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Goodwill and Intangible Assets
 6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2018
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]  
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of acquired businesses over the estimated fair values of the tangible and identifiable intangible net assets acquired. Evaluations of the recoverability of goodwill are performed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 350, which requires an annual assessment of potential goodwill impairment at the reporting unit level and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable. The annual assessment of the recoverability of recorded goodwill can be based on either a qualitative or quantitative assessment or a combination of the two approaches. Both methods utilize estimates which, in turn, require judgments and assumptions regarding future trends and events. As a result, both the precision and reliability of the resulting estimates are subject to uncertainty. If our annual goodwill impairment evaluation determines that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its related carrying amount, we may recognize an impairment charge. In connection with our most recent annual impairment test of goodwill during the quarter ended September 30, 2017, which indicated no impairment of recorded goodwill, the Company utilized the qualitative approach in assessing the fair values of its reporting units relative to their respective carrying values.
 
The following table presents changes to the carrying amount of goodwill by segment during the six months ended June 30, 2018 (in thousands):
 
Research
 
Events
 
Consulting
 
Other
 
Total
Balance at December 31, 2017 (1), (2)
$
2,619,677

 
$
187,920

 
$
97,798

 
$
81,899

 
$
2,987,294

Divestiture (3)
—

 
—

 
—

 
(20,642
)
 
(20,642
)
Foreign currency translation impact and other (4)
568

 
(245
)
 
(335
)
 
7,873

 
7,861

Balance at June 30, 2018
$
2,620,245

 
$
187,675

 
$
97,463

 
$
69,130

 
$
2,974,513

 
(1)
The Company does not have any accumulated goodwill impairment losses.
(2)
Excludes certain amounts related to held-for-sale operations.
(3)
Represents amounts related to a divested business. See Note 2 — Acquisitions and Divestitures for additional information.
(4)
Includes the foreign currency translation impact and certain measurement period adjustments related to the acquisition of CEB in April 2017.

Finite-Lived Intangible Assets

The following tables present reconciliations of the carrying amounts of the Company's finite-lived intangible assets as of the dates indicated (in thousands):
June 30, 2018
 
Customer
Relationships
 
Software
 
Content
 
Other
 
Total
Gross cost at December 31, 2017 (1)
 
$
1,200,316

 
$
123,424

 
$
104,313

 
$
54,929

 
$
1,482,982

Divestiture (2)
 
(7,167
)
 
(321
)
 
(241
)
 
(39
)
 
(7,768
)
Foreign currency translation impact and other (3)
 
(6,953
)
 
(315
)
 
(564
)
 
(500
)
 
(8,332
)
Gross cost
 
1,186,196

 
122,788

 
103,508

 
54,390

 
1,466,882

Accumulated amortization (4)
 
(141,775
)
 
(38,759
)
 
(79,220
)
 
(29,831
)
 
(289,585
)
Balance at June 30, 2018
 
$
1,044,421

 
$
84,029

 
$
24,288

 
$
24,559

 
$
1,177,297


December 31, 2017
 
Customer
Relationships
 
Software
 
Content
 
Other
 
Total
Gross cost (1)
 
$
1,200,316

 
$
123,424

 
$
104,313

 
$
54,929

 
$
1,482,982

Accumulated amortization (4)
 
(92,983
)
 
(26,344
)
 
(47,475
)
 
(24,158
)
 
(190,960
)
Balance at December 31, 2017 (1)
 
$
1,107,333

 
$
97,080

 
$
56,838

 
$
30,771

 
$
1,292,022


 

(1) Excludes certain amounts related to held-for-sale operations.
(2) Represents amounts related to a divested business. See Note 2 — Acquisitions and Divestitures for additional information.
(3) Includes the foreign currency translation impact and certain other adjustments.
(4) Finite-lived intangible assets are amortized using the straight-line method over the following periods: Customer relationships—4 to 13 years; Software—3 to 7 years; Content—1.5 to 5 years; and Other—2 to 5 years.

Amortization expense related to finite-lived intangible assets was $50.1 million and $65.5 million during the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and $101.8 million and $71.8 million during the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. 

The estimated future amortization expense by year for finite-lived intangible assets is as follows (in thousands):
2018 (remaining six months)
$
84,072

2019
133,661

2020
127,022

2021
106,555

2022
96,998

Thereafter
628,989

 
$
1,177,297