RTL, a subsidiary of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann said on Thursday it had decided to pay an interim dividend because of its strong cash flows and confidence in meeting its full-year net debt to core profit ratio target.

It said it now expected slight growth of 1 to 2.5 percent in 2016 earnings before interest, tax and amortisation (EBITA), versus a previous forecast for broadly stable EBITA, and confirmed it expected moderate revenue growth of 2.5 to 5 percent.

RTL shares were 0.8 percent higher in early Frankfurt trading.

The Luxembourg-based group said advertising revenue fell in June because of UEFA 2016, which took audiences away from its entertainment and drama channels, except in France, where its M6 unit broadcast 11 live games including the final.

Second-quarter sales fell 2 percent to 1.45 billion euros, also due to lower revenue from production and distribution unit FremantleMedia, maker of programmes including Pop Idol, which RTL said was mainly due to phasing effects.

EBITA grew 3 percent in the quarter to 351 million euros, driven by M6 and RTL Germany. Both sales and EBITA missed analysts’ expectations, according to a Reuters poll.

“Excluding the month of June 2016 with the European football championship, our families of channels in the main markets of Germany, France, the Netherlands and Belgium scored higher or at least stable audience shares in ever more competitive environments,” RTL said in a statement.

(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Maria Sheahan)