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Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
1) BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Description of Business-CBS Corporation (together with its consolidated subsidiaries unless the context otherwise requires, the “Company” or “CBS Corp.”) is comprised of the following segments: Entertainment (CBS Television, comprised of the CBS Television Network, CBS Television Studios and CBS Global Distribution Group; CBS Interactive and CBS Films), Cable Networks (Showtime Networks, CBS Sports Network and Smithsonian Networks), Publishing (Simon & Schuster) and Local Broadcasting (CBS Television Stations and CBS Radio).

Discontinued Operations-On July 16, 2014, the Company completed the disposition of CBS Outdoor Americas Inc. (“Outdoor Americas”), which was previously a subsidiary of the Company and has been renamed OUTFRONT Media Inc. Outdoor Americas has been presented as a discontinued operation in the Company’s consolidated financial statements (See Note 3).

Basis of Presentation-The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared pursuant to the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the more detailed financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014.

In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited financial statements reflect all adjustments, consisting of normal and recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair statement of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows of the Company for the periods presented. Certain previously reported amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation.

Use of Estimates-The preparation of the Company’s financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amount of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

Net Earnings per Common Share-Basic net earnings per share (“EPS”) is based upon net earnings divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted EPS reflects the effect of the assumed exercise of stock options and vesting of restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and market-based performance share units (“PSUs”) only in the periods in which such effect would have been dilutive. Excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive, were 7 million stock options and RSUs for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 4 million stock options for the nine months ended September 30, 2015. For both the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive, were 2 million stock options.

The table below presents a reconciliation of weighted average shares used in the calculation of basic and diluted EPS.
 
Three Months Ended
 
Nine Months Ended
 
September 30,
 
September 30,
(in millions)
2015
 
2014
 
2015
 
2014
Weighted average shares for basic EPS
480

 
532

 
489

 
562

Dilutive effect of shares issuable under stock-based
compensation plans
4

 
9

 
6

 
12

Weighted average shares for diluted EPS
484

 
541

 
495

 
574


Other Liabilities-Other liabilities consist primarily of the noncurrent portion of residual liabilities of previously disposed businesses, participants’ share and royalties payable, program rights obligations, deferred compensation and other employee benefit accruals.

Additional Paid-In Capital-For the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, the Company recorded dividends of $222 million and $218 million, respectively, as a reduction to additional paid-in capital as the Company had an accumulated deficit balance.

Adoption of New Accounting Standards
Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity
During the first quarter of 2015, the Company adopted amended Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) guidance which changes the requirements for reporting discontinued operations and requires additional disclosures about discontinued operations and disposals of components of an entity that do not qualify for discontinued operations reporting. Under this guidance, only a disposal of a component of an entity or a group of components of an entity that represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on the company’s operations and financial results should be reported in discontinued operations. The guidance also expands the definition of a discontinued operation to include a business or nonprofit activity that, on acquisition, meets the criteria to be classified as held for sale and disposals of equity method investments that meet the definition of discontinued operations. The adoption of this guidance did not have an effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Recent Pronouncements

Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement Period Adjustments
In September 2015, the FASB issued amended guidance which eliminates the requirement to retrospectively account for adjustments to provisional amounts recognized in a business combination when new information is obtained during the measurement period about facts and circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date. Under the amended guidance the acquirer will be required to recognize such adjustments in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are identified. The acquirer will also be required to record the effect on earnings from any changes in depreciation, amortization, or other income effects resulting from the change to provisional amounts, as if the change occurred at the acquisition date. The amendments also require disclosure or separate presentation on the face of the income statement of the amount recorded in current-period earnings by line item that would have been recorded in previous reporting periods if the adjustment to the provisional amounts had been recognized as of the acquisition date. This guidance, which is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted, is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs
In April 2015, the FASB issued amended guidance which requires debt issuance costs to be presented on the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of the related debt, consistent with debt discounts. In August 2015, the FASB issued a clarification of the amended guidance indicating that issuance costs related to a line of credit may be presented as an asset. The recognition and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs are not affected by this amended guidance. This guidance, which is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted, is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Simplifying Income Statement Presentation by Eliminating the Concept of Extraordinary Items
In January 2015, the FASB issued amended guidance which eliminates the concept of extraordinary items. This guidance removes the requirement to assess whether an event or transaction is both unusual in nature and infrequent in occurrence and to separately present any such items on the statement of operations after income from continuing operations. Rather, such items will either be presented as a separate component of income from continuing operations or disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. This guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted provided that the guidance is applied from the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. Additionally, the Company is permitted to amend prior periods presented in the financial statements once the guidance is adopted.

Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern
In August 2014, the FASB issued guidance which requires management to evaluate, for each interim and annual reporting period, whether there are conditions or events that raise substantial doubt about an entitys ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date the financial statements are issued. If management identifies conditions or events that raise substantial doubt, disclosures are required in the financial statements, including any plans that will alleviate the substantial doubt about the entitys ability to continue as a going concern. This guidance, which is effective for the first annual period ending after December 15, 2016, is not expected to have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Accounting for Share-Based Payments When the Terms of an Award Provide That a Performance Target Could Be Achieved after the Requisite Service Period
In June 2014, the FASB issued guidance on the accounting for stock-based compensation when the terms of an award provide that a performance target that affects vesting could be achieved after the requisite service period. Under this guidance, such performance target should not be reflected in estimating the grant-date fair value of the award. The Company should begin recognizing compensation cost in the period in which it becomes probable that the performance target will be achieved, for the cumulative amount of compensation cost attributable to the
period(s) for which the requisite service has already been rendered. This guidance, which is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015, is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Revenue from Contracts with Customers
In May 2014, the FASB issued guidance on the recognition of revenues which provides a single, comprehensive revenue recognition model for all contracts with customers and supersedes most existing revenue recognition guidance. The main principle under this guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue at the amount it expects to be entitled to in exchange for the transfer of goods or services to customers. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance, which is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016.