WPP, Publicis Groupe, Omnicom, Interpublic, Havas and Dentsu have hitherto been known to adland as the "big six". However, the past year has brought the announcement of a proposed merger between Omnicom and IPG, while Havas and Dentsu have become comparatively smaller.

So, the "big six" become the "big three", but is there another challenger? Accenture Song's latest results reported revenues of $20bn (£15bn) in the 12 months to August, putting it on par with Omnicom’s $16bn, Publicis’ €16bn ($19bn) and WPP’s £15bn ($20bn). The business has picked up the $42m media account for Optus in Australia and remains in the running for Jaguar Land Rover’s global integrated marketing account.

With significant changes among the biggest holding companies continuing to shift the advertising landscape, some have questioned whether it is the end of the "big six", heralding the start of a new "big four". In this week's episode of The Campaign Podcast, Campaign's editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier, UK editor Maisie McCabe and media editor Beau Jackson, examine the potential outcomes. The episode is hosted by tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley.

Further reading:

Accenture is at a crossroads for its global agency ambitions

What's next for Accenture Song? CEO Ndidi Oteh at Campaign Live

‘Song is changing Accenture’: CEO Ndidi Oteh on media, M&A and ‘Big Four’ agency rivalry

Omnicom now ‘confident’ IPG deal will close in November as EU approval nears

Yannick Bolloré on Havas’ Q3 ‘acceleration’, Dentsu’s assets and being ‘open’ to M&A

Havas ‘could be interested’ to buy or partner with some of Dentsu’s international assets

Arthur Sadoun on why Publicis is ‘winning’ and how ‘struggling’ rivals have dragged down agency valuations

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