Fox's revenue rises as cable business grows

(Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox, the television and film company that split from News Corp last June, reported higher revenue for the quarter through December 31, driven by growth at its cable networks and at its European satellite business.

Fox, in a statement on Thursday, said it recorded $8.16 billion of total revenue in the quarter, a 15 percent increase from the same period a year earlier. Analysts were expecting revenue of $7.89 billion.

Net income was $1.2 billion, or 53 cents per share, down from $2.38 billion a year ago, or $1.01 per share.

Excluding items such as BSkyB's share buyback program, earnings per share was 33 cents.

(Reporting by Liana B. Baker; Editing by Bernadette Baum)