Mediaset closes the first quarter of 2016 with a loss of 18 million in terms of net income compared to the 0,6 million profit recorded in the same period last year. The company communicated this, specifying that the net result from continuing operations, therefore without considering the Premium pay-TV set to be sold to Vivendi, would have reported a net profit of 38,6 million. For Premium the red is therefore 56,6 million.
Group net revenues increased to 786,1 million from 718,5 million and EBIT was positive by 105,4 million (44,6 million a year ago). At the end of March, debt rose to 908,1 million from 859 million in December due to the investment of 91,4 million for the purchase of Mediaset España treasury shares.
In the four months of 2016, the trend of advertising sales in Italy recorded an increase of 4,7%. Also in Spain the trend of advertising revenues in the same period maintained a decidedly sustained growth rate. "On the basis of these results and in the presence of progressively more stable general and market conditions, the trend of the group's advertising revenues in the first part of the year should therefore remain positive".
