Comcast’s Q3 net income more than doubles, rising to $2.11B [Comcast Roundup]

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• Comcast Profit Surges After NBC Comeback, Asset Sales [BusinessWeek] “Comcast Corp. (CMCSA), the largest U.S. cable company and the majority owner of NBC, said third-quarter profit more than doubled, boosted by advertising revenue, the sale of assets and fewer subscriber losses.”

• David Cohen may be Comcast’s secret weapon, but in D.C. he’s a wonk rock star [Washington Post] “In Cohen’s decade at the firm, Comcast has ballooned in size through a series of mergers that he has steered through government approvals. Today, with $58 billion in annual revenue, Philadelphia-based Comcast is the nation’s biggest provider of broadband Internet and cable television and the owner of network television programs, a movie studio and broadcast stations across the country. Any company doing business in media or technology crosses paths with Comcast and usually comes with hat in hand, eager to reach the cable giant’s 22 million customers.”
• Reports: English Premier League TV rights likely headed to Comcast-owned NBC Universal [Philly.com] “According to the SBJ’s John Ourand, NBC’s bid is for approximately $83 million per year. That is more than three times the $23 million per year currently paid by Fox, which airs games on Fox Soccer Channel and sometimes on its broadcast network. Fox also sublicenses some games to ESPN.”
• Sandy: Cable Operators Preparing For Lines Down [Wall Street Journal] “Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable Inc. and Cox Communications Inc., the three largest cable operators, say no storm-based disruptions had been reported as of late morning Monday, but they warn that it is still early into the expected crisis.”
• Comcast’s biggest challenge [ZDNet] “I think the fact is that people are watching more video today than they ever have. The challenge for a company that is in the television business is that much of that viewing is in places that is neither measured nor monetized…” – Comcast CEO Brian Roberts
• Cable’s Social Contract on America and Other Cable Scandals: But Who’s Counting? [Huffington Post] “If America is paying all this money, shouldn’t we have some rights as de facto investors? Shouldn’t we get to choose who offers us Internet or broadband or cable programming services over the wires we’ve helped to upgrade? And if there’s no serious competition, shouldn’t the cable companies’ prices for cable services be regulated again?”