Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

CONTINGENT EARN-OUT CONSIDERATION

v3.7.0.1
CONTINGENT EARN-OUT CONSIDERATION
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration, Liability [Abstract]  
CONTINGENT EARN-OUT CONSIDERATION
NOTE 5. CONTINGENT EARN-OUT CONSIDERATION
 
Our acquisitions may include contingent earn-out consideration as part of the purchase price under which we will make future payments to the seller upon the achievement of certain benchmarks. The fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration is estimated as of the acquisition date at the present value of the expected contingent payments to be made using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow model for probabilities of possible future payments. The present value of the expected future payouts is accreted to interest expense over the earn-out period. The fair value estimates use unobservable inputs that reflect our own assumptions as to the ability of the acquired business to meet the targeted benchmarks and discount rates used in the calculations. The unobservable inputs are defined in FASB ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” as Level 3 inputs discussed in detail in Note 16.
 
We review the probabilities of possible future payments to the estimated fair value of any contingent earn-out consideration on a quarterly basis over the earn-out period. Actual results are compared to the estimates and probabilities of achievement used in our forecasts. Should actual results of the acquired business increase or decrease as compared to our estimates and assumptions, the estimated fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration liability will increase or decrease, up to the contracted limit, as applicable. Changes in the estimated fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration are reflected in our results of operations in the period in which they are identified. Changes in the estimated fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration may materially impact and cause volatility in our operating results.
 
Turner Investment Products
 
We acquired Mike Turner’s line of investment products, including TurnerTrends.com and other domain names and related assets on September 13, 2016. We paid $0.4 million in cash upon closing and may pay up to an additional $0.1 million in contingent earn-out consideration during the twelve month period ending September 13, 2017 based on the achievement of certain revenue benchmarks. Using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow model based on our own assumptions as to the ability of Turner’s investment products to achieve the revenue targets at the time of closing, we estimated the fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration to be $66,000, which approximated the discounted present value due to the earn-out period of less than one year. The discount is being accreted to interest expense over the one-year earn-out period. We believe that our experience with digital subscriptions and websites provides a reasonable basis for our estimates.
 
We review the fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration quarterly over the earn-out period to compare actual subscriber revenues achieved and projected to the estimated subscriber revenues used in our forecasts. Any changes in the estimated fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration will be reflected in our results of operations in the period they are identified, up to the maximum future value outstanding under the contract of $0.1 million. There were no changes in our estimates of the fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration as of the three month period ending March 31, 2017. To date, no payments have been made to the seller and we have estimated the fair value of our contingent earn-out consideration to be approximately $51,000.
 
Daily Bible Devotion
 
We acquired Daily Bible Devotion mobile applications on May 6, 2015. We paid $1.1 million in cash upon closing and may pay up to an additional $0.3 million in contingent earn-out consideration payable over the next two years based upon on the achievement of cumulative session benchmarks for each mobile application. Using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow model based on our own assumptions as to the ability of Bible Devotional Applications to achieve the session benchmarks at the time of closing, we estimated the fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration to be $165,000, which was recorded at the discounted present value of $142,000. The discount is being accreted to interest expense over the two-year earn-out period. We believe that our experience with digital mobile applications and websites provides a reasonable basis for our estimates.
 
We review the fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration quarterly over the two-year earn-out period to compare actual cumulative sessions achieved to the estimated cumulative sessions used in our forecasts. Any changes in the estimated fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration are reflected in our results of operations in the period they are identified, up to the maximum future value outstanding under the contract of $0.3 million less any amounts paid or expired to date. Changes in the fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration may materially impact and cause volatility in our future operating results. There were no changes in our estimates of the fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration as of the three month period ending March 31, 2017. To date, we have paid $75,000 to the seller and we have estimated the fair value of our remaining contingent earn-out consideration to be approximately $4,000.
 
Bryan Perry Newsletters
 
On February 6, 2015, we acquired the assets and assumed the deferred subscription liabilities for Bryan Perry Newsletters, paying no cash to the seller upon closing. Future contingent earn-out consideration due to the seller was based upon 50% of the net subscriber revenues achieved over the two-year period from date of close with no minimum or maximum contractual amount due. Using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow model based on our revenue projections at the time of closing, we estimated the fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration to be $171,000, which we recorded at the discounted present value of $158,000. The discount was accreted to interest expense over the two-year earn-out period. We paid a total of $86,000 to the seller of which approximately $9,000 was paid during the three month period ended March 31, 2017. We recorded a net increase of $1,000 to the estimated fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration that is reflected in our results of operations for the three months ending March 31, 2017, due to actual net subscription revenues that were slightly higher than our prior estimate. The final payment due to the seller of approximately $5,000 is reflected in other current liabilities as of March 31, 2017.
 
Eagle Publishing
 
On January 10, 2014, we acquired the entities of Eagle Publishing, including Regnery Publishing, HumanEvents.com, RedState.com, Eagle Financial Publications and Eagle Wellness. The base purchase price was $8.5 million, with $3.5 million paid in cash upon closing, and deferred payments of $2.5 million each due January 2015 and January 2016. The purchase agreement included contingent earn-out consideration of up to $8.5 million based upon the achievement of certain revenue benchmarks established for calendar years 2014, 2015 and 2016 for each of the Eagle entities. Using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow model based on the likelihood of achievement of the benchmarks at the time of closing, we estimated the fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration to be $2.4 million, which was recorded at the discounted present value of $2.0 million. The discount was accreted to interest expense over the three-year earn-out period. We paid a total of $0.9 million in cash for amounts due under the contingent earn-out as of the end of the term on December 31, 2016.
 
The following table reflects the changes in the present value of our acquisition-related estimated contingent earn-out consideration during the three month period ended March 31, 2017 and 2016:
 
 
 
Three Months Ending March 31, 2017
 
 
 
Short-Term
 
Long-Term
 
 
 
 
 
 
Accrued Expenses
 
Other Liabilities
 
Total
 
 
 
(Dollars in thousands)
 
Beginning Balance as of January 1, 2017
 
$
66
 
$
—
 
$
66
 
Acquisitions
 
 
—
 
 
—
 
 
—
 
Accretion of acquisition-related contingent earn-out consideration
 
 
2
 
 
—
 
 
2
 
Change in the estimated fair value of contingent earn-out consideration
 
 
1
 
 
—
 
 
1
 
Reclassification of payments due in next 12 months to short-term
 
 
—
 
 
—
 
 
—
 
Payments
 
 
(9)
 
 
—
 
 
(9)
 
Ending Balance as of March 31, 2017
 
$
60
 
$
—
 
$
60
 
 
 
 
Three Months Ending March 31, 2016
 
 
 
Short-Term
 
Long-Term
 
 
 
 
 
 
Accrued Expenses
 
Other Liabilities
 
Total
 
 
 
(Dollars in thousands)
 
Beginning Balance as of January 1, 2016
 
$
173
 
$
602
 
$
775
 
Acquisitions
 
 
—
 
 
—
 
 
—
 
Accretion of acquisition-related contingent earn-out consideration
 
 
3
 
 
7
 
 
10
 
Change in the estimated fair value of contingent earn-out consideration
 
 
(74)
 
 
(54)
 
 
(128)
 
Reclassification of payments due in next 12 months to short-term
 
 
522
 
 
(522)
 
 
—
 
Payments
 
 
(83)
 
 
—
 
 
(83)
 
Ending Balance as of March 31, 2016
 
$
541
 
$
33
 
$
574