Maybe the recession is good for cable companies… Discovery (NSDQ: DISAB) Communications (NSDQ: DISCA) saw its Q1 profits quadruple to $119 million ($0.28 cents per share) from up from last year’s $34 million ($0.12 cents per share). Profits would have gone even higher had it not been for a $32 million tax expense. Revenues were up a slight 1 percent to $817 million. Thomson Reuters (NSDQ: TRIN) analysts had expected earnings of $0.24 cents per share on revenue of $799 million, Dow Jones Newswires reported. The cable programmer, which runs Discovery Channel, TLC and Animal Planet, said U.S. networks profit rose 7 percent on a 5 percent revenue increase, driven by distribution and a 2 percent gain in ad-revenue.

Earnings release | Webcast (8"30 AM EDT)