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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2025
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Revenue Recognition The Company primarily earns revenue from (i) the distribution of its programming services, through distributors and directly to consumers, (ii) advertising, and (iii) content licensing and other services. Revenue is recognized when, or as, performance obligations under the terms of a contract are satisfied, which generally occurs when, or as, control of the promised products or services is transferred to customers. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for transferring products or services to a customer. The Company’s revenue recognition policies associated with each major source of revenue from contracts with customers are described in Note 3. Technical and Operating Expenses Technical and operating expenses primarily consist of content expenses, such as amortization of program rights for original programming, feature films and licensed series, as well as participation and residual costs. The other components of technical and operating expenses primarily include distribution and production related costs and program operating costs including cost of delivery, such as origination, transmission, uplink and encryption. Advertising Expenses Advertising costs are charged to expense when incurred and are included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of income (loss). Advertising costs were $287.2 million, $273.8 million and $241.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Share-Based Compensation The Company measures the cost of employee services received in exchange for an award of equity-based instruments based on the grant date fair value of the award, net of actual forfeitures. The cost is recognized in earnings over the period during which an employee is required to provide service in exchange for the award using a straight-line amortization method, except for restricted stock units granted to non-employee directors which vest 100%, and are expensed, at the date of grant. Share-based compensation expenses are included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of income (loss). Foreign Currency The reporting currency of the Company is the U.S. dollar. The functional currency of most of the Company's international subsidiaries is the local currency. Assets and liabilities, including intercompany balances for which settlement is anticipated in the foreseeable future, are translated at exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date. Foreign currency equity balances are translated at historical rates. Revenues and expenses denominated in foreign currencies are translated at average exchange rates for the respective periods. Foreign currency translation adjustments are recorded as a component of other comprehensive income in the consolidated statements of stockholders' equity. Transactions denominated in currencies other than subsidiaries' functional currencies are recorded based on exchange rates at the time such transactions arise. Changes in exchange rates with respect to amounts recorded in the consolidated balance sheets related to these items will result in unrealized foreign currency transaction gains and losses based upon period-end exchange rates. The Company also records realized foreign currency transaction gains and losses upon settlement of the transactions. The Company recognized foreign currency transaction gains (losses) of $13.3 million, $(7.0) million and $8.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively, which are included in miscellaneous, net in the consolidated statements of income (loss). Cash and Cash Equivalents The Company's cash investments are placed with money market funds and financial institutions that are investment grade as rated by Standard & Poor's and Moody's Investors Service. The Company selects money market funds that predominantly invest in marketable, direct obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies, commercial paper, fully collateralized repurchase agreements, certificates of deposit, and time deposits. The Company considers the balance of its investment in funds that hold securities that mature within three months or less from the date the fund purchases these securities to be cash equivalents. The carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents either approximates fair value due to the short-term maturity of these instruments or are at fair value. Accounts Receivable, Trade The Company periodically assesses the adequacy of valuation allowances for uncollectible accounts receivable using a forward looking expected loss model by evaluating the collectability of outstanding receivables and general factors such as length of time individual receivables are past due, historical collection experience, and the economic and competitive environment. Program Rights Rights to programming, including feature films and episodic series, acquired under license agreements are recorded as program rights and program obligations on the consolidated balance sheets at the contract value when the license period has begun, the cost of the program is known, and the program is available for airing. Owned original programming costs are recorded as program rights on the consolidated balance sheets as production costs are incurred. We amortize capitalized film and television costs based on whether the content is predominantly monetized individually or as a group. Substantially all of the Company's program rights are expected to be predominantly monetized on our networks and streaming services with other programming and are therefore considered monetized as a group. Licensed and owned original programming, including feature films and television series are amortized to technical and operating expense on a straight-line or accelerated basis based on viewership patterns on our streaming services and the projected program usage of the rights on our networks, over a period not to exceed the