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ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSITIONS | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2024
Business Combination, Asset Acquisition, and Joint Venture Formation [Abstract] |
ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSITIONS | ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSITIONS Acquisitions WarnerMedia On April 8, 2022, the Company completed its Merger with the WarnerMedia Business of AT&T. The Merger was executed through a Reverse Morris Trust type transaction, under which WM was distributed to AT&T’s shareholders via a pro-rata distribution, and immediately thereafter, combined with Discovery. Discovery was deemed to be the accounting acquirer of WM. The Merger combined WM’s content library and valuable intellectual property with Discovery’s global footprint, collection of local-language content and deep regional expertise across more than 220 countries and territories. The Company expects this broad, worldwide portfolio of brands, coupled with its DTC potential and the attractiveness of the combined assets, to result in increased market penetration globally. The Merger is also expected to create significant cost synergies for the Company. Purchase Price The following table summarizes the components of the aggregate purchase consideration paid to acquire WM (in millions).
Fair value of WBD common stock issued to AT&T shareholders (1) |  | $ | 42,309 |
Estimated fair value of share-based compensation awards attributable to pre-combination services (2) |  | 94 |
Settlement of preexisting relationships (3) |  | (27) |
Purchase consideration |  | $ | 42,376 |
(1) The fair value of WBD common stock issued to AT&T shareholders represents approximately 1,732 million shares of WBD common stock multiplied by the closing share price for Discovery Series A common stock of $24.43 on Nasdaq on the Closing Date. The number of shares of WBD common stock issued in the Merger was determined based on the number of fully diluted shares of Discovery, Inc. common stock immediately prior to the closing of the Merger, multiplied by the quotient of 71%/29%. (2) This amount represents the value of AT&T restricted stock unit awards that were not vested and were replaced by WBD restricted stock unit awards with similar terms and conditions as the original AT&T awards. The conversion was based on the ratio of the volume-weighted average per share closing price of AT&T common stock on the ten trading days prior to the Closing Date and the volume-weighted average per share closing price of WBD common stock on the ten trading days following the Closing Date. The fair value of replacement equity-based awards attributable to pre-Merger service was recorded as part of the consideration transferred in the Merger. See Note 15 for additional information. (3) The amount represents the effective settlement of outstanding payables and receivables between the Company and WM. No gain or loss was recognized upon settlement as amounts were determined to be reflective of fair market value. Balances reflect rounding of dollar and share amounts to millions, which may result in differences for recalculated standalone amounts compared with the amounts presented above. In August 2022, the Company and AT&T finalized the post-closing working capital settlement process, which resulted in the Company receiving a $1.2 billion payment from AT&T in the third quarter of 2022. AT&T has raised certain claims associated with the Merger that the Company believes are without merit. In connection with the dispute, the Company established an immaterial accrual in the first quarter of 2024. Purchase Price Allocation The Company applied the acquisition method of accounting to WM, whereby the excess of the fair value of the purchase price paid over the fair value of identifiable net assets acquired and liabilities assumed was allocated to goodwill. Goodwill reflects the assembled workforce of WM as well as revenue enhancements, cost savings and operating synergies that are expected to result from the Merger. The goodwill recorded as part of the Merger was allocated to the Studios, Networks and DTC reportable segments in the amounts of $9,308 million, $7,074 million and $5,727 million, respectively, and is not deductible for tax purposes. During 2023, the Company finalized the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Measurement period adjustments were reflected in the period in which the adjustments occurred. Adjustments recorded in 2023 were $368 million, primarily related to taxes, and were recorded in other noncurrent assets, deferred income taxes, and other noncurrent liabilities, with an offset to goodwill. The allocation of the purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, measurement period adjustments, and a reconciliation to total consideration transferred is presented in the table below (in millions).
|  | Preliminary April 8, 2022 |  | Measurement Period Adjustments |  | Final April 8, 2022
Cash |  | $ | 2,419 |  |  | $ | (10) |  |  | $ | 2,409 |
Accounts receivable |  | 4,224 |  |  | (60) |  |  | 4,164 |
Other current assets |  | 4,619 |  |  | (133) |  |  | 4,486 |
Film and television content rights and games |  | 28,729 |  |  | (344) |  |  | 28,385 |
Property and equipment |  | 4,260 |  |  | 13 |  |  | 4,273 |
Goodwill |  | 21,513 |  |  | 596 |  |  | 22,109 |
Intangible assets |  | 44,889 |  |  | 100 |  |  | 44,989 |
Other noncurrent assets |  | 5,206 |  |  | 283 |  |  | 5,489 |
Current liabilities |  | (10,544) |  |  | 12 |  |  | (10,532) |
Debt assumed |  | (41,671) |  |  | (9) |  |  | (41,680) |
Deferred income taxes |  | (13,264) |  |  | 492 |  |  | (12,772) |
Other noncurrent liabilities |  | (8,004) |  |  | (940) |  |  | (8,944) |
Total consideration paid |  | $ | 42,376 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 42,376 |
The fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed were determined using several valuation approaches including, but not limited to, various cost approaches and income approaches, such as relief from royalty, multi-period excess earnings, and with-or-without methods. The table below presents a summary of intangible assets acquired, exclusive of content assets, and the weighted average useful life of these assets.
