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General (Policies) | 9 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] |
Basis of Presentation | Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Lionsgate and all of its majority-owned and controlled subsidiaries. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States (“U.S.”) generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and the instructions to quarterly report on Form 10-Q under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of the Company’s management, all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been reflected in these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. Operating results for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018. The balance sheet at March 31, 2017 has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date, but does not include all the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read together with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. Certain amounts presented in prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.
Use of Estimates | Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. The most significant estimates made by management in the preparation of the financial statements relate to ultimate revenue and costs used for the amortization of investment in films and television programs; the allocations made in connection with the amortization of program rights; estimates of sales returns and other allowances and provisions for doubtful accounts; fair value of equity-based compensation; fair value of assets and liabilities for allocation of the purchase price of companies acquired; income taxes including the assessment of valuation allowances for deferred tax assets; accruals for contingent liabilities; and impairment assessments for investment in films and television programs, property and equipment, equity investments, goodwill and intangible assets. Actual results could differ from such estimates.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements | Recent Accounting Pronouncements Accounting Guidance Adopted in Fiscal 2018 Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting: In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued amended guidance related to employee share-based payment accounting. The Company adopted this new guidance effective April 1, 2017. The new guidance and the impact on the consolidated financial statements upon adoption are summarized as follows:
• | Excess Tax Benefits and Tax Deficiencies: Effective on a prospective basis, excess tax benefits and deficiencies that arise when share-based awards vest or are settled are recognized in the income statement. In addition, the new guidance eliminates the requirement that excess tax benefits be realized (i.e., through a reduction in income taxes payable) before companies can recognize them. Under the previous guidance, the tax effects were recorded in additional paid-in capital, when realized. Historically, the Company has not recorded significant excess tax benefits, because such benefits have not been realized. Upon adoption, the Company recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment of $54.3 million in retained earnings for the net excess tax benefits not previously realized.
• | Statement of Cash Flows Presentation: The new guidance requires presentation of excess tax benefits as an operating activity on the statement of cash flows rather than as a financing activity, and requires presentation of cash paid to a tax authority when shares are withheld to satisfy the employer's statutory income tax withholding obligation as a financing activity. The Company applied the change to the presentation of excess tax benefits as an operating activity on a retrospective basis; however, there was no impact to the statement of cash flows since there were no excess tax benefits in the consolidated statements of cash flows for the nine months ended December 31, 2016. The Company has historically presented cash paid for shares withheld to satisfy employee taxes as a financing activity in the consolidated statements of cash flows, and accordingly there was no impact from adopting this aspect of the standard.
• | Forfeitures: The new guidance provides for an election to account for forfeitures of share-based payments either by (1) recognizing forfeitures of awards as they occur or (2) estimating the number of awards expected to be forfeited and adjusting the estimate when it is likely to change (as is required under the previous guidance). As allowed by the standard, the Company elected to continue to estimate potential forfeitures.
• | Statutory Withholding: The new guidance increases the amount companies can withhold to cover income taxes on awards without triggering liability classification for shares used to satisfy statutory income tax withholding obligations and requires application of a modified retrospective transition method. There was no material impact upon adoption related to this change.
