Comcast 3Q earnings up 5 percent

Comcast says its profit rose 5 percent in the third quarter as revenue at the nation's biggest cable television company climbed 51 percent.The profit increase at Comcast contrasts with sagging earnings reported recently by its smaller rivals Time Warner Cable Inc. and Cablevision Systems Corp.

The Philadelphia-based company reported net income of $908 million, or 33 cents per share, for the July-September period. That's up from $867 million, or 31 cents per share, a year ago.Analysts polled by FactSet were expecting 39 cents per share, but Comcast Corp. said it had an unusual loss from its investment income, which made a comparison difficult.

Results at its NBC Universal business, which owns TV channels and movie studios, were mixed, as box office performance lagged behind last year's.Revenue rose to $14.3 billion, which is above analysts' expectation of $14.25 billion.