ITV.com to triple its ad revenue this year

ITV.com could make as much as £34 million from advertising this year, according to forecasts by Screen Digest.

If it hits over £30 million, the broadcaster’s online TV service would make more than three times as much as its £8.9 million advertising revenue from 2008.

ITV has struggled to generate a decent revenue stream from its digital operations so far, and was recently forced to offload Friends Reunited at a significant £150 million loss on its purchase price in 2005.

However, Screen Digest said ITV.com, which saw its video views increase from 31 million in the first half of 2008 to 116 million in the first half of this year, is on course to more than triple its ad revenue.

Dan Cryan, an analyst at Screen Digest, said: “The revenue increase comes from a mixture of increasingly large audience levels and ITV becoming a world leader in monetising its content.

“ITV have a higher number of ads running per programme viewed as video-on-demand than any other broadcaster in any other major market.”

Screen Digest also forecast that 4oD will make £9.3 million from its online services and Five’s Demand Five will make £1.8 million this year.

By 2013, the analyst predicts that ITV.com and 4oD will both bring in £75 million in ad revenue, while Demand Five will make around £17 million.