Comcast beat Wall Street’s expectations for third-quarter earnings — despite headwinds in its theme parks business — thanks to continued strength in its media unit.
The company’s Peacock streaming service reported a quarterly profit for the second time since its launch in 2020, posting $261 million in adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization on $1.8 billion in revenue.
Peacock maintained 48 million paid subscribers, flat from last quarter and up 17% year over year. Comcast said the streamer demonstrated strong retention despite raising subscription prices in August.
The platform continued to reap the benefits of record-high viewership for the FIFA World Cup, as the final games played out at the beginning of the quarter and aired on NBCUniversal’s Telemundo and on Peacock.
Revenue in Comcast’s media division, which includes the streaming service, rose 13% compared with the third quarter last year to $5.4 billion. The overall content and experiences unit, which also includes its film studio and theme parks, saw revenue rise 6.5%.
Comcast’s connectivity and platforms sector, however, continued to face pressure, with revenue down 2.7% year over year.
The company reported a net loss in domestic broadband residential customers of 144,000 and a net loss in its cable customers of 274,000 during the period. Its mobile business added 368,000 customers.
After years of stagnating growth in broadband and heightened competition from wireless providers like Verizon and T-Mobile, Comcast announced in January 2025 that it would refocus on its mobile business and pursue more competitive pricing plans.
“We feel mobile remains a tremendous growth opportunity for us. It’s a capital light model, [which] leverages our existing customer broadband base,” Steve Croney, CEO of Comcast’s connectivity and platforms division, said on an earnings call on Thursday.
Shares of Comcast closed up over 3% on Thursday.
Here’s how Comcast performed for the period ended Sept. 30 compared with what analysts expected, according to LSEG:
- Earnings per share: $1.07 adjusted vs. 98 cents expected
- Revenue: $29.3 billion vs. $29.28 billion expected
In June, Comcast announced plans to spin off NBCUniversal and European media business Sky from its core cable, wireless and business services units. The split, which Comcast said would take about a year, will create two separate publicly traded companies.
Comcast co-CEO Mike Cavanagh said on the earnings call that the company is “on track” to complete the transaction by mid-2027.
“While there is still significant work ahead, we have a clear path to completion and remain focused on creating two companies with the strategic flexibility, financial strength, and leadership to compete and grow independently,” Cavanagh said. “We have tremendous confidence in the future of both companies.”
The split comes after Comcast spun off most of its cable networks, along with an array of digital businesses, into Versant. That separation was completed in January.
For the third quarter, Comcast’s revenue was 6% lower than the year-ago period. However, adjusting for the impact of the Versant spin, revenue was essentially flat year over year, Comcast said.
Net income for the period was $3.45 billion, or 97 cents per share, compared with $3.33 billion, or 90 cents per share, in the third quarter of 2025. Adjusting for one-time items, including investments and the value of certain intangible assets, Comcast reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.07.
The company’s theme park revenue fell 4.4% during the period to $2.6 billion, which the company attributed to “cyclical headwinds” and lower revenue from admissions, dented by promotional activity. Adjusted EBITDA for the division sank 17%.
The weakness in theme parks comes despite continued investment in the sector with the opening of a new coaster at Universal Studios Hollywood this quarter and Universal’s largest theme park property, Epic Universe, last year.
Theme park rival Disney reported record quarterly revenue in its park division in August.
Cavanagh said on the earnings call that in addition to macroeconomic factors, Universal’s theme parks struggled due to superior marketing from competitors and technological challenges at Epic Universe. Cavanagh cited new hires, including that of Luc Bondar to the role of chief brand and commercial officer for Universal Destinations and Experiences, as steps the company was taking to address these challenges.
“Looking ahead, we expect performance to strengthen as we move through 2027, with a return to growth in the second half of the year,” Cavanagh said. “We remain confident in the underlying strength of the business.”
Comcast’s studios division reported revenue of $2.97 billion, down 1.1% from the third quarter last year. Adjusted EBITDA for the segment, however, increased 18.6% to $402 million, thanks to lower operating expenses.
The July theatrical release of “The Odyssey,” which became Universal’s highest-grossing film of all time, boosted the division. Meanwhile, content licensing revenue was down 23.7% from the comparable quarter, leading to the decrease in studio revenue, according to Comcast.
Disclosure: Versant Media Group is the parent company of CNBC.
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