Stuart Bell, director of media planner and buyer Feather Brooksbank Manchester gives his reaction to the news that ITV expects its advertising revenue to increase by 4% in December.

ITV also said that it expects revenue across the fourth quarter to be flat and has predicted that for the full year, TV advertising will be down by 12%.

Bell said: “The positive noises coming from ITV about increasing ad revenue in December (the first time in 18 months) are obviously good news for the broadcaster but it is certainly too early to suggest this is the start of an upturn in fortunes. The government, food retail, telecoms and computing are all sectors which are spending heavily however there is a view that many advertisers have delayed spending but now have to before the end of the year. In addition ITV could be benefiting from the fact that other channels are struggling to take the late money. Positive news then yes, a reversal in fortunes - not yet.”

John Cresswell, chief operating officer for ITV, said of the predicted increase: “ITV is continuing to deliver a strong operational performance in challenging market conditions. All our channels are performing strongly on-screen and ITV1 is extending its lead over BBC1 in peak time viewing. Both ITV Studios and itv.com are delivering revenue growth. We are meeting our cost savings targets and continue to strengthen our balance sheet.”