TWC LOSES SUBSCRIBERS BUT INCREASES PROFITS

Time Warner Cable lost some 217,000 video subscribers during its fourth quarter — bringing its total number for the year to 825,000 — but its profits for the quarter rose 5.3 percent to $540 million by offsetting the subscriber loss with higher fees for those who remained. Average monthly bills were up 2.2 percent to $106.03. The company also added more Internet users — some 56,000 in the quarter. During a conference call, Time Warner Cable CEO Rob Marcus insisted that TWC is determined to win back its departed subscribers — and add new ones — by improving its interface, speeding up its Internet service, and improving its customer service. It forecast a gain of one million new subscribers over the next three years. Marcus also said that the company is “thinking about” selling digital downloads of movies and TV shows through its systems, and he hit out at takeover efforts by Charter Communications, repeating that its offer of $132.50 undervalues the company.