Horizon Wins Spectrum’s $450 Million Media Account

Cable and internet provider Charter Communications, which operates under the Spectrum brand, has awarded its media account to Horizon Media after a months-long review, according to two sources close to the matter.

iProspect was the incumbent for search and participated in the pitch. Spectrum has also worked with media agencies including PMG and Camelot in the past, according to a previous AdAge report.

GroupM also participated in the pitch, according to sources familiar with the review.

The review was handled by ID Comms, which did not reply to a request for comment in time for publication. Spokespeople for GroupM, Horizon Media, and Dentsu declined to comment on the record. Spectrum declined to comment.

Spectrum spent $450 million on media in 2024, according to COMvergence. 

In addition to the incumbents, the loss is a miss for GroupM, which is under pressure to drive growth for parent WPP. The holding company’s stock cratered in late February when it reported weaker than expected earnings and projected a revenue drop for 2025. 

The review, which kicked off in the fall, also included Spectrum’s creative business, but ADWEEK has not confirmed the results of that portion of the review. Spectrum has worked with a variety of agencies on the creative side, including indie agency Something Different on a brand campaign released in September.

The cable and internet provider is owned by Charter Communications and owns brands including Spectrum Business, Spectrum Enterprise and Spectrum Reach. The Stamford, CT-based company’s revenues grew 0.9% year-over-year to $55.1 billion in 2024, according to its most recent financial reports. 

The agency switch up comes months after Simon Cassels joined Spectrum as chief creative officer in August. The former chief brand officer at GoodRX also spent time at TBWA\Media\Arts Lab where he worked on Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” campaign.