For the first time in quite a while, NBC Universal (GE) has some positive news going forward. For the first time in a year, the General Electric entertainment division experienced an increase of profits for a quarter.
The overall revenue for its latest quarter was 1% over last year, reaching $4.2 billion. Profits themselves grew by 5%, reaching $841 million for the quarter.
This year's first quarter will be a little skewed because of NBC's coverage of last year's Winter Olympics. The results are predicted that revenue will drop by about 20% as a result. Still with the increased profits, they are projected to remain flat 
or grow by 5% over the same period last year. If that is achieved it would be considered positive for the network.
Even with the good news, there is still concern for it's film unit as its performance was weaker the expected for the quarter. Yet, profits actually grew because of tightening up with their marketing costs which suffered last year with the huge push connected to "King Kong."
In reference to the NBC network, GE chief financial officer Keith Sherin said "we're making real progress" in primetime, where ratings are up 16%. "We love 'Heroes,' " He added that they're happy with the progress of the cable networks division as well, where operating profits grew by 10%. He especially cited Bravo and the USA Network for having the best years they've ever had in 2006.
Another strong showing GE received from NBC Universal was in their news and information departments, both "Nightly News" and "Today" were No. 1, and the ratings for CNBC business increased by 65% in the fourth quarter.
For the entire year, NBC Universal finished with a gain in revenue to $16.2 billion, but profits withered by 6% ending at $2.9 billion
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