UM, have not been invited to pitch, while WPP Media, Publicis Groupe’s Starcom and independents such as Madison World are participating in the competitive process.

The development highlights how Omnicom–IPG consolidation dynamics and client-level conflict considerations are already reshaping pitch strategies and agency participation choices.

Beauty sector leader L’Oréal India opened its media mandate for competitive review in 2025, with industry estimates ranging from Rs 600 crore to Rs 900 crore, positioning it among the largest beauty and personal care media pitches in recent times. 

The decision is expected within a month. The mandate, long managed by Wavemaker India (WPP Media), spans strategic planning, integrated media solutions and buying across the brand’s extensive portfolio.

Uniqlo India has put its media planning and buying account up for pitch, challenging incumbent Mindshare as the fast-fashion retailer expands its presence and marketing investments.

Red Bull India has opened its integrated media mandate, estimated at Rs 80–90 crore, inviting agencies to compete on a brief focused on deepening audience engagement across digital, broadcast and experiential touchpoints.

Honda Cars India has issued a digital media agency review worth around Rs 50–100 crore, centred on bolstering digital audience engagement and retail activation for key model lines.

Air India’s media review, first initiated in 2024 with an estimated Rs 150 crore mandate, remains unresolved with agency announcements yet to be finalised, keeping the process active in the broader pipeline.

In one of the earliest big decisions of the year, Publicis Groupe’s Starcom India has won the integrated media mandate for Flipkart Group, reported at around Rs 700–750 crore.

FMCG heavyweight Reckitt India has renewed and expanded its media partnership with WPP Media while bringing in e-commerce media under the same integrated umbrella.

From global tech and beauty majors to fashion, beverages, aviation and automotive brands, the 2026 pitch pipeline reflects advertisers’ drive for data-fluent, digitally integrated and performance-oriented agency partnerships.

With Rs 1,200 crore+ of major media pitches currently active, 2026’s opening quarter has rapidly become a defining period for agency selection and strategic alignment.

Industry watchers believe that these pitches will not only determine agency rosters for some of India’s biggest advertisers but also set competitive benchmarks for how media strategy, creative integration and data intelligence are delivered in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

As pitches progress and decisions roll out in the weeks ahead, India’s advertising and media ecosystem is poised for meaningful shifts in its competitive hierarchy.