Comcast posts impressive earnings, boosted by Rio Olympics

US broadcasting group Comcast reported strong growth on the back of the Rio Olympic Games, as it outperformed analysts´ expectations in its third quarter results released on Wednesday.

Over the quarter, the company's revenue at NBCUniversal grew 28% to $9.2bn, as audience figures rocketed for the summer sporting event.

Total sales recorded were at $21.32bn, a 14% increase from the same quarter last year and exceeded the $21.16bn average estimate from Wall Street analysts.

Comcast became the largest US cable operator, as well as the primary high-speed internet provider, after its acquisition of NBCUniversal in 2011, a deal which bears similarities to the current merger between AT&T and Time Warner.

The Philadelphia-based firm saw quarterly profit rise to $2.2bn, or 92 cents per share, compared with $2bn, or a 80 cents per share in 2015.

It added 32,000 cable customers during the quarter, which is the highest number of Q3 additions in the last decade.

The company has faced a challenging environment with the emergence of on-demand streaming services such as Netflix, but Comcast has tactically made agreements with such providers to screen its programmes.