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“During the second quarter, we continued to improve churn rates, generate strong margins and successfully expand upon our sports media platform,” chief executive Guy Laurence said in a statement.

Dvai Ghose, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity, said the overall results were positive, noting that he was “encouraged” by the higher than expected average revenue per user levels in the wireless business.

Close to the end of the second quarter, Rogers announced a corporate shakeup aimed at simplifying the structure and positioning itself to better compete in a changing industry landscape. In connection with the so-called Rogers 3.0 plan, the company has eliminated several hundred mid-management positions and about 15% of vice-presidents and more senior managers. Rogers has about 28,000 employees.

Adjusted operating profit in cable was $423-million, compared with $431-million, a decline of 2% on pricing competition and lower revenue.

Adjusted operating profit in media was $475-million, up from $470-million last year despite continued pressure on ad revenue.

Shares in Rogers jumped 2.4% to $43.41 in afternoon trading as investors cheered the in-line financial results.

Still, the shares have fallen more than 15% over the past 14 months as the company struggles with lackluster revenue growth even as it faces rising pressure to make expensive network investments in new technology.

Many observers are betting that sales will start to climb again as consumers upgrade to more sophisticated wireless devices and download more data, benefiting the whole wireless sector.

But until that happens, carriers need to keep their balance sheets strong, and many including BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. are doing that by putting their office buildings up for sale and entering into lease-back arrangements with the buyers, typically specialist real estate companies.

Wireless players in the cut-throat U.S. market have gone a step further by selling their cell towers, a trend that has yet to take hold in this country.