Archived article
Please note that tax, investment, pension and ISA rules can change and the information and any views contained in this article may now be inaccurate.
Scottish television broadcaster STV posted a rise in annual profit after it held its viewing share at a decade high of 17.7%, helping it to boost its margins.
Pre-tax profit for the year through December jumped to £19.0m, up from £1.9m on-year.
Revenue fell 2% to £123.8m but adjusted pre-tax profit climbed 11% to £21.0m and adjusted operating profit 13% to £22.6m.
STV declared a full-year dividend of 21p per share, up 5% on-year.
The company said the implications of the coronavirus were unclear at this stage, but it continued to monitor the situation closely.
'An operating profit increase of 13% when national advertising revenues are down illustrates our growing resilience and the exciting growth potential of our regional, digital and production businesses,' chief executive Simon Pitts said.
'In 2019 STV was the most popular peaktime channel in Scotland, ahead of BBC One for the first time in six years,' he added.
'Despite uncertainty following the UK's exit from the EU and the coronavirus, we are positive about the outlook for 2020.'
'We have made a strong start to the year on screen and online, in line with our expectations, and have an exciting programming line-up to look forward to, with the return of Saturday Night Takeaway, Britain's Got Talent and new dramas like Liar and Quiz all helping to drive viewing on STV and the STV Player.'
At 9:18am: (LON:STVG) STV Group PLC share price was +25p at 365p