Feb 22 (Reuters) - Australian television network Nine Entertainment NEC.AX on Thursday reported a 55 percent rise in underlying profit in the first half of its fiscal year, helped by a boost in market share from improved ratings.
Net profit after tax, excluding one-off items, rose to A$116.2 million ($90.66 million) during the period, from A$75 million a year earlier. Analysts at Citigroup (NYSE:C) had forecast an interim profit of A$72 million.
The TV network posted an interim dividend of 5 Australian cents per share, compared to 4.5 Australian cents from a year earlier.
($1 = 1.2817 Australian dollars)