Comcast reports mixed fourth quarter
By Josh White
Date: Thursday 29 Jan 2026
(Sharecast News) - Comcast reported a mixed set of fourth-quarter results on Thursday, beating expectations on earnings but narrowly missing forecasts on revenue, as competitive pressures continued to weigh on its core US broadband business.
Shares edged higher in premarket trading following the release, as investors focused on resilient cash generation and strong growth in wireless.
The US cable and media giant posted adjusted earnings of 84 cents per share for the three months ended 31 December, ahead of the 75 cents expected by analysts, while revenue rose 1.2% year on year to $32.3bn, slightly below consensus estimates of $32.35bn.
Net income attributable to Comcast fell 54.6% to $2.17bn, reflecting tougher comparisons and the absence of prior-year tax benefits, while adjusted EBITDA declined 10% to $7.9bn.
The quarter again highlighted mounting pressure in broadband, with Comcast losing 181,000 domestic broadband customers as competition from 5G wireless providers such as Verizon and T-Mobile intensified.
Connectivity and platforms revenue, which includes Xfinity broadband, pay TV and mobile, slipped 1% to $20.24bn, with domestic broadband revenue down 1% to about $6.32bn, partly offset by higher average pricing.
Pay TV customer losses also continued, with 245,000 subscribers leaving the service, taking the total to 11.27 million.
Wireless remained a bright spot, with Comcast adding 364,000 mobile lines during the quarter and ending the year with more than 9.3 million customers.
Management said 2025 was the company's strongest year ever in wireless, delivering 1.5 million net line additions, as the group increasingly pivoted toward a converged connectivity strategy.
In media, revenue rose 5.5% to $7.62bn, supported by higher advertising and streaming growth at NBCUniversal.
Domestic advertising revenue increased 1.5%, helped by the addition of NBA coverage, while Peacock added three million paid subscribers to reach 44 million.
Peacock revenue climbed to $1.6bn, though losses widened to $552m as the cost of NBA rights weighed on profitability.
The quarter marked the final period in which NBCUniversal's results included its full portfolio of cable networks, following the spin-out of most pay-TV channels into Versant.
Elsewhere, Universal film studio revenue fell 7.4% to $3.03bn due to weaker theatrical and licensing performance, while theme parks delivered standout growth, with revenue jumping 22% to roughly $2.9bn, driven by the opening of Epic Universe.
Alongside the results, Comcast also highlighted new product initiatives, including the launch of RealTime4K, a low-latency 4K streaming service aimed at live sports coverage such as the Super Bowl.
The service was designed to reduce streaming delays to seconds, leveraging Comcast's network investments to improve picture quality and reliability for premium sports viewers.
Commenting on the year, co-CEOs Brian Roberts and Mike Cavanagh said 2025 represented "meaningful progress" in repositioning the business for sustainable long-term growth, pointing to strong wireless momentum as clear evidence of the strategy gaining traction.
At 0724 ET (1224 GMT), shares in Comcast Corporation were up 0.32% in premarket trading in New York at $28.50.
Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
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