respective license periods. The projected program usage is based on the Company's current expectation of future exhibitions taking into account historical usage and viewership patterns of similar content. The Company periodically reviews estimates of its projected program usage and viewership patterns and revises its assumptions if necessary, which could impact the timing of amortization expense. Any adjustments to the assumptions are applied prospectively in the period of the change. For content that is predominantly monetized as a group, unamortized costs are tested for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the fair value of the group may be less than its unamortized costs. Groups are tested for impairment by comparing the present value of the discounted cash flows of the group to the aggregate unamortized costs of the group. If the unamortized costs exceed the present value of discounted cash flows, an impairment charge is recorded for the excess and allocated to individual titles within the group on a pro rata basis using the relative carrying value of the titles. Program rights with no future programming usefulness are substantially abandoned, resulting in the write-off of remaining unamortized cost. To a lesser extent, certain program rights are expected to be predominantly monetized individually. These program rights are amortized to technical and operating expense over their estimated useful lives, commencing upon the first usage, based on attributable revenue to date as a percentage of total projected attributable revenue ("ultimate revenue") under the individual-film-forecast-computation method. Ultimate revenues are estimated based on the levels of revenue generated from similar content in comparable markets, projected program usage, and the levels of historical and expected programming market acceptance. The Company periodically reviews its ultimate revenue estimates and revises its assumptions if necessary, which could impact the timing of amortization expense. Any adjustments are applied prospectively as of the beginning of the fiscal year of the change. For content that is predominantly monetized on an individual basis, a television program or feature film is tested for impairment when events or circumstances indicate that its fair value may be less than its unamortized cost. Individual titles are tested for impairment by comparing the present value of the discounted cash flows of the title to the unamortized costs of the title. If the unamortized costs exceed the present value of discounted cash flows, an impairment charge is recorded for the excess. Program rights with no future programming usefulness are substantially abandoned, resulting in the write-off of remaining unamortized cost. In the normal course of business, the Company may qualify for tax incentives through eligible spend on productions. These tax incentives generally provide for refundable or transferable tax credits upon meeting established levels of qualified production spending within a participating jurisdiction and may be received prior to or after completion of a production. Production tax incentives are included in prepaid and other current assets or other assets in the consolidated balance sheets, based on the timing of expected receipt, with a corresponding reduction to the cost basis of the Company’s programming assets when collection becomes probable, and reduces program rights amortization over the life of the title. Receivables related to tax incentives earned on production spend as of December 31, 2025 consisted of $125.3 million recorded in Prepaid expenses and other current assets and $95.0 million recorded in Other assets. Receivables related to tax incentives earned on production spend as of December 31, 2024 were $182.0 million recorded in Prepaid expenses and other current assets and $42.4 million recorded in Other assets. Investments The Company holds several investments in and loans to non-consolidated entities which are included in Other assets in the consolidated balance sheets. Investments in which the Company has the ability to exercise significant influence but does not control and is not the primary beneficiary are equity method investments. Significant influence typically exists if the Company has a 20% to 50% ownership interest in a venture unless persuasive evidence to the contrary exists. Under this method of accounting, the Company records its proportionate share of the net earnings or losses of equity method investees and a corresponding increase or decrease to the investment balances. Cash payments to equity method investees such as additional investments and expenses incurred on behalf of investees as well as payments from equity method investees such as dividends and distributions are recorded as adjustments to investment balances. The Company applies the cumulative earnings approach for determining the cash flow presentation of cash distributions received from equity method investees. Distributions received are included in the consolidated statements of cash flows as operating activities, unless the cumulative distributions (less distributions received in prior periods that were determined to be returns of investment) exceed the Company's portion of the cumulative equity in the net earnings of the equity method investment, in which case the excess distributions are deemed to be returns of the investment and are classified as investing activities in the consolidated statements of cash flows. The Company evaluates its equity method investments for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of such investments may not be recoverable. Equity method investments were $94.8 million and $81.8 million at December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Investments in equity securities (excluding equity method investments) with readily determinable fair values are accounted for at fair value. Gains and losses related to equity securities are recorded in earnings as a component of miscellaneous, net, in the consolidated statements of