Five agencies contested the Viacom International Media Networks pitch: MEC, PHD, Starcom Mediavest Group, Universal McCann, and Vizeum. The7stars was approached initially by Viacom but did not pitch.
Viacom decided to consolidate its media agencies after its acquisition of Channel 5 in 2014. Previously, Vizeum held Channel 5 and UM had the account for Comedy Central and Nickelodeon.
Kerry Taylor, VIMN's Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) in the UK, said: "PHD were the unanimous choice of all our brand heads based on a knockout pitch combining all their strategic expertise and creativity with a strong dose of innovation and a keen understanding and appreciation of our brands.
"By consolidating our media strategy with a single agency, we're confident we will secure stronger strategic support for all our brands and be able to leverage the collective power of those brands to deliver more efficient media buying and planning."
Daren Rubins, the chief executive of PHD UK, said he was "delighted" to win the account, estimated £15 million. "When we were given the chance to pitch for Viacom's portfolio of ambitious challenger brands, we jumped at the chance."
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