Equity Method of Accounting: In March 2016, the FASB issued guidance that changes the requirements for equity method accounting when an investment qualifies for use of the equity method as a result of an increase in the investor’s ownership interest in or degree of influence over an investee. The guidance (i) eliminates the need to retroactively apply the equity method of accounting upon qualifying for such treatment, (ii) requires that the cost of acquiring the additional interest in an investee be added to the basis of the previously held interest and (iii) requires that unrealized holding gains or losses for available-for-sale equity securities that qualify for the equity method of accounting be recognized in earnings at the date the investment becomes qualified for use of the equity method of accounting. The Company adopted the new guidance effective April 1, 2017, with no material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory: In October 2016, the FASB issued guidance that will require the tax effects of intercompany transactions, other than sales of inventory, to be recognized when the transfer occurs, eliminating an exception under current U.S. GAAP in which the tax effects of intra-entity asset transfers are deferred until the transferred asset is sold to a third party or otherwise recovered through use. This guidance is effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning April 1, 2018, with early adoption permitted. Upon adoption, the cumulative-effect of the new standard is to be recorded as an adjustment to retained earnings. The Company adopted this guidance, effective April 1, 2017, and as a result, the Company recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment of $6.5 million in retained earnings for the tax effects (net benefit) of intra-entity transfers. Under the new guidance, the consolidated tax benefit in the three and nine months ended December 31, 2017 was $0.2 million lower and $3.5 million lower, respectively, than would have been recorded under the previous guidance. Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted Revenue Recognition: In May 2014, the FASB issued an accounting standard update relating to the recognition of revenue from contracts with customers, which will supersede most current U.S. GAAP revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. The new revenue recognition standard provides a five-step analysis of transactions to determine when and how revenue is recognized. Based on the current guidance, the new framework will become effective on either a full or modified retrospective basis for the Company on April 1, 2018. The Company has elected the modified retrospective approach and will apply the new revenue standard beginning April 1, 2018. Subsequent to the issuance of the May 2014 guidance, several clarifications and updates have been issued by the FASB on this topic, the most recent of which was issued in November 2017. Many of these clarifications and updates to the guidance, as well as a number of interpretive issues, apply to companies in the media and entertainment industry. The Company has made progress toward completing its assessment of the impact of adopting this new guidance, and the Company is finalizing its implementation plan. In addition, the Company is designing appropriate changes to the Company’s processes, systems and controls to support the recognition and disclosure requirements under the new standard. While there may be additional areas impacted by the new standard, the Company has identified certain areas that may be impacted as follows: Sales or Usage Based Royalties: The Company currently receives royalties from certain international distributors and other transactional digital distribution partners based on the sales made by these distributors after recoupment of a minimum guarantee, if applicable. The Company currently records these sales and usage based royalties after receiving statements from the licensee and/or film distributor. Under the new revenue recognition rules, revenues will be recorded based on best estimates available in the period of sales or usage. While the timing of the revenue recognition will be accelerated, the Company will continue to have a consistent number of periods of sales or usage based royalties earned in each period. Renewals of Licenses of Intellectual Property: Under the current guidance, when the term of an existing license agreement is extended, without any other changes to the provisions of the license, revenue for the renewal period is recognized when the agreement is renewed or extended. Under the new guidance, revenue associated with renewals or extensions of existing license agreements will be recognized as revenue when the license content becomes available under the renewal or extension. This change will impact the timing of revenue recognition as compared with current revenue recognition guidance. While revenues from renewal do occur, they are not a significant portion of our revenue and thus are not expected to have a material impact on our revenue recognition. Licenses of Symbolic Intellectual Property: Certain intellectual property, such as brands, tradenames and logos, is categorized in the new guidance as symbolic. Under the new guidance, a licensee’s ability to derive benefit from a license of symbolic intellectual property is assumed to depend on the licensor continuing to support or maintain the intellectual property throughout the license term. Accordingly, under the new guidance, revenue from licenses of symbolic intellectual property is generally recognized over the corresponding license term. Therefore, the new guidance will impact the timing of revenue recognition as compared to current guidance. The Company does not currently have a significant amount of revenue from the license of symbolic intellectual property. Non-Refundable Minimum Guarantees Applied Against Variable Fees Related to a Group of Films: Under the current guidance, when a licensing arrangement provides for a nonrefundable minimum guarantee that is applied against variable fees from a group of films on a cross-collateralized basis, revenue is deferred and recognized as the customer exhibits or exploits the film, on a film-by-film basis, based on the film's performance under the arrangement. Under the new guidance, the nonrefundable minimum guarantee associated with such a licensing arrangement will be allocated to the group of films and recognized as revenue on a film-by-film basis when the performance obligation for each film is met. This change is expected to accelerate the timing of revenue recognition under these licensing arrangements, as compared to the current guidance. The Company does not currently have a significant amount of revenue from these licensing arrangements. Principal vs. Agent: The new standard includes new guidance as