General

3 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2020

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Nature of Operations

Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (the “Company,” “Lionsgate,” "Lions Gate," “we,” “us” or “our”) is a global content leader whose films, television series, digital products and linear and over-the-top platforms reach next generation audiences around the world. Lionsgate’s film and television properties support location-based entertainment venues and other branded attractions, as well as a video game business. Lionsgate's content initiatives are backed by a nearly 17,000-title film and television library and delivered through a global sales and licensing infrastructure.

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 months ended June 30, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021. The balance sheet at March 31, 2020 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, 2020.

Certain amounts presented in prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.

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; estimates of sales returns and other allowances and provisions for doubtful accounts; estimates related to the revenue recognition of sales or usage-based royalties; 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

Accounting Guidance Adopted in Fiscal 2021

Fair Value Measurement - Changes to Disclosure Requirements: In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued guidance that eliminates, adds and modifies certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. This guidance eliminates the requirement that entities disclose the amount of and reasons for transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, but requires public companies to disclose the range and weighted average used to develop significant unobservable inputs for Level 3 fair value measurements, among other changes. This Company adopted this guidance on April 1, 2020, with no material impact to its consolidated financial statements.

Improvements to Accounting for Costs of Films and License Agreements for Program Materials: On April 1, 2020, the Company adopted, on a prospective basis, FASB guidance on the accounting for costs of films and episodic television series which aligns the accounting for capitalizing production costs of episodic television series with guidance for films. The following reflects some of the more significant changes under the new guidance:

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Classification in balance sheet: Allows for the classification of licensed program rights as long-term assets. Previously, the Company reported a portion of these rights in current assets. After adoption, the Company now classifies licensed program rights as long-term assets. Accordingly, as of April 1, 2020, the Company has classified $310.5 million of these rights as non-current assets in the balance sheet.


•	Removes capitalization constraint for episodic television: The capitalization of production costs for episodic television series is no longer constrained until persuasive evidence of secondary market revenues exists. Previously, theatrical content production costs could be fully capitalized while episodic television production costs were generally limited to the amount of contracted revenues.


•	Monetization strategy: Requires the determination of a titles' monetization strategy for purposes of amortization and testing impairment as follows:


◦	Monetized individually - lifetime value is predominantly derived from third-party revenues that are directly attributable to the specific film or television title (e.g., theatrical revenues or sales to third-party television programmers).


◦	Monetized as a film group - lifetime value is predominantly derived from third-party revenues that are attributable only to a bundle of titles, which is referred to as a "film group" in the updated guidance. A film group is defined as the lowest level at which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other films and/or license agreements.

The determination of the monetization strategy is made at commencement of production on a consolidated basis. Because the new accounting guidance is applied prospectively, the predominant monetization strategy for content released prior to the beginning of fiscal 2021 is determined based on the expected means of monetization over the remaining life of the content. The classification of content as individually monetized or monetized as part of a film group only changes if there is a significant change to the title's monetization strategy relative to its initial assessment.

For these accounting purposes, the Company generally classifies content that is initially intended for use on the Company's Media Networks services (including its linear television networks, OTT services and direct-to-consumer services) as content monetized as a film group. Content initially intended for theatrical release, home entertainment distribution, or for license to third parties, is generally classified as content monetized individually.

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Impairment testing: The new guidance requires that an entity test a film or television program for impairment, when impairment indicators are present, at a film group level when the film or license agreement is predominantly monetized with other films and/or license agreements or individually for titles monetized individually. An impairment results when the fair value of the film or film group is less than its carrying value. Under previous guidance, film and television programs accounted for under the broadcasting accounting standard (i.e., licensed product in the Company's Media Networks segment) were carried on the balance sheet at the lower of cost or net realizable value rather than fair value.

See Note 2 for further information.

Financial Instruments - Credit Losses: In June 2016, the FASB issued guidance, as amended, that changes the impairment model for most financial assets and certain other instruments, including trade and other receivables, held-to-maturity debt securities and loans, from the incurred loss methodology under current U.S. GAAP to a new, forward-looking current expected credit loss model that would generally result in the earlier recognition of credit losses. The Company adopted this guidance on April 1, 2020 using a modified retrospective approach, with no material impact to its consolidated financial statements.

Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted

Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes: In December 2019, the FASB issued guidance that simplifies the accounting for income taxes. The guidance amends the rules for recognizing deferred taxes for investments, performing intraperiod tax allocations and calculating income taxes in interim periods. It also reduces complexity in certain areas, including the accounting for transactions that result in a step-up in the tax basis of goodwill and allocating taxes to members of a consolidated group. The guidance is effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning April 1, 2021, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this new guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements.