Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Stock-Based Compensation

v2.4.0.8
Stock-Based Compensation
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Share-based Compensation [Abstract]  
Stock-Based Compensation
Stock-Based Compensation
Liberty grants, to certain of its directors, employees and employees of its subsidiaries, options and stock appreciation rights ("SARs") to purchase shares of its common stock (collectively, "Awards"). The Company measures the cost of employee services received in exchange for an Award of equity instruments (such as stock options and restricted stock) based on the grant-date fair value of the Award, and recognizes that cost over the period during which the employee is required to provide services (usually the vesting period of the Award). The Company measures the cost of employee services received in exchange for an Award of liability instruments (such as SARs that will be settled in cash) based on the current fair value of the Award, and remeasures the fair value of the Award at each reporting date.
Included in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations are the following amounts of stock-based compensation, a portion of which relates to SIRIUS XM, as discussed below:
 
Three months ended
March 31,
 
2014
 
2013
 
(amounts in millions)
Cost of subscriber services:
 
 
 
Programming and content
$
4

 
3

 Customer service and billing
1

 
1

Other
2

 
1

Other operating expense
4

 
3

Selling, general and administrative
38

 
33

 
$
49

 
41


During the three months ended March 31, 2014, the Company granted 1,000 options to purchase shares of Series A Liberty common stock at a weighted average grant-date fair value of $38.86 per share. These options vest quarterly over a 4 year vesting period.
Liberty calculates the grant-date fair value for all of its equity classified awards and the subsequent remeasurement of its liability classified awards using the Black-Scholes Model. Liberty estimates the expected term of the Awards based on historical exercise and forfeiture data. The volatility used in the calculation for Awards is based on the historical volatility of Liberty common stock and the implied volatility of publicly traded Liberty options. Liberty uses a zero dividend rate and the risk-free rate for Treasury Bonds with a term similar to that of the subject Awards.
Liberty—Outstanding Awards
The following table presents the number and weighted average exercise price ("WAEP") of Awards to purchase Liberty common stock granted to certain officers, employees and directors of the Company and certain Awards of employees of Starz.
 
Series A
 
Liberty Awards (000's)
 
WAEP
 
Weighted
average
remaining
life
 
Aggregate
intrinsic
value
(millions)
Outstanding at January 1, 2014
3,656

 
$
91.74

 
 
 
 
Granted
1

 
$
135.29

 
 
 
 
Exercised
(155
)
 
$
93.11

 
 
 
 
Outstanding at March 31, 2014
3,502

 
$
91.70

 
5.0 years
 
$137
Exercisable at March 31, 2014
2,035

 
$
88.92

 
4.7 years
 
$85

As of March 31, 2014, the total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested Liberty Awards was approximately $54 million, including compensation associated with the option exchange that occurred in December 2012. Such amount will be recognized in the Company's consolidated statements of operations over a weighted average period of approximately 1.5 years.
As of March 31, 2014, Liberty reserved 3.5 million shares of Series A common stock for issuance under exercise privileges of outstanding stock Awards.
SIRIUS XM - Stock-based Compensation
During the three months ended March 31, 2014, SIRIUS XM granted stock options and restricted stock units to its employees and members of its board of directors. As of March 31, 2014, SIRIUS XM has approximately 259 million options outstanding of which approximately 110 million are exercisable, each with a weighted-average exercise price per share of $2.43 and $2.15, respectively. The stock-based compensation related to SIRIUS XM stock options was $36 million and $26 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. As of March 31, 2014, the total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested SIRIUS XM stock options was $278 million. The SIRIUS XM unrecognized compensation cost will be recognized in the Company's consolidated statements of operations over a weighted average period of approximately 2.5 years.