Comcast's streaming service Peacock posted its first-ever quarterly profit, earning $189 million and adding 2 million subscribers to reach 48 million, in results announced as parent company Comcast reported its first earnings since revealing plans to split into two separate businesses. The FIFA World Cup, NBA Playoffs and Love Island USA helped drive Peacock's growth, while Comcast's Studios division also had a strong quarter, led by the surprise horror hit Obsession, which took over $400 million at the box office. The figures come as Comcast pushes ahead with a major corporate overhaul, spinning off NBCUniversal and Sky from its Connectivity & Platforms arm.

Comcast's Media and Studios revenues both rose 25%, to roughly $5.7 billion and $3 billion respectively, with Studios profit more than tripling to $202 million. Overall group revenue slipped 1.2% to $29.9 billion, still beating Wall Street forecasts, while net income fell 68% due to a one-off $9.4 billion gain from Disney's Hulu buyout in the prior-year quarter. The World Cup final between Spain and Argentina drew record Spanish-language audiences, and other hits including The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey bolstered the studio business, even as theme parks saw profit decline on higher costs. Following its NBCUniversal/Sky split announcement, Comcast's Sky unit also struck a £1.6 billion deal to acquire ITV's television network operations.