Euro Commercial Broadcasting Revenues Rebound

STRASBOURG: A new study from the European Audiovisual Observatory indicates that revenues at European’s main commercial broadcasting groups are back to pre-recession levels, with a 10-percent growth rate in the first half.

The 12 largest private television groups in Europe delivered revenues of 17.6 billion euros, compared to 16.1 billion euros in the same period last year and 17.6 billion in 2008. This total does not take into account the turnover of Five, the British channel that was sold by the RTL Group in the period. Taking this sale into account, the rate of growth of the 12 largest groups compared to the first half of 2009 is exactly 10 percent.

The highest growth figures were recorded by Polish group TVN (18.9 percent),  Mediaset (16.7 percent), TF1 (13.7 percent) and ITV group (8.6 percent). Spain’s Prisa was the only group to show a decline in the period, of 12.8 percent.