Here is a summary of recent earnings reports for selected entertainment companies:
Oct. 24: Netflix Inc. reveals it suffered the biggest customer losses in its history. The company ended September with 23.8 million U.S. subscribers, down about 800,000 from June. Management expects to gain U.S. subscribers in the current quarter, although Netflix didn't set a specific target. Netflix had triggered a backlash by raising prices as much as 60 percent in the U.S. and bungling an attempt to spin off its DVD-by-mail rental service.
Oct. 25: DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. says its net income fell by half in the third quarter as its early summer release, "Kung Fu Panda 2," did not haul in as much at the box office as last year's "Shrek Forever After."
Oct. 27: Coinstar Inc. says its third-quarter earnings nearly doubled as its Redbox kiosks for renting DVDs attracted movie lovers irked by recent price increases at Netflix's video subscription service. Redbox also announces it is raising its prices for renting a standard DVD by 20 percent beginning this coming Monday. The new price will be $1.20 per day, instead of the current $1 daily rate.
Nov. 1: Sirius XM Radio Inc. says its quarterly earnings jumped 54 percent. The company's subscriber base grew 7 percent to end the quarter at 21.3 million, as automakers boosted production of new vehicles that included the radios and free trial subscriptions.
Nov. 2: Time Warner Inc. says its third-quarter earnings grew sharply, with help from Harry Potter and some hit network shows. July's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" has made $1.3 billion in ticket sales worldwide so far. The home video release on Nov. 11 will likely be one of the biggest of the year. Time Warner also produces popular shows such as "Big Bang Theory," "Mike & Molly" and "Two and a Half Men," along with the new series "2 Broke Girls" and "Person of Interest."
Results at Comcast Corp.'s NBC Universal, which owns TV channels and movie studios, were mixed. Revenue from cable TV networks grew 12 percent to $2.1 billion, and revenue from broadcast grew 3 percent to $1.5 billion despite ratings pressure at the NBC network and lower political advertising at local stations. But the movie division saw revenue decrease 8 percent to $1.1 billion. Revenue from the home release of "Bridesmaids" and the international release of "Fast Five" wasn't enough to offset reduced box office performance compared with last year.
News Corp. saw net income for the latest quarter drop 5 percent from a year ago because of the cost of closing a scandal-wracked tabloid and dropping its takeover bid for British Sky Broadcasting. Revenue grew 7 percent to $7.96 billion, helped by higher fees for pay TV channels like Fox News and the successful movie "Rise of the Planet of the Apes."
Nov. 3: Broadcasting company CBS Corp. says net income rose 7 percent, helped by new online streaming deals for its content as advertising revenue held steady.
Wednesday: Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. reports a smaller net loss, helped by a gain on the sale of its Maple Pictures business. The studio's revenue declined in a quarter in which it released the disappointing "Conan the Barbarian" and on a tough comparison with last year's quarter, which featured the hit action movie "The Expendables."
Thursday: Viacom Inc. turned the success of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" into a pile of money in its latest quarter, as earnings tripled and revenue grew 22 percent. The Paramount Pictures studio was the star of the quarter, with revenue up 46 percent. Viacom's TV networks saw revenue rise 8 percent, driven by increases in advertising and fees paid by cable and satellite-TV companies.
The Walt Disney Co. says net income in the latest quarter rose 30 percent, thanks to higher spending by theme park visitors and growth at pay TV operations ESPN and Disney Channel. Disney's movie studio profits grew, helped by the theatrical re-release of "The Lion King" in 3-D. The growth occurred despite lower revenue in home entertainment. Consumer products sales and profits grew and the company trimmed losses at its interactive unit.