XML 27 R10.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.21.2
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
 12 Months Ended
Oct. 02, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements of the Company include the accounts of The Walt Disney Company and its majority-owned or controlled subsidiaries. Intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
The Company enters into relationships with or makes investments in other entities that may be variable interest entities (VIE). A VIE is consolidated in the financial statements if the Company has the power to direct activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of the VIE and has the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant (as defined by ASC 810-10-25-38) to the VIE. Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and Shanghai Disney Resort (together the Asia Theme Parks) are VIEs in which the Company has less than 50% equity ownership. Company subsidiaries (the Management Companies) have management agreements with the Asia Theme Parks, which provide the Management Companies, subject to certain protective rights of joint venture partners, with the ability to direct the day-to-day operating activities and the development of business strategies that we believe most significantly impact the economic performance of the Asia Theme Parks. In addition, the Management Companies receive management fees under these arrangements that we believe could be significant to the Asia Theme Parks. Therefore, the Company has consolidated the Asia Theme Parks in its financial statements.
Reporting Period
The Company’s fiscal year ends on the Saturday closest to September 30 and consists of fifty-two weeks with the exception that approximately every six years, we have a fifty-three week year. When a fifty-three week year occurs, the Company reports the additional week in the fourth quarter. Fiscal 2021 and 2019 were fifty-two week years. Fiscal 2020 was a fifty-three week year, which began on September 29, 2019 and ended on October 3, 2020.
Reclassifications
Certain reclassifications have been made in the fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019 financial statements and notes to conform to the fiscal 2021 presentation.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and footnotes thereto. Actual results may differ from those estimates.
Revenues and Costs from Services and Products
The Company generates revenue from the sale of both services and tangible products and revenues and operating costs are classified under these two categories in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Certain costs related to both the sale of services and tangible products are not specifically allocated between the service or tangible product revenue streams but are instead attributed to the principal revenue stream. The cost of services and tangible products exclude depreciation and amortization.
Significant service revenues include:
•Affiliate fees
•Advertising revenues
•Subscription fees to our DTC streaming services
•Revenue from the licensing and distribution of film and television properties
•Admissions to our theme parks, charges for room nights at hotels and sales of cruise vacation packages
•Royalties from licensing our IP for use on consumer goods, published materials and in multi-platform games
Significant operating costs related to the sale of services include:
•Programming and production costs
•Distribution costs
•Operating labor
•Facilities and infrastructure costs
Significant tangible product revenues include:
•The sale of food, beverage and merchandise at our retail locations
•The sale of DVDs and Blu-ray discs
•The sale of books, comic books and magazines
Significant operating costs related to the sale of tangible products include:
•Costs of goods sold
•Programming and production costs
•Distribution costs
•Operating labor
•Retail occupancy costs
Revenue Recognition
At the beginning of fiscal 2019, the Company adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) guidance that replaced the existing accounting guidance for revenue recognition and recorded a net reduction of $116 million to opening fiscal 2019 retained earnings.
The Company’s revenue recognition policies are as follows:
•Affiliate fees are recognized as the programming is provided based on contractually specified per subscriber rates and the actual number of the affiliate’s customers receiving the programming.
For affiliate contracts with fixed license fees, the fees are recognized ratably over the contract term.
If an affiliate contract includes a minimum guaranteed license fee, the guaranteed license fee is recognized ratably over the guaranteed period and any fees earned in excess of the guarantee are recognized as earned once the minimum guarantee has been exceeded.
Affiliate agreements may also include a license to use the network programming for on demand viewing. As the fees charged under these contracts are generally based on a contractually specified per subscriber rate for the number of underlying subscribers of the affiliate, revenues are recognized as earned.
•Subscription fees are recognized ratably over the term of the subscription.
•Advertising sales are recognized as revenue, net of agency commissions, when commercials are aired. For contracts that contain a guaranteed number of impressions, revenues are recognized based on impressions delivered. When the
guaranteed number of impressions is not met (“ratings shortfall”), revenues are not recognized for the ratings shortfall until the additional impressions are delivered.
•Theme park admissions are recognized when the tickets are used. Sales of annual passes are recognized ratably over the period for which the pass is available for use.
•Resorts and vacations sales are recognized as revenue as the services are provided to the guest. Sales of vacation club properties are recognized as revenue upon the later of when title transfers to the customer or when construction activity is deemed complete.
