Comcast’s Internet Profits Exceed Cable Earnings; Scouts New Media Companies To Boost Appeal Among Young Generations

By Staff Reporter | Jul 25, 2015 06:00 AM EDT

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Comcast, the world's largest broadcasting and cable company by revenue, confirmed that it has now more Internet service subscribers compared to its cable customers. In addition, the cable giant is also scouting for new media companies in an effort to boost its appeal among younger consumers.

U.S.-based multinational mass media company, Comcast, has been increasing its profit on Internet despite a slowdown in subscriber growth. Now, they are exploring and considering the landscape from strategic investments to acquisitions. According to Business Insider, the NBCUniversal subsidiary is currently in initial deliberations with several companies making online video and TV programming.

Among the new media companies that Comcast is scouting are Vice, online publishers Buzzfeed and Business Insider. They are also in talks to increase its existing 14 percent stake in Vox Media, Wall Street Journal reported.

Since many cable subscribers have increasingly shunned the TV for online content, Comcast's Internet consumers have surpassed cable for the very first time. The movies and theme parks in its NBCUniversal entertainment unit have also strengthened results in the quarter. As per The Ledger, Comcast's dominance of the high-speed Internet market underscored broadband as the future of the industry.

Comcast's profit increase came amid a slowdown in subscriber growth. And just this month, the company unveiled its own Internet video service, Stream, which will include broadcast channels and HBO for $15 per month. However, Stream has limitations and is only available for Comcast Internet subscribers.  

Meanwhile, Comcast's Internet revenue has increased 10 percent to $3.1 billion in the second quarter due to its new costumers and subscribers upgrading to higher speeds. Its video profits also rose 3.7 percent to $5.43 billion even when subscribers declined due to add-ons.

It's really hard to imagine a time when video streaming wasn't a major part of people's lives, where the best way to find videos online was through YouTube. But now, online streaming services are a main source of entertainment for millions of people, Tech Times noted.

While Comcast typically sees a drop in cable subscribers during the slower summer months, the 2015 decline hasn't been quite as sharp as it was in previous years. But based on the company's earnings report, one thing is clear — Internet is on the rise and cable is apparently on its way out.

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