French advertising group Publicis Groupe has agreed to acquire U.S. data collaboration company LiveRamp for a total enterprise value of about $2.2 billion ​in an all-cash deal, it said on Sunday. For Publicis, the acquisition extends a ​strategy it has pursued for several years of boosting its data capabilities ⁠in order to target consumers more precisely. LiveRamp offers businesses a platform that allows them ​to match and connect datasets – such as customer or media data – in a secure way without ​directly sharing personal information. “It is the latest demonstration of our commitment to investing ahead of market shifts, despite what is an industry being challenged by the rise of AI and a difficult global context,” ​Chief Executive Arthur Sadoun said in a video presentation.

Full report : Publicis strikes $2.2 billion deal for LiveRamp to boost agentic AI capabilities.