to how to determine whether the Company is acting as a principal, in which case revenue would be recognized on a gross basis, or whether the Company is acting as an agent, in which case revenues would be recognized on a net basis. The Company is currently evaluating whether the new principal versus agent guidance will have an impact (i.e., changing from gross to net recognition or from net to gross recognition) under certain of its distribution arrangements. The Company is continuing to evaluate the impact of the new standard on its consolidated financial statements for the above areas and other areas of revenue recognition. Recognition and Measurement of Financial Instruments: In January 2016, the FASB issued new guidance that addresses certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure of financial instruments. Among other provisions, the new guidance requires equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting, or those that result in consolidation of the investee) to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income. For investments without readily determinable fair values, entities have the option to either measure these investments at fair value or at cost adjusted for changes in observable prices minus impairment. The guidance is effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning April 1, 2018. Early adoption is not permitted, except for certain provisions relating to financial liabilities. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this new guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements. Accounting for Leases: In February 2016, the FASB issued guidance on accounting for leases which requires lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheets for the rights and obligations created by those leases. The new guidance also requires additional qualitative and quantitative disclosures related to the nature, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. The guidance is effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning April 1, 2019, with early adoption permitted, and is required to be implemented using a modified retrospective approach. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this new guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements. Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments: In August 2016, the FASB issued guidance that clarifies how entities should classify certain cash receipts and payments on the statement of cash flows. The guidance primarily relates to the classification of cash flows associated with certain (i) debt transactions including debt prepayment or extinguishment costs, (ii) contingent consideration arrangements related to a business combination, (iii) insurance claims and policies, (iv) distributions from equity method investees and (v) securitization transactions. This guidance is effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning April 1, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Restricted Cash: In November 2016, the FASB issued guidance to clarify how entities should present restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents in the statement of cash flows. The guidance requires entities to show the changes in the total of cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents in the statement of cash flows. As a result, entities will no longer present transfers between cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents in the statement of cash flows. The guidance will be applied retrospectively and is effective for the Company’s fiscal year beginning April 1, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. Definition of a Business: In January 2017, the FASB issued guidance that changes the definition of a business for accounting purposes. Under the new guidance, an entity first determines whether substantially all of the fair value of a set of assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets. If this threshold is met, the set of assets is not deemed to be a business. If the threshold is not met, the entity then evaluates whether the set of assets meets the requirement to be deemed a business, which at a minimum, requires there to be an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create outputs. The guidance is effective on a prospective basis for the Company's fiscal year beginning April 1, 2018. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Stock Compensation - Scope of Modification Accounting: In May 2017, the FASB issued guidance which clarifies that an entity will not apply modification accounting to a share-based payment award if all of the fair value, vesting conditions, and classification of the modified award as an equity or liability instrument are the same immediately before and after the modification. The guidance will be applied prospectively, and is effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning April 1, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. Derivatives and Hedging - Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities: In August 2017, the FASB issued guidance which amends its hedge accounting model to enable entities to better portray their risk management activities in the financial statements. The amendments expand an entity's ability to hedge nonfinancial and financial risk components and reduce complexity in fair value hedges of interest rate risk. The new guidance eliminates the requirement to separately measure and report hedge ineffectiveness and generally requires the entire change in the fair value of a hedging instrument to be presented in the same income statement line as the hedged item. The new guidance also eases certain documentation and assessment requirements and modifies the accounting for components excluded from the assessment of hedge effectiveness. The guidance will be applied using a modified retrospective approach for cash flow and net investment hedge relationships that exist on the date of adoption, and the presentation and disclosure requirements will be applied prospectively. The guidance is effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning April 1, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.
Net Income Per Share | Diluted net income (loss) per common share reflects the potential dilutive effect, if any, of the conversion of convertible senior subordinated notes under the "if converted" method. Diluted net income (loss) per common share also reflects share purchase options, including equity-settled share appreciation rights ("SARs"), restricted share units ("RSUs") and restricted stock using the treasury stock method when dilutive, and any contingently issuable shares when dilutive. Basic net income (loss) per share is calculated based on the weighted average common shares outstanding for the period.

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