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News Corp Profits Up In Q2

News Corp Profits Up In Q2

News Corp has announced second quarter pre-tax profits of $1.39 billion (£705 million), up 9.2% year on year.

The Murdoch media empire grew in all but two of its eight operating divisions, filmed entertainment and television.

Group revenues grew 9.5% year-on-year to $8.59 billion, with cable network programming revenues up by a third to $1.24 billion.

The company’s UK newspaper division reported a decrease in operating income partly due to accelerated depreciation on its printing presses.

The “Other” division, which includes MySpace and other online assets, reported an increase in operating income from $1 million to $23 million on revenues up from $518 million to $798 million.

Commenting on the results, chairman and chief executive officer Rupert Murdoch said: “We are obviously proud of the results we delivered during the second quarter, the highest operating income quarter in our history, but most important is the balanced nature of our earnings momentum with double-digit growth at nearly every operating segment.

“Domestically, the strength of our broadcast network and cable assets has enabled us to capitalise on the current advertising market, while at the same time we continue to ramp up affiliate revenues across our cable channels. And our internet platform is now delivering real profits from locked in search revenues as well as from advertising revenue growth as a result of our hyper-targeting initiatives.

“Our unrelenting focus on exploring new opportunities as consumer choice evolves and developing market leadership positions regardless of borders has enabled us to deliver consistently strong financial results irrespective of individual market conditions.”

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