CETV Doesn't Expect Growth This Year, Mild Growth In 2010
October 15 2009 - 7:43AM
Dow Jones News
Television broadcaster Central European Media Enterprises Ltd.
(CETV) Thursday said it only expects growth in one of its markets
this year and has already hit bottom in terms of the fall in
advertising revenue.
"Our markets reached the bottom and haven't started to grow
yet," Chief Executive Adrian Sarbu told an investors conference. He
said the company only expected growth in Ukraine in the fourth
quarter as in other markets most advertisers continue to cut
costs.
The NASDAQ- and Prague Stock Exchange-listed company said its
2009 consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and
amortization, or Ebitda, will be between $60 million and $70
million.
CETV expects television advertising revenue to increase in all
its markets next year. It forecasts 6% annual growth in the key
Czech and Romanian markets following the company's an expected 23%
full-year decline this year in the Czech Republic and 28% expected
fall in Romania.
The two countries account for roughly half of CETV's revenue.
CETV is active in those countries and in Slovakia, Slovenia,
Croatia, Ukraine and Bulgaria.
Time Warner Inc. (TWX) is a minority shareholder in CETV.
Company Web site: www.cetv.net.com
-By Sean Carney, Dow Jones Newswires; +420 222 315 290,
sean.carney@dowjones.com
Go to http://blogs.wsj.com/new-europe for the new Dow Jones blog
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and more, written by our correspondents across the region.