ITV's first-quarter revenues went over £1 billion, thanks to a big rise in advertising income.

Total revenues for January to March 2002 were up £147million on the same period last year, with advertising sales increasing by 16 per cent, as reported by The Daily Mail.

Online advertising sales for the whole three-month period soared by 27 per cent.

Digital income was up by almost a quarter, due to the rise in advertising sales and increase in subscribers to streaming service BritBox.

Revenues at production arm, ITV Studios, were up 23 per cent, as the company released more popular original shows. Many of the new shows were crime dramas, including Holding, based on the novel by Graham Norton.

ITV expects advertising earnings to dip in the current quarter, following a considerable boost provided by the delayed Euro 2020 last year.

The TV company hopes to earn at least £750 million in digital revenues by 2026 with the launch of a new streaming platform, ITVX, which will replace ITV Hub.

Overall spending on ITV programmes is predicted to reach £1.23 billion this year and £1.35 billion next year.