CHALLENGES

Broadcaster ITV has cheered improvements in under-pressure television advertising revenues and forecast a return to growth by the end of the year.

The group – home to hit shows such as The X Factor and I’m A Celebrity – posted a 4 per cent decline in net advertising revenues in its third quarter, better than the 8 per cent slide in its first half.

It said it expected TV ad revenues to edge 1 per cent higher in the fourth quarter, which is set to see the group outperform the wider market with a full-year decline of around 5 per cent. But it cautioned over an ongoing hit to advertiser confidence from “political and economic uncertainty” amid Brexit talks.

While TV advertising revenues remained lower in the third quarter, another strong performance from its production arm ITV Studios helped narrow falls in overall turnover to 1 per cent at £2.13 billion in the nine months of its year so far.

Sir Peter Bazalgette, ITV’S executive chairman, said this was “clear evidence of the ben-

0 Broadcaster ITV is home to a number of hit shows including The X Factor

GEORGE SALMON, ANALYST efit of rebalancing the business and generating new revenue streams”.

He added: “We’ve seen improving trends in all our key revenue lines in the quarter and we’re on track to deliver on the commitments we set out at the start of the year.

“We are currently seeing a return to TV advertising from some of the FMCGS (fast-moving consumer goods) and grocers although wider corporate confidence in the UK continues to be impacted by political and economic uncertainty.”

The group, which is awaiting the arrival of new chief executive Carolyn Mccall from Easyjet in January, gave a breakdown of TV ad revenues showing the decline slowed to 3 per cent in September and is set to rise by 2 per cent this month and 1 per cent in December.

ITV, which has been leading an effort to increase content production and offset the volatile TV ad market, saw revenues in ITV Studios surge 9 per cent in the first nine months to just over £1bn.

“… withconcernsover Brexit and the UK economy high up on the agenda in many boardrooms, we’reinabitofalull”