By Michael Calia
Cablevision Systems Corp. posted another decrease in subscribers
during its most recent quarter, although its revenue grew on higher
revenue per customer and growth in advertising.
The results were in line with analysts' expectations.
Cablevision on Wednesday said its total customers--businesses or
households that subscribe to at least one service--fell by 2.2%
year over year to 3.1 million as of Dec. 31. Video and high-speed
data customer numbers both declined for the year.
Analysts watching the industry have said Cablevision's prospects
could be looking up if the deal between Comcast Corp. and Time
Warner Cable--which is in the midst of a regulatory review--were to
fall through. If authorities reject that deal, Cablevision could
eventually be an acquisition target, a Wunderlich Securities
analyst said Tuesday.
For the quarter ended Dec. 31, Cablevision posted earnings of
$56 million, or 20 cents a share, up from $51.8 million, or 19
cents a share, a year earlier.
Revenue rose 3% to $1.63 billion.
Analysts had projected 19 cents a share in profit and $1.63
billion in revenue, according to Thomson Reuters.
Cable advertising revenue rose 9% from the year-ago period. Net
revenue from cable rose 3.1% to $1.45 billion.
Average monthly cable revenue per customer increased 5.3%.
Write to Michael Calia at michael.calia@wsj.com
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