Future PLC (LSE:FUTR) reported a return to organic revenue growth in the past quarter and said it is "on track" to meet full-year expectations.
A strong performance from its Go.Compare price comparison site has been key to the progress, as has a "resilient" performance from magazines, where the group's brands range from Marie Claire and Wallpaper to The Week and Guitar World.
More challenging has been the market for digital advertising and affiliate products, which the FTSE 250-listed publisher put down to the effects of "macroeconomic pressures and low visibility" continuing to impact the wider sector.
US direct advertising has been stronger, though, which it said was in part due to the growth acceleration strategy it launched in February, along with a "focus on premiumisation of advertising inventory benefiting from the group's scale and first-party data".
Website user numbers have continued to see "broad" stabilisation in the second quarter but remained down year-on-year.
Future, which will publish half-year results on 16 May, said it remains "highly cash generative" with cash conversion "strong" in the period.
The company's shares were knocked hard by the rise in generative AI, down 45% over the past 12 months, with investors concerned that people will ask ChatGPT rather than Google, which could mean many fewer people visit Future’s websites.