Cable Operators Continue To Lead Industry In Profitability: Report

Cable operators collectively will end 2014 with cash flow (EBITDA) margins of 41.3%, up from 40.7% last year -- not including Comcast, which is categorized as a conglomerate. It’s the best performance cable has generated in the last five years.

To be fair, cable operators spend a lot on capital improvements that this financial measure overlooks. Still, the strong performance -- driven in part by growing sales of broadband services — is way ahead of most in the pack of 10 media and entertainment sectors that EY tracked, which together should average 28%.