Description Of Business And Basis Of Presentation (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Principles of Consolidation

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of AMC Networks and its majority owned or controlled subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Investments in business entities in which the Company lacks control but does have the ability to exercise significant influence over operating and financial policies are accounted for using the equity method of accounting.

Unaudited Interim Financial Statements

These condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") for interim financial information and Article 10 of Regulation S-X of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), and should be read in conjunction with the Company's consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2017 contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K ("2017 Form 10-K") filed with the SEC. The condensed consolidated financial statements presented in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are unaudited; however, in the opinion of management, such financial statements reflect all adjustments, consisting solely of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim periods presented.

The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that might be expected for future interim periods or for the full year ending December 31, 2018.

Program Rights, Policy

Program Rights

The Company periodically reviews the programming usefulness of its licensed and owned original program rights based on a series of factors, including expected future revenue generation from airings on the Company's networks and other exploitation opportunities, ratings, type and quality of program material, standards and practices, and fitness for exhibition through various forms of distribution. If it is determined that film or other program rights have limited, or no, future programming usefulness, a write-off of the unamortized cost is included in technical and operating expense. Program rights write-offs were $3.9 million and $1.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2018 and June 30, 2017, respectively. Program rights write-offs were $9.2 million and $1.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018 and June 30, 2017, respectively.

Use of Estimates, Policy

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent liabilities at the date of the financial statements; and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant estimates and judgments inherent in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements include derivative assets and liabilities, certain stock compensation awards, the useful lives and methodologies used to amortize and assess recoverability of program rights, the estimated useful lives of intangible assets, valuation and recoverability of goodwill and intangible assets and income tax assets and liabilities.

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy

Financial Assets and Liabilities

The Company adopted Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2016-01 Financial Instruments-Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities on January 1, 2018, which requires that investments in equity securities (excluding equity method investments) be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in earnings. Under prior accounting guidance, changes in fair value of available-for-sale equity securities were recorded in other comprehensive income. The adoption did not have a significant impact to these condensed consolidated financial statements.

Adoption of New Revenue Recognition Standard

The Company adopted ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) on January 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective method for all contracts not completed as of the date of adoption. The reported results as of and for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2018 reflect the application of the new standard, while the reported results for 2017 have not been adjusted to reflect the new standard and were prepared under prior revenue recognition accounting guidance.

The adoption of the new standard did not result in significant changes in the way the Company records distribution and advertising revenues. However, as a result of applying the new standard, there are certain components of the Company’s distribution revenues where the new standard generally results in earlier recognition of revenue compared to its historical policies due to: (i) the requirement to estimate and recognize variable consideration prior to such amounts becoming fixed and determinable, (ii) recognition of royalties in the period of usage, and (iii) recognition of certain arrangements with minimum guarantees on a time-based (straight-line) basis. See Note 2 for more information. As a result of adopting Topic 606, the Company recorded an increase to opening retained earnings of approximately $12.8 million, net of tax, as of January 1, 2018.

The following table provides changes to the opening balances of current assets, total assets, current liabilities and total liabilities resulting from the adoption of the new guidance.



(In thousands)	December 31, 2017		Impact of Adoption		January 1, 2018
Current assets	$	1,879,850	$	3,658	$	1,883,508
Total assets	5,032,985		19,899		5,052,884
Current liabilities	744,102		835		744,937
Total liabilities	4,650,436		7,115		4,657,551

The amount by which each financial statement line item has been affected in the current reporting period by the application of Topic 606 compared to historical policies is not material, therefore, comparative disclosures have been omitted.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). ASU 2016-02 requires lessees to record most of their leases on the balance sheet, which will be recognized as a right-of-use asset and a lease liability. The Company will be required to classify each separate lease component as an operating or finance lease at the lease commencement date. Initial measurement of the right-of-use asset and lease liability is the same for operating and finance leases, however expense recognition and amortization of the right-of-use asset differs. Operating leases will reflect lease expense on a straight-line basis similar to current operating leases. The straight-line expense will reflect the interest expense on the lease liability (effective interest method) and amortization of the right-of-use asset, which will be presented as a single line item in the operating expense section of the income statement. Finance leases will reflect a front-loaded expense pattern similar to the pattern for current capital leases. ASU 2016-02 is effective for the first quarter of 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently determining its implementation approach and assessing the impact the adoption will have on its consolidated financial statements.