New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME) says its first-half revenue was slightly up on the year before, despite a tough trading environment.

The media group behind the New Zealand Herald, BusinessDesk, Newstalk ZB and OneRoof reported a first-half net profit of $1.9 million, down 4.3 percent on the year before.

However, there was a 3 percent lift in operating revenue and other income to $171 million.

NZME chief executive Michael Boggs says the company will be in for a tough few months - but hope is returning to the economy. 

"We are seeing signs of improvement, we're obviously seeing the OCR coming down, we're seeing business and consumer confidence start to lift - so we'd love to see that flow through."

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