•Merchandise, food and beverage sales are recognized at the time of sale. Sales from our branded internet shopping sites and to wholesalers are recognized upon delivery. We estimate returns and customer incentives based upon historical return experience, current economic trends and projections of consumer demand for our products.
•TV/SVOD distribution fixed license fees are recognized as revenue when the content is available for use by the licensee. License fees based on the underlying sales of the licensee are recognized as revenue as earned based on the contractual royalty rate applied to the licensee sales.
For TV/SVOD licenses that include multiple titles with a fixed license fee across all titles, each title is considered a separate performance obligation. The fixed license fee is allocated to each title at contract inception and the allocated license fee is recognized as revenue when the title is available for use by the licensee.
When the license contains a minimum guaranteed license fee across all titles, the license fees earned by titles in excess of their allocated amount are deferred until the minimum guaranteed license fee across all titles is exceeded. Once the minimum guaranteed license fee is exceeded, revenue is recognized as earned based on the licensee’s underlying sales.
TV/SVOD distribution contracts may limit the licensee’s use of a title to certain defined periods of time during the contract term. In these instances, each period of availability is generally considered a separate performance obligation. For these contracts, the fixed license fee is allocated to each period of availability at contract inception based on relative standalone selling price using management’s best estimate. Revenue is recognized at the start of each availability period when the content is made available for use by the licensee.
When the term of an existing agreement is renewed or extended, revenues are recognized when the licensed content becomes available under the renewal or extension.
•Theatrical distribution licensing fees are recognized as revenue based on the contractual royalty rate applied to the distributor’s underlying sales from exhibition of the film.
•Merchandise licensing fees are recognized as revenue as earned based on the contractual royalty rate applied to the licensee’s underlying product sales. For licenses with minimum guaranteed license fees, the excess of the minimum guaranteed amount over actual royalties earned (“shortfall”) is recognized straight-line over the remaining license period once an expected shortfall is probable.
•Home entertainment sales in physical formats are recognized as revenue on the later of the delivery date or the date that the product can be sold by retailers. We reduce home entertainment revenues for estimated future returns of merchandise and sales incentives based upon historical return experience, current economic trends and projections of consumer demand for our products. Sales of our films in electronic formats are recognized as revenue when the product is available for use by the consumer.
•Taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are excluded from revenue.
•Shipping and handling fees collected from customers are recorded as revenue and the related shipping expenses are recorded in cost of products upon delivery of the product to the consumer.
Allowance for Credit Losses
We evaluate our allowance for credit losses and estimate collectability of current and non-current accounts receivable based on historical bad debt experience, our assessment of the financial condition of individual companies with which we do business, current market conditions and reasonable supportable forecasts of future economic conditions.
Advertising Expense
Advertising costs are expensed as incurred. Advertising expense for fiscal 2021, 2020 and 2019 was $5.5 billion, $4.7 billion and $4.3 billion, respectively. The increase in advertising expense for fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020 was due to higher spend for our DTC streaming services. The increase in advertising expense for fiscal 2020 compared to fiscal 2019 was primarily due to the consolidation of TFCF and Hulu, partially offset by lower advertising for our theatrical, home entertainment and parks and experiences businesses.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash on hand and marketable securities with original maturities of three months or less.
Cash and cash equivalents subject to contractual restrictions and not readily available are classified as restricted cash. The Company’s restricted cash balances are primarily made up of cash posted as collateral for certain derivative instruments.
The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash reported in the Consolidated Balance Sheet to the total of the amounts in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.
October 2, 2021October 3, 2020September 28, 2019
Cash and cash equivalents$15,959$17,9145,418 
Restricted cash included in:
Other current assets3326
Other assets413711
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash in the statement of cash flows
$16,003$17,954$5,455
Investments
Investments in equity securities with a readily determinable fair value, not accounted for under the equity method, are recorded at that value with unrealized gains and losses included in earnings. For equity securities without a readily determinable fair value, the investment is recorded at cost, less any impairment, plus or minus adjustments related to observable transactions for the same or similar securities, with unrealized gains and losses included in earnings.
For equity method investments, the Company regularly reviews its investments to determine whether there is a decline in fair value below book value. If there is a decline that is other-than-temporary, the investment is written down to fair value.
Translation Policy
Generally, the U.S. dollar is the functional currency for our international film and television distribution and licensing businesses and the branded International Channels and DTC streaming services. Generally, the local currency is the functional currency for the Asia Theme Parks, Disneyland Paris, the Star branded channels in India, international sports channels and international locations of The Disney Store.
