ITV has reported a 6% rise in annual pre-tax profits of £641m following strong revenue growth across the company.
The UK's biggest commercial broadcaster said it expected to outperform the television advertising market in 2016.
Advertising revenue rose 6% to £1.72bn, with total revenue up 14% to £3.38bn.
However,
total viewing across its channels fell by 3% last year, with the share
for the main ITV channel falling from 15.6% to just 15%.
The
broadcaster, which shows dramas such as Downton Abbey and Coronation
Street, said ratings came under pressure in 2015 from the launch of new
digital channels, a strong year for the BBC and a poor performance from
some programmes.
Chief executive Adam Crozier said ITV had an
additional 50 hours of drama in the schedules for 2016 as well as major
sporting fixtures including the Euro 2016 tournament.
Shares in ITV fell 3.5% to 241p in afternoon trading in London.
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Steve
Clayton, head of equity research at Hargreaves Lansdown, said its
shares had done well last year, driven by an improving advertising
outlook and a series of acquisitions.
"ITV
looks to be in a good position; its balance sheet is sufficiently
strong to keep funding the acquisition of new production houses. That
gives more content to use at home and to sell abroad," he said.
"Earnings
are enhanced by the deals, and ITV becomes less dependent on
terrestrial advertising revenues, which are still an important source of
income for the group."
ITV Studios has become a global production business with total
revenue up 33% to £1.2bn and with 53% of revenues now coming from
outside the UK.
Last year's acquisition of Talpa brought John de
Mol onto the ITV team. He founded Endemol, which went on to develop the
Big Brother reality franchise.
All change
Sir Peter Bazalgette, the man credited with bringing Big Brother to the UK, was appointed as chairman of ITV last month.
He replaced Archie Norman, who has chaired the broadcaster since January 2010.
The former Endemol UK chairman is already a non-executive director at ITV and will take over from Mr Norman on 12 May.
ITV
director of television Peter Fincham has announced he is leaving ITV
and has been replaced by managing director of ITV Studios Kevin Lygo.
Julian Bellamy, managing director of ITV Studios in the UK, has succeeded Mr Lygo.
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