UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of September 30, 20172018 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter) was approximately $5,273,583,977,$4,255,846,171, based on the closing sale price of such shares as reported on the New York Stock Exchange.

As of May 21, 2018, 81,963,80820, 2019, 82,605,121 shares of the registrant’s no par value Class A voting common shares were outstanding, and 129,432,497133,601,545 shares of the registrant's no par value Class B non-voting common shares were outstanding.

This report includes statements that are, or may be deemed to be, “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “believes,” “estimates,” “potential,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “forecasts,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “would” or “should” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this report and include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the industry in which we operate.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. We believe that these risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those discussed under Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors.” These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read with the other cautionary statements and information in the report.

Any forward-looking statements, which we make in this report, speak only as of the date of such statement, and we undertake no obligation to update such statements. Comparisons of results for current and any prior periods are not intended to express any future trends or indications of future performance, unless expressed as such, and should only be viewed as historical data.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains references to our trademarks and to trademarks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including logos, artwork and other visual displays, may appear without the ® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names or trademarks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other company.

ITEM 1. BUSINESS.

Overview

Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) is a global content platformleader whose films, television series, digital products and linear and over-the-top platforms reach next generation audiences around the world. In addition to our filmed entertainment leadership, Lionsgate content drives a growing presence in interactive and location-based entertainment, gaming, virtual realityvideo games, esports and other new entertainment technologies. Lionsgate's content initiatives are backed by a 16,000-titlenearly 17,000-title film and television library and delivered through a global sales and licensing infrastructure.

Motion PicturesPicture

Television Production

Media Networks

MOTION PICTURESPICTURE

        Our Interactive Ventures and Games division oversees our interactive business which includes multiplatform games based off our and third party intellectual property, esports, augmented and virtual reality, and strategic investments in digital businesses including emerging content platforms, esports franchises and world-class game developers/publishers.

 

       Our Global Franchise ManagementLive and Location Based Entertainment division broadly covers all theatrical and television promotions and branded partnerships, licensed consumer products and live and location-based entertainment initiatives. Our goal is to drive incremental revenue and build consumer engagement across our entire portfolio of properties via meaningful brand extensions, a consumer products licensing business and launching live shows and location-based entertainment destinations around the world.

Television Production - Domestic Television

MEDIA NETWORKS

Media Networks- Starz Networks

who are cost-conscious, heavy consumers of video content and likely have at least one OTT subscription service. Other important segments consist of households with children and frequent travelers looking for the ability to download and watch blockbuster theatricals, STARZ original series and favorite TV and movies without an internet connection.

Media Networks - Streaming Services

Corporate History

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.

Risks Related to Our Business

We face substantial capital requirements and financial risks.

We may incur significant write-offs if our feature films and other projects do not perform well enough to recoup costs.

We are required to amortize capitalized production costs over the expected revenue streams as we recognize revenue from the associated films or other projects. The amount of production costs that will be amortized each quarter depends on, among other things, how much future revenue we expect to receive from each project. Unamortized production costs are evaluated for impairment each reporting period on a project-by-project basis. If estimated remaining revenue is not sufficient to recover the unamortized production costs, those costs will be written down to fair value. In any given quarter, if we lower our previous forecast with respect to total anticipated revenue from any film or other project, we may be required to accelerate amortization or record impairment charges with respect to the unamortized costs, even if we previously recorded impairment charges for such film or other project. Such impairment charges could adversely impact our business, operating results and financial condition.

As changes in our business environment occur, we may adjust our business strategies to meet these changes, which may include growing a particular area of business or restructuring a particular business or asset. In addition, external events including changing technology, changing consumer patterns, acceptance of our theatrical and television offerings and changes in macroeconomic conditions may impair the value of our assets. When these changes or events occur, we may incur costs to change our business strategy and may need to write down the value of assets. We may also make investments in existing or new businesses, including investments in the international expansion of our business and in new business lines. In recent years, suchSuch investments have beenand continue to be made in our interactive ventures and games business, and in our global franchise management business (includinglive and location-based entertainment) andentertainment business. More recently, we have also increased investments related to our direct-to-consumer offerings.and licensed offerings (specifically, the international rollout of our STARZPLAY service). Some of these investments may have short-term returns that are negative or low and the ultimate prospects of the businesses may be uncertain.uncertain, or, in international markets, may not develop at a rate that supports our level of investment. In any of these events, our costs may increase, we may have significant charges associated with the write-down of assets, or returns on new investments may be lower than prior to the change in strategy, plans for growth or restructuring.

We have entered into output licensing agreements that require Starz to make substantial payments.

Starz has an output licensing agreement with Sony to acquire theatrical releases that will expire on December 31, 2021. Starz is required to pay Sony for films released at rates calculated on a pricing grid that is based on each film’s domestic box office performance (subject to maximum amounts payable per film and a cap on the number of films that can be put to Starz each year), and the amounts payable pursuant to such agreement will be substantial. We believe that the theatrical performance of the films Starz will receive under the agreements will perform at levels consistent with the performance of films Starz has received from Sony in the past. We also assume a certain number of annual releases of first run films by Sony’s studios consistent with the number Starz received in prior years. Should the films perform at higher levels across the slate of films Starz receives or the quantity of films increase, then our payment obligations would increase and would have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

Our revenues and results of operations may fluctuate significantly.

Our results of operations also fluctuate due to the timing, mix, number and availability of our theatrical motion picture and home entertainment releases, as well as license periods for content. Our operating results may increase or decrease during a particular period or fiscal year due to differences in the number and/or mix of films released compared to the corresponding period in the prior fiscal year.

Low ratings for television programming produced by us may lead to the cancellation of a program and can negatively affect future license fees for the cancelled program. If we decide to no longer air programming due to low ratings or other factors, we could incur significant programming impairments, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in a given period.

Moreover, our results of operations may be impacted by the success of all of our theatrical releases, including critically acclaimed and award winning films. We cannot assure you that we will manage the production, acquisition and distribution of all future motion pictures successfully including critically acclaimed, award winning and/or commercially popular films or that we will produce or acquire motion pictures that will receive critical acclaim or perform well commercially. Any inability to achieve such commercial success could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

Our operating results also fluctuate due to our accounting practices (which are standard for the industry) which may cause us to recognize the production and marketing expenses in different periods than the recognition of related revenues, which may occur in later periods. For example, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and industry practice, we are required to expense film advertising costs as incurred, but are also required to recognize the revenue from any motion picture or television program over the entire revenue stream expected to be generated by the individual picture or television program. In addition, we amortize film and television programming costs using the “individual-film-forecast” method. Under this accounting method, we amortize film and television programming costs for each film or television program based on the following ratio:

Revenue earned by title in the current year-to-date period

Estimated total future revenues by title as of the beginning of the year

We regularly review, and revise when necessary, our total revenue estimates on a title-by-title basis. This review may result in a change in the rate of amortization and/or a write-down of the film or television asset to its estimated fair value. Results of operations in future years depend upon our amortization of our film and television costs. Periodic adjustments in amortization rates may significantly affect these results.

