ITV ad revenues down again

Ad revenues for ITV1 have declined 18% in the third quarter of 2006, with media buyers predicting a 20% decline for the final three months of the year.

The Financial Times claims the latest figures show a 23% drop for October, although this has not taken late bookings from advertisers into consideration.

ITV has said it is too early to predict what its fourth quarter advertising revenues will be and was predicting a strong autumn performance.

Rumours of a takeover from a private equity firm are still rife, with some 'papers reporting that potential bidders have approached former Ofcom chief executive Stephen Carter to lead a potential takeover. Carter is still in the running for the role of chief executive at the troubled broadcaster.