By The Associated Press
Here are highlights of recent quarterly earnings reports from selected Internet and media companies and what they say about the state of spending on advertising:
April 12: Google Inc. says its revenue, after subtracting ad commissions, totaled $8.14 billion in the first quarter. Analysts were expecting revenue of $8.09 billion on this basis. Google's revenue was helped by a 39 percent increase in "paid clicks," but the prices of its search-driven text ads continued to decline. The so-called "cost-per-click" for these ads declined 12 percent from the same time a year earlier.
April 16: Gannett Co. reports a 25 percent drop in first-quarter net income, as advertising in its newspapers continued to decline. Broadcasting revenue rose, helped by advertising related to autos, the Super Bowl and political campaigns.
April 17: Yahoo Inc. says that after subtracting commissions paid to its advertising partners, revenue was $1.08 billion in the first quarter, up slightly from last year. It marked the first time since the third quarter of 2008 that Yahoo's quarterly net revenue has increased from the previous year.
Omnicom Group Inc., which owns marketing agencies, says its domestic revenue climbed 4 percent in the latest quarter, while international revenue increased nearly 6 percent.
April 19: Microsoft Corp. says it reduced losses in its online services division, which includes the ad-supported Bing search engine. The division's operating loss was $479 million, compared with $776 million a year ago. The division had $707 million in revenue, up 6 percent from $667 million.
The New York Times Co. says print and digital advertising revenue declined amid what CEO Arthur Sulzberger Jr. called "the uneven U.S. economic environment and uncertain global conditions." Advertising revenue fell 8 percent to $237.9 million, from $258.9 million a year ago.
April 25: The McClatchy Co. reports a slightly larger net loss due to declining advertising revenue. Meanwhile, compensation and other costs at the nation's third-largest newspaper company fell while digital advertising increased.
April 26: The Interpublic Group of Companies Inc., one of the world's largest advertising agency conglomerates, says revenue rose 2 percent to $1.51 billion, beating the $1.49 billion expected by analysts.
Time Warner Cable Inc. says advertising revenue grew 7 percent to $211 million in the quarter.
Online games company Zynga Inc. says revenue from advertising more than doubled to $28.2 million, from $13 million a year earlier.
April 27: WPP Group PLC, another owner of ad agencies, says revenue grew 4 percent after excluding acquisitions and changes in currency exchange rates.
Tuesday: CBS Corp. says advertising revenue grew 5 percent to $2.4 billion.
Wednesday: Time Warner Inc. says advertising revenue at its cable TV networks grew 6 percent, or $64 million, on stronger rates and better timing of March Madness basketball games. Ad revenue at the Time Inc. magazine business fell 5 percent, or $19 million.
Comcast Corp. says its NBCUniversal cable TV networks saw a 6 percent increase in advertising revenue. It did not break out ad revenue figures for the NBC broadcast network and stations, but says revenue grew from higher ratings and from carrying the Super Bowl, which was on Fox last year. Ad revenue at Comcast's cable-distribution division grew 5 percent.
Thursday: Viacom Inc., owner of MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central, says domestic advertising revenue increased 1 percent, while worldwide ad revenue was flat at $1.07 billion.
Coming up:
Friday: The Washington Post Co., Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc.
May 8: The Walt Disney Co., Discovery Communications Inc.
May 9: AOL Inc.