In addition, the comparability of our results may be affected by changes in accounting guidance or changes in our ownership of certain assets and businesses. Accordingly, our results of operations from year to year may not be directly comparable to prior reporting periods.

As a result of the foregoing and other factors, our results of operations may fluctuate significantly from period to period, and the results of any one period may not be indicative of the results for any future period.

The renewal negotiation process for affiliation agreements is typically lengthy. In certain cases, renewals are not agreed upon prior to the expiration of a given agreement, while the programming typically continues to be carried by the relevant distributor pursuant to the other terms and conditions in the affiliation agreement. We may be unable to obtain renewals with our current Starz Networks’ distributors on acceptable terms, if at all. We may also be unable to successfully negotiate affiliation agreements with new distributors to carry our programming. The failure to renew affiliation agreements on acceptable terms, or the failure to negotiate new affiliation agreements at all, in each case covering a material portion of multichannel television households, could result in a discontinuation of carriage, or could otherwise materially adversely affect our subscriber growth, revenue and earnings which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

In some cases, if a distributor is acquired, the affiliation agreement of the acquiring distributor will govern following the acquisition. In those circumstances, the acquisition of a distributor that is party to affiliation agreements with us that are more favorable to us wouldmay adversely impact our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

A significant portion of our library revenues comes from a small number of titles, a portion of which we may be limited in our ability to exploit.

We depend on a limited number of titles in any given fiscal quarter for the majority of the revenues generated by our library. In addition, many of the titles in our library are not presently distributed and generate substantially no revenue. Additionally, our rights to the titles in our library vary; in some cases, we have only the right to distribute titles in certain media and territories for a limited term. If we cannot acquire new product and the rights to popular titles through production, distribution agreements, acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures or other strategic alliances, or renew expiring rights to titles generating a significant portion of our revenue on acceptable terms, any such failure could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

Failure to manage future growth may adversely affect our business.

Regardless of whether we consummate any such transaction, the negotiation of a potential transaction and the integration of the acquired business could require us to incur significant costs and cause diversion of management's time and resources. Any such transaction could also result in impairment of goodwill and other intangibles, development write-offs and other related expenses. Such transaction may pose challenges in the consolidation and integration of information technology, accounting systems, personnel and operations. We may also have difficulty managing the combined entity in the short term if we experience a significant loss of management personnel during the transition period after a significant acquisition. No assurance can be given that expansion or acquisition opportunities will be successful, completed on time, or that we will realize expected operating efficiencies, cost savings, revenue enhancements, synergies or other benefits. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

Limitations on control of joint ventures may adversely impact our operations.

We hold our interests in certain businesses as a joint venture or in partnership with non-affiliated third parties. As a result of such arrangements, we may be unable to control the operations, strategies and financial decisions of such joint venture or partnership entities which could, in turn, result in limitations on our ability to implement strategies that we may favor and may limit our ability to transfer our interests. Consequently, any losses experienced by these entities could adversely impact our results of operations and the value of our investment.

Our success depends on attracting and retaining key personnel.

Our success depends upon the continued efforts, abilities and expertise of our executive teams and other key employees, including production, creative and technical personnel. Our success also depends on our ability to identify, attract, hire, train and retain such personnel. We have entered into employment agreements with top executive officers and production executives but do not currently have significant “key person” life insurance policies for any employee. Although it is standard in the industry to rely on employment agreements as a method of retaining the services of key employees, these agreements cannot assure us of the continued services of such employees. In addition, competition for the limited number of business, production and creative personnel necessary to create and distribute our entertainment content is intense and may grow in the future. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in identifying, attracting, hiring, training and retaining such personnel in the future, and our inability to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

Our success depends on external factors in the motion picture and television industry.

of alternative forms of entertainment and leisure activities, general economic conditions and other tangible and intangible factors, many of which we do not control and all of which may change. We cannot predict the future effects of these factors with certainty. In addition, because a performance in ancillary markets, such as home video and pay and free television, is often directly related to its box office performance or television ratings, poor box office results or poor television ratings may negatively affect future revenue streams. Our success will depend on the experience and judgment of our management to select and develop new investment and production opportunities. We cannot assure that our motion pictures and television programing will obtain favorable reviews or ratings that our motion pictures will perform well at the box office or in ancillary markets, or that broadcasters will license the rights to broadcast any of our television programs in development or renew licenses to broadcast programs in our library. Additionally, we cannot assure that any original programming content will appeal to our distributors and subscribers.The failure to achieve any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

To an increasing extent, the success of our business depends on exclusive original programming and our ability to accurately predict how audiences will respond to our original programming. Because original programming often involves a greater degree of financial commitment, as compared to acquired programming that we license from third parties, and because our branding strategies depend significantly on a relatively small number of original series, a failure to anticipate viewer preferences for such series could be especially detrimental to our business.

In addition, theatrical feature films constitute a significant portion of the programming on our STARZ and STARZ ENCORE programmingStarz networks. In general, the popularity of feature-film content on linear television is declining, due in part to the broad availability of such content through an increasing number of distribution platforms prior to our linear window. Should the popularity of feature-film programming suffer significant further declines, Starz may lose subscribership or be forced to rely more heavily on original programming, which could increase our costs.

If Starz’s programming does not gain the level of audience acceptance we expect, or if we are unable to maintain the popularity of Starz’s programming, we may have a diminished negotiating position when dealing with distributors, which could reduce our revenue and earnings. We cannot ensure that we will be able to maintain the success of any of Starz’s current programming, or generate sufficient demand and market acceptance for Starz’s new original programming. This could materially adversely impact our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

We compete with other programming networksservices, including cable programming, national broadcast television, local broadcast television stations and SVOD to secure desired programming, the competition for which has increased as the number of programming networksservices has increased. Other programming networksservices that are affiliated with programming sources such as movie or television studios or film libraries may have a competitive advantage over us in this area. In addition to other cable programming networks, we also compete for programming with national broadcast television networks, local broadcast television stations, VOD services and online based content delivery services such as Amazon, Hulu, iTunes and Netflix. Some of these competitors have exclusive contracts with motion picture studios or independent motion picture distributors or own film libraries.

