5 M&A Trends to Expect in 2026, From Multibillion-Dollar AI Deals to Further Holdco Consolidation

After a somewhat sleepy start, 2025 was itself a landmark year, one defined by mammoth deals including Omnicom’s $13.5 billion takeover of former rival Interpublic Group, Paramount’s $8 billion merger with Skydance, and the ongoing contest for Warner Bros. Discovery’s future—alongside hundreds of smaller but influential deals that reshuffled the market. 

In total, M&A volumes across sectors reached $4.3 trillion this year, up 39% from 2024, per data from JP Morgan. In the adtech, martech, and digital content spaces, activity was up 13% over last year, according to research from Pitchbook and Luma Partners.