Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies


Note 1: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include all entities in which we have a controlling voting interest and variable interest entities (“VIEs”) required to be consolidated, including Universal Beijing Resort (see Note 7).

We translate assets and liabilities of our foreign operations where the functional currency is the local currency into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate as of the balance sheet date and translate revenue and expenses using average monthly exchange rates. The related translation adjustments are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in our consolidated balance sheet. Any foreign currency transaction gains or losses are included in our consolidated statement of income in investment and other income (loss), net. For disclosures containing future amounts where the functional currency is the local currency, we translate the amounts into U.S. dollars at the exchange rates as of the balance sheet date.

Reclassifications

Reclassifications have been made to our notes to consolidated financial statements for the prior year period to conform to classifications used in 2021. See Note 2 for a discussion of the changes in our presentation of segment operating results.

Accounting Policies

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP, which require us to select accounting policies, including in certain cases industry-specific policies, and make estimates that affect the reported amount of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and the related disclosure of contingent assets and contingent liabilities. Actual results could differ from these estimates. The following accounting policies are specific to the industries in which we operate:

•capitalization and amortization of film and television costs (see Note 4)

•costs for connecting customers to our cable systems (see Note 9)

Information on other accounting policies and methods that we use in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements are included, where applicable, in their respective footnotes that follow. The collateralized obligation related to our investment in Hulu is discussed in Note 8 and our other long-term debt is discussed in Note 6. Below is a discussion of accounting policies and methods used in our consolidated financial statements that are not presented within other footnotes.

Advertising Expenses

Advertising costs are expensed as incurred.

Derivative Financial Instruments

We use derivative financial instruments to manage our exposure to the risks associated with fluctuations in interest rates, foreign exchange rates and equity prices. Our objective is to manage the financial and operational exposure arising from these risks by offsetting gains and losses on the underlying exposures with gains and losses on the derivatives used to economically hedge them.

Our derivative financial instruments are recorded in our consolidated balance sheet at fair value. We designate certain derivative instruments as cash flow hedges of forecasted transactions, including foreign currency denominated cash flows associated with non-functional currency debt and non-functional currency revenue and expenses. Changes in the fair value of derivative instruments accounted for as cash flow hedges are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) until the hedged items affect earnings. For derivatives not designated as cash flow hedges, changes in fair value are recognized in earnings.

Refer to Note 6 for further information on certain derivative instruments related to debt. The impact of our remaining derivative financial instruments was not material to our consolidated financial statements in any of the periods presented.

Fair Value Measurements

The accounting guidance related to fair value measurements establishes a hierarchy based on the types of inputs used for the various valuation techniques. The levels of the hierarchy are described below.

•Level 1: Values are determined using quoted market prices for identical financial instruments in an active market.

•Level 2: Values are determined using quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets.

•Level 3: Values are determined using models that use significant inputs that are primarily unobservable, discounted cash flow methodologies or similar techniques, as well as instruments for which the determination of fair value requires significant management judgment or estimation.

We use the three tier fair value hierarchy to measure the fair value of certain financial instruments on a recurring basis, such as for investments (see Note 8); on a non-recurring basis, such as for acquisitions and impairment testing; and for disclosure purposes, such as for long-term debt (see Note 6). Our assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement requires judgment and may affect the valuation and classification within the fair value hierarchy.