We cannot assure you that we will ultimately be successful in negotiating renewals of Starz’s programming rights agreements or in negotiating adequate substitute agreements. In the event that these agreements expire or are terminated and are not replaced by programming content, including additional original programming, acceptable to Starz’s distributors and subscribers, it would have a materially adverse impact on our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

bankruptcy, levels of intervention from the U.S. federal government and other foreign governments, decreased consumer confidence, overall slower economic activity and extreme volatility in credit, equity and fixed income markets. A decrease in economic activity in the U.S. or in other regions of the world in which we do business could adversely affect demand for our content, thus reducing our revenues and earnings. A decline in economic conditions could reduce performance of our theatrical, television and home entertainment releases. In addition, an increase in price levels generally could result in a shift in consumer demand away from the entertainment we offer, which could also adversely affect our revenues and, at the same time, increase our costs. For instance, lower household income and decreases in U.S. consumer discretionary spending, which is sensitive to general economic conditions, may affect cable television and other video service subscriptions, in particular with respect to digital programming packages on which our STARZ and STARZ ENCORE networks are typically carried and premium video programming packages and premium a la carte services on which our networks are typically carried. A reduction in spending may cause a decrease in subscribers to our networks, which could have a materially adverse impact on our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects. Moreover, financial institution failures may cause us to incur increased expenses or make it more difficult to finance any future acquisitions, or engage in other financing activities. We cannot predict the timing or the duration of any downturn in the economy and we are not immune to the effects of general worldwide economic conditions.

We face substantial competition in all aspects of our business.

the quality of our marketing programs determines how much shelf space we are able to garner at any given time as retailers and other distributors look to maximize sales.

We also compete with U.S. studios and other distributors that may have certain competitive advantages over us to acquire the rights to sell or rent DVDs/Blu-ray discs and other media. Our ability to license and produce quality content in sufficient quantities has a direct impact on our ability to acquire shelf space at retail locations and on websites. In addition, certain of our content is obtained through agreements with other parties that have produced or own the rights to such content, while other U.S studios may produce most of the content they distribute.

Our DVDs/Blu-ray discs sales and other media sales are also impacted by myriad choices consumers have to view entertainment content, including over-the-air broadcast television, cable television networks, online services, mobile services, radio, print media, motion picture theaters and other sources of information and entertainment. The increasing availability of content from these varying media outlets may reduce our ability to sell DVDs/ Blu-ray discs and other media in the future, particularly during difficult economic conditions.

We must successfully respond to rapid technological changes and alternative forms of delivery or storage to remain competitive.

The entertainment industry continues to undergo significant developments as advances in technologies and new methods

Our success is in the U.S. dependent upon our continued ability to transmit Starz’s programming to distributors fromthrough Starz’s satellite uplink facility, which transmissions are subject to FCC compliance in the U.S.facility. Starz has entered into long-term satellite transponder leases that expire in 2023 in the U.S. for carriage of our Starz’sthe Starz networks’ programming. These leases provide for the continued carriage of Starz’s programming on available replacement transponders and/or replacement satellites, as applicable, throughout the term of the leases to ensure continued carriage of Starz programming in the event of a failure of either the transponders and/transponder or satellites currently carrying Starz’s programming.satellite failures. Although we believe that we take reasonable and customary measures to ensure continued satellite transmission capability, termination or interruption of satellite transmissions may occur and could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

Despite Starz’s efforts to secure transponder capacity with long-term satellite transponder leases, there is a risk that when these leases expire, we may not be able to secure capacity on a transponder on the same or similar terms, if at all. This may result in an inability to transmit content and could result in significant lost revenue and lost subscribers and would have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

If Starz’s technology facilities fail or their operations are disrupted, our business also could be damaged.

Starz’s programming is transmitted from Starz’s uplink center in Englewood, Colorado. Starz uses this center for a variety of purposes, including signal processing, satellite uplinking, program editing, on-air promotions, creation of programming segments (i.e., interstitials) to fill short gaps between featured programs, quality control and live and recorded playback. Starz’s uplink center is equipped with backup generator power and other redundancies. However, like other facilities, this facility is subject to interruption from fire, lightning, adverse weather conditions and other natural causes. Equipment failure, employee misconduct or outside interference could also disrupt the facility’s services. Starz has made arrangements at a third-party facility to uplink Starz’s linear channels and services to Starz’s satellites in the event Starz is unable to do so from this facility. Additionally, Starz has direct fiber connectivity to certain of Starz’s distributors, which would allow continuous operation with respect to a significant segment of Starz’s subscriber base in the event of a satellite transmission interruption. Notwithstanding these precautions, any significant or prolonged interruption of operations at Starz’s facility, and any failure by Starz’s third-party facility to perform as intended, would have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects. Further, if the FCC adopted rules in an ongoing rulemaking for the flexible use of the 3.7-4.2 GHz Band proceeding to reassign a portion of the 3700-4200 MHz band (“C-band”) to mobile terrestrial operations, it is possible that there will be an increase in interference of the downlink of our satellite transmission, which could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial conditions, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

We face risks from doing business internationally.

We distribute content outside the U.S. and derive revenues from international sources. As a result, our business is subject to certain risks inherent in international business, many of which are beyond our control. These risks may include:

Events or developments related to these and other risks associated with international trade could adversely affect our revenues from non-U.S. sources, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

Protecting and defending against intellectual property claims may have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our ability to compete depends, in part, upon successful protection of our intellectual property. We attempt to protect proprietary and intellectual property rights to our productions through available copyright and trademark laws and licensing and distribution arrangements with reputable international companies in specific territories and media for limited durations. Despite these precautions, existing copyright and trademark laws afford only limited practical protection in certain countries where we distribute our products. As a result, it may be possible for unauthorized third parties to copy and distribute our productions or certain portions

or applications of our intended productions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

Litigation may also be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets, or to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others or to defend against claims of infringement or invalidity. Any such litigation, infringement or invalidity claims could result in substantial costs and the diversion of resources and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

Our more successful and popular film or television products or franchises may experience higher levels of infringing activity, particularly around key release dates. Alleged infringers have claimed and may claim that their products are permitted under fair use or similar doctrines, that they are entitled to compensatory or punitive damages because our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights are illegal or improper, and that our key trademarks or other significant intellectual property are invalid. Such claims, even if meritless, may result in adverse publicity or costly litigation. We vigorously defend our copyrights and trademarks from infringing products and activity, which can result in litigation. We may receive unfavorable preliminary or interim rulings in the course of litigation, and there can be no assurance that a favorable final outcome will be obtained in all cases. Additionally, one of the risks of the film and television production business is the possibility that others may claim that our productions and production techniques misappropriate or infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties with respect to their previously developed films and televisions series, stories, characters, other entertainment or intellectual property. Regardless of the validity or the success of the assertion of any such claims, we could incur significant costs and diversion of resources in enforcing our intellectual property rights or in defending against such claims, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

Our business involves risks of liability claims for content of material, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

As a distributor of media content, we may face potential liability for defamation, invasion of privacy, negligence, copyright

Piracy of films and television programs could adversely affect our business over time.