income (loss). The Company did not have any equity securities with readily determinable fair values as of December 31, 2025 or 2024. The Company classifies investments without readily determinable fair values that are not accounted for under the equity method as non-marketable equity securities. The accounting guidance requires non-marketable equity securities to be recorded at cost and adjusted to fair value at each reporting period. However, the guidance allows for a measurement alternative, which is to record the investments at cost, less impairment, if any, and subsequently adjust for observable price changes of identical or similar investments of the same issuer. The Company applies this measurement alternative to its non-marketable equity securities. When an observable event occurs, the Company estimates the fair values of its non-marketable equity securities based on Level 2 inputs that are derived from observable price changes of similar securities adjusted for insignificant differences in rights and obligations. The changes in value are recorded in miscellaneous, net in the consolidated statements of income (loss). Investments in non-marketable equity securities were $45.4 million and $43.9 million at December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Long-Lived Assets Property and equipment are stated at cost. Equipment under finance leases is recorded at the present value of the total minimum lease payments. Depreciation is calculated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets or, with respect to equipment under finance leases and leasehold improvements, amortized over the shorter of the lease term or the assets' useful lives and reported in depreciation and amortization in the consolidated statements of income (loss). Amortizable intangible assets established in connection with business combinations primarily consist of affiliate and customer relationships, advertiser relationships and trade names. Amortizable intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over their respective estimated useful lives. The Company reviews its long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset group may not be recoverable. If the sum of the expected cash flows, undiscounted and without interest, is less than the carrying amount of the asset group, an impairment loss is recognized as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset group exceeds its fair value. See Note 7 for further discussion regarding impairment tests of long-lived assets. Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets Goodwill and identifiable intangible assets that have indefinite useful lives are not amortized, but instead are tested annually for impairment and upon the occurrence of certain events or substantive changes in circumstances. Goodwill The annual goodwill impairment test allows for the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. An entity may choose to perform the qualitative assessment on none, some or all of its reporting units or an entity may bypass the qualitative assessment for any reporting unit and proceed directly to the quantitative impairment test. If it is determined, on the basis of qualitative factors, that the fair value of a reporting unit is, more likely than not, less than its carrying value, the quantitative impairment test is required. The quantitative impairment test consists of a comparison of the estimated fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying value. If the carrying value exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess, but not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets Indefinite-lived intangible assets established in connection with business combinations consist of trademarks. The annual indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment test allows for the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value is less than its carrying amount. If it is determined, on the basis of qualitative factors, that the fair value is, more likely than not, less than its carrying value, the quantitative impairment test is required. The quantitative impairment test consists of a comparison of the estimated fair value of the intangible asset with its carrying value. If the carrying value exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. See Note 7 for further discussion regarding impairment tests of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets. Deferred Carriage Fees Deferred carriage fees, included in other assets in the consolidated balance sheets, represent amounts principally paid to multichannel video programming distributors to obtain additional subscribers and/or guarantee carriage of certain programming services and are amortized as a reduction of revenue over the period of the related affiliation arrangement. Derivative Financial Instruments The Company's derivative financial instruments are recorded as either assets or liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets based on their fair values. Embedded derivative financial instruments which are clearly and closely related to the host contracts are not accounted for on a stand-alone basis. Changes in the fair values are reported in earnings or other comprehensive income depending on the use of the derivative and whether it qualifies for hedge accounting. Derivative instruments are designated and accounted for as either a hedge of a recognized asset or liability (fair value hedge) or a hedge of a forecasted transaction (cash flow hedge). For derivatives not designated as hedges, changes in fair values are recognized in earnings and included in miscellaneous, net, for foreign currency and other derivative contracts. For derivatives designated as effective cash flow hedges, changes in fair values are recognized in other comprehensive income (loss). Changes in fair values related to fair value hedges as well as the ineffective portion of cash flow hedges are recognized in earnings. Changes in the fair value of the underlying hedged item of a fair value hedge are also recognized in