Theme parks: Comcast's under-the-radar growth driver

NEW YORK (AP) - One of Comcast's fastest-growing businesses is theme parks - not selling cable or internet subscriptions, or making movies and TV shows, or selling TV ads.

Since 2011, when Comcast first took over NBCUniversal, its parks have been one of its biggest revenue drivers, even though they were barely on Comcast's radar in the acquisition.

But the Florida Universal park had opened a Harry Potter attraction in 2010, and it was a smashing success. Since then Comcast has spent billions of dollars refurbishing and expanding its park empire.

Parks revenue has grown roughly 150 percent from 2011 to 2016, and it contributed more profit than the film unit and broadcast TV - NBC and Telemundo - last year. In the first quarter, parks revenue grew 9 percent to $1.12 billion.