The German broadcasting group reported a 19.1% rise in revenues to €2.85bn (£1.9bn) for the six months to June 30, despite suffering a fall in profits.
Net profits for the group were down to €296m for the first half of 2006 from €312m in the first half of the previous year. The broadcaster said the fall was due to a "one-time tax effect in 2005".
However, reported earnings before interest, tax and amortisation were 26.5% ahead at €478m during the first six months of compared with €378m during the first half of 2005.
Gerhard Zeiler, chief executive officer of RTL Group, said: "We saw improved advertising conditions in most of our major markets -- with the notable exception of the UK."
"We remain cautious but optimistic on the outlook for advertising in the second half of the year.
RTL said that its UK content FremantleMedia, which is behind 'The Bill' and 'The X-Factor', had a good first half, driven by strong business in the US and UK, and in distribution and licensing.
"Our broadcasters have launched a number of new initiatives aimed at increasing the revenue we receive from non-advertising sources," Zeiler said.
Five's two new digital channels Five US and Five Life will broadcast in the UK from mid-October.
Five US will be dedicated to US programming and will launch on Sunday October 15, airing daily between 4pm and 1am, followed by Five Life, which launches on Monday October 16, broadcasting daily between 6am and 11pm.
Programming on Five US will include new series 'Shark' with veteran actor James Woods, and 'Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King', an eight-part chiller based on the author's short stories and starring William H Macy, William Hurt and Tom Berenger.
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