Despite the uncertainty surrounding the two main companies involved in it, the UK's cinema advertising market grew by 10.4 per cent last year to reach £170m ($338.1m) up from £154m in 2006. The figures from Nielsen Media Research do not include production and sponsorship, in contrast to data from Advertising Association, whose full-year figures are estimated at £203m ($403.5m, based on 11 months of 2007). Increased spending by retail and online advertisers such as Apple, John Lewis and Ebay was behind some of the growth. The largest cinema advertiser remains Orange. Last year (2007) was a record box office year for UK cinemas, with an eight per cent rise in box office.
There is still uncertainty over the two companies engaged in screen advertising: Carlton Screen Advertising and Pearl & Dean. Both have been up for sale in the past two years, with no success as yet. Carlton has recently been obliged to re-negotiate a contract with client Cineworld but Pearl & Dean is showing signs of re-inventing or at least widening its service offer, with a P&D branded ice cream based around its theme tune being launched on Virgin planes, building on their in-flight advertising tie-up signed in late 2006, whereby Pearl & Dean has a two-minute window for advertisements before all 54 in-flight films in the Virgin entertainment system.

all