Cablevision Systems’ quarterly earnings widely missed Wall Street estimates, as the company dealt with a weak economy, high programming costs and competition from phone companies that offer television services. The company posted a profit of $39.3 million, down from $68.4 million a year earlier, though its revenue increased 8 percent, to $1.67 billion. Cablevision, which mainly serves the New York area and owns a newspaper and television networks in addition to its cable business, said it lost 19,000 video subscribers in the third quarter. The earnings raised questions among analysts about the company’s growth prospects, as it faces mounting costs and a shrinking user base. The company’s shares closed down 12.5 percent, to $15.14.
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