Leases (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Leases [Abstract]

Leases - Lessee

We generally lease the underlying sites upon which the physical billboard structures on which we display advertising copy for our customers are located. We also have leases for office and warehouse spaces. All leases are recorded on the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position and we recognize lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. We do not separate lease and non-lease components from contracts.

Many of our leases include one or more options to renew, with renewal terms that can extend the lease term for varying lengths of time. These renewal provisions typically require consent of both parties. Many of our leases also contain termination provisions at our option, based on a variety of factors, including termination due to changing economic conditions of the related billboard location.

Certain of our lease agreements include rental payments based on a percentage of revenue over contractual levels and others include rental payments adjusted periodically for inflation. Our lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants.

When available, we use the rate implicit in the lease to discount lease payments to present value; however, most of our leases do not provide a readily determinable implicit rate. Therefore, we must estimate our incremental borrowing rate to discount the lease payments based on information available at lease commencement or amendment.

We rent or sublease certain real estate to third parties.

Leases - Lessor

Billboard Property Lease and Transit Franchise Expenses—Our billboards are primarily located on leased real property. Lease agreements are negotiated for varying terms ranging from one month to multiple years, most of which provide renewal options. Lease costs consist of a fixed monthly amount and certain lease agreements also include contingent rent based on the revenues we generate from the leased site. Property leases are generally paid in advance for periods ranging from one to twelve months.

The fixed component of lease costs is expensed evenly over the non-cancellable contract term, and contingent rent is expensed as incurred when the related revenues are recognized.

Transit franchise agreements generally provide for payment to the municipality or transit operator of the greater of a percentage of the revenues that we generate under the related transit contract and a specified guaranteed minimum payment. The costs

which are determined based on a percentage of revenues are expensed as incurred when the related revenues are recognized, and the minimum guarantee is expensed over the contract term.

Our agreements with customers to advertise on our billboards are considered operating leases. Substantially all of our advertising structures (see Note 5. Property and Equipment, Net) are utilized to lease advertising space to customers, for which the contracts are accounted for as rental income. Billboard display revenues are recognized as rental income on a straight-line basis over the customer lease term. We exclude from rental income all taxes assessed by a governmental authority that we collect from customers. These operating leases are short-term in duration, typically a term of 4 weeks to one year and do not include any variable lease provisions or options to extend the lease. Certain contracts may include provisions for the early termination of the lease after an agreed upon notice period. We account for non-lease installation services and the lease associated with providing advertising space on our billboards as a combined component under the lease standard.