COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES |
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| Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES
The Company leases office space, certain equipment and many of its concert venues. Some of the lease agreements contain renewal options and annual rental escalation clauses (generally tied to the consumer price index), as well as provisions for the payment of utilities and maintenance by the Company. The Company also has non-cancelable contracts related to minimum performance payments with various artists, other event-related costs and nonrecoupable ticketing contract advances. In addition, the Company has commitments relating to additions to property, plant, and equipment under certain construction commitments for facilities and venues.
As of December 31, 2016, the Company’s future minimum rental commitments under non-cancelable operating lease agreements, minimum payments under non-cancelable contracts and capital expenditure commitments consist of the following:
Commitment amounts for non-cancelable operating leases and non-cancelable contracts which stipulate an increase in the commitment amount based on an inflationary index have been estimated using an inflation factor of 1.9% for North America, 3.0% for the United Kingdom, 1.8% for Denmark and 1.7% for the Netherlands.
Aggregate minimum rentals of $57.4 million to be paid to the Company in years 2017 through 2023 under non-cancelable subleases are excluded from the commitment amounts in the above table.
Total rent expense charged to operations for 2016, 2015 and 2014 was $196.0 million, $159.5 million and $155.7 million, respectively. In addition to the minimum rental commitments included in the table above, the Company has leases that contain contingent payment requirements for which payments vary depending on revenue, tickets sold or other variables. Contingent rent expense charged to operations for 2016, 2015 and 2014 was $49.0 million, $43.7 million and $28.9 million, respectively. The above table above does not include contingent rent or rent expense for events in third-party venues.
In connection with asset and business disposals, the Company generally provides indemnifications to the buyers including claims resulting from employment matters, commercial claims and governmental actions that may be taken against the assets or businesses sold. Settlement of these claims is subject to various statutory limitations that are dependent upon the nature of the claim.
Certain agreements relating to acquisitions provide for deferred purchase consideration payments at future dates. A liability is established at the time of the acquisition for these fixed payments. For obligations payable at a date greater than twelve months from the acquisition date, the Company applies a discount rate to calculate the present value of the obligations. As of December 31, 2016, the Company has accrued $18.1 million in other current liabilities and $7.2 million in other long-term liabilities and, as of December 31, 2015, the Company had accrued $12.4 million in other current liabilities and $26.8 million in other long-term liabilities, related to these deferred purchase consideration payments.
The Company has contingent obligations related to acquisitions which are accounted for as business combinations. Contingent consideration associated with business combinations is recorded at fair value at the time of the acquisition and reflected at current fair value for each subsequent reporting period thereafter until settled. The Company records these fair value changes in its statements of operations as selling, general and administrative expenses. The contingent consideration is generally subject to payout following the achievement of future performance targets and a portion is expected to be payable in the next twelve months. As of December 31, 2016, the Company has accrued $5.2 million in other current liabilities and $39.0 million in other long-term liabilities and, as of December 31, 2015, the Company had accrued $2.3 million in other current liabilities and $17.6 million in other long-term liabilities, representing the fair value of these estimated payments. The last contingency period for which the Company has an outstanding contingent payment is for the period ending January 2022. See Note 5—Fair Value Measurements for further discussion related to the valuation of these contingent payments.
During 2006, in connection with the Company’s acquisition of a theatrical business, the Company guaranteed obligations related to a lease agreement. In the event of default, the Company could be liable for obligations through the end of 2035 which have future lease payments (undiscounted) of approximately $16.9 million as of December 31, 2016. The scheduled future minimum rentals for this lease for the years 2017 through 2021 are $1.6 million each year. The venues under the lease agreement were included in the sale of the Company’s North American theatrical business in 2008. The buyer has assumed the Company’s obligations under the guaranty, however the Company remains contingently liable to the lessor. The Company believes that the likelihood of a material liability being triggered under this lease is remote, and no liability has been accrued for these contingent lease obligations as of December 31, 2016.
As of December 31, 2016 and 2015, the Company guaranteed the debt of third parties of approximately $18.0 million and $13.4 million, respectively, primarily related to maximum credit limits on employee and tour-related credit cards and obligations under a venue management agreement.
Litigation
Ticketing Fees Consumer Class Action Litigation
On March 18, 2016, all appeals relating to a settlement agreement reached by the plaintiffs and Ticketmaster in respect of a ticketing fees consumer class action litigation matter originally filed in October 2003 against Ticketmaster were dismissed, thus resolving this matter and allowing the implementation of the terms of the settlement. On March 30, 2016, the Company funded a portion of the settlement primarily related to the plaintiffs’ attorney fees and paid other costs related to the settlement throughout 2016. Ticketmaster and its parent, Live Nation, have not acknowledged any violations of law or liability in connection with the matter.
As of December 31, 2016, the Company has accrued $14.0 million, its best estimate of the probable remaining costs associated with the settlement referred to above, which was recorded in prior years. The calculation of this liability is based in part upon an estimated redemption rate. Any difference between the Company’s estimated redemption rate and the actual redemption rate it experiences will impact the final settlement amount; however, the Company does not expect this difference to be material.
Other Litigation
From time to time, the Company is involved in other legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of its business, including proceedings and claims based upon purported violations of antitrust laws, intellectual property rights and tortious interference, which could cause the Company to incur significant expenses. The Company has also been the subject of personal injury and wrongful death claims relating to accidents at its venues in connection with its operations. As required, the Company has accrued its estimate of the probable settlement or other losses for the resolution of any outstanding claims. These estimates have been developed in consultation with counsel and are based upon an analysis of potential results, including, in some cases, estimated redemption rates for the settlement offered, assuming a combination of litigation and settlement strategies. It is possible, however, that future results of operations for any particular period could be materially affected by changes in the Company’s assumptions or the effectiveness of its strategies related to these proceedings.
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