On a conference call this afternoon, following the announcement of ITV's interim results for the six months to 30 June, ITV said it expected TV ad spend to fall by between 5% and 8% in Q4, meaning the total TV ad market for the full year will be down by between 3.5% and 4.5% from 2007.
Rupert Howell, ITV managing director of brand and commercial operations, said ITV was "outperforming the [TV ad] market" with increasingly strong relationships with agencies and clients helping to "explain the power of the television medium".
He said ITV's "job was to take as much late money as possible, and our track record so far on that is very good".
The broadcaster claimed its autumn entertainment line-up, including the new series of the X-Factor and stage school drama Britannia High, as well as key football games, would also drive advertising in the final months of 2008.
Executive chairman Michael Grade said ITV had made some "tough decisions" in the light of declining ad revenue, including the revision of its global content and online revenue targets.
Grade said ITV's "priority is to manage our way through the cyclical downturn without impairing the turnaround strategy".
ITV said Boston Consulting Group's review of its global content and sales operations would contribute £35m in cost savings by the end of 2010.
The broadcaster said the review was "ongoing", with management teams currently "engaged in discussions with staff", but said no redundancies had yet been made.
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