Piracy is extensive in many parts of the world and is made easier by the availability of digital copies of content and technological advances allowing conversion of films and television content into digital formats. This trend facilitates the creation, transmission and sharing of high quality unauthorized copies of motion pictures and television content. The proliferation of unauthorized copies of these products has had and will likely continue to have an adverse effect on our business, because these products reduce the revenue we receive from our products. In order to contain this problem, we may have to implement elaborate and costly security and anti-piracy measures, which could result in significant expenses and losses of revenue. We cannot assure you that even the highest levels of security and anti-piracy measures will prevent piracy.

In particular, unauthorized copying and piracy are prevalent in countries outside of the U.S., Canada and Western Europe, whose legal systems may make it difficult for us to enforce our intellectual property rights. While the U.S. government has publicly considered implementing trade sanctions against specific countries that, in its opinion, do not make appropriate efforts to prevent copyright infringements of U.S. produced motion pictures and television content, there can be no assurance that any such sanctions will be enacted or, if enacted, will be effective. In addition, if enacted, such sanctions could impact the amount of revenue that we realize from the international exploitation of our content.

Shutdowns or service disruptions of our information systems or networks or to vendors that provide information systems, networks or other services to us pose increasing risks. Such disruptions may be caused by third-party hacking of computers and systems; dissemination of computer viruses, worms and other destructive or disruptive software; denial of service attacks and other bad acts, as well as power outages, natural disasters, extreme weather, terrorist attacks, or other similar events. Shutdowns or disruption from such events could have an adverse impact on us and our customers, including degradation or disruption of service, loss of data, release or threatened release of data publicly, misuse or threatened misuse of data, and damage to equipment and data. System redundancy may be ineffective or inadequate, and our disaster recovery planning may not be sufficient to cover everything that

could happen. Significant events could result in a disruption of our operations, reduced revenues, the loss of or damage to the integrity of data used by management to make decisions and operate our business, damage to our reputation or brands or a loss of customers. We may not have adequate insurance coverage to compensate it for any losses associated with such events.

We are also subject to risks caused by the misappropriation, misuse, falsification or intentional or accidental release or loss of data maintained in our information systems and networks or of our vendors, including sensitive or confidential personnel, customer or vendor data, business information or other sensitive or confidential information (including our content). The number and sophistication of attempted and successful information security breaches have increased in recent years and, as a result, the risks associated with such an event continue to increase. We expect that outside parties will attempt to penetrate our systems and those of our vendors or fraudulently induce our employees or customers or employees of our vendors to disclose sensitive or confidential information to obtain or gain access to our data, business information or other sensitive or confidential information. If a material breach of our information systems or those of our vendors occurs, the market perception of the effectiveness of our information security measures could be harmed, we could lose customers, our revenues could be adversely affected and our reputation, brands and credibility could be damaged. In addition, if a material breach of our information systems occurs, we could be required to expend significant amounts of money and other resources to review data and systems to determine the extent of any breach, repair or replace information systems or networks or to comply with notification requirements. We also could be subject to actions by regulatory authorities and claims asserted in private litigation in the event of a breach of our information systems or our vendors.

Although we develop and maintain information security practices and systems designed to prevent these events from occurring, the development and maintenance of these systems are costly and require ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies change and tactics to overcome information security measures become more sophisticated. Despite our efforts, the possibility of these events occurring cannot be eliminated entirely. Moreover, the techniques used by parties seeking to evade the information security practices and systems to infiltrate, disrupt, or for some other hostile purpose change rapidly and often are not recognized until

Regulation and various other domestic and international privacy and data security laws and regulations, which are continually evolving. If our online activities were to violate any applicable current or future laws and regulations, we could be subject to litigation and regulatory actions, including fines and other penalties. Additionally, as we grow our STARZ direct-to-consumer business, we may be subject to consumer legal claims and state and local consumer protection regulation.

Our Starz networks business is limited by regulatory constraints which may adversely impact our operations.

Regulations governing our network businesses are subject to the political process and have been in constant flux historically. Further material changes in the law and regulatory requirements must be anticipated. We cannot assure you that we will be able to anticipate material changes in laws or regulatory requirements or that future legislation, new regulation or deregulation will not have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the accompanying rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC to implement it require us to include in our Annual Report on Form 10-K an annual report by our management regarding the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. The report includes, among other things, an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of the end of our fiscal year. This assessment must include disclosure of material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting identified by management. If our management identifies any such material weakness that cannot be remediated in a timely manner, we will be unable to assert such internal control is effective. While we believe our internal control over financial reporting is effective, the effectiveness of our internal controls in future periods is subject to the risk that our controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, and, as a result, the degree of compliance of our internal control over financial reporting with the applicable policies or procedures may deteriorate. If we are unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective (or if our independent auditors disagree with our conclusion), we may lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which could have an adverse effect on our securities.

Our Board of Directors assesses relevant factors when considering the declaration of a dividend on or repurchases of our common stock. Our payment of quarterly cash dividends and repurchases of our common shares pursuant to our share purchase program will be subject to, among other things, our financial position and results of operations, available cash and cash flow, capital requirements, and other factors. Any reduction or discontinuance by us of the payment of quarterly cash dividends or repurchases of our common shares pursuant to our share repurchase program could cause the market price of our common shares to decline. Moreover, in the event our payment of quarterly cash dividends or repurchases of our common shares are reduced or discontinued, our failure or inability to resume paying cash dividends or repurchasing our common shares at historical levels could result in a lower market valuation of our common shares. In November 2018, our Board of Directors suspended our quarterly cash dividend to focus on driving long-term shareholder value by investing in global growth opportunities for Starz, while also strengthening the Company's balance sheet.

We have incurred significant indebtedness that could adversely affect our operations and financial condition.

