TalkSport Owner UTV Media Sees Pre-Tax Profits Plummet By Nearly 16%

TalkSport owner UTV Media suffered a 15.9% decline in pre-tax profits last year, with no major int'l football tournament, but "expects its performance to pick up in 2014 helped by the World Cup in Brazil," according to John Reynolds of the London GUARDIAN. The company also disclosed that it is "considering bidding for 2015 Rugby World Cup rights." However, UTV Media "would not seek to repeat 2011's exclusive deal shutting out the BBC," as next autumn's tournament hosted by England will clash with its live Premier League coverage. UTV Media, which also owns the Northern Ireland ITV franchise, reported a 15.9% year-on-year fall in pre-tax profits to £16.9M for the 12 months to the end of December. Revenues at TalkSport were affected by tough year-on-year comparisons with '12, when its figures "were boosted by live coverage of the Euro 2012 football tournament" (GUARDIAN, 3/18).