In recent quarters, the Philadelphia-based company and its peers have been facing sluggishness in their traditional cable business due to a weak housing market and an increase in cancellation of video service by many viewers. As a result, the cable companies are paying more attention to developing their broadband and commercial service businesses, which offer greater profits.

 

In the fourth quarter, the largest US cable operator has been able to slow down its video subscriber losses to 17,000, marking an 87 percent improvement from a year earlier. In the fourth quarter, the company added 336,000 high speed internet customers, which is 15 percent more than it added in the previous year. It also added 146,000 telephone subscribers, down 43 percent when compared to the same quarter last year. Comcast announced a profit of $1.29 billion for the fourth-quarter, compared to $1.02 billion a year earlier. Comcast’s Class A shares closed Tuesday at $27.25, having risen 23 percent over the past three months.