French television groups TF1 and M6 each released its 2001 financial results yesterday, with the outlook continuing to be weak, according ABN Amro analysts.
TF1 saw advertising revenues fall by 4.7%, with Q4 down by over 10%. However, the figures were in line with the broker’s expectations. Ad revenues at M6, meanwhile, grew by 2.3%, with Q4 showing a decline of just 4.0%. Again, this in line with forecasts.
ABN reports that TF1 refuses to comment on the outlook for Q1 2002, whilst M6 indicates that there will be a continuation of the Q4 2001 trend, namely a decline of around 4.0% in ad revenue.
Analysts expect M6 Q1 revenues to be down by 5%, with the full year coming in flat; TF1 is forecast to show a decline of 5-10% in Q1 and of 1.5% for the full year.
These figures come as data from Syndicat National De La Publicité Télévisée (SNPTV) show that France enjoyed a record year in terms of viewing figures during 2001 (see International).
