The unexpectedly good news is a bright spot in a market where few are prepared to predict recovery. Earlier in the day, it was revealed that Japanese magazine ad revenue fell by 3.1% during 2002, in figures compiled by the advertising giant Dentsu.
Advertising pages were also up from January 2002 to 12,482.6, an increase of 4.8%.
The sectors with the biggest gains were travel, hotels and resorts, up by 29.2%; toiletries and cosmetics, which rose by 23.1%; and automotive, up by 20.7%.
Ellen Oppenheim, executive vice-president and chief marketing officer at the Magazine Publishers of America, said: "Given the uncertainty in the economic and political environments, we are pleased to see that 2003 is starting on a strong note."
The Magazine Publishers of America represents the consumer magazine industry, with 240 companies and 1,400 titles.
Although the report does not single out any magazine in paricular, both FHM and Maxim in the men's market have been doing very well. Towards the end of last year, Emap's FHM was continuing to lead the US men's magazine market and posted a 52% increase in ad pages to October.
The Emap-owned title hit 632.34 total advertising pages to October, an increase of 215.6 pages over the same period last year.
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