§ Mr. Goldingasked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications what has been the increase in advertising revenue to the television companies since the dere-striction of hours; what has been the increase in their profits; and whether he will make a statement.
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§ Sir J. EdenThe Independent Broadcasting Authority tells me that its contractors did not substantially increase the number of hours for which they broadcast until the autumn of last year. Then-advertising revenue grew by £15 million between September 1972 and February 1973, but since revenue was already steadily growing it is not possible to say how far extra hours have contributed to growth in revenue. No information about the effect on profits is yet available since none of the companies has yet published an annual account covering a full year since its hours were increased.