Business Briefing: CBS Posts 6% Gain in Profit, Benefiting From Showtime

CBS reported Thursday that its first-quarter earnings rose 6 percent as higher licensing fees from the company’s Showtime network helped it overcome an advertising downturn caused by less sports programming.



Dow Jones Acting Chief Is Given Job Permanently

William Lewis, a longtime News Corporation insider, had been the Dow Jones division’s acting chief since Les Fenwick resigned in January.

Cable Fees and Football Help Profits Climb at Fox

The Super Bowl, new digital streaming TV deals and higher fees for its cable networks resulted in a stronger-than-expected gain in quarterly profit at 21st Century Fox.



AOL Profit Slides 64%, Sending Its Shares Down 20%

Citing restructuring and other charges, AOL said its first-quarter profit dropped to $9.3 million, or 11 cents a share, from $25.9 million a year earlier.



‘Frozen’ Helps Lift Profit for an Energized Disney

The movie and its hit soundtrack contributed to a 27 percent increase in net income for the company’s second fiscal quarter.



Television Revenue Helps Profit at Viacom to Rise 4%

As the media company reported a 4 percent rise in quarterly earnings, it also announced it would buy the British television group Channel 5 Broadcasting.



Time Warner’s Profit Rises On Strength in Film Unit

The growth from movie and cable businesses helped fuel a 9 percent increase in revenue to $7.5 billion, from $6.9 billion during the same period a year ago.



Business Briefing: Dreamworks Animation Posts Loss as ‘Mr. Peabody’ Falters

DreamWorks Animation SKG posted a first-quarter loss on Tuesday after taking a large charge on the box-office weakness of “Mr. Peabody & Sherman.”

Common Sense: Amazon’s Shrinking Profit Sets Off a Seismic Shock to Its Shares

For a second quarter in a row, the Internet retailer’s stock fell sharply after its earnings report, suggesting that investors may be growing wary.



The Times Co. Reports a 2.6% Rise in Revenue

Despite the sales gains, The New York Times Company said first-quarter profit was down because of costs related to new digital subscription products.



Comcast Reports Strong Earnings as Cable TV Subscribers Hold Steady

The cable operator’s quarterly report could bolster its fight to acquire Time Warner Cable.



Business Briefing: Newspaper Industry Takes It on the Chin, Again

Newspaper industry revenue in the United States fell last year, as increases in circulation revenue were not high enough to make up for shrinking demand for print advertising, an industry trade group said on Friday.



Despite Loss, SFX Draws Corporations As Sponsors

SFX, whose portfolio includes festivals around the world, reported that last year it had $170 million in revenue and a net loss of $119 million.

    

Barnes & Noble Nook Unit Continues to Sputter

Despite slow sales and a shrinking market share for its e-reader, the bookstore chain says it will release a new color tablet this year.

    



Live Nation Cut Its Losses Last Year

The concert promoter had $6.5 billion in revenue in 2013, compared with $5.8 billion the year before. It had a net loss of $36 million, improving from its $162 million loss in 2012.

    

Business Briefing: CBS Beats Expectations Despite Flat Ad Revenue

Advertising revenue was flat, but content licensing grew thanks to the sale of shows such as “Hawaii Five-O” for domestic reruns.

    



Profit Tumbles at Fox, but Cable Makes Gains

A loss of roughly $1 billion in income from discontinued operations in the year-earlier period accounted for much of the decline.

    



Times Co. Reports Slower Decline in Ads

The New York Times Company said its fourth-quarter drop in print and digital ad revenue was smaller than declines earlier in 2013.

    



AOL Reports Solid Revenue, but Patch Weighs on Profit

The media company said it benefited by selling video advertising on the web globally, with 23 percent growth in that revenue.

    



Disney Reports Strong First-Quarter Earnings, Helped by Animated Film ‘Frozen’

The animated musical, expected to generate nearly $1 billion in ticket sales, increased quarterly earnings to $1.84 billion, up from $1.38 billion a year ago.