Comcast Sees Theme Parks as Major Growth Driver

New York Times: Comcast is pouring billions into Universal Orlando and a sister property in California, opening major attractions and resort hotels at breakneck speed — and visitors are flooding the gates as a result. Attendance increased 10.4 percent last year, with Universal parks generating 40.2 million turnstile clicks. For the first half of this year, NBCUniversal’s theme park unit had operating cash flow of $617 million, a 49 percent increase from the same period a year ago. “That’s just a huge, huge number for a business this size,” said NBCU chief Stephen Burke. “We see this as a major growth driver for the company for five, 10, 15, 20 years.”