For U.S. dollar functional currency locations, foreign currency assets and liabilities are remeasured into U.S. dollars at end-of-period exchange rates, except for non-monetary balance sheet accounts, which are remeasured at historical exchange rates. Revenue and expenses are remeasured at average exchange rates in effect during each period, except for those expenses related to the non-monetary balance sheet amounts, which are remeasured at historical exchange rates. Gains or losses from foreign currency remeasurement are included in income.
For local currency functional locations, assets and liabilities are translated at end-of-period rates while revenues and expenses are translated at average rates in effect during the period. Equity is translated at historical rates and the resulting cumulative translation adjustments are included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (AOCI).
Inventories
Inventory primarily includes vacation timeshare units, merchandise, food, materials and supplies. Carrying amounts of vacation ownership units are recorded at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Carrying amounts of merchandise, food, materials and supplies inventories are generally determined on a moving average cost basis and are recorded at the lower of cost or net realizable value.
Film and Television Content Costs
At the beginning of fiscal 2020, the Company adopted, on a prospective basis, new FASB guidance that updates the accounting for film and television content costs. Therefore, reporting periods beginning after September 29, 2019 are presented under the new guidance, while prior periods continue to be reported in accordance with our historical accounting. The new guidance aligns the capitalization of production costs for episodic television content with the capitalization of production costs for theatrical content. Previously, theatrical content production costs could be fully capitalized while episodic television production costs were generally limited to the amount of contracted revenues. This change did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements for fiscal year 2020.
Capitalized content cost, whether produced or acquired/licensed rights are recognized as “Produced and licensed content costs” in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Advances for live programming rights made prior to the live event are reported in “Content advances” in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. The new guidance introduced the concept of “predominant monetization strategy” to classify capitalized content costs for purposes of amortization and impairment as follows:
•Individual - lifetime value is predominantly derived from third-party revenues that are directly attributable to the specific film or television title (e.g. theatrical revenues or sales to third-party television programmers).
•Group - lifetime value is predominantly derived from third-party revenues that are attributable only to a bundle of titles (e.g. subscription revenue for a DTC service or affiliate fees for a cable television network).
The determination of the predominant monetization strategy is made at commencement of production on a consolidated basis and is based on the means by which we derive third-party revenues from use of the content. Imputed title by title license fees that may be necessary for other purposes and are established as required by those purposes.
We generally classify content that is initially intended for use on our DTC streaming services or Linear Networks as group assets. Content initially intended for theatrical release or for sale to third-party licensees, we generally classify as individual assets. Because the new accounting guidance is applied prospectively, the predominant monetization strategy for content released prior to the beginning of fiscal 2020 was determined based on the expected means of monetization over the remaining life of the content. Thus for example, film titles that were released theatrically and in home entertainment prior to fiscal year 2020 and are now distributed on Disney+ are generally considered group content.
The classification of content as individual or group only changes if there is a significant change to the title’s monetization strategy relative to its initial assessment (e.g. content that was initially intended for license to a third-party is instead used on an owned DTC service). When there is a significant change in monetization strategy, the title’s capitalized content costs are tested for impairment.
Production costs for content that is predominantly monetized individually is amortized based upon the ratio of the current period’s revenues to the estimated remaining total revenues (Ultimate Revenues). For film productions, Ultimate Revenues include revenues from all sources, which may include imputed license fees for content that is used on our DTC streaming services, that will be earned within ten years from the date of the initial release for theatrical films. For episodic television series, Ultimate Revenues include revenues that will be earned within ten years, including imputed license fees for content that is used on our DTC streaming services, from delivery of the first episode, or if still in production, five years from delivery of the most recent episode, if later. Participations and residuals are expensed over the applicable product life cycle based upon the ratio of the current period’s revenues to the estimated remaining total revenues for each production.
Production costs that are predominantly monetized as a group are amortized based on projected usage (which may be, for example, derived from historical viewership patterns), typically resulting in an accelerated or straight-line amortization pattern. Participations and residuals are generally expensed in line with the pattern of usage.
Licensed rights to film and television content and other programs for broadcast on our Linear Networks or DTC streaming services are expensed on an accelerated or straight-line basis over their useful life or over the number of times the program is expected to be aired, as appropriate. We amortize rights costs for multi-year sports programming arrangements during the applicable seasons based on the estimated relative value of each year in the arrangement. If annual contractual payments related to each season approximate each season’s estimated relative value, we expense the related contractual payments during the applicable season.
