Description of Business and Basis of Presentation

12 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2022

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Description of Business and Basis of Presentation

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Fox Corporation, ("FOX" or the "Company"), is a news, sports and entertainment company, which manages and reports its businesses in the following segments: Cable Network Programming, Television and Other, Corporate and Eliminations.

The Distribution

On March 19, 2019, the Company became a standalone publicly traded company through the pro rata distribution by Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. ("21CF") of all of the issued and outstanding common stock of FOX to 21CF stockholders (other than holders that were subsidiaries of 21CF) (the "Distribution") in accordance with the Amended and Restated Distribution Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 20, 2018, by and between 21CF and 21CF Distribution Merger Sub, Inc. Following the Distribution, the Company's Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the "Class A Common Stock"), and Class B Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the "Class B Common Stock" and, together with the Class A Common Stock, the "Common Stock") began trading independently on The Nasdaq Global Select Market. In connection with the Distribution, the Company entered into the Separation and Distribution Agreement, dated as of March 19, 2019 (the "Separation Agreement"), with 21CF, which effected the internal restructuring (the "Separation") whereby The Walt Disney Company ("Disney") acquired the remaining 21CF assets and 21CF became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Disney. The Separation and the Distribution were effected as part of a series of transactions contemplated by the Amended and Restated Merger Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 20, 2018 (the "21CF Disney Merger Agreement"), by and among 21CF, Disney and certain subsidiaries of Disney.

In connection with the Separation, the Company entered into several agreements that govern certain aspects of the Company's relationship with 21CF and Disney following the Separation including the Separation Agreement and a tax matters agreement.

The Separation Agreement contains the key provisions relating to the Separation and the Distribution. The Separation Agreement identifies the assets that were transferred, the liabilities that were assumed and the contracts that were assigned to each of the Company and 21CF as part of the Separation and describes how these transfers, assumptions and assignments occurred. It also provides for cross-indemnities between the Company and 21CF. Other matters governed by the Separation Agreement include access to financial and other information, confidentiality, access to and provision of records, continued access for the Company to 21CF insurance policies and shared contracts and certain third-party consent provisions. Pursuant to the Separation Agreement, the Company is the owner of all "FOX" brands and related trademarks, as well as all other intellectual property primarily related to the Company's business. In addition, the Company entered into certain trademark and other intellectual property license agreements in connection with the use of certain intellectual property by 21CF.

The tax matters agreement among the Company, Disney and 21CF governs the parties' respective rights, responsibilities and obligations with respect to certain tax matters. Under this agreement, 21CF will generally indemnify the Company against any taxes required to be reported on a consolidated or separate tax return of 21CF and/or any of its subsidiaries, including any taxes resulting from the Separation and the Distribution, and the Company will generally indemnify 21CF against any taxes required to be reported on a separate tax return of the Company or any of its subsidiaries.

The Company also entered into an employee matters agreement with 21CF that governs the parties' obligations with respect to certain employee-related liabilities (See Note 12—Equity-Based Compensation). The core transition services agreements entered into in connection with the Separation terminated in accordance with their terms in fiscal 2022.

Basis of Presentation

The Company's financial statements as of and for the years ended June 30, 2022, 2021 and 2020 are presented on a consolidated basis.

Pursuant to the 21CF Disney Merger Agreement, immediately prior to the Distribution, the Company paid to 21CF a dividend in the amount of $8.5 billion (the "Dividend"). The final determination of the taxes in respect of the Separation and the Distribution for which the Company is responsible pursuant to the 21CF Disney Merger Agreement and a prepayment of the estimated taxes in respect of divestitures (collectively, the "Transaction Tax") was $6.5 billion. Following the Distribution, on March 20, 2019 the Company received a cash payment in the amount of $2.0 billion from Disney, which had the net effect of reducing the Dividend the Company paid to 21CF. The Transaction Tax included a prepayment of the Company's share of the estimated tax liabilities resulting from the anticipated divestitures by Disney of certain assets, principally the FOX Sports Regional Sports Networks ("RSNs"), which were sold by Disney during calendar year 2019 ("Divestiture Tax"). This prepayment was in the amount of approximately $700 million. During the first quarter of fiscal 2021, the Company and Disney reached an agreement to settle the majority of the prepaid Divestiture Tax and the Company received $462 million from Disney as reimbursement of the Company's prepayment based upon the sales price of the RSNs. This reimbursement was recorded in Other, net in the Statement of Operations (See Note 20—Additional Financial Information under the heading "Other, net"). The balance of the prepaid Divestiture Tax is subject to adjustment in the future, but any such adjustment is not expected to have a material impact on the results of the Company.

As a result of the Separation and the Distribution, which was a taxable transaction for which the estimated tax liability of $5.8 billion was included in the Transaction Tax paid by the Company, FOX obtained a tax basis in its assets equal to their respective fair market values. This will result in estimated annual tax deductions of approximately $1.5 billion, principally over the next several years related to the amortization of the additional tax basis. This amortization is estimated to reduce the Company's annual cash tax liability by approximately $370 million per year at the current combined federal and state applicable tax rate of approximately 25%. Such estimates are subject to revisions, which could be material, based upon the occurrence of future events.

The consolidated financial statements are referred to as the "Financial Statements" herein. The consolidated statements of operations are referred to as the "Statements of Operations" herein. The consolidated statements of comprehensive income are referred to as the "Statements of Comprehensive Income" herein. The consolidated balance sheets are referred to as the "Balance Sheets" herein. The consolidated statements of cash flows are referred to as the "Statements of Cash Flows" herein. The consolidated statements of equity are referred to as the "Statements of Equity" herein.