Our high level of debt could have adverse consequences on our business, such as:

In addition, the Senior Credit Facilities and the indentureindentures that govern our 6.375% Senior Notes due 2024 issued in February 2019 (the “6.375% Senior Notes”), our 5.875% Senior Notes due 2024 issued in October 2016 (the “2016 5.875% Senior Notes”) and our new 5.875% Senior Notes due 2024 issued in March 2018 (the “2018 5.875% Senior Notes” and, together with the 2016 5.875% Senior Notes, the “5.875% Senior Notes”) each contain restrictive covenants limiting our ability to engage in activities that may be in our long-term best interest. Our failure to comply with those covenants could result in an event of default which, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of all our debt.

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful.

A significant portion of our cash flows from operations is expected to be dedicated to the payments of principal and

If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we could face substantial liquidity problems and could be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures or to dispose of material assets or operations, seek additional debt or equity capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. We may not be able to effect any such alternative measures, if necessary, on commercially reasonable terms or at all and, even if successful, those alternative actions may not allow us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. The Senior Credit Facilities and the indentureindentures that governsgovern the 2016 5.875%6.375% Senior Notes and the indenture that governs the 2018 5.875% Senior Notes restrict our ability to dispose of assets and use the proceeds from those dispositions, and they also restrict our ability to raise debt or certain types of equity to be used to repay other indebtedness when it becomes due. We may not be able to consummate those dispositions or to obtain proceeds in an amount sufficient to meet any debt service obligations then due.

In addition, we conduct a substantial portion of our operations through our subsidiaries, certain of which are not guarantors of the 20186.375% Senior Notes, the 5.875% Senior Notes or our other indebtedness. Accordingly, repayment of our indebtedness, including the 20186.375% Senior Notes and the 5.875% Senior Notes, is dependent on the generation of cash flow by our subsidiaries and their ability to make such cash available to us, by dividend, debt repayment or otherwise. Unless they are guarantors of the 20186.375% Senior Notes, the 5.875% Senior Notes or our other indebtedness, our subsidiaries do not have any obligation to pay amounts due on the 20186.375% Senior Notes, the 5.875% Senior Notes or our other indebtedness or to make funds available for that purpose. Our subsidiaries may not be able to, or may not be permitted to, make distributions to enable us to make payments in respect of our indebtedness, including the 20186.375% Senior Notes and the 5.875% Senior Notes. Each subsidiary is a distinct legal entity, and, under certain circumstances, legal and contractual restrictions may limit our ability to obtain cash from our subsidiaries. While the senior credit facilities and the indentureindentures that governsgovern the 2018 5.875%6.375% Senior Notes and the indenture that governs the 2018 5.875% Senior Notes limit the ability of our subsidiaries to incur consensual restrictions on their ability to pay dividends or make other intercompany payments

to us, these limitations are subject to qualifications and exceptions. In the event that we do not receive distributions from our subsidiaries, we may be unable to make required principal and interest payments on our indebtedness.

If we cannot make scheduled payments on our debt, we will be in default and holders of the 2016 5.875%6.375% Senior Notes and/or the 2018 5.875% Senior Notes could declare all outstanding principal and interest under such notes to be due and payable, the lenders under the Senior Credit Facilities could terminate their commitments to loan money, the lenders under our secured debt could foreclose against the assets securing their borrowings and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.

Despite our current level of indebtedness, we and our subsidiaries may still be able to incur substantially more debt. This could further exacerbate the risks to our financial condition described above.

The terms of the Senior Credit Facilities and the indentureindentures that governsgovern the 2016 5.875%6.375% Senior Notes and the indenture that governs the 2018 5.875% Senior Notes restrict our current and future operations, particularly our ability to respond to changes or to take certain actions.

The Senior Credit Facilities and the indentureindentures that governsgovern the 2016 5.875%6.375% Senior Notes and the indenture that governs our 2018 5.875% Senior Notes, contain a number of restrictive covenants that impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us and limits our ability to engage in acts that may be in our long-term best interest, including restrictions on our ability to:

The indentureindentures that governsgovern the 2016 5.875%6.375% Senior Notes and the indenture that governs the 2018 5.875% Senior Notes also limit the ability of Lions Gate and our guarantors to consolidate or merge with or into, or sell substantially all of our assets to, another person.

In addition, the restrictive covenants in the Senior Credit Facilities require us to maintain specified financial ratios, tested quarterly. Our ability to meet those financial ratios and tests can be affected by events beyond our control, and we may be unable to meet them.

A breach of the covenants or restrictions under the Senior Credit Facilities or the indentureindentures that governsgovern the 2016 5.875%6.375% Senior Notes and the indenture that governs the 2018 5.875% Senior Notes could result in an event of default under the applicable indebtedness. Such a default may allow the creditors to accelerate the related debt and may result in the acceleration of any other debt to which a cross-acceleration or cross-default provision applies. In addition, an event of default under the Senior Credit Facilities would permit the lenders to terminate all commitments to extend further credit pursuant to the revolving facility thereunder. Furthermore, if we were unable to repay the amounts due and payable under the Senior Credit Facilities, the lenders thereof could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure the Senior Credit Facilities. In the event our lenders or noteholders accelerate the repayment of our borrowings, we and our subsidiaries may not have sufficient assets to repay that indebtedness.

As a result of these restrictions, we may be:

These restrictions may affect our ability to grow in accordance with our strategy. In addition, our financial results, our substantial indebtedness and our credit ratings could adversely affect the availability and terms of our financing.

An increase in the ownership of our Class A voting common shares by certain shareholders could trigger a change in control under the agreements governing our indebtedness.

The agreements governing certain of our long-term indebtedness contain change in control provisions that are triggered when any of our shareholders, directly or indirectly, acquires ownership or control of in excess of a certain percentage of the total voting power of our Class A voting common shares, no par value per share (the "Class A voting shares").

Upon the occurrence of certain change of control events, the holders of the 2016 5.875%6.375% Senior Notes and the 2018 5.875% Senior Notes may require us to repurchase all or a portion of such 2016 5.875% Senior Notes and such 2018 5.875% Senior Notes.notes. Dr. Mark H. Rachesky, M.D. and his affiliates, who collectively currently hold over 18%19% of our voting stock and 21%11% of our non-voting common stock, are “Permitted Holders” for purposes of the indentureindentures that governsgovern the 2016 5.875%6.375% Senior Notes and the indenture that governs the 2018 5.875% Senior Notes. Accordingly, certain increases of ownership or other transactions involving Dr. Rachesky and his affiliates would not constitute a change of control under the indentureindentures that governsgovern the 2018 5.875% Senior6.375% Notes and the indenture that governs the 2018 5.875% Senior Notes (in which case holders of the 2016 5.875% Senior6.375% Notes and the 2018 5.875% Senior Notes would not have a right to have their 2016 5.875% Senior Notes or 2018 5.875% Senior Notes,respective notes, as applicable, repurchased), but could constitute a change of control under the other existing or future indebtedness of us and our subsidiaries.

