BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND OTHER INFORMATION |
3 Months Ended |
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Mar. 31, 2019 | |
| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |
| BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND OTHER INFORMATION |
BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND OTHER INFORMATION
Preparation of Interim Financial Statements
The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP for interim financial information and the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X issued by the SEC. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, they include all normal and recurring accruals and adjustments necessary to present fairly the results of the interim periods shown.
The financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 28, 2019.
Seasonality
Due to the seasonal nature of shows at outdoor amphitheaters and festivals, which primarily occur from May through October, the Concerts and Sponsorship & Advertising segments experience higher revenue during the second and third quarters. The Ticketing segment’s revenue is impacted by fluctuations in the availability of events for sale to the public, which vary depending upon scheduling by its clients. Our seasonality also results in higher balances in cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, prepaid expenses, accrued expenses and deferred revenue at different times in the year. Therefore, the results to date are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for the full year.
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash
Included in the March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 cash and cash equivalents balance is $847.6 million and $859.1 million, respectively, of cash received that includes the face value of tickets sold on behalf of ticketing clients and their share of service charges, which amounts are to be remitted to these clients.
Restricted cash primarily consists of cash held in escrow accounts to fund capital improvements of certain leased or operated venues. The cash is held in these accounts pursuant to the related lease or operating agreement.
Acquisitions
During the first three months of 2019, we completed several acquisitions that were accounted for as business combinations under the acquisition method of accounting. These acquisitions were not significant either on an individual basis or in the aggregate.
Income Taxes
Each reporting period, we evaluate the realizability of all of our deferred tax assets in each tax jurisdiction. As of March 31, 2019, we continued to maintain a full valuation allowance against our net deferred tax assets in certain jurisdictions due to cumulative pre-tax losses. As a result of the valuation allowances, no tax benefits have been recognized for losses incurred, if any, in those tax jurisdictions for the first three months of 2019 and 2018.
Accounting Pronouncements - Recently 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 asset, and to disclose key information about leasing arrangements. The guidance should be applied on a modified retrospective basis.
We adopted this standard on January 1, 2019, applying the transitional provisions of the standard to the beginning of the period of adoption and elected the package of practical expedients available under the transition guidance within the new guidance, which among other things, allowed us to carry forward the historical lease classification. We also made an accounting policy election to keep leases with an initial term of twelve months or less off the balance sheet, recognizing those lease payments in our statements of operations on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. We have implemented third-party lease software, and corresponding internal controls, to account for our leases and facilitate compliance with the new guidance.
The new guidance had a material impact on our balance sheets, but did not have a material impact on our statements of operations. The new guidance did not have an impact on our compliance with the debt covenant requirements under our senior secured credit facility and other debt arrangements. Upon adoption, we recognized operating leases assets and liabilities of $1.1 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively. The initial operating lease assets and liabilities were based on the present value of the remaining minimum lease payments, discounted using our secured incremental borrowing rate which varies based on geographical region and term of the underlying lease. The operating lease assets were also reduced $85.3 million for prepaid rent, straight-line rent accruals and lease incentives.
Accounting Pronouncements - Not Yet Adopted
Other Pronouncements
In August 2018, the FASB issued guidance that aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. The amortization period of these implementation costs would include periods covered under renewal options that are reasonably certain to be exercised. The expense related to the capitalized implementation costs also would be presented in the same financial statement line item as the hosting fees. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim periods within that year, and early adoption is permitted. The guidance should be applied either retrospectively or prospectively to all implementation costs incurred after the date of adoption. We expect to adopt this guidance on January 1, 2020, and are currently assessing which implementation method we will apply and the impact that adoption will have on our financial position and results of operations.
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