Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

CONTINGENT EARN-OUT CONSIDERATION

v3.3.1.900
CONTINGENT EARN-OUT CONSIDERATION
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration, Liability [Abstract]  
CONTINGENT EARN-OUT CONSIDERATION
NOTE 4. 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 significant 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 9.
 
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.
 
Daily Bible Devotion
 
We acquired Daily Bible Devotion mobile applications on May 6, 2015 for $1.1 million in cash paid upon closing and 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.
 
The fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration is reviewed quarterly over the two-year earn-out period to compare actual cumulative sessions achieved compared to the cumulative session estimates 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 of $0.3 million. Changes in the fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration may materially impact and cause volatility in our future operating results. Based upon the achievement of actual cumulative sessions that exceeded the estimated amounts used in our original forecasts, we increased the probabilities of achieving the future benchmarks by approximately 11.3% as of the year ending December 31, 2015. We recorded a net increase of $32,000 in the estimated fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration in our results of operations for the year ending December 31, 2015. Our first payment of $75,000 for the period ending December 31, 2015 was paid in January 2016.
 
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 is based upon net subscriber revenues achieved over a two-year period from date of close, of which we will pay the seller 50%. There is 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 is being accreted to interest expense over the two-year earn out period. We believe that our experience with digital publications and renewals provides a reasonable basis for our estimates.
 
The fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration is reviewed quarterly over the two year earn-out period to compare actual subscription revenue earned to the estimated subscription revenue 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. Changes in the fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration may materially impact and cause volatility in our future operating results. Based upon actual subscription revenue earned, we have paid approximately $42,000 to the seller as of the year ending December 31, 2015. We recorded a net decrease of $66,000 in the estimated fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration of in our results of operations for the year ending December 31, 2015. The decline reflects lower actual subscription revenues achieved during 2015 compared to subscription revenues estimates used in our forecasts.
 
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. As part of the purchase agreement, we may pay up to an additional $8.5 million of contingent earn-out consideration over the next three years based on 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 is being accreted to interest expense over the three-year earn out period. We believe that our experience with publications, renewal rates and websites provide a reasonable basis for our estimates.
 
The fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration is reviewed quarterly over the three year earn-out period to compare actual operating revenues earned to the estimated revenue 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. Changes in the fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration may materially impact and cause volatility in our future operating results. Our results of operations for the years ending December 31, 2014 and 2015 reflect an increase of $0.4 million and a decrease of $1.2 million, respectively, for changes in the estimated fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration based upon actual revenues that differed from estimated revenues used in our forecasts.
 
During the year ending December 31, 2015, we have paid $0.9 million in cash for amounts earned under the contingent earn-out consideration. Using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow model based on the likelihood of achievement of the benchmarks, we estimated the remaining fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration to be $0.5 million. The declines noted in actual revenues occurred during the second half of 2015, during which time Eagle Publishing did not produce a bestseller and renewals of financial publications declined significantly as compared to prior quarters.
 
Twitchy.com
 
On December 10, 2013, we acquired Twitchy.com for $0.9 million in cash paid upon closing and up to $1.3 million in contingent earn-out consideration payable over a two-year period based upon the achievement of future page view targets. 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 $0.8 million, which was recorded at the discounted present value of $0.6 million. The discount was accreted to interest expense over the two-year earn out period ending December 31, 2015. We believe that our experience with digital content and websites provided a reasonable basis for our estimates.
 
The fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration was reviewed quarterly over the two year earn-out period. Changes in the estimated fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration were reflected in our results of operations in the period they were identified. Our results of operations for the years ending December 31, 2014 and 2015 reflect an increase of $0.3 million and a decrease of $0.5 million, respectively, for changes in the estimated fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration based upon actual page views that differed from those estimated in our forecasts. Declines in page views during the second half of 2015 were greater than in other periods which we believe resulted from changes in the Facebook algorithm that drives traffic to our sites. We paid a total of $0.6 million in cash for amounts due under the contingent earn-out over the two-year period.
 
The following table reflects the changes in the present value of our acquisition-related estimated contingent earn-out consideration for the years ending December 31, 2015 and 2014.
 
 
 
Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2015
 
 
 
Short-Term
 
Long-Term
 
 
 
 
 
 
Accrued Expenses
 
Other Liabilities
 
Total
 
 
 
(Dollars in thousands)
 
Beginning Balance as of January 1, 2015
 
$
1,575
 
$
1,710
 
$
3,285
 
Acquisitions
 
 
176
 
 
124
 
 
300
 
Accretion of acquisition-related contingent earn-out consideration
 
 
60
 
 
49
 
 
109
 
Change in the estimated fair value of contingent earn-out consideration
 
 
(1,269)
 
 
(446)
 
 
(1,715)
 
Reclassification of payments due in next 12 months to short-term
 
 
835
 
 
(835)
 
 
—
 
Payments
 
 
(1,204)
 
 
—
 
 
(1,204)
 
Ending Balance as of December 31, 2015
 
$
173
 
$
602
 
$
775
 
 
 
 
Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2014
 
 
 
Short-Term
 
Long-Term
 
 
 
 
 
 
Accrued Expenses
 
Other Liabilities
 
Total
 
 
 
(Dollars in thousands)
 
Beginning Balance as of January 1, 2014
 
 
329
 
 
287
 
 
616
 
Acquisitions
 
 
692
 
 
1,355
 
 
2,047
 
Accretion of acquisition-related contingent earn-out consideration
 
 
68
 
 
120
 
 
188
 
Change in the estimated fair value of contingent earn-out consideration
 
 
341
 
 
393
 
 
734
 
Reclassification of payments due in next12 month to short-term
 
 
445
 
 
(445)
 
 
—
 
Payments
 
 
(300)
 
 
—
 
 
(300)
 
Ending Balance as of December 31, 2014
 
$
1,575
 
$
1,710
 
$
3,285