We may not be able to repurchase outstanding debt upon a qualifying change of control for such debt because the we may not have sufficient funds. Further, we may be contractually restricted under the terms of the Senior Credit Facilities from repurchasing all of the 2016 5.875%6.375% Senior Notes and the 2018 5.875% Senior Notes tendered by holders upon a change in control. Our failure to repurchase the 2016 5.875%6.375% Senior Notes and the 2018 5.875% Senior Notes upon a change in control would cause a default under the indentureindentures that governs the 2016 5.875% Senior Notes and the indenture that governs the 2018 5.875% Senior Notessuch notes and a cross-default under the Senior Credit Facilities.

The Senior Credit Facilities will also provide that certain change of control events will result in an event of default that permits lenders to accelerate the maturity of borrowings thereunder and, in the case of the Senior Credit Facilities, to enforce security interests in the collateral securing such debt, thereby limiting our ability to raise cash to purchase our outstanding 2016 5.875%6.375% Senior Notes and 2018 5.875% Senior Notes, and reducing the practical benefit of the offer-to-purchase provisions to the holders of the 2016 5.875%6.375% Senior Notes and the 2018 5.875% Senior Notes. Any of our future debt agreements may contain similar provisions.

The Internal Revenue Service may not agree that we should be treated as a non-U.S. corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes and may not agree that our U.S. affiliates should not be subject to certain adverse U.S. federal income tax rules.

Under current U.S. federal tax law, a corporation is generally considered for U.S. federal tax purposes to be a tax resident in the jurisdiction of its organization or incorporation. Because we are incorporated in Canada, we would generally be classified as a non-U.S. corporation (and, therefore, a non-U.S. tax resident) under these rules. However, Section 7874 of the Code (“Section 7874”) provides an exception to this general rule under which a non-U.S. incorporated entity may, in certain circumstances, be treated as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes.

Under Section 7874, if (a) the Starz stockholders ownheld (within the meaning of Section 7874) 80% or more (by vote or value) of our post-reclassification shares after the Starz merger by reason of holding Starz common stock (the “80% ownership test,” and such ownership percentage the “Section 7874 ownership percentage”), and (b) our “expanded affiliated group” doesdid not have “substantial business activities” in Canada when compared to the total business activities of such expanded affiliated group (the “substantial business activities test”), we will be treated as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes. If the Section 7874

ownership percentage of the Starz stockholders in Lions Gate after the merger iswas less than 80% but at least 60% (the “60% ownership test”), and the substantial business activities test iswas not met, Starz and its U.S. affiliates (including the U.S. affiliates historically owned by us) may, in some circumstances, be subject to certain adverse U.S. federal income tax rules (which, among other things, could limit our ability to utilize certain U.S. tax attributes to offset U.S. taxable income or gain resulting from certain transactions).

Based on the terms of the merger, the rules for determining share ownership under Section 7874 and certain factual assumptions, Starz stockholders are believed to ownhave held (within the meaning of Section 7874) less than 60% (by both vote and value) of our post-reclassificationpost- reclassification shares after the merger by reason of holding shares of Starz common stock. Therefore, under current law, it is expected that we should not be treated as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes and that Section 7874 should otherwise not apply to us or our affiliates as a result of the merger.

However, due to the issuance by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) of a series of notices and proposed, temporary, and final regulations, many of the rules under Section 7874 are relatively new and complex and there is limited guidance regarding their application.complex. In particular, stock ownership for purposes of computing the Section 7874 ownership percentage is subject to various adjustments under the Code and the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder, somethereunder. Some of the relevant determinations must be made based on facts as they existexisted at the time of closing of the merger and there is limited guidance regarding Section 7874 generally, including with respect to the applicationspecific set of the ownership tests described above and any related adjustments. As a result,rules that were in effect on that date, making the determination of the Section 7874 ownership percentage is complex and is subject to factual and legal uncertainties. Thus, there can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”)IRS will agree with the position that we should not be treated as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes or that Section 7874 does not otherwise apply as a result of the merger.

In addition,particular, on April 4, 2016, the U.S. Treasury Department (the “U.S. Treasury”) and the IRS issued temporary and proposed Treasury regulations under Section 7874 (the “Temporary“2016 Section 7874 Regulations”), which, among other things, require certain adjustments that generally increase, for purposes of the Section 7874 ownership tests, the percentage of the stock of a foreign acquiring corporation deemed owned (within the meaning of Section 7874) by the former shareholders of an acquired U.S. corporation by reason of holding stock in such U.S. corporation. On January 13, 2017, the IRS published regulations which finalized with some modifications certain portions of the 2016 Section 7874 Regulations and which included new temporary and proposed regulations. Further, on July 11, 2018, the IRS published final regulations (along with the final regulations published on January 13, 2017, the IRS and the U.S. Treasury published new and final temporary regulations (the “New“Final Regulations”) which finalizedadopting with some modifications the previous Temporaryremaining 2016 Section 7874 Regulations.

If the 80% ownership test has been met after the merger and we were accordingly treated as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes under Section 7874, we would be subject to substantial additional U.S. tax liability. In addition, non-U.S. shareholders of Lions Gate would be subject to U.S. withholding tax on the gross amount of any dividends paid by us to such shareholders (subject to an exemption or reduced rate available under an applicable tax treaty). Regardless of any application of Section 7874, we are expected to be treated as a Canadian tax resident for Canadian tax purposes. Consequently, if we were to be treated as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes under Section 7874, we could be liable for both U.S. and Canadian taxes, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

If the 60% ownership test has been met, several adverse U.S. federal income tax rules could apply to our U.S. affiliates (including Starz and its U.S. affiliates). In particular, in such case, Section 7874 could limit the ability of such U.S. affiliates to utilize certain U.S. tax attributes (including net operating losses and certain tax credits) to offset any taxable income or gain resulting from certain transactions, including any transfers or licenses of property to a foreign related person during the 10-year period following the merger. The Temporary2016 Section 7874 Regulations and the Final Regulations generally expand the scope of these rules. In addition, the Temporary2016 Section 7874 Regulations (and certain related temporary regulations issued under other provisions of the Code)and Final Regulations include new rules that would apply if the 60% ownership test has been met,

which, in such situation, may limit our ability to restructure or access cash earned by certain of its non-U.S. subsidiaries, in each case, without incurring substantial U.S. tax liabilities. Moreover, in such case, Section 4985 of the Code and rules related thereto would impose an excise tax on the value of certain stock compensation held directly or indirectly by certain “disqualified individuals” at a rate currently equal to 15%.

