2017.05.1021:10:00UTC+00Fox’s Profits Weighed Down by Weak Ad Sales

Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox posted a profit drop in the most recent quarter, weighed down by the weak cable advertising and lack of box office hits during the period.

While ad revenue jumped at the Fox broadcast network due to the ratings of the much-awaited Super Bowl and an additional playoff, cable advertising sales fell as they have for other entertainment firms who have reported quarterly results in the last two weeks.

But during a call with investors, CEO James Murdoch project cable ad sales will advance at a high single-digit rate this quarter. Despite the loss of its most known host, Bill O'Reilly, Fox News has managed to keep its high ratings and the firm's faith in the business remains solid.

Revenue from cable programming increased 2.1 percent to $4.02 billion, slowed down by the flat local advertising and a decline in international ad sales. The revenue from Fox's biggest business also did not reach estimates of $4.13 billion on average. Total revenue, helped by the Super Bowl advertising, climbed 4.6 percent to $7.56 billion in the quarter ended March 31, but was shy of the projected $7.64 by analysts.

The result announcement caused the stock to fall 1.4 percent to $27.50 in late hours trading. It shed 1.2 percent to close at $27.90 in New York.