(1)   Basis of Presentation

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include all the accounts of Liberty Media Corporation and its controlled subsidiaries ("Liberty," the "Company," "we," "us," or "our" unless the context otherwise requires). All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Liberty, through its ownership of interests in subsidiaries and other companies, is primarily engaged in the media, communications and entertainment industries globally. Liberty’s significant subsidiaries include SIRIUS XM Holdings Inc. ("SIRIUS XM"), Delta Topco Limited (the parent company of Formula 1) (“Delta Topco”) and Braves Holdings, LLC ("Braves Holdings"). Our most significant investment accounted for under the equity method is Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. ("Live Nation"). 

The accompanying (a) condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2017, 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. The results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of results for the full year. 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, 2017.

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. The Company considers (i) fair value measurement of non-financial instruments, (ii) accounting for income taxes and (iii) the determination of the useful life of SIRIUS XM’s broadcast/transmission system 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 the Company 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 Qurate Retail, Inc., formerly known as Liberty Interactive Corporation (“Qurate Retail”), Starz (presently known as Starz Acquisition LLC) (“Starz”), Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. (“TripCo”), Liberty Broadband Corporation (“Liberty Broadband”), CommerceHub, Inc. (“CommerceHub”), Liberty Expedia Holdings (“Expedia Holdings”) and GCI Liberty, Inc. (“GCI Liberty”), all but two of which (Starz and CommerceHub) are separate publicly traded companies, in order to govern relationships between the companies. None of these entities has any stock ownership, beneficial or otherwise, in any of the others (except that GCI Liberty owns shares of Liberty Broadband’s Series C non-voting common stock). These agreements include Reorganization Agreements (in the case of Qurate Retail, Starz and Liberty Broadband only), Services Agreements (which, in Starz’s case, terminated in April 2017, and in CommerceHub’s case, terminated in August 2018), Facilities Sharing Agreements (excluding Starz and CommerceHub) and Tax Sharing Agreements (in the case of Starz and Liberty Broadband only).

The Reorganization Agreements provide for, among other things, provisions governing the relationships between Liberty and each of Qurate Retail, Starz and Liberty Broadband, respectively, including certain cross-indemnities. Pursuant to the Services Agreements, Liberty provides Qurate Retail, TripCo, Liberty Broadband, CommerceHub (prior to termination), Expedia Holdings and GCI Liberty with general and administrative services including legal, tax, accounting, treasury and investor relations support. Qurate Retail, TripCo, Liberty Broadband, CommerceHub (prior to termination), Expedia Holdings and GCI Liberty reimburse Liberty for direct, out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Liberty in providing these services and, in the case of Qurate Retail, Qurate Retail's allocable portion of costs associated with any shared services or personnel based on an estimated percentage of time spent providing services to Qurate Retail, while TripCo, Liberty Broadband, CommerceHub (prior to termination), Expedia Holdings and GCI Liberty pay an annual fee for the provision of these services. Under the Facilities Sharing Agreements, Liberty shares office space and related amenities at its corporate headquarters with Qurate Retail, TripCo, Liberty Broadband, Expedia Holdings and GCI Liberty. Under these various agreements approximately $8 million and $6 million of these allocated expenses were reimbursed to Liberty during the three months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and $21 million and $17 million were reimbursed during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) was enacted in December 2017. The Tax Act significantly changed U.S. tax law by, among other things, lowering the U.S. corporate income tax rate, implementing a territorial tax system and imposing a one-time transition tax on deemed repatriated earnings of foreign subsidiaries.  In the prior year, we recognized the provisional tax impacts related to the one-time transition tax and the revaluation of deferred tax balances and included these estimates in our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2017. We are still in the process of analyzing the impact of the various provisions of the Tax Act. The ultimate impact may materially differ from these provisional amounts due to, among other things, continued analysis of the estimates and further guidance and interpretations on the application of the law. We expect to complete our analysis by December 2018.

Seasonality

Formula 1 recognizes the majority of its revenue and expenses in connection with World Championship race events (“Events”) that take place in different countries around the world throughout the year. The Events generally take place between March and November each year. As a result, the revenue and expenses recognized by Formula 1 are generally lower during the first quarter as compared to the rest of the quarters throughout the year.

Braves Holdings revenue is seasonal, with the majority of revenue recognized during the second and third quarters which aligns with the baseball season.