INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET

INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET

8.     INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET

        Intangible assets as of December 31, 2011 and 2012 comprise the following:

	December 31,
	2011					2012
	Cost		Accumulated amortization			Cost		Accumulated amortization
Trade names	$	5,213	$	—		$	5,708	$	—
Broadcasting licenses		158,794		—			86,840		(4,564	)
Cable network connections		46,131		(17,983	)		51,644		(26,028	)
Other intangible assets		6,904		(1,587	)		7,721		(1,982	)
Total	$	217,042	$	(19,570	)	$	151,913	$	(32,574	)

        Amortization expense was $8,266, $10,024 and $14,806 in 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively.

        Estimated future amortization expenses related to amortizable intangible assets are as follows:

For the year ended December 31, 2013	$	24,223
For the year ended December 31, 2014		23,961
For the year ended December 31, 2015		22,724
For the year ended December 31, 2016		18,585
For the year ended December 31, 2017		14,568
For the year ended December 31, 2018 and thereafter		9,570
	$	113,631

        Until September 30, 2012, the Company's broadcasting licenses were determined to have indefinite lives and were subject to annual impairment reviews. As of September 30, 2012, as a result of developments in the transition to digital broadcasting, the Company changed its estimate of the useful lives of its broadcasting licenses from indefinite to finite and recorded non-cash impairment losses totaling $82,503 related to these broadcasting licenses (see Note 10). The Company amortizes the remaining balances on a straight-line basis over each broadcasting license's estimated remaining useful life from October 1, 2012.