News Corp profit down as movies offset cable
News Corp reported a lower quarterly profit on Wednesday as weaker box office and DVD sales offset a strong performance by its cable and television business.
Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate, which owns TV broadcaster Fox and publishes newspapers including the Wall Street Journal and the Times of London, reported net income of $683 million, or 26 cents a share, down from $875 million, or 33 cents a share, a year earlier.
Revenue rose 11 percent to $8.96 billion, helped by growing advertising sales and rising carriage fees at Fox TV and its cable networks.
News Corp has been dealing with scandal since fresh revelations of voice mail hacking by its News of the World tabloid broke last month. It closed the paper, and 12 ex-staffers have been arrested. The company also dropped its bid for full control of UK satellite TV company BSkyB.
The crisis at the New York-based company has raised questions about the 80-year-old Murdoch's future as chairman and chief executive as well as his succession plan. There is also new scrutiny of News Corp's board by corporate governance watchers.
(Reporting by Yinka Adegoke. Editing by Robert MacMillan)
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