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Operating Costs and Expenses (Notes)
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2018
Operating Costs and Expenses [Abstract]  
Operating Costs and Expenses
Operating Costs and Expenses

Operating costs and expenses, exclusive of items shown separately in the consolidated statements of operations, consist of the following for the periods presented:

 
Three Months Ended June 30,
 
Six Months Ended June 30,
 
2018
 
2017
 
2018
 
2017
Programming
$
2,803

 
$
2,649

 
$
5,555

 
$
5,253

Regulatory, connectivity and produced content
560

 
532

 
1,093

 
1,030

Costs to service customers
1,784

 
1,762

 
3,638

 
3,562

Marketing
769

 
760

 
1,520

 
1,525

Mobile
33

 

 
41

 

Other
924

 
872

 
1,862

 
1,784

 
$
6,873

 
$
6,575

 
$
13,709

 
$
13,154



Programming costs consist primarily of costs paid to programmers for basic, premium, digital, video on demand and pay-per-view programming. Regulatory, connectivity and produced content costs represent payments to franchise and regulatory authorities, costs directly related to providing video, Internet and voice services as well as payments for sports, local and news content produced by the Company. Included in regulatory, connectivity and produced content costs is content acquisition costs for the Los Angeles Lakers’ basketball games and Los Angeles Dodgers’ baseball games, which are recorded as games are exhibited over the applicable season. Costs to service customers include costs related to field operations, network operations and customer care for the Company’s residential and small and medium business customers, including internal and third-party labor for installations, service and repairs, maintenance, bad debt expense, billing and collection, occupancy and vehicle costs. Marketing costs represent the costs of marketing to current and potential commercial and residential customers including labor costs. Mobile costs represent incremental costs related to the Company's mobile service. Other includes corporate overhead, advertising sales expenses, indirect costs associated with the Company’s enterprise business customers and regional sports and news networks, property tax and insurance expense and stock compensation expense, among others.