IPA agencies name the best media owner to work with

Blis has been named as the best media owner to work with, according to IPA agencies and digital specialists, who insist the company – which now operates in more than 40 markets across five continents – has shown the highest commitment to continually improving its digital standards.

Established in the UK in 2004, Blis now works with the world’s largest and most successful companies, as well as every major media agency.

The IPA Digital Media Owners Autumn 2025 Survey details which media owners deliver the highest levels of service, with 90.8% of respondents saying their overall experience of working with Blis as a good one. Blis was followed by Spring survey leaders GumGum (83.1%).

Four other media owners had an overall score of 80% or above: Reddit (80.7%), Mail Metro Media (80.6%), Reach (80,0%) and Channel 4 (80.0%).

And, while Blis led overall and among ad networks/exchanges, DSP and sales houses, Reddit was top among online ure plays and Mail Metro Media was the best-performing crossover media owner.

In addition to leading the overall ranking, Blis was named best for ‘Understanding of client strategies and objectives’, ‘Excellent understanding of own products’, ‘Professionalism in dispute resolution’, ‘Provision of innovative, creative solutions’, ‘Ease of contact’, ‘Understanding of the agency’s operating context’ and ‘Creating a sense of agency/media owner partnership’.

GumGum also topped three individual categories: ‘Quality of response to brief’, ‘Proactive communication of new opportunities’ and ‘Regularity of face-to-face or telephone contact’, while Hearst was best for ‘Communication of direct client contact’, and Reach was top of ‘Understanding of how cross-media opportunities can be leveraged’.

Channel 4 was the most broadly improved media owner with increases of 10 percentage points or more across seven different categories, while Reach improved by the same margin across six rankings and Mail Metro Media across five.

IPA Digital Marketing Group chair Amy Lawrence, who is also Publicis Imagine head of digital EMEA, said: “It is always fascinating to see which media owners perform best in the IPA Digital Media Owners Survey and are committed to providing a consistently excellent service. I am delighted to see such high standards across the board, as it highlights that so many media owners are committed to working together effectively with their agency partners. Particular congratulations must go to Blis for topping the Autumn 2025 survey.”