Wireless customer additions along with the success of the Blue Jays helped Rogers Communications Inc. top operating income forecasts, the company said in its second quarter earnings report Thursday.

Rogers posted 2 per cent revenue growth as it attracted more subscribers across wireless and Internet businesses and continued to show improvements to customer service with a third straight quarter of reduced wireless postpaid churn.

And the Toronto-based company maintained 2016 financial guidance for 1 to 3 per cent revenue and adjusted income growth even though it said a boost from the Pokemon Go mobile gaming phenomenon is probably not in the cards.

“I wouldn’t be redrawing my models,” chief executive Guy Laurence said in response to an analyst’s earnings call question on the augmented reality game’s potential contribution to wireless results.

Officially launched in Canada on Sunday, the massively popular mobile offering lets players track virtual creatures using cameras and GPS, with Laurence noting that the format driving wireless data usage gains can be summed up in three words: “Video, video and video.”

Rogers in its report for the quarter ending June 30 said revenue rose to $3.46 billion — an increase of $52 million that came mainly from its wireless and media divisions.

Rogers Media revenue rose by $33 million to $615 million as higher contributions from the Blue Jays Major League Baseball team and the Sportsnet specialty TV channels offset weakness from hockey, as well as lower advertising revenue from conventional television, publishing and radio.

Laurence said the Jays drew a record average per game audience of 825,000 for the first half of the season.

The wireless division remained the biggest source of revenue for Rogers, rising 1 per cent or $28 million to $1.931 billion from $1.903 billion, followed by cable, which was $870 million — up $1 million from last year.

Rogers said wireless postpaid churn improved five basis points while Internet revenue growth came in at 15 per cent with net additions of 12,000, an improvement of 8,000 year on year.

Wireless margins at 47.3 per cent missed market forecasts, reflecting a stronger push for subscribers and investment in customer retention, said Barclays Canada’s Phillip Huang.

Cable results were largely in line with expectations despite an intensifying price war in Toronto and management reiterated its target to launch Internet Protocol television — or IPTV — and cover four million households with gigabit service by year end from about two million currently.

Rogers’ net income rose 9 per cent to $394 million, from $363 million last year. Adjusted earnings rose 4 per cent to $427 million from $412 million.

The profit amounted to 76 cents per share before adjustments and 83 cents per share after adjustments, compared with 70 cents and 80 cents respectively in the second quarter of 2015.

Analysts had estimated adjusted earnings of 81 cents per share and revenue of $3.47 billion, according to Thomson Reuters.

The company generated cash flow from operating activities and free cash flow of $1.121 billion and $495 million, respectively on an increase in adjusted operating profit and lower cash tax payments, partially offset by higher additions to property, plant and equipment.

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Rogers’s class B shares were 3.93 per cent higher midday at $55.51.

With a file The Canadian Press

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