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Recent Accounting Pronouncements | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2017
Recent Accounting Pronouncements [Line Items] |
Recent Accounting Pronouncements | Recent Accounting Pronouncements Revenue Recognition In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) updated the accounting guidance related to revenue recognition. The updated accounting guidance provides a single, contract-based revenue recognition model to help improve financial reporting by providing clearer guidance on when an entity should recognize revenue and by reducing the number of standards to which an entity has to refer. The updated accounting guidance is effective for us as of January 1, 2018. We have reviewed a majority of our revenue arrangements and expect our review to be completed in the second quarter of 2017. As a result of our review, we do not expect any material impact on our financial position or results of operations. However, we do expect that the new standard will impact the timing of recognition for (1) our Cable Communications segment’s installation revenue and commission expenses, which upon adoption will be recognized as revenue and costs over a period of time instead of immediately, and (2) our Cable Networks, Broadcast Television and Filmed Entertainment segments’ content licensing revenue associated with renewals or extensions of existing program licensing agreements, which upon adoption will be recognized as revenue when the licensed content becomes available under the renewal or extension instead of when the agreement is renewed or extended. The updated guidance also requires additional disclosures regarding our revenue transactions. The updated guidance provides companies with alternative methods of adoption and we are in the process of determining our method of adoption, which depends in part upon our completion of the evaluation of our remaining revenue arrangements. Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities In January 2016, the FASB updated the accounting guidance related to the recognition and measurement of financial assets and financial liabilities. The updated accounting guidance, among other things, requires that all nonconsolidated equity investments, except those accounted for under the equity method, be measured at fair value and that the changes in fair value be recognized in net income. The updated guidance is effective for us as of January 1, 2018. The updated accounting guidance requires a cumulative effect adjustment to beginning retained earnings in the year the guidance is adopted with certain exceptions. If we had adopted the provisions of the updated guidance as of January 1, 2017 for our equity investments classified as available-for-sale securities, net income attributable to Comcast Corporation would have increased by $104 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. We are currently in the process of determining the impact that the updated accounting guidance will have on our cost method investments. Leases In February 2016, the FASB updated the accounting guidance related to leases. The updated accounting guidance requires lessees to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with the exception of short-term leases. The asset and liability are initially measured based on the present value of committed lease payments. For a lessee, the recognition, measurement and presentation of expenses and cash flows arising from a lease do not significantly change from previous guidance. For a lessor, the accounting applied is also largely unchanged from previous guidance. The updated guidance is effective for us as of January 1, 2019 and early adoption is permitted. The updated accounting guidance must be adopted using a modified retrospective approach for leases that exist or are entered into after the beginning of the earliest comparative period in the financial statements. We are currently in the process of determining the impact that the updated accounting guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements. Share-Based Compensation In March 2016, the FASB updated the accounting guidance that affects several aspects of the accounting for share-based compensation. The most significant change for us relates to the presentation of the income and withholding tax consequences of share-based compensation in our consolidated financial statements. Among the changes, the updated guidance requires that the excess income tax benefits or deficiencies that arise when the tax consequences of share-based compensation differ from amounts previously recognized in the statement of income be recognized as income tax benefit or expense in the statement of income rather than as additional paid-in capital in the balance sheet. The guidance also states that excess income tax benefits should not be presented separately from other income taxes in the statement of cash flows and, thus, should be classified as an operating activity rather than a financing activity as they were under the prior guidance. In addition, the updated guidance requires that, when an employer withholds shares upon exercise of options or the vesting of restricted stock for the purpose of meeting withholding tax requirements, the cash paid for withholding taxes be classified as a financing activity and we include these amounts in the caption “repurchases of common stock under repurchase program and employee plans” in our consolidated statement of cash flows. We previously recorded these amounts as operating activities. We adopted the updated guidance as of January 1, 2017 and as required, we prospectively adopted the provisions that relate to the recognition of the excess income tax benefits or deficiencies in the statement of income. The excess tax benefits resulted in a decrease to income tax expense of $139 million and an increase to diluted earnings per common share attributable to Comcast Corporation shareholders of $0.03 for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The prior year period in our consolidated statement of income was not adjusted as a result of these provisions. In addition, we retrospectively adopted the provisions of this guidance related to changes to the statement of cash flows for all periods presented. This resulted in increases to net cash provided by operating activities and decreases to net cash provided by (used in) financing activities of $385 million and $289 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