Future potentialRecent and proposed changes to the tax laws could result in Lions Gate being treated as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes or in Starz and its U.S. affiliates (including the U.S. affiliates historically owned by us) being subject to certain adverse U.S. federal income tax rules.rules on financing and other activities.

As discussed above, under current law, we are expected to be treated as a non-U.S. corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes and Section 7874 is not otherwise expected to apply as a result of the merger. However, changes to Section 7874, or the U.S. Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder, could affect our status as a non-U.S. corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes or could result in the application of certain adverse U.S. federal income tax rules to Starz and its U.S. affiliates (including the U.S. affiliates historically owned by us). Any such changes could have prospective or retroactive application. If we were to be treated as a U.S. corporation for federal tax purposes or if Starz and its U.S. affiliates (including the U.S. affiliates historically owned by us) were to become subject to such adverse U.S. federal income tax rules, we and our U.S. affiliates could be subject to substantially greater U.S. tax liability than currently contemplated.

Recent legislative and other proposals have aimed to expand the scope of U.S. corporate tax residence, including in such a way as would cause us to be treated as a U.S. corporation if the management and control of Lions Gate were determined to be located primarily in the U.S. In addition, recent legislative and other proposalsrules have aimed to expand the scope of Section 7874, or otherwise address certain perceived issues arising in connection with so-called inversion transactions. Such proposals,rules, if made effectiveapplicable on or prior to the date of the closing of the merger, could cause us to be treated as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes or cause our affiliates to be subject to adverse U.S. tax rules, in which case, we would be subject to substantially greater U.S. tax liability than currently contemplated.

        Other recentRecent legislative changes enacted as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (discussed in more detail below), including the limitations on deduction of interest expense and the adoption of the base erosion and anti-abuse tax, contain provisions intended to broaden the tax base and could affect our financing arrangements. Further, additional legislative and other proposals (including most recentlythe final Treasury regulations under Section 385 of the Code issued by the U.S. Treasury and the IRS on October 13, 2016 (the “Final Section 385 Regulations”), if enacted or finalized,permitted to go into full effect, could cause us and our affiliates to be subject to certain intercompany financing limitations, including with respect to their ability to deduct certain interest expense,expense. These recent and proposed legislative changes could cause us and our affiliates to recognize additional taxable income. Any such proposals,income and any other relevant provisions that can change on a prospective or retroactive basis, could have a significant adverse effect on us and our affiliates.

It is presently uncertain whether any such proposals or other legislative action relating to the scope of U.S. tax residence, revamp of the corporate tax system, Section 7874 or so-called inversion transactions and inverted groups will be enacted into law.law and/or how new laws will be interpreted or applied.

Future changes to U.S. and non-U.S. tax laws could adversely affect us.

The U.S. Congress, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) and other government agencies in jurisdictions where we and our affiliates will conduct business have had an extended focus on issues related to the taxation of multinational corporations. One example isFor the past several years, the primary focus has been in the area of “base erosion and profit shifting,” including situations where payments are made between affiliates from a jurisdiction with high tax rates to a jurisdiction with lower tax rates. The OrganisationAs part of Economic Co-operationits so-called Base Erosion and Development in particular is contemplatingProfit Shifting project, OECD and the G-20 developed changes to numerous long-standing international tax principles through its so-called BEPS project, whichprinciples. More recently, countries are increasingly seeking ways to tax what is focused onsometimes referred to as the digitalized economy.

Tax laws are dynamic and subject to change as new laws are passed and new interpretations of the law are issued or applied. As discussed in more detail below, the U.S. recently enacted significant tax reform, and certain provisions of the new law may adversely affect us. In addition, governmental tax authorities are increasingly scrutinizing the tax positions of companies. Many countries in the European Union, as well as a number of issues, including sharing of profits between affiliated entities in different tax jurisdictions. As a result of BEPSother countries and other similar initiatives, theorganizations such as OECD, are actively considering changes to existing tax laws that, if enacted, could increase our tax obligations in thecountries where we do business. If U.S., Canada and or other countries in which weforeign tax authorities change applicable tax laws, our overall taxes could increase, and our affiliates will do business, could change on a prospectivefinancial condition or retroactive basis, and any such changes couldresults of operations may be adversely affect us.impacted

Changes in foreign, state and local tax incentives may increase the cost of original programming content to such an extent that they are no longer feasible.

Original programming requires substantial financial commitment, which can occasionally be offset by foreign, state or local tax incentives. However, there is a risk that the tax incentives will not remain available for the duration of a series. If tax incentives are no longer available or reduced substantially, it may result in increased costs for us to complete the production, or make the production of additional seasons more expensive. If we are unable to produce original programming content on a cost effective basis our business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially adversely affected.

Changes to the U.S. Model Income Tax TreatyTreaties could adversely affect us.

        On February 17, 2016,Over ninety jurisdictions have signed, or committed to sign, the Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting. The Multilateral Convention modifies tax treaties signed by Canada and many jurisdictions where we or our affiliates may operate. Although the United States is not a signatory to the Multilateral Convention, the U.S. Treasury released a newlyhas revised the U.S. model income tax convention (the “model”), which is the baseline text used by the U.S. Treasury to negotiate tax treaties. The new model treaty provisions were preceded by draft versions released by the U.S. Treasury on May 20, 2015 (the “May 2015 draft”) for public comment. The revisions made to the model address certain aspects of the model by modifying existing provisions and introducing entirely new provisions. Specifically, the new provisions target (a) permanent establishments subject to little or no foreign tax, (b) special tax regimes, (c) expatriated entities subject to Section 7874, (d) the anti-treaty shopping measures of the limitation on benefits article and (e) subsequent changes in treaty partners’ tax laws.

