Ad revenue growth boosts News Corp

News Corporation's profits in the final three months of 2010 beat analysts' forecasts with better-than-expected advertising revenue growth at its cable TV channels, which include Fox, and lower costs.

Pre-tax profits reached $642 million (397m) during the company's second quarter, compared with $254m in the same period 12 months earlier.

Revenues for the group - which also owns the Times and Sun newspapers and is controlled by Rupert Murdoch - edged up less than one percentage point to $8.76 billion from $8.68bn.