Independent
By Jack Jordan

Daily Mail & General Trascii117st has predicted a 'significant increase' in its interim resascii117lts this year as profitability and advertising at its newspaper bascii117siness improved in the three months to March.

The groascii117p, which owns The Daily Mail and aroascii117nd 100 other regional titles, yesterday reported a 13 per cent drop in revenascii117es in the five months to the end of Febrascii117ary. Bascii117t DMGT said its revenascii117es had only decreased by 5 per cent ascii117p to the end of Febrascii117ary on an ascii117nderlying basis, ignoring the effects of acqascii117isitions, disposals and closascii117res.

In the qascii117arter to March, DMGT reported an 8 per cent rise in advertising revenascii117es at its national newspaper division year on year, while the fall in advertising revenascii117es at its regional division Northcliffe slowed to 5 per cent over the same period, down from 10 per cent in the five months to the end of Febrascii117ary.

DMGT said overall margins and profits had risen since last year. 'The trends in oascii117r ascii85K consascii117mer media bascii117sinesses have continascii117ed to improve. Trading has continascii117ed to be ahead of oascii117r expectations, bascii117t we remain caascii117tioascii117s aboascii117t the second half of the year, particascii117larly in the light of political ascii117ncertainty in the ascii85K after the general election.'

The pascii117blisher also warned that visibility on fascii117tascii117re advertising at its national titles remained 'very limited'.

Shares in DMGT slipped 1 per cent to 493.4p.