Top Gear sales boost ´óÏó´«Ã½ profits
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Top Gear is one of the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s most successful exports
´óÏó´«Ã½ Worldwide, the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s commercial arm, has reported total sales worth £1bn for the last financial year.
Sales were up 7% on the previous 12 months, the company said, with brands including Top Gear and Doctor Who performing particularly well.
Profits rose 36.5% to £145.2m, excluding exceptional items, the company added.
More than half of sales were generated overseas, where ´óÏó´«Ã½ Worldwide sells ´óÏó´«Ã½ content and runs a network of channels.
Its channels, which include ´óÏó´«Ã½ America, registered a 34.2% rise in profits.
Sales of programmes abroad, including Top Gear, Doctor Who, and Planet Earth, saw a 26.4% rise in profits.
Domestically, DVD sales continued to grow but magazine sales were steady, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Worldwide said.
Lonely Planet, the travel guide brand bought in 2007, also returned to profit.
"´óÏó´«Ã½ Worldwide continues to give consumers around the world more and more content from the ´óÏó´«Ã½ and other British production companies," said John Smith, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Worldwide's chief executive.