Television Broadcast Rights

6 Months Ended

Jul. 31, 2021

Television Broadcast Rights [Abstract]

Television Broadcast Rights

(5)    Television Broadcast Rights

Television broadcast rights in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets consisted of the following:

	July 31, 2021		January 30, 2021
Television broadcast rights	$	99,302,000	$	43,655,000
Less accumulated amortization		(28,096,000)		(16,902,000)
Television broadcast rights, net	$	71,206,000	$	26,753,000

During the first six months of fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2020, the Company entered into certain affiliation agreements with television service providers for carriage of its television programming over their systems, including channel placement rights, which ensure the Company keeps its channel position on the service provider’s channel line-up during the term. The Company recorded television broadcast rights of $55.7 million and $30.6 million during the first six months of fiscal year 2021 and 2020, which represents the present value of payments for the television broadcast rights associated with the channel position placement. Television broadcast rights are amortized on a straight-line basis over the lives of the individual agreements. The remaining weighted average lives of the television broadcast rights was 4.0 years as of July 31, 2021. Amortization expense related to the television broadcast rights was $6.1 million and $11.2 million for the three and six-month periods ended July 31, 2021 and $5.1 million for the three and six-month periods ended August 1, 2020 and is included in depreciation and amortization within the condensed consolidated statements of operations. Estimated broadcast rights amortization expense is $26.2 million for fiscal 2021, $18.2 million for fiscal 2022, $11.1 million for fiscal 2023, $11.1 million for fiscal 2024, $11.1 million for fiscal 2025 and $4.6 million thereafter. The liability relating to the television broadcast rights was $79.2 million as of July 31, 2021, of which $29.4 million was classified as current in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets. Interest expense related to the television broadcast rights obligation was $594,000 and $1,097,000 during the three and six-month periods ended July 31, 2021 and $397,000 and $403,000 during the three- and six-month periods ended August 1, 2020.

In addition to the Company securing broadcast rights for channel position, the Company’s affiliation agreements generally provide that it will pay each operator a monthly service fee, most often based on the number of homes receiving the Company’s programming, and in some cases marketing support payments. Monthly service fees are expensed as distribution and selling expense within the condensed consolidated statement of operations.