Advertisers are turning off pay TV channel Foxtel with the latest research showing that advertising grew just 0.1 per cent in the first half of 2009.
Total revenue was only $147million. This was down 15% on 2008 and 30% down on 2007.
Anthony Fitzgerald, chief executive of Foxtel’s sales arm Multi Channel Network told the Australian newspaper that despite the “flat result”, the medium had increased its share of total television advertising because free-to-air revenues had plummeted over the same period.
Free-to-air TV advertising fell 11.8 per cent in the six months to June to $1.547 billion.
Currently Foxtel is looking to buy into the National Broadband Network and in October the Pay TV operator is set to launch several new sport and movie channels including new Internet Channels.
Last week the government said it would ask the communications watchdog to consider introducing a pre-vetting system for pay-TV advertising.
Also last week the network was slammed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority for putting to air sexual content without the proper classification.