Acquired film and television libraries are generally amortized on a straight-line basis over 20 years from the date of acquisition. Acquired film and television libraries include content that was initially released three years prior to its acquisition, except it excludes the prior seasons of episodic television programming still in production at the date of its acquisition.
The costs of produced and licensed film and television content are subject to regular recoverability assessments. For content that is predominantly monetized individually, the unamortized costs are compared to the estimated fair value. The fair value is determined based on a discounted cash flow analysis of the cash flows directly attributable to the title. To the extent the unamortized costs exceed the fair value, an impairment charge is recorded for the excess. For content that is predominantly monetized as a group, the aggregate unamortized costs of the group are compared to the present value of the discounted cash flows using the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are independent of other produced and licensed content. If the unamortized costs exceed the present value of discounted cash flows, an impairment charge is recorded for the excess and allocated to individual titles based on the relative carrying value of each title in the group. If there are no plans to continue to use an individual film or television program that is part of a group, the unamortized cost of the individual title is written-off immediately. Licensed content is included as part of the group within which it is monetized for purposes of assessing recoverability.
Internal-Use Software Costs
The Company expenses costs incurred in the preliminary project stage of developing or acquiring internal use software, such as research and feasibility studies as well as costs incurred in the post-implementation/operational stage, such as maintenance and training. Capitalization of software development costs occurs only after the preliminary-project stage is complete, management authorizes the project and it is probable that the project will be completed and the software will be used for the function intended. As of October 2, 2021 and October 3, 2020, capitalized software costs, net of accumulated depreciation, totaled $1,186 million and $778 million, respectively. The capitalized costs are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the software up to 7 years.
Parks, Resorts and Other Property
Parks, resorts and other property are carried at historical cost. Depreciation is computed on the straight-line method, generally over estimated useful lives as follows:
Attractions, buildings and improvements20 – 40 years
Furniture, fixtures and equipment3 – 25 years
Land improvements20 – 40 years
Leasehold improvementsLife of lease or asset life if less
Leases
At the beginning of fiscal 2020, the Company adopted new lease accounting guidance issued by the FASB. The most significant change requires lessees to record the present value of operating lease payments as right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet. We adopted the new guidance using the modified retrospective method at the beginning of fiscal year 2020, therefore reporting periods beginning after September 29, 2019 are presented under the new guidance, while prior periods continue to be reported in accordance with our historical accounting.
We determine whether a contract is a lease at contract inception or for a modified contract at the modification date. At inception or modification, the Company calculates the present value of operating lease payments using the Company’s incremental borrowing rate applicable to the lease, which is determined by estimating what it would cost the Company to borrow a collateralized amount equal to the total lease payments over the lease term based on the contractual terms of the lease and the location of the leased asset. Our leases may require us to make fixed rental payments, variable lease payments based on usage or sales and fixed non-lease costs relating to the leased asset. Variable lease payments are generally not included in the measurement of the right-of-use asset and lease liability. Fixed non-lease costs, for example common-area maintenance costs, are included in the measurement of the right-of-use asset and lease liability as the Company does not separate lease and non-lease components.
Goodwill, Other Intangible Assets and Long-Lived Assets
The Company is required to test goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment on an annual basis and if current events or circumstances require, on an interim basis. The Company performs its annual test of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment in its fiscal fourth quarter.
Goodwill is allocated to various reporting units, which are an operating segment or one level below the operating segment. To test goodwill for impairment, the Company first performs a qualitative assessment to determine if it is more likely than not that the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value. If it is, a quantitative assessment is required. Alternatively, the Company may bypass the qualitative assessment and perform a quantitative impairment test.
The qualitative assessment requires the consideration of factors such as recent market transactions, macroeconomic conditions, and changes in projected future cash flows of the reporting unit.
The quantitative assessment compares the fair value of each goodwill reporting unit to its carrying amount, and to the extent the carrying amount exceeds the fair value, an impairment of goodwill is recognized for the excess up to the amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit.
In fiscal 2021, the Company bypassed the qualitative test and performed a quantitative assessment of goodwill for impairment.
The impairment test for goodwill requires judgment related to the identification of reporting units, the assignment of assets and liabilities to reporting units including goodwill, and the determination of fair value of the reporting units. To determine the fair value of our reporting units, we apply what we believe to be the most appropriate valuation methodology for each of our reporting units. We generally use a present value technique (discounted cash flows) corroborated by market multiples when available and as appropriate. The discounted cash flow analyses are sensitive to our estimates of future revenue growth and margins for these businesses as well as the discount rates used to calculate the present value of future cash flows. In times of adverse economic conditions in the global economy, the Company’s long-term cash flow projections are subject to a greater degree of uncertainty than usual. We believe our estimates are consistent with how a marketplace participant would value our reporting units. If we had established different reporting units or utilized different valuation methodologies or assumptions, the impairment test results could differ, and we could be required to record impairment charges.
