Ad revenue up for national press

MediaWeek, Media Week, Wednesday, 30 March 2005, 6:55pm,

The amount of cash from advertising in national press is marginally up by 0.7% despite circulation falls of 2.1% for the sector as a whole.

The figures come from the latest year-on-year trends in Starcom's media market report covering the first two months of 2005.

Only the mid-market titles can boast of both circulation growth and fatter ad revenues, says the report.

It's a period of mixed fortunes for the popular newspapers with advertising revenue up 2.7% but with circulation down 4.9%.

The qualities in general have suffered a double whammy - a drop in circulation of 1% and a 3.4% slide in money from advertising.

By contrast, though, the mid-market titles have enjoyed a 2.1% boost in circulation and their ad revenues have soared by 4.3%.

The report says colour revenue has risen by 7%.

But it added: "Perhaps of most concern is newspapers' increasing reliance on retail advertising, with both finance and motors in decline."

By Tony Lithgow

This article was first published on Media Week