British Broadcaster ITV Expects Rugby World Cup To Boost Advertising Revenue

British broadcaster ITV said that it expected its net advertising revenue "to improve slightly in the second-half, helped by the Rugby World Cup," according to the YORKSHIRE POST. ITV reiterated its outlook for the full year and said that it expected ad revenues to be up 6% for the nine months to the end of September, after a 5% rise in the first six months. The group said adjusted core earnings for the six months were up 24% to £400M ($624M), helped by a "strong performance from the broadcast and online business" (YORKSHIRE POST, 7/28). In Glasgow, Greig Cameron reported ITV CEO Adam Crozier said that advertising revenue "dipped in June and July from levels boosted last year by its showing of games in the football World Cup." He added that every advertiser category "was up year on year with the exception of gambling, where some spend would shift from the football tournament to the rugby event." The Rugby World Cup starts on Sept. 18 and runs until the end of October (HERALD SCOTLAND, 7/28).