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BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND OTHER INFORMATION Basis of Presentation and Other Information (Policies)

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BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND OTHER INFORMATION Basis of Presentation and Other Information (Policies)
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Accounting Pronouncements - Recently Adopted
Revenue Recognition
In May 2014, the FASB issued a comprehensive new revenue recognition standard that superseded nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance under GAAP. The new standard provides a five-step analysis of transactions to determine when and how revenue is recognized. The core principle of the guidance is that a company should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for those goods or services. The FASB also issued important guidance clarifying certain guidelines of the standard including (1) reframing the indicators in the principal versus agent guidance to focus on evidence that a company is acting as a principal rather than agent and (2) identifying performance obligations and licensing. The guidance should be applied retrospectively, either to each prior period presented in the financial statements, or only to the most current reporting period presented in the financial statements with a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the date of adoption. The Company adopted this standard on January 1, 2018, applying it retrospectively to each prior period presented in the financial statements. The Company elected to use the consideration at the date of contract completion rather than estimating variable consideration in the comparative reporting periods and also elected not to provide disclosure of the amount and expected timing of recognition for consideration allocated to the remaining performance obligations. Had the Company estimated variable consideration for the comparative periods, it believes it would have resulted in an insignificant shift of revenue recognition between quarters. The adoption of this guidance did not have an impact to operating income.
For the Ticketing segment, the Company no longer presents payments to certain third parties as an expense and now reflects these payments as a reduction of revenue. The remaining revenue streams of the Company were not impacted by the new guidance. The table below represents the impact of the adoption to the Company’s consolidated and Ticketing segment’s results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The impact to the consolidated results of operations includes the elimination of intercompany transactions between the Company’s Concerts and Ticketing segments.
 
As Reported
 
Adjustment
 
As Adjusted
 
(in thousands)
Consolidated
 
 
 
 
 
    Revenue
$
1,413,181

 
$
(170,302
)
 
$
1,242,879

    Direct operating expenses
$
925,500

 
$
(150,239
)
 
$
775,261

    Depreciation and amortization
$
100,595

 
$
(20,063
)
 
$
80,532

Ticketing Segment
 
 
 
 
 
    Revenue
$
493,710

 
$
(180,872
)
 
$
312,838

    Direct operating expenses
$
261,803

 
$
(160,070
)
 
$
101,733

    Depreciation and amortization
$
47,339

 
$
(20,802
)
 
$
26,537

See Note 8—Revenue Recognition for further discussion of the adoption of this guidance.
Other Pronouncements
In January 2016, the FASB issued amendments for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of financial instruments. Among other things, the guidance requires equity investments that do not result in consolidation, and which are not accounted for under the equity method, to be measured at fair value with any change in fair value recognized in net income unless the investments do not have readily determinable fair values. The amendments are to be applied through a cumulative-effect adjustment to the balance sheet as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption with the exception of equity investments without readily determinable fair values, which will be applied prospectively. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2018, and the adoption did not have a material impact on its financial position and results of operations.
In October 2016, the FASB issued guidance that requires companies to recognize the income tax effects of intercompany sales and transfers of assets, other than inventory, in the period in which the transfer occurs. That is a change from current guidance which requires companies to defer the income tax effects of intercompany transfers of assets until the asset has been sold to an outside party or otherwise recognized. The guidance should be applied on a modified retrospective basis. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2018, and the adoption did not impact its financial position or results of operations.
In November 2016, the FASB issued guidance that requires restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning and ending total amounts in the statement of cash flows. The guidance should be applied on a retrospective basis to each period presented. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2018, and the adoption did not have a material impact on its statements of cash flows.
In January 2017, the FASB issued guidance that changes the definition of a business to assist entities with evaluating when a set of transferred assets and activities is a business. The guidance requires an entity to evaluate if substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets; if so, the set of transferred assets and activities is not a business and should be accounted for as an asset acquisition rather than a business combination. The guidance also requires a business to include at least one substantive process and narrows the definition of outputs. The guidance should be applied prospectively to any transactions occurring within the period of adoption. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2018, and will apply it prospectively to acquisitions occurring on or after such date.
Accounting Pronouncements - Not Yet Adopted
Lease Accounting
In February 2016, the FASB issued guidance that requires lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheet as a lease liability and a right-of-use asset, and to disclose key information about leasing arrangements. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within that year, and early adoption is permitted. The guidance should be applied on a modified retrospective basis.
To assess the impact of the standard, the Company has dedicated certain of its personnel to lead the implementation effort. These personnel reviewed the amended guidance and subsequent clarifications and attended multiple training sessions in order to understand the potential impact the new standard could have on the Company’s financial position and results of operations. The Company has formed a cross-functional steering committee including members from its major divisions. The Company is in the process of implementing third-party lease accounting software to record, analyze and calculate the financial statement and disclosure impacts.
The Company will finalize its conclusions in 2018 and ensure that it can produce the data necessary for the required disclosures along with assessing changes to internal controls and processes that may be required to comply with the new lease accounting and disclosure requirements. The Company will adopt this standard on January 1, 2019 and is currently evaluating the impact that this guidance will have on its financial position and results of operations.