Summary of significant accounting policies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Summary of significant accounting policies

Schedule of financial information of the VIEs in the PRC

	As of March 31,
	2016		2017
	(in millions of RMB)
Cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments		3,978		7,586
Investment in equity investees and securities		11,605		17,371
Accounts receivable, net of allowance		681		3,301
Amounts due from non-VIE subsidiaries of the Company		511		1,400
Prepayment for licensed copyrights of video content		—		1,469
Property and equipment and intangible assets		1,218		4,738
Others		1,753		2,926
Total assets		19,746		38,791
Amounts due to non-VIE subsidiaries of the Company		12,372		25,317
Accruals for purchase of licensed copyrights of video content		—		2,244
Accrued expenses, account payable and other liabilities		2,624		7,545
Deferred revenue and customer advances		1,806		3,338
Deferred tax liabilities		219		1,481
Total liabilities		17,021		39,925

	Year ended March 31,
	2015			2016			2017
	(in millions of RMB)
Revenue (i)		10,457			8,558			24,712
Net income (loss) (i)		659			35			(4,688	)
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities		(7,343	)		1,224			3,220
Net cash used in investing activities		(5,502	)		(7,160	)		(2,557	)
Net cash provided by financing activities		13,018			6,494			2,688

(i)	Revenue and net income (loss) earned and incurred by the consolidated VIEs are primarily from mobile media and entertainment services, cloud computing services as well as the businesses of providing display marketing on the Company's retail marketplaces and others.

Schedule of estimated useful lives of property and equipment

	Computer equipment and software		3 – 5 years
	Furniture, office and transportation equipment		3 – 5 years
	Buildings		20 – 50 years
	Leasehold improvements		shorter of remaining lease period or estimated useful life

Schedule of estimated useful lives of identifiable intangible assets other than licensed copyrights of video content

	User base and customer relationships		1 – 6 years
	Trade names, trademarks and domain names		3 – 20 years
	Developed technology and patents		2 – 5 years
	Non-compete agreements		over the contracted term from 2 – 6 years

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of the significant judgments and assumptions made in determining whether a variable interest (as defined) held by the entity requires the variable interest entity (VIE) (as defined) to be consolidated and (or) disclose information about its involvement with the VIE, individually or in aggregate (as applicable); the nature of restrictions, if any, on the consolidated VIE's assets and on the settlement of its liabilities reported by an entity in its statement of financial position, including the carrying amounts of such assets and liabilities; the nature of, and changes in, the risks associated with involvement in the VIE; how involvement with the VIE affects the entity's financial position, financial performance, and cash flows; the lack of recourse if creditors (or beneficial interest holders) of the consolidated VIE have no recourse to the general credit of the primary beneficiary (if applicable); the terms of arrangements, giving consideration to both explicit arrangements and implicit variable interests, if any, that could require the entity to provide financial support to the VIE, including events or circumstances that could expose the entity to a loss; the methodology used by the entity for determining whether or not it is the primary beneficiary of the variable interest entity; the significant factors considered and judgments made in determining that the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the VIE's economic performance are shared (as defined); the carrying amounts and classification of assets and liabilities of the VIE included in the statement of financial position; the entity's maximum exposure to loss, if any, as a result of its involvement with the VIE, including how the maximum exposure is determined and significant sources of the entity's exposure to the VIE; a comparison of the carrying amounts of the assets and liabilities and the entity's maximum exposure to loss; information about any liquidity arrangements, guarantees, and (or) other commitments by third parties that may affect the fair value or risk of the entity's variable interest in the VIE; whether or not the entity has provided financial support or other support (explicitly or implicitly) to the VIE that it was not previously contractually required to provide or whether the entity intends to provide that support, including the type and amount of the support and the primary reasons for providing the support; and supplemental information the entity determines necessary to provide.

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