Across the group as a whole, revenue was up by 3% on the six months ending September 30, although Emap said it was much too early to predict if the short-term optimism would turn into a major change in market conditions.
Shares in the company fell by 7.5p when the market opened after Emap said that, while it expected to slightly exceed profit margins, it would be spending £19m on new-product development rather than the £23m it had previously advised. Shares were trading at 850p, down by 0.87%.
The publishing company has branched out into television, with seven stations broadcasting on satellite and digital. Some of these are extensions of magazine brands, such as Kerrang!, Q and Smash Hits, while others are standalone brands, such as The Box.
In a trading statement issued this morning, Emap said that airtime revenues had "slowed markedly" and that there had been a small reduction in audience levels.
There was brighter news at other divisions of Emap, with consumer publishing recording a rise in advertising revenues of 5% over the first six months of the year. The company said that strong performers in ad growth were its hit celebrity title Heat and Motor Cycle News.
Emap said that its struggling music portfolio has "seen some weakness", but named monthly title Mojo as a star performer in terms of circulation growth, along with the film title Empire, Max Power, Match and Angling Times.
Business-to-business magazine recruitment revenues fell by 1%, but display advertising saw a rise of 3% after a difficult two years.
Radio also saw an improvement, with a 9% rise in revenues over the first half, backed by audience gains for Kiss and Magic.
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