earnings. See Note 11 for a further discussion of the Company's derivative financial instruments. Income Taxes The Company's provision for income taxes is based on current period income, changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities and estimates with regard to the liability for unrecognized tax benefits resulting from uncertain tax positions. Deferred tax assets are evaluated quarterly for expected future realization and reduced by a valuation allowance to the extent management believes it is more likely than not that a portion will not be realized. The Company provides deferred taxes for the outside basis difference for its investment in partnerships and uses the deferral method to recognize the income tax benefit from investment tax credits. Global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”) tax is treated as a period expense. Interest and penalties, if any, associated with uncertain tax positions are included in income tax expense. Commitments and Contingencies Liabilities for loss contingencies arising from claims, assessments, litigation, fines and penalties and other sources are recorded when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the contingency can be reasonably estimated. See Note 14 for further discussion regarding commitments and contingencies. Concentration of Credit Risk Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to a concentration of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents and trade accounts receivable. Cash is invested in money market funds and bank time deposits. The Company monitors the financial institutions and money market funds where it invests its cash and cash equivalents with diversification among counterparties to mitigate exposure to any single financial institution. The Company's emphasis is primarily on safety of principal and liquidity and secondarily on maximizing the yield on its investments. As of December 31, 2025, two customers accounted for 13% and 10% of accounts receivable (short and long-term), and as of December 31, 2024, one customer accounted for 13% of accounts receivable (short and long-term). Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests Noncontrolling interest with redemption features, such as put options, that are not solely within the Company's control are considered redeemable noncontrolling interests. Redeemable noncontrolling interests are considered to be temporary equity and are reported in the mezzanine section between total liabilities and stockholders' equity in the Company's consolidated balance sheets at the greater of their initial carrying amount, increased or decreased for contributions, distributions and the noncontrolling interest's share of net income or loss, or an amount reflecting the accretion of changes in the redemption value to the earliest redemption date. Net Income (Loss) per Share Net income (loss) per basic share is based upon net income (loss) attributable to AMC Networks' stockholders divided by the weighted average number of shares of Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock outstanding during the period. Net income (loss) per diluted share reflects the dilutive effects, if any, of AMC Networks' outstanding equity-based awards and the assumed conversion of the 4.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2029 (the "Convertible Notes") issued in June 2024.
(In thousands) | Years Ended December 31,
2025 |  | 2024 |  | 2023
Net income (loss) attributable to AMC Networks' stockholders used for basic net income (loss) per share | $ | 89,400 |  |  | $ | (226,546) |  |  | $ | 215,464 |
Add: Convertible Notes interest expense, net of tax | 4,582 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Net income (loss) attributable to AMC Networks' stockholders used for diluted net income (loss) per share | $ | 93,982 |  |  | $ | (226,546) |  |  | $ | 215,464 |
Basic weighted average shares outstanding | 44,420 |  |  | 44,438 |  |  | 43,827 |
Effect of dilution: |  |  |  |  |
Restricted stock units | 884 |  |  | — |  |  | 164 |
Convertible Notes | 11,286 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding | 56,590 |  |  | 44,438 |  |  | 43,991 |
Net income (loss) per share attributable to AMC Networks' stockholders: |  |  |  |  |
Basic | $ | 2.01 |  |  | $ | (5.10) |  |  | $ | 4.92 |
Diluted | $ | 1.66 |  |  | $ | (5.10) |  |  | $ | 4.90 |
For the year ended December 31, 2025, no restricted stock units have been excluded from the diluted weighted average common shares outstanding due to their impact being anti-dilutive. For the year ended December 31, 2024, all 3.4 million of our restricted stock units and the weighted average impact of 11.3 million common shares related to the assumed conversion of the Company's Convertible Notes were excluded from the calculation of diluted net income (loss) per share because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive since we reported a net loss. For the year ended December 31, 2023, 0.5 million of restricted stock units have been excluded from the diluted weighted average common shares outstanding, as their impact would have been anti-dilutive. Common Stock of AMC Networks Each holder of AMC Networks Class A Common Stock has one vote per share while holders of AMC Networks Class B Common Stock have ten votes per share. AMC Networks Class B shares can be converted to AMC Networks Class A Common Stock at any time with a conversion ratio of one AMC Networks Class A common share for one AMC Networks Class B common share. The AMC Networks Class A stockholders are entitled to elect at least 25% of the Company's Board of Directors. AMC Networks Class B stockholders have the right to elect the remaining members of the Company's Board of Directors. In addition, the members of the Dolan Family Group are parties to a stockholders agreement (the "Stockholders Agreement") that has the effect of causing the voting power of certain holders of our Class B Common Stock to be cast as a block on all matters to be voted on by holders of Class B Common Stock. Under the