To test its other indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment, the Company first performs a qualitative assessment to determine if it is more likely than not that the carrying amount of each of its indefinite-lived intangible assets exceeds its fair value. If it is, a quantitative assessment is required. Alternatively, the Company may bypass the qualitative assessment and perform a quantitative impairment test.
The qualitative assessment requires the consideration of factors such as recent market transactions, macroeconomic conditions, and changes in projected future cash flows.
The quantitative assessment compares the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset to its carrying amount. If the carrying amount of an indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized for the excess. Fair values of indefinite-lived intangible assets are determined based on discounted cash flows or appraised values, as appropriate. The Company has determined that there are currently no legal, competitive, economic or other factors that materially limit the useful life of our FCC licenses and trademarks, which are our most significant indefinite-lived intangible assets.
Finite-lived intangible assets are generally amortized on a straight-line basis over periods up to 40 years. The costs to periodically renew our intangible assets are expensed as incurred.
The Company tests long-lived assets, including amortizable intangible assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances (triggering events) indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. Once a triggering event has occurred, the impairment test employed is based on whether the Company’s intent is to hold the asset for continued use or to hold the asset for sale. The impairment test for assets held for use requires a comparison of the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated over the relevant useful life of an asset group to the carrying amount of the asset group. An asset group is generally established by identifying the lowest level of cash flows generated by a group of assets that are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and could include assets used across multiple businesses. If the carrying amount of an asset group exceeds the estimated undiscounted future cash flows, an impairment would be measured as the difference between the fair value of the group’s long lived-assets and the carrying amount of the group’s long-lived assets. The impairment is allocated to the long-lived assets of the group on a pro rata basis using the relative carrying amounts, but only to the extent the carrying amount of each asset is above its fair value. For assets held for sale, to the extent the carrying amount is greater than the asset’s fair value less costs to sell, an impairment loss is recognized for the difference.
The Company recorded non-cash impairment charges of $0.3 billion, $5.2 billion, and $0.6 billion in fiscal 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
The fiscal 2021 charges primarily related to the closure of an animation studio and a substantial number of our Disney-branded retail stores in North America and Europe.
The fiscal 2020 impairment charges primarily related to impairments of MVPD agreement intangibles assets ($1.9 billion) and goodwill ($3.1 billion) at the International Channels business. See Note 19 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional discussion of these impairment charges.
The fiscal 2019 charges primarily related to impairments of investments accounted for under the equity method of accounting recorded in “Equity in the income (loss) of investees” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
The Company expects its aggregate annual amortization expense for finite-lived intangible assets for fiscal 2022 through 2026 to be as follows:
2022$2,005
20231,806
20241,567
20251,469
2026976
Risk Management Contracts
In the normal course of business, the Company employs a variety of financial instruments (derivatives) including interest rate and cross-currency swap agreements and forward and option contracts to manage its exposure to fluctuations in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates and commodity prices.
The Company formally documents all relationships between hedges and hedged items as well as its risk management objectives and strategies for undertaking various hedge transactions. The Company primarily enters into two types of derivatives: hedges of fair value exposure and hedges of cash flow exposure. Hedges of fair value exposure are entered into in order to hedge the fair value of a recognized asset, liability, or a firm commitment. Hedges of cash flow exposure are entered into in order to hedge a forecasted transaction (e.g. forecasted revenue) or the variability of cash flows to be paid or received, related to a recognized liability or asset (e.g. floating-rate debt).
The Company designates and assigns the derivatives as hedges of forecasted transactions, specific assets or specific liabilities. When hedged assets or liabilities are sold or extinguished or the forecasted transactions being hedged occur or are no longer expected to occur, the Company recognizes the gain or loss on the designated derivatives.
The Company’s hedge positions are measured at fair value on the balance sheet. Realized gains and losses from hedges are classified in the income statement consistent with the accounting treatment of the items being hedged. The Company accrues the differential for interest rate swaps to be paid or received under the agreements as interest rates change as adjustments to interest expense over the lives of the swaps. Gains and losses on the termination of effective swap agreements, prior to their original maturity, are deferred and amortized to interest expense over the remaining term of the underlying hedged transactions.