|  | Fair Value |  | Weighted Average Useful Life in Years |  |  |
Trade names |  | $ | 21,084 |  |  | 34 |  |  |
Affiliate, advertising and subscriber relationships |  | 14,800 |  |  | 6 |  |  |
Franchises |  | 7,900 |  |  | 35 |  |  |
Other intangible assets |  | 1,205 |  |  |  |  |  |
Total intangible assets acquired |  | $ | 44,989 |  |  |  |  |  |
The Company incurred acquisition-related costs of $162 million and $406 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. These costs were associated with legal and professional services and integration activities and were recognized as operating expenses on the consolidated statements of operations. Additionally, the expense related to the issuance of additional shares of common stock in connection with the conversion of Advance/Newhouse Programming’s Series A-1 Preferred Stock was $789 million and was recorded as a transaction expense in selling, general and administrative expense upon the closing of the Merger. (See Note 3.) As a result of the Merger, WM’s assets, liabilities, and operations were included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements from the Closing Date. The following table presents WM revenue and earnings as reported within the consolidated financial statements (in millions).
|  | Year Ended December 31, 2022
Revenues: |  |
Advertising |  | $ | 2,849 |
Distribution |  | 10,980 |
Content |  | 10,001 |
Other |  | 720 |
Total revenues |  | 24,550 |
Inter-segment eliminations |  | (2,225) |
Net revenues |  | $ | 22,325 |
Net loss available to Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. |  | $ | (7,202) |
Pro Forma Combined Financial Information The following unaudited pro forma combined financial information presents the combined results of the Company and WM as if the Merger had been completed on January 1, 2021. The unaudited pro forma combined financial information is presented for informational purposes and is not indicative of the results of operations that would have been achieved if the Merger had occurred on January 1, 2021, nor is it indicative of future results. The following table presents the Company’s pro forma combined revenues and net loss (in millions).
|  |  | Year Ended December 31, 2022
Revenues |  |  |  | $ | 43,095 |
Net loss available to Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. |  |  |  | (5,359) |
The unaudited pro forma combined financial information includes, where applicable, adjustments for (i) additional costs of revenues from the fair value step-up of film and television library, (ii) additional amortization expense related to acquired intangible assets, (iii) additional depreciation expense from the fair value of property and equipment, (iv) transaction costs and other one-time non-recurring costs, (v) additional interest expense for borrowings related to the Merger and amortization associated with fair value adjustments of debt assumed, (vi) changes to align accounting policies, (vii) elimination of intercompany activity, and (viii) associated tax-related impacts of adjustments. These pro forma adjustments are based on available information as of the date hereof and upon assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable to reflect the impact of the Merger with WM on the Company’s historical financial information on a supplemental pro forma basis. Adjustments do not include costs related to integration activities, cost savings or synergies that have been or may be achieved by the combined business. BluTV The Company previously held a 35% interest in BluTV, a SVOD platform entity and content distributor in Turkey that was accounted for as an equity method investment. In December 2023, the Company acquired the remaining 65% of BluTV for $50 million. Dispositions In May 2024, the Company sold its 50% interest in All3Media, an equity method investment, for proceeds of $324 million and recorded a gain of $203 million in other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of operations. In October 2024, the Company sold its minority interests in Formula E, which were recorded as an equity method investment and an investment without readily determinable fair value, to Liberty Global, a related party, for total proceeds of $217 million and recorded a gain of $61 million in other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of operations. During 2023, the Company sold or exited all of the AT&T SportsNets. In October 2022, the Company sold its 49% stake in Golden Maple Limited (known as Tencent Video VIP) for proceeds of $143 million and recorded a gain of $55 million, and in April 2022 completed the sale of its minority interest in Discovery Education for proceeds of $138 million and recorded a gain of $133 million. In September 2022, the Company sold 75% of its interest in The CW Network to Nexstar Media Inc. (“Nexstar”), in exchange for Nexstar agreeing to fund a majority of The CW Network’s expenses and the retention of the Company’s share of certain receivables that existed prior to the transaction. There was no cash consideration exchanged in the transaction. The Company recorded an immaterial gain and retained a 12.5% ownership interest in The CW Network, which is accounted for as an equity method investment.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for business combinations, including leverage buyout transactions (as applicable), and divestitures. This may include a description of a business combination or divestiture (or series of individually immaterial business combinations or divestitures) completed during the period, including background, timing, and assets and liabilities recognized and reclassified or sold. This element does not include fixed asset sales and plant closings. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Topic 805 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org/805/tableOfContent Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Topic 205 -SubTopic 20 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org/205-20/tableOfContent + Details
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