UK news publisher Reach says Ukraine war hitting ad demand

British news publisher Reach said advertiser demand had slumped in the last two months as brands sought to avoid placing adverts alongside content about the war in Ukraine, hitting digital growth. The owner of the Daily Mirror, Daily Express and a string of regional titles said it was also working to mitigate the impact of newsprint inflation due to higher costs for paper and energy.

British news publisher Reach said advertiser demand had slumped in the last two months as brands sought to avoid placing adverts alongside content about the war in Ukraine, hitting digital growth.

The owner of the Daily Mirror, Daily Express, and a string of regional titles said it was also working to mitigate the impact of newsprint inflation due to higher costs for paper and energy. In the four months to April 24, it said advertising revenue in print was down 10.1%.

While digital revenue rose by 9.3% year-on-year, that compared with a 25.4% increase in the full-year 2021. "Over the past two months the market has experienced reduced advertiser demand and lower average yields, with the war in Ukraine significantly reducing the level of 'brand safe' content for news publishers," the group said.

Reach said for the year ahead, it still expected broadly flat group revenue, although with a higher mix of circulation revenues and a lower digital contribution than expected. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February has had an impact on everything, from the cost of grain to energy, other commodities, and consumer confidence.

Google's YouTube said in April its ad sales had been hurt by the conflict after it stopped sales in Russia and brand advertisers, particularly in Europe, pulled back on spending.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)