With respect to new model provisions pertaining to expatriated entities, because it is expected that the Starz merger will not result in the creation of an expatriated entity as defined in Section 7874, payments of interest, dividends, royalties and certain other items of income by or to Starz and/or its U.S. affiliates to or from non-U.S. persons would not be expected to be subject to such provisions (which, if applicable, could cause such payments to become subject to full withholding tax), even if applicable treaties were subsequently amended to adopt the new model provisions. In response to comments the U.S. Treasury received regarding the May 2015 draft, the new model treaty provisions pertaining to expatriated entities fix the definition of “expatriated entity” to the meaning ascribed to such term under Section 7874(a)(2)(A) as of the date the relevant bilateral treaty is signed. However, as discussed above, the rules under Section 7874 are relatively new, complex and are the subject of current and future legislative and regulatory changes. In addition, because each tax treaty is a result of negotiation, the language used in a particular treaty often departs from the model. Accordingly, even if we are not impacted by the language of the current model, there can be no assurance that the IRSwe will agree with the position that the merger does not result in the creation of an expatriated entity (within the meaning of Section 7874) under the law as in effect at the time any applicable treaty were to be amended or that such a challenge would not be sustained by a court, or that such position would not be affected by future or regulatory action which may apply retroactivelythe language agreed to the merger.in a particular treaty.

Our tax rate is uncertain and may vary from expectations.

There is no assurance that we will be able to maintain any particular worldwide effective corporate tax rate because of uncertainty regarding the tax policies jurisdictions in which we and our affiliates operate. Our actual effective tax rate may vary from our expectations, and such variance may be material. Additionally, tax laws or their implementation and applicable tax authority practices in any particular jurisdiction could change in the future, possibly on a retroactive basis, and any such change could have an adverse impact on us and our affiliates.

Legislative or other governmental action in the U.S. could adversely affect our business.

Changes in, or interpretations of, tax rules and regulations, and changes in geographic operating results, may adversely affect our effective tax rates.

We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. and foreign tax jurisdictions. We also conduct business and financing activities between our entities in various jurisdictions and we are subject to complex transfer pricing regulations in the countries in which we operate. Although uniform transfer pricing standards are emerging in many of the countries in which we operate, there is still a relatively high degree of uncertainty and inherent subjectivity in complying with these rules. In addition, due to economic and political conditions, tax rates in various jurisdictions may be subject to significant change. Our future effective tax rates could be affected by changes in tax laws or regulations or the interpretation thereof (including those affecting the allocation of tax laws,profits and expenses to differing jurisdictions), by changes in the amount of revenue or earnings that we derive from international sources in countries with high or low statutory tax rates, or by changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities.liabilities, by changes in the expected timing and amount of the release of any tax valuation allowance, or by the tax effects of stock-based compensation. Unanticipated changes in our effective tax rates could affect our future results of operations.

Further, we may be subject to examination of our income tax returns by federal, state, and foreign tax jurisdictions. We regularly assess the likelihood of outcomes resulting from possible examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes. In making such assessments, we exercise judgment in estimating our provision for income taxes. While we believe our estimates are reasonable, we cannot assure you that final determinations from any examinations will not be materially different from those reflected in our historical income tax provisions and accruals. Any adverse outcome from any examinations may have an adverse effect on our business and operating results, which could cause the market price of our securities to decline.

Based on our current assessment, we believe that substantially all of our deferred tax assets will be realized. There is no assurance that we will attain our future expected levels of taxable income or that a valuation allowance against new or existing deferred tax assets will not be necessary in the future.

Guidance, regulations, or technical corrections issued in connection with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act could adversely impact our effective tax rate.rate and profile.

On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "Tax Act") was signed into law, making significant changes to the taxation of U.S. business entities. The changes included in the Tax Act are broad and complex. Among other things, the Tax Act contains significant changes to U.S. federal corporate taxation, including reduction of the corporate tax rate from a top marginal rate of 35% to a flat rate of 21%, limitation of the tax deduction for interest expense to 30% of adjusted earnings (except for certain small businesses), a new base erosion anti-abuse tax, limitation of the deduction for net operating losses to 80% of current year taxable income and elimination of net operating loss carrybacks, one time taxation of offshore earnings at reduced rates regardless of whether they are repatriated, elimination of U.S. tax on foreign earnings (subject to certain important exceptions), immediate deductions for certain new investments instead of deductions for depreciation expense over time, and modifying or repealing many business deductions and credits. Notwithstanding the U.S.reduction in the corporate income tax rate, from 35% to 21% and included numerous other provisions reflecting fundamental tax reform. The Tax Act could limit the availability of tax benefits or deductions that we currently claim or otherwise increase the taxes that the U.S. imposes on our worldwide operations. We have included the estimatedoverall impact of the new law on our financials based on management’s current knowledge and assumptions. The Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Treasury Department may, however, issue guidance, regulations, or technical corrections that could change our interpretation of the Tax Act whichon us is uncertain and our business and financial condition could be adversely affected. The impact of the Tax Act on holders of our stock could also be adverse. Further, the Tax Act may reduce the appeal of a foreign corporation acquiring a U.S. corporation if the 60% or greater ownership test (discussed above) is met post-merger, as it can now result in a recapture by the U.S. corporation of its one time taxation of offshore earnings at a full 35% rate without foreign tax credits (as opposed to a 15.5% or lower rate with such credits), an increased base erosion anti-abuse tax liability, and the taxation of shareholders on distributions at ordinary income (as opposed to qualified dividend) rates.

Economic conditions and regulatory changes leading up to and following the United Kingdom’s likely exit from the European Union could have ana material adverse impacteffect on our effective tax rate.business and results of operations.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES.

From time to time, the Company is involved in certain claims and legal proceedings arising in the normal course of business. While the resolution of these matters cannot be predicted with certainty, we do not believe, based on current knowledge, that the outcome of any currently pending legal proceedings in which the Company is currently involved will have a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flow.

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.

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The graph and related information are being furnished solely to accompany this Form 10-K pursuant to Item 201(e) of Regulation S-K. They shall not be deemed “soliciting materials” or to be “filed” with the SEC (other than as provided in Item 201), nor shall such information be incorporated by reference into any future filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate it by reference into such filing.

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA.

The consolidated financial statements for all periods presented in this Form 10-K are prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP.

The Selected Consolidated Financial Data below includes the results of 3 Arts Entertainment from its acquisition date of May 29, 2018 onwards, Starz from its acquisition date of December 8, 2016 onwards, and Pilgrim Media Group from its acquisition date of November 12, 2015 onwards. Due to the acquisitions of 3 Arts Entertainment, Starz, and Pilgrim Media Group, the Company’s results of operations for the years ended March 31, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016 and financial positions as at March 31, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016 are not directly comparable to prior reporting periods.