NBC - PEACOCK STRUTS

NBC may have continued to rank dead last among the four major networks last year, but all in all, it was a good year for NBC Universal, which saw a 10-percent rise in earnings in the fourth quarter, marking the fifth straight quarter of solid profits. In particular, the company credited growth at its cable nets, including USA, Sci Fi, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, and Oxygen and record profits for its Universal Pictures unit. Taking note of the fact that News Corp launched its Fox Business Channel in the fourth quarter, NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker told Daily Variety: "There was so much attention to a new competitor coming in, but the fact is CNBC had its highest ratings ever in the fourth quarter." The company said its earnings for 2007 rose to $3.5 billion on $15.4 billion in gross revenue, up 6 percent from 2006.

21/01/2008