Stockholders Agreement, the shares of Class B Common Stock owned by members of the Dolan Family Group are to be voted on all matters in accordance with the determination of the Dolan Family Committee. However, the decisions of the Dolan Family Committee are non-binding with respect to the Class B Common Stock owned by certain Dolan family trusts which collectively own 83% of the outstanding Class B Common Stock. Stock Repurchase Program The Company's Board of Directors previously authorized a program to repurchase up to $1.5 billion of its outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock (the "Stock Repurchase Program"). The Stock Repurchase Program has no pre-established termination date and may be suspended or discontinued at any time. For the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company repurchased 2.4 million shares of its Class A Common Stock at an average purchase price of $7.29 for aggregate consideration of $18.0 million. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company did not repurchase any shares of its Class A Common Stock. As of December 31, 2025, the Company had $117.4 million of authorization remaining for repurchase under the Stock Repurchase Program. The following table summarizes common stock share activity for all years presented:
| Shares Outstanding
(In thousands) | Class A Common Stock |  | Class B Common Stock
Balance at December 31, 2022 | 31,525 |  |  | 11,484 |
Employee and non-employee director stock transactions* | 552 |  |  | — |
Balance at December 31, 2023 | 32,077 |  |  | 11,484 |
Employee and non-employee director stock transactions* | 559 |  |  | — |
Balance at December 31, 2024 | 32,636 |  |  | 11,484 |
Share repurchases | (2,449) |  |  | — |
Employee and non-employee director stock transactions* | 1,028 |  |  | — |
Balance at December 31, 2025 | 31,215 |  |  | 11,484 |
*Reflects common stock activity in connection with restricted stock units granted to employees and non-employee directors, as well as in connection with the fulfillment of employees' statutory tax withholding obligations for applicable income and other employment taxes and forfeited employee restricted stock units. Recently Adopted Accounting Standards In December 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued guidance that is intended to enhance the transparency and decision usefulness of income tax information through improvements to income tax disclosures primarily related to the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid information. The Company incorporated the required disclosure updates in these 2025 annual financial statements on a prospective basis. Recently Issued Accounting Standards In December 2025, the FASB issued guidance on the recognition, measurement, and presentation of government grants. Under the new guidance, government grants are recognized when it is probable that the entity will comply with the conditions of the grant and the grant will be received. The guidance provides accounting models for grants related to assets and grants related to income, including a requirement to recognize a grant related to an asset as the business entity incurs the related costs for which the grant is intended to compensate, either as deferred income or an adjustment to the cost basis of the asset. The guidance also requires disclosures regarding the nature of the government grant received, the accounting policies used to account for the grant, and significant terms and conditions of the grant. The new guidance will be effective January 1, 2029 with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the new guidance. In December 2025, the FASB issued guidance that clarifies the applicability of Topic 270 (Interim Reporting), the types of interim reporting, and the form and content of interim financial statements in accordance with GAAP. The new guidance provides a comprehensive list of required interim disclosures and includes a disclosure principle that requires entities to disclose events since the end of the last annual reporting period that have a material impact on the entity. The new guidance will be effective January 1, 2028, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the new guidance. In September 2025, the FASB issued guidance to simplify the capitalization of costs to develop software for internal use by eliminating the consideration of software development project stages. Instead, costs will be capitalized when management has authorized and committed to funding the project and it is probable that the project will be completed and the software will be used to perform its intended function. The new guidance will be effective January 1, 2028 and can be applied prospectively, retrospectively, or with a modified prospective approach. The Company does not expect the adoption of this standard will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements. In July 2025, the FASB issued guidance that provides a practical expedient for estimating credit losses for current accounts receivable and current contract assets arising from transactions accounted for under Accounting Standards Codification 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. Under the new standard, in lieu of developing forecasts of future economic conditions, entities can elect a practical expedient that assumes the current conditions as of the balance sheet date remain consistent for the remaining life of the asset. The new guidance became effective January 1, 2026 and is to be applied prospectively, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not expect that adoption of this standard will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements. In November 2024, the FASB issued guidance that is intended to provide investors more detailed disclosures around specific types of expenses in the notes to the financial statements for interim and annual reporting periods. The Company will incorporate the required disclosure updates for the 2027 annual financial statements.

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