Operating profit during the period was £144m as national newspaper revenues rose 11% year-on-year in the first three months of the year, while total regional advertising revenue dropped by 5%.
Group revenue was £974m a drop of 10% in comparison with the previous year’s total of £1,085m.
The group reported a 42% year-on-year increase in pre tax profits to £110m.
The closure of the free newspaper London Lite was a contributory factor to A&N Media, parent of DMGT's national and regional newspaper business, recording a 132% rise in profit due to cost efficiencies.
There were also 680 redundancies across A&N Media in the year.
The group's national newspapers recorded a 6% year-on-year drop to £427m, while digital revenues at the national division rose 20% to £5.4m during the first six months until April.
Northcliffe Media, the home of DMGT’s regional titles including the Derby Telegraph and the Essex Chronicle, recorded a drop on revenue of 9% year-on-year to £150m.
Operating profit climbed by 121% to £14m. In the UK operating profits rose by 262% to £12.3m. Revenues dropped 7% to £132m, with ad revenues down by 9% to £93m.
Meanwhile, DMGT's digital division, Associated Northcliffe Digital, recorded a rise of 5% to £41m.
Martin Morgan, chief executive of DMGT, said trading was ahead of expectations, and singled-out "excellent profit growth" in its business-to-business companies.
Talking about the division the newspapers sit, he added: "Our UK consumer businesses have achieved a sharp improvement in profitability reflecting the actions taken to reduce costs and to eliminate loss-making activities, but also thanks to an improved advertising market. We remain focused on driving profitable organic growth across the group."
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