Charter gets a lift from rising sales

Charter Communications Inc., the cable television company controlled by Paul Allen, reported a narrower first-quarter loss as sales got a boost from telephone and high-speed Internet services.

The net loss of $358 million, or 97 cents a share, compared with a loss of $381 million, or $1.04, a year earlier. Sales rose 9.8% to $1.56 billion, topping the $1.55 billion average of analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Shares of St. Louis-based Charter fell 2 cents to $1.17.