Business |
12 Months Ended |
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Dec. 31, 2017 | |
| Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] | |
| Business |
Business
Global Eagle Entertainment Inc. is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Global Eagle (together with its subsidiaries, “Global Eagle”, or the “Company”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is a leading provider of media and satellite-based connectivity to fast growing, global mobility markets across air, land and sea. Global Eagle offers a fully integrated suite of rich media content and seamless connectivity solutions that cover the globe. As of December 31, 2017, its business was comprised of two operating segments: Media & Content and Connectivity, with the Connectivity segment encompassing the operations of the former Aviation Connectivity and Maritime & Land Connectivity segments as historically presented in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2017. See Note 16. Segment Information for further discussion on the Company’s reportable segments.
Prior to the Company’s acquisition of Emerging Markets Communications (“EMC” and the acquisition, the “EMC Acquisition”) on July 27, 2016 (the “EMC Acquisition Date”), the Company’s business consisted of two operating segments: Content and Connectivity. (EMC was a communications services provider that offered land-based sites and marine vessels globally a multimedia platform delivering communications, Internet, live television, on-demand video, voice, cellular and 3G/LTE services. See Note 3. Business Combinations.) Following the EMC Acquisition, the acquired EMC business became a third operating segment, which the Company called Maritime & Land Connectivity, and the Company renamed its other two segments as Media & Content and Aviation Connectivity. In the second quarter of 2017, the Company reorganized its business from three operating segments back into two operating segments—Media & Content and Connectivity. However, we will continue to have three separate reporting units for purposes of our goodwill impairment testing. See below and Note 16. Segment Information for further discussion on the Company’s reportable segments.
Media & Content
The Media & Content segment selects, manages, provides lab services and distributes wholly-owned and licensed media content, video and music programming, advertising, applications and video games to the airline, maritime and other “away from home” non-theatrical markets.
The Media & Content operations commenced on January 31, 2013, when the Company acquired 86% of the issued and outstanding shares of Advanced Inflight Alliance AG (“AIA”) in January 2013.
Prior to January 31, 2013, the Company was known as Global Eagle Acquisition Corp. (“GEAC”), which was formed in February 2011 to effect a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition or similar business combination with one or more businesses. Upon completion of the business combination with Row 44, Inc. (“Row 44”) and AIA, the Company changed its name from Global Eagle Acquisition Corp. to Global Eagle Entertainment Inc. In addition, the Company purchased substantially all the assets of Post Modern Edit, LLC and related companies (“PMG”) in July 2013 and completed the stock acquisition of the U.K. parent of the Travel Entertainment Group Equity Limited and subsidiaries (“IFES”) in October 2013. In 2013, the Company acquired additional outstanding shares of AIA to increase its ownership of AIA’s shares to 94%, and in April 2014, the Company acquired the remaining outstanding shares in AIA.
Connectivity
The Connectivity operating segment provides its customers, including their passengers and crew, with (i) Wi-Fi connectivity via L, C, Ka and Ku-band satellite transmissions that enable access to the Internet, live television, on-demand content, shopping and travel-related information and (ii) operational solutions that allow customers to improve the management of their internal operations.
The Connectivity segment operations commenced when the Company acquired all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Row 44 pursuant to a business combination transaction that closed on January 31, 2013 in which the Company acquired Row 44 and 86% of the issued and outstanding shares of AIA.
The EMC Acquisition added maritime and land-based connectivity operations to the segment upon the consolidation of our prior Maritime & Land Connectivity segment with our prior Aviation Connectivity segment in the second quarter of 2017.
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