US-INDUSTRY Summary

Disney's profit rises on parks, 'Oz' movie

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Media giant Walt Disney Co reported a 32 percent increase in profit that beat Wall Street expectations, boosted by higher spending and attendance at U.S. theme parks, and the movie box office success of "Oz the Great and Powerful." Revenue for the company that operates cable networks, theme parks and a movie studio increased 10 percent to $10.6 billion. At the parks division, revenue gained 14 percent and operating income climbed 73 percent as resorts in Florida and California attracted more visitors and guests spent more.

In Silicon Valley, snarky blogs make a comeback

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Silicon Valley is taking itself a tad too seriously, and a few of its shriller residents have taken note. Recent weeks have seen the birth of a few new blogs poking fun at America's crucible of technology, among them whitemenwearinggoogleglass.tumblr.com, a relaunched version of the classic Valleywag.com, and, perhaps most discussed, jesuschristsiliconvalley.tumblr.com

Demand Media revenue and profit beat estimates

(Reuters) - Demand Media reported on Tuesday better-than-expected first quarter revenue and profit on growth at its media websites like eHow, Livestrong and Cracked. Demand Media makes its money in two ways. In its media business, freelance writers, photographers and videographers provide articles and videos designed to appear at the top of Internet search that in turn generate advertising. The other is a registrar business that maintains top level generic web domain names like ".actor" and ".social."

DirecTV beats estimates on Latam growth, shares jump

(Reuters) - Satellite TV provider DirecTV easily beat profit estimates for the first quarter on Tuesday, as better-than-expected growth in Latin America helped offset the negative effects of a currency devaluation in Venezuela, sending shares to a decade high. The largest U.S. satellite television company, with more than 20 million customers, managed to boost subscribers even as cable companies have been losing video customers. Earnings were stronger than even the most optimistic Wall Street estimates.

'Iron Man 3' kicks off US, Canada run with $15.6 million ticket sales

(Reuters) - International hit "Iron Man 3" flew into U.S. and Canadian theaters, kicking off Hollywood's summer blockbuster season with $15.6 million in ticket sales late Thursday and early Friday. The superhero sequel from Walt Disney Co's Marvel studio is expected to finish the weekend with one of the biggest debuts in film history. Box office analysts predict the movie will bring in $150 million or more from Friday through Sunday, likely ranking in the top five all-time openings.

Aereo seeks to block CBS from suing in additional markets

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Aereo Inc, the online television venture backed by Barry Diller, asked a federal court on Monday to block CBS Corp from suing it in new markets where it plans to expand. The startup company brought the complaint in Manhattan federal court, seeking a ruling that it does not violate CBS's copyright.

Washington Post profit plunges 85 percent on weak news, education revenues

(Reuters) - Washington Post Co reported an 85 percent drop in first-quarter net income on Friday on weakness in its education and newspaper businesses. Stronger results from the television and cable operations, however, helped the company squeeze out a 0.4 percent rise in total revenue to $959.1 million.

Nielsen to sell expositions business to Canadian PE firm for $950 million

(Reuters) - Nielsen Holdings NV, best known in the United States for its TV ratings business, said it would sell its expositions business to Canadian private equity firm Onex Corp for $950 million, freeing up cash for its planned push into the radio measurement business. Nielsen Holdings provides a host of data services, including measuring traffic to websites and the shopping habits of consumers.

Hungary watchdog fines Bloomberg for erroneous central bank report

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary's financial market regulator has fined Bloomberg 10 million forints ($44,000) for publishing an erroneous headline ahead of the central bank's interest rate decision last week, market watchdog PSZAF said on Thursday. PSZAF, in a statement, said Bloomberg had violated a ban on market manipulation.

RCS MediaGroup will close magazines if no buyer found: source

MILAN (Reuters) - Italian debt-laden publisher RCS MediaGroup will close its magazines if no buyer is found by the end of June, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters on Monday. RCS, which plans to launch an up to 500 million euros cash call in July to continue running as a business, has also put up for sale its stable of 10 magazines as part of a relaunch plan.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-industry-summary-202757070.html

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