Comcast subscribers almost stop cancelling cable

NEW YORK - It's become the routine in the cable industry that subscribers stream out the door every quarter, hanging up on cable in favor of service from satellite or phone companies. But in the October to December quarter, Comcast (CMSCA) nearly managed to stop that flow.

The country's largest cable company said it lost 17,000 TV customers in the fourth quarter, its best result in five years. That compares with a loss of 135,000 subscribers in the same quarter a year earlier.

Comcast Corp. credits added TV channels and better customer service for the trend break.

The Philadelphia-based company reported net income of $1.29 billion, or 47 cents per share, for the quarter. That's up 26 percent from a year ago.

Revenue was $15.04 billion, up 55 percent due to the NBC Universal acquisition.