-By Steve McClellan

NEW YORK MillerCoors has confirmed launching a review for its media planning and buying as part of an effort to streamline its agency roster and reduce expenses.

The client spends an estimated $400 million annually on domestic measured media.

The review was expected after a merger of the brewer's SABMiller Brewing and Molson Coors operations, which took effect on July 1. The company said it expects to save $500 million in costs over the first three years of the merger.

The venture will have combined net revenue of about $6.6 billion and total beer sales of 69 million barrels in the U.S., according to the companies. Andy England, the former CMO of Molson Coors, was named in June the CMO of the merged entity. (He also was named Grand Marketer of the Year by Adweek sibling Brandweek this month.)

MillerCoors said the review is open only to current Miller and Coors roster shops, including Starcom, the incumbent on Miller media planning and buying; Initiative, the incumbent buyer for Coors; and Draftfcb, which handles Coors' planning. Two multicultural shops are also invited to contend: Tapestry, which handles Miller Hispanic media planning and buying, and Bromley, the incumbent on Coors' Hispanic planning and buying. Kinetic, Coors' out-home-buyer, will also pitch.

Jackie Woodward, vp, marketing services at MillerCoors, will lead the review. Prior to the merger, she held the same post at Miller.

In the summer, a client representative confirmed MillerCoors held a mini review pitting Starcom against Initiative for the estimated $80 million in ads that the brewer buys in televised football games on broadcast and cable networks. Initiative won and now handles that portion of the business. The rep said that assignment was reviewed first because the football market is conducted earlier in the year.

The review is expected to conclude by late November. Joanne Davis Consulting and Media IQ will assist MillerCoors in the review, the client said.