There were 1,188 deals announced (compared to 1,175 deals in 2016). Whilst 2017 did not see a big increase in the number of deals, this was still a record year for M&A activity in the sector. Even though Dentsu remained the most active acquirer, only four major networks feature in the “top 10” list. WPP and Publicis have halved the number of acquisitions compared to 2015 levels whereas Accenture have doubled their deal count in the same period." CHRIS SAHOTA CEO AT CIESCO