The Company enters into derivatives that are not designated as hedges and do not qualify for hedge accounting. These derivatives are intended to offset certain economic exposures of the Company and are carried at fair value with changes in value recorded in earnings. Cash flows from hedging activities are classified in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows under the same category as the cash flows from the related assets, liabilities or forecasted transactions (see Notes 9 and 18).
Income Taxes
Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are recorded with respect to temporary differences in the accounting treatment of items for financial reporting purposes and for income tax purposes. Where, based on the weight of available evidence, it is more likely than not that some amount of recorded deferred tax assets will not be realized, a valuation allowance is established for the amount that, in management’s judgment, is sufficient to reduce the deferred tax asset to an amount that is more likely than not to be realized.
A tax position must meet a minimum probability threshold before a financial statement benefit is recognized. The minimum threshold is defined as a tax position that is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the applicable taxing authority, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefit to be recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than fifty percent likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement.
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests
The Company consolidates the results of certain subsidiaries that are less than 100% owned and for which the noncontrolling interest shareholders have the rights to require the Company to purchase their interests in these subsidiaries. The most significant of these are Hulu and BAMTech LLC (BAMTech).
Hulu provides DTC streaming services and is owned 67% by the Company and 33% by NBCU. In May 2019, the Company entered into a put/call agreement with NBCU that provided the Company with full operational control of Hulu. Under the agreement, beginning in January 2024, NBCU has the option to require the Company to purchase NBCU’s interest in Hulu and the Company has the option to require NBCU to sell its interest in Hulu to the Company, at a redemption value based on NBCU’s equity ownership percentage of the greater of Hulu’s then equity fair value or a guaranteed floor value of $27.5 billion.
NBCU’s interest will generally not be allocated its portion of Hulu’s losses as the redeemable noncontrolling interest is required to be carried at a minimum value. The minimum value is equal to the fair value as of the May 13, 2019 agreement date accreted to the January 2024 estimated redemption value. At October 2, 2021, NBCU’s interest in Hulu is recorded in the Company’s financial statements at $8.4 billion.
BAMTech provides streaming technology services to third parties and is owned 85% by the Company and 15% by the MLB. Prior to September 2021, BAMTech was owned 75% by the Company, 15% by MLB and 10% by the NHL. The NHL interest included a right to require the Company to purchase the NHL interest for $350 million in 2021. In August 2021, the NHL exercised its right and the Company purchased the NHL interest for $350 million in September 2021.
MLB has the right to sell its interest to the Company and the Company has the right to buy MLB’s interest starting five years from and ending ten years after the Company’s September 25, 2017 acquisition date of BAMTech at a redemption value equal to the greater of fair value or a guaranteed floor value ($563 million accreting at 8% annually for eight years from the date of acquisition).
The MLB interest is required to be carried at a minimum value equal to its acquisition date fair value accreted to its estimated redemption value through the applicable redemption date. Therefore, the MLB interest is generally not allocated its portion of BAMTech losses. As of October 2, 2021, the MLB interest was recorded in the Company’s financial statements at $820 million.
Our estimate of the redemption value of noncontrolling interests requires management to make significant judgments with respect to the future value of the noncontrolling interests. We are accreting the noncontrolling interests of both BAMTech and Hulu to their guaranteed floor values. If our estimate of the future redemption value increased above either of the guaranteed floor values, we would change our rate of accretion, which would generally increase earnings recorded in “Net income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests” and thus reduce “Net income (loss) attributable to The Walt Disney Company (Disney)” on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Earnings Per Share
The Company presents both basic and diluted earnings per share (EPS) amounts. Basic EPS is calculated by dividing net income attributable to Disney by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the year. Diluted EPS is based upon the weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding during the year, which is calculated using the treasury-stock method for equity-based awards (Awards). Common equivalent shares are excluded from the computation in periods for which they have an anti-dilutive effect. Stock options for which the exercise price exceeds the average market price over the period are anti-dilutive and, accordingly, are excluded from the calculation.
A reconciliation of the weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding and the number of Awards excluded from the diluted earnings per share calculation, as they were anti-dilutive, are as follows:
202120202019
Weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding (basic)
1,8161,8081,656
Weighted average dilutive impact of Awards(1)
12—10
Weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding (diluted)
1,8281,8081,666
Awards excluded from diluted earnings per share4357
(1)Amounts exclude all potential common and common equivalent shares for periods when there is a net loss from continuing operations.