Accounting Changes and Recent Accounting Pronouncements

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]

Accounting Changes and Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Accounting Changes and Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Accounting Changes

ASU 2018-15

In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2018-15, Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract (ASU 2018-15), which requires entities to defer implementation costs incurred that are related to the application development stage in a cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract. ASU 2018-15 requires deferred implementation costs to be amortized over the term of the cloud computing arrangement and presented in the same expense line item as the cloud computing arrangement. All other implementation costs are generally expensed as incurred. We adopted ASU 2018-15 on January 1, 2020 on a prospective basis. As a result of the adoption of ASU 2018-15, (i) certain implementation costs that were previously expensed as incurred are now deferred as prepaid expenses and amortized over the term of the cloud computing arrangement and (ii) certain costs associated with developing interfaces between a cloud computing arrangement and internal-use software that were previously capitalized as property and equipment are now deferred as prepaid expenses and amortized over the term of the cloud computing arrangement. The adoption of ASU 2018-15 did not have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.

ASU 2019-02

In March 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-02, Improvements to Accounting for Costs of Films and License Agreements for Program Materials (ASU 2019-02), which aligns the accounting for production costs of an episodic television series with the accounting for production costs of films. ASU 2019-02 removes the existing constraint that restricts capitalization of production costs to contracted revenue for episodic television series. The amended guidance also permits entities to test a film or license agreement for impairment at the film group level, addresses cash flow classification and provides new disclosure requirements. We adopted ASU 2019-02 on January 1, 2020 on a prospective basis. The adoption of ASU 2019-02 did not have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.

ASU 2016-13

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Statements (ASU 2016-13), which changes the recognition model for credit losses related to assets held at amortized cost. ASU 2016-13 eliminates the threshold that a loss must be considered probable to recognize a credit loss and instead requires an entity to reflect its current estimate of lifetime expected credit losses. We adopted ASU 2016-13 on January 1, 2020 on a modified retrospective basis by recording a cumulative effect adjustment of $30.3 million to our accumulated earnings related to increases to our allowances for certain trade and notes receivable.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

ASU 2019-12

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes (ASU 2019-12), which is intended to improve consistency and simplify several areas of existing guidance. ASU 2019-12 removes certain exceptions to the general principles related to the approach for intraperiod tax allocation, the methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period and the recognition of deferred tax liabilities for outside basis differences. The new guidance also clarifies the accounting for transactions that result in a step-up in the tax basis of goodwill. ASU 2019-12 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the effect that ASU 2019-12 will have on our consolidated financial statements.