Liberty Media profit up at Starz, QVC

(Adds executive comments, byline)

By Michele Gershberg

NEW YORK, May 8 (Reuters) - Liberty Media, controlled by cable industry veteran John Malone, reported a rise in profit on Tuesday for its two key units on subscriber growth at movie network Starz and higher sales at shopping channel QVC.

The company did not provide earnings per share figures, but posted separate operating results for its two tracking stocks

-- Liberty Interactive Group (LINTA.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), home to QVC, and -- Liberty Interactive Group (LINTA.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), home to QVC, and Liberty Capital Group (LCAPA.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), which includes Starz.

Liberty Interactive shares fell nearly 7 percent due to disappointing results for QVC's overseas markets.

"Liberty Interactive posted surprisingly weak results for QVC as poor international results combined with modest U.S. performance," Merrill Lynch analyst Jessica Reif Cohen wrote in a note to clients.

In the first quarter, QVC revenue rose 8 percent to $1.68 billion, while operating cash flow gained 5 percent to $374 million. Operating income increased to $243 million from $212 million a year ago.