Advertising market improving, AOL chief says

NEW DELHI - AOL Time Warner&#39;s chief executive said Thursday that the downturn in the global advertising industry was easing. But he also advised media companies to find alternate revenue sources.<br> <br> &#34;There has been an advertising depression for the last year, year and a half,&#34; Gerald Levin told a gathering of media representatives in the Indian capital. &#34;That has made advertising revenue much more difficult. But that&#39;s starting to turn around.&#34;<br> <br> Levin, who heads up the world&#39;s largest media company, said media companies must learn to diversify revenue sources. &#34;There should be at least two to three revenue streams,&#34; Levin said.<br> <br> Levin is in India to discuss collaboration with Indian companies to market AOL Time Warner&#39;s products.<br> <br> The U.S. media giant has formed a joint venture with India&#39;s largest television and entertainment company, Zee Telefilms Ltd., to market its channels in South Asia.<br> <br> Zee holds 74 percent, and AOL Time Warner&#39;s affiliate Turner International India holds the remaining stake in the joint venture, Zee Turner Private Ltd.<br> <br> Turner International India is the Indian unit of Turner Broadcasting Systems, a major division of AOL Time Warner that includes the WB broadcast network and the cable channels CNN, TBS and the Cartoon Network.<br> <br> The AOL move to tie up with Zee is aimed at improving its position against Rupert Murdoch&#39;s Star Television, which already has a strong presence in India. <br> <br>

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