Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Basis Of Presentation

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Basis Of Presentation
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation

(1)   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, 2014, 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, 2014.

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.

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued new accounting guidance on revenue from contracts with customers.  The new guidance requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The updated guidance will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in GAAP when it becomes effective and permits the use of either a retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2016 but a proposal has been issued to extend the effective date to those fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2017.  The Company has not yet selected a transition method and is currently evaluating the effect that the updated standard will have on its revenue recognition but does not believe that the standard will significantly impact its financial statements and related disclosures.

In April 2015, the FASB issued new accounting guidance on the presentation of debt issuance costs,  which requires debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability to be presented on the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the debt liability. The new guidance intends to simplify the presentation of debt issuance costs. This standard will more closely align the presentation of debt issuance costs under GAAP with the presentation under comparable International Financial Reporting Standards. The new standard is effective for the Company on January 1, 2016. Early application is permitted. The standard requires the use of the retrospective transition method. The Company is evaluating the effect that the new guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. The Company has not yet determined the effect of the standard on its ongoing financial reporting.

As a result of the TripAdvisor Holdings Spin-Off (defined in note 3) and repurchases of Series A Liberty Interactive common stock, the Company’s additional paid-in capital balance was in a deficit position as of March 31, 2015. In order to maintain a zero balance in the additional paid-in capital account, we reclassified the amount of the deficit ($87 million) to retained earnings as of March 31, 2015.

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 was reimbursable to LMC for each of the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014.  Additionally, the Tax Sharing Agreement provides for the allocation and indemnification of tax liabilities and benefits between Liberty and LMC and other agreements related to tax matters.