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Basis Of Presentation
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3 Months Ended |
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Mar. 31, 2014
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| Basis of Presentation [Abstract] | |
| Basis of Presentation |
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Liberty Interactive Corporation and its controlled subsidiaries (collectively, "Liberty" or the "Company" unless the context otherwise requires). All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Liberty, through its ownership of interests in subsidiaries and other companies, is primarily engaged in the video and on-line commerce industries in North America, Europe and Asia.
The accompanying (a) condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2013, which has been derived from audited financial statements, and (b) the interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") for interim financial information and the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X as promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation of the results for such periods have been included. Additionally, certain prior period amounts have been reclassified for comparability with current period presentation. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto contained in Liberty's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Liberty considers (i) fair value measurement, (ii) accounting for income taxes, (iii) assessments of other-than-temporary declines in fair value of its investments and (iv) estimates of retail-related adjustments and allowances to be its most significant estimates.
Liberty holds investments that are accounted for using the equity method. Liberty does not control the decision making process or business management practices of these affiliates. Accordingly, Liberty relies on management of these affiliates to provide it with accurate financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP that Liberty uses in the application of the equity method. In addition, Liberty relies on audit reports that are provided by the affiliates' independent auditors on the financial statements of such affiliates. The Company is not aware, however, of any errors in or possible misstatements of the financial information provided by its equity affiliates that would have a material effect on Liberty's condensed consolidated financial statements.
Liberty has entered into certain agreements with Liberty Media Corporation ("LMC"), a separate publicly traded company, neither of which has any stock ownership, beneficial or otherwise, in the other, in order to govern relationships between the companies. These agreements include a Reorganization Agreement, Services Agreement, Facilities Sharing Agreement and Tax Sharing Agreement.
The Reorganization Agreement provides for, among other things, provisions governing the relationship between Liberty and LMC, including certain cross-indemnities. Pursuant to the Services Agreement, LMC provides Liberty with certain general and administrative services including legal, tax, accounting, treasury and investor relations support. Liberty reimburses LMC for direct, out-of-pocket expenses incurred by LMC in providing these services and for Liberty's allocable portion of costs associated with any shared services or personnel based on an estimated percentage of time spent providing services to Liberty. Under the Facilities Sharing Agreement, LMC shares office space and related amenities at its corporate headquarters with Liberty. Under these various agreements, approximately $3 million and $4 million were reimbursable to LMC for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The Tax Sharing Agreement provides for the allocation and indemnification of tax liabilities and benefits between Liberty and Starz and other agreements related to tax matters.
On October 10, 2013, Liberty announced that its board has authorized management to pursue a plan to recapitalize its Interactive Group tracking stock into two new tracking stocks, one (currently the Liberty Interactive common stock) to be renamed the QVC Group common stock and the other to be designated as the Liberty Digital Commerce common stock. The Digital Commerce Group would have attributed to it Liberty's subsidiaries Provide Commerce, Inc. ("Provide"), Backcountry.com, Inc. ("Backcountry"), Bodybuilding.com, LLC ("Bodybuilding"), CommerceHub and the Evite.com business, which is currently a part of Liberty's subsidiary Celebrate Interactive Holdings, LLC ("Celebrate"), along with cash and certain liabilities. The QVC Group, which is currently known as the Interactive Group, would have attributed to it Liberty’s subsidiary QVC, Inc. and its approximate 38% interest in HSN, Inc., along with cash and certain liabilities. Management continues to review the proposed recapitalization and no assurance can be given as to when or if the transaction will be completed.
Additionally, on October 10, 2013, Liberty announced that its board has also authorized management to pursue a plan to spin-off to holders of its Liberty Ventures common stock shares of a newly formed company called Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. (“Trip Holdings”). Trip Holdings would be comprised of, among other things, Liberty’s 22% economic and 57% voting interest in TripAdvisor, as well as Liberty’s Celebrate retail business, which is currently a part of Liberty's subsidiary Celebrate, and an anticipated initial corporate level net debt balance of $350 million.
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