NBCUniversal Media LLC [Member] |
Recent Accounting Pronouncements [Line Items] |
Recent Accounting Pronouncements | Recent Accounting Pronouncements Revenue Recognition In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) updated the accounting guidance related to revenue recognition. The updated accounting guidance provides a single, contract-based revenue recognition model to help improve financial reporting by providing clearer guidance on when an entity should recognize revenue and by reducing the number of standards to which an entity has to refer. The updated accounting guidance is effective for us as of January 1, 2018. We have reviewed a majority of our revenue arrangements and expect our review to be completed in the second quarter of 2017. As a result of our review, we do not expect any material impact on our financial position or results of operations. However, we do expect that the new standard will impact the timing of recognition for our Cable Networks, Broadcast Television and Filmed Entertainment segments’ content licensing revenue associated with renewals or extensions of existing program licensing agreements, which upon adoption will be recognized as revenue when the licensed content becomes available under the renewal or extension instead of when the agreement is renewed or extended. The updated guidance also requires additional disclosures regarding our revenue transactions. The updated guidance provides companies with alternative methods of adoption and we are in the process of determining our method of adoption, which depends in part upon our completion of the evaluation of our remaining revenue arrangements. Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities In January 2016, the FASB updated the accounting guidance related to the recognition and measurement of financial assets and financial liabilities. The updated accounting guidance, among other things, requires that all nonconsolidated equity investments, except those accounted for under the equity method, be measured at fair value and that the changes in fair value be recognized in net income, such as changes in the fair value of our investment in Snap Inc. (see Note 6). The updated guidance is effective for us as of January 1, 2018. The updated accounting guidance requires a cumulative effect adjustment to beginning retained earnings in the year the guidance is adopted with certain exceptions. We are currently in the process of determining the impact that the updated accounting guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements. Leases In February 2016, the FASB updated the accounting guidance related to leases. The updated accounting guidance requires lessees to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with the exception of short-term leases. The asset and liability are initially measured based on the present value of committed lease payments. For a lessee, the recognition, measurement and presentation of expenses and cash flows arising from a lease do not significantly change from previous guidance. For a lessor, the accounting applied is also largely unchanged from previous guidance. The updated guidance is effective for us as of January 1, 2019 and early adoption is permitted. The updated accounting guidance must be adopted using a modified retrospective approach for leases that exist or are entered into after the beginning of the earliest comparative period in the financial statements. We are currently in the process of determining the impact that the updated accounting guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements.

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- Definition The entire disclosure of changes in accounting principles, including adoption of new accounting pronouncements, that describes the new methods, amount and effects on financial statement line items. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Glossary Change in Accounting Principle -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6507316 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Glossary Direct Effects of a Change in Accounting Principle -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66092750 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 250 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=64853466&loc=d3e22583-107794 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Glossary Indirect Effects of a Change in Accounting Principle -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6515603 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 250 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=64853466&loc=d3e22580-107794 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 270 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.10-01.(b)(6)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27015980&loc=d3e46468-122699 Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Glossary Accounting Change -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6503790 Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 250 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=64853466&loc=d3e22499-107794 Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Glossary Retrospective Application -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6523989 Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 270 -SubTopic 10 -Section 45 -Paragraph 13 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=68064558&loc=d3e765-108305 Reference 11: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 270 -SubTopic 10 -Section 45 -Paragraph 12 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=68064558&loc=d3e725-108305 + Details
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