The combined entity will be called Xaxis and will be run by the Brian Lesser, the existing global chief executive of Xaxis and David Moore, the founder of 24/7 Media will be the chairman of Xaxis.
The changes bring together WPP’s platforms for publishers wanting to sell digital space, into the same company as the holding group’s division buying space on behalf of its clients. 

 “By consolidating both the buy and sell sides within a single platform, we’re bringing advertisers and publishers closer together, enabling a more efficient marketplace for both brands and media owners,” Lesser said in a statement yesterday.

 The move comes as a result of a changing landscape in which audiences are becoming more mobile and as a result harder to track. Traditional holding company rivals Omnicom and Publicis are merging, creating yet another behemoth.
In today’s announcement, Xaxis will now serve more than 2,700 clients and described itself  “the industry’s single most comprehensive platform for programmatic audience buying across all digital media channels and devices. 

"Enhancing the company’s ability to create highly scalable and sequential, multi-channel campaigns around the globe"

WPP’s Sir Martin Sorrell said the aim of the merger was to "enhance our ability to innovate by creating deeper data connections and streamlined technology resources.

“We were the first parent company to make a significant investment in advertising technology and today’s deal further extends our leadership in the high growth service sector,” he said.

According to Xaxis, the merged company will mange programmatic media deals worth £455.4 million and more than two trillion impressions across 32 markets in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.