Media group UTV recorded a rise in pre-tax profits and revenue on the back of bigger audiences for World Cup-related shows.
The group announced pre-tax profits which were up by 17 per cent from £8 million in the first half of 2009 to £9.4 million in the first half of this year.
|Group revenue rose by 9 per cent from £54.4 million to £59.2 million over the same period.
Group operating profits was up 9 per cent to £12.2 million from 11.2 million and the company announced a£18.4 million reduction in net debt over 12 months to £77.3 million.
Net finance costs were reduced by 10 per cent to £2.7 million during the first-half of 2010.
Diluted adjusted earnings per share were up 16 per cent to 7.36 pence from 6.32 pence and UTV declared an interim dividend of 1p.
The group said the decline in Irish radio revenue has been arrested, with growth of 3 per cent anticipated in the third quarter.
"The first six months of 2010 saw a better trading performance due to the improving economic environment and the stimulus of the World Cup and this improvement in trading appears to be continuing in the third quarter," said group chief executive John McCann.
