ITV and DHL owner post-Covid recovery in revenues 

ITV has a Studios production arm which made the hit police drama "Line of Duty" for the BBC.

Broadcaster ITV said its advertising revenue was rebounding strongly from the impact of Covid-19. 

It comes as Deutsche Post DHL posted better-than-expected earnings as it benefited from an online surge.           

ITV said in a first-quarter update that it expected total ad revenue for the first half to rise around 26% on 2020, despite pandemic restrictions being in place for nearly all of the period.

Chief executive Carolyn McCall said: "We have made a good start to 2021 with total revenue and total viewing both up, despite the continuing impact of the pandemic. 

"We finished the quarter strongly with the substantial majority of our shows back in production and a recovery in the advertising market." 

ITV, which has a Studios production arm and a Media and Entertainment arm, said first-quarter total external revenue rose 2% to £709m, driven by a 9% increase in Studios, which made the hit police drama "Line of Duty" for the BBC. Shares in ITV, which hit a nine-year low of 50 pence on March last year, have risen 13% since the start of the year. 

Meanwhile, Deutsche Post lifted its full-year target for profit and cash flow as express-delivery arm DHL targets a surge in home shopping spurred by the coronavirus crisis. The shares advanced as much as 3% after the German firm said it expects to post earnings before interest and tax of more than €6.7bn this year. 

Reuters