Cowell reigns but ITV lacks The X Factor
HIT show The X Factor helped push ITV to revenue growth of 11 per cent, driven by strong advertising sales.
A 30-second slot during the final of Simon Cowell’s talent show will set advertisers back an astonishing £200,000.
Overall TV advertising revenues for the third quarter rose 16 per cent year-on-year, narrowly beating the market, and fourth quarter advertising is expected to rise 10 per cent.
But ITV Studios saw a drop in revenue to £205m as the firm struggles to come up with a new exportable formula to emulate the success of hits such as 2006’s Dancing on Ice. ITV admitted the dip “emphasised the need for creative renewal”.
The firm also saw the number of video users on ITV.com fall six per cent to 15.6m, despite chief executive Adam Crozier saying the website was an important aspect of his plans for the broadcaster. Overall unique internet users increased 13 per cent.
Crozier said: “The television advertising market has continued to recover strongly. However this does not disguise the significant challenges ITV faces.
“We are forging ahead with implementing our first phase priorities; we have launched HD versions of ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 on the Sky platform, we have agreed a new three-year deal for both The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent and we have completed the sale of Screenvision.