Five’s TV ad revenues fall

Five’s TV ad revenues declined year on year in the first nine months of 2008, with owner RTL Group saying that the total UK ad market fell 3.3%.

RTL Group said that in the first half of 2008, UK TV ad spend was down 1% year on year, with Five’s TV ad revenues down 1.9%.

RTL, owned by German company Bertelsmann, reported a 1.4% increase in underlying revenue in the first nine months, of €4.09 billion (£3.31 billion).

The company said that “particularly strong” performances by its German operation and The X-Factor producer FremantleMedia had “compensated for significant negative effects such as the slowdown in several advertising markets”.

The group generated pre-tax profit of €577 million, up from €568 million in the same period last year.

RTL Group: www.rtlgroup.com