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Business Description And Basis Of Presentation
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011
Business Description And Basis Of Presentation  
Business Description And Basis Of Presentation

Note 1: Business Description and Basis of Presentation

Our Business

On January 28, 2011, Comcast Corporation ("Comcast") closed its transaction (the "Joint Venture Transaction") with General Electric Company ("GE") to form a new company named NBCUniversal, LLC ("NBCUniversal Holdings"). Comcast now controls and owns 51% of NBCUniversal Holdings and GE owns the remaining 49%. As part of the Joint Venture Transaction, NBCUniversal, Inc. (our "Predecessor") was converted into a Delaware limited liability company named NBCUniversal Media, LLC ("NBCUniversal"), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of NBCUniversal Holdings. Comcast contributed to NBCUniversal its national cable programming networks, including E!, Golf Channel, G4, Style and VERSUS, its regional sports and news networks, consisting of ten regional sports networks and three regional news channels, certain of its Internet businesses, including DailyCandy and Fandango, and other related assets (the "Comcast Content Business"). In addition to contributing the Comcast Content Business, Comcast also made a cash payment to GE of $6.2 billion, which included transaction-related costs. See Note 4 for additional information on the Joint Venture Transaction.

Following the closing of the Joint Venture Transaction, we present our operations in the following four reportable segments.

 

   

Cable Networks: Our Cable Networks segment consists primarily of our national cable entertainment networks (USA Network, Syfy, E!, Bravo, Oxygen, Style, G4, Chiller, Sleuth and Universal HD); our national news and information networks (CNBC, MSNBC and CNBC World); our national cable sports networks (Golf Channel and VERSUS); our regional sports and news networks; our international entertainment and news and information networks (including CNBC Europe, CNBC Asia and our Universal Networks International portfolio of networks); our cable television production operations; and certain digital media properties consisting primarily of brand-aligned websites and other websites, such as DailyCandy, Fandango and iVillage.

 

 

   

Broadcast Television: Our Broadcast Television segment consists of our U.S. broadcast networks NBC and Telemundo; our 10 NBC and 15 Telemundo owned local television stations; our television production operations; and our related digital media properties, which consist primarily of brand-aligned websites.

 

 

   

Filmed Entertainment: Our Filmed Entertainment segment consists of the operations of Universal Pictures, which produces, acquires, markets and distributes filmed entertainment and stage plays worldwide in various media formats for theatrical, home entertainment, television and other distribution platforms.

 

 

   

Theme Parks: Our Theme Parks segment consists primarily of our Universal Studios Hollywood theme park, our Wet 'n Wild water park, and fees from intellectual property licenses and other services from third parties that own and operate Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Singapore. Through June 30, 2011, we held a 50% equity interest in, and received special and other fees from, Universal City Development Partners ("UCDP"), which owns Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure. On July 1, 2011, we completed the acquisition of the remaining 50% equity interest in UCDP for $1.025 billion, subject to various purchase price adjustments. As a result, UCDP is now a wholly owned consolidated subsidiary.

 

Our headquarters are located in New York, New York, with operations throughout North America, Europe, South America and Asia.

 

Basis of Presentation

We have prepared these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements based on Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") rules that permit reduced disclosure for interim periods. These financial statements include all adjustments that are necessary for a fair presentation of our consolidated results of operations, financial condition and cash flows for the periods shown, including normal, recurring accruals and other items. Transactions between NBCUniversal and Comcast, GE, Vivendi S.A. ("Vivendi"), their affiliates and other associated companies are reflected in these condensed consolidated financial statements and disclosed as related party transactions when material. We also evaluated events or transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date through the issuance date of these condensed consolidated financial statements to determine if financial statement recognition or additional disclosure is required. The consolidated results of operations for the interim periods presented are not necessarily indicative of results for the full year.

The year-end condensed consolidated balance sheet was derived from audited financial statements but does not include all disclosures required by generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("GAAP"). For a more complete discussion of our accounting policies and certain other information, refer to our annual consolidated financial statements for the preceding fiscal year as filed with the SEC in our Registration Statement on Form S-4 on July 12, 2011.

As a result of the change in control of our company, Comcast has applied the acquisition method of accounting with respect to the assets and liabilities of the acquired NBCUniversal businesses ("our existing businesses"), which have been remeasured to fair value as of the date of the Joint Venture Transaction. Such fair values have been reflected in our financial statements following the "push down method of accounting." Our condensed consolidated financial statements for periods following the close of the Joint Venture Transaction are labeled "Successor" and reflect both the push down of Comcast's basis of accounting in the new fair values of the assets and liabilities of our existing businesses, and consolidation of the Comcast Content Business at historical cost. All periods prior to the closing of the Joint Venture Transaction reflect the historical accounting basis in our assets and liabilities and are labeled "Predecessor." Our condensed consolidated financial statements and footnotes include a black line division, which appears between the columns titled Predecessor and Successor, which signifies that the amounts shown for the periods prior to and following the Joint Venture Transaction are not comparable. See Note 4 for additional information on the Joint Venture Transaction.