grepcent / static financial knowledge base

NEW YORK TIMES CO (NYT)

CIK: 0000071691. SIC: 2711 Newspapers: Publishing or Publishing & Printing. Latest 10-K as of: 2026-02-27.

SIC breadcrumb: Manufacturing > SIC Major Group 27 > SIC 2711 Newspapers: Publishing or Publishing & Printing

SEC company page: https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=71691. Latest filing source: 0000071691-26-000011.

Informational only - descriptive public-record data, not investment advice.

Business

Read NYT's verbatim Item 1 Business section from its latest 10-K: Business.

Risk Factors

Read NYT's verbatim Item 1A Risk Factors from its latest 10-K: Risk Factors.

Selected Fundamentals

MetricValueUnitFYFiled
Revenue2,824,918,000USD20252026-02-27
Net income343,981,000USD20252026-02-27
Assets2,997,090,000USD20252026-02-27

Financials

Annual standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-02-27. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0000071691.json. Derived margins, ratios, and free cash flow are computed from the extracted annual SEC facts.

Download these verified figures (annual + quarterly, with per-value filing provenance): JSON · CSV

Flow metrics use full-year FY periods from 10-K/10-K/A filings; balance-sheet metrics use FY-end instants. Free cash flow = operating cash flow - capital expenditures. Missing metrics are omitted rather than fabricated.

Metric20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Revenue1,555,342,0001,675,639,0001,748,598,0001,812,184,0001,783,639,0002,074,877,0002,308,321,0002,426,152,0002,585,919,0002,824,918,000
Net income29,068,0004,296,000125,684,000139,966,000100,103,000219,971,000173,905,000232,387,000293,825,000343,981,000
Operating income112,678,000176,591,000190,167,000175,582,000176,256,000268,034,000201,967,000276,272,000351,096,000431,557,000
Diluted EPS0.180.030.750.830.601.311.041.401.772.09
Operating cash flow103,876,00086,712,000157,117,000189,898,000297,933,000269,098,000150,687,000360,618,000410,512,000584,489,000
Capital expenditures30,095,00084,753,00077,487,00045,441,00034,451,00034,637,00036,961,00022,669,00029,173,00033,984,000
Dividends paid25,897,00026,004,00026,418,00031,604,00038,437,00045,337,00056,790,00069,464,00082,855,000110,363,000
Share buybacks69,293,00015,684,0000.000.000.000.00105,056,00044,553,00085,043,000165,341,000
Assets2,185,395,0002,099,780,0002,197,123,0002,089,138,0002,307,689,0002,564,108,0002,533,752,0002,714,595,0002,841,479,0002,997,090,000
Stockholders' equity847,815,000897,279,0001,040,781,0001,172,003,0001,325,517,0001,538,720,0001,597,967,0001,763,219,0001,927,209,0002,041,363,000
Cash and cash equivalents100,692,000182,911,000241,504,000230,431,000286,079,000319,973,000221,385,000289,472,000199,448,000255,445,000
Free cash flow73,781,0001,959,00079,630,000144,457,000263,482,000234,461,000113,726,000337,949,000381,339,000550,505,000

Ratios

ROE and ROA use period-end equity/assets. Liabilities / equity uses total liabilities divided by stockholders' equity. Current ratio uses current assets divided by current liabilities when both are reported.

Metric20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Net margin1.87%0.26%7.19%7.72%5.61%10.60%7.53%9.58%11.36%12.18%
Operating margin7.24%10.54%10.88%9.69%9.88%12.92%8.75%11.39%13.58%15.28%
Return on equity3.43%0.48%12.08%11.94%7.55%14.30%10.88%13.18%15.25%16.85%
Return on assets1.33%0.20%5.72%6.70%4.34%8.58%6.86%8.56%10.34%11.48%
Current ratio2.001.801.331.641.721.701.151.281.531.54

Industry Peer Context

Each number-line places NYT against the min, median, and max of latest reported values among companies in the same SIC industry when at least three peers report that ratio.

Net margin peer context

NYT Net margin versus SIC peer range. Source: grepcent computed from latest SEC companyfacts ratios for SIC industry 2711; peer count 3.NYT Net margin versus SIC peer range. Source: grepcent computed from latest SEC companyfacts ratios for SIC industry 2711; peer count 3.3 SIC peersMin 0.1%Median 12.2%Max 14.0%NYT 12.2%

ROE peer context

NYT ROE versus SIC peer range. Source: grepcent computed from latest SEC companyfacts ratios for SIC industry 2711; peer count 4.NYT ROE versus SIC peer range. Source: grepcent computed from latest SEC companyfacts ratios for SIC industry 2711; peer count 4.4 SIC peersMin 1.1%Median 15.1%Max 28.7%NYT 16.9%

ROA peer context

NYT ROA versus SIC peer range. Source: grepcent computed from latest SEC companyfacts ratios for SIC industry 2711; peer count 4.NYT ROA versus SIC peer range. Source: grepcent computed from latest SEC companyfacts ratios for SIC industry 2711; peer count 4.4 SIC peersMin 0.1%Median 9.5%Max 20.5%NYT 11.5%

Financial Bridges

Waterfall figures reconcile reported SEC companyfacts components. Missing bridges are omitted when required components are not present for the same fiscal year.

Free cash flow = operating cash flow - capital expenditures

NYT FY2025 free cash flow bridge from reported figures.NYT FY2025 free cash flow bridge from reported figures.NYT free cash flow bridgeFY2025: operating cash flow less capital expendituresSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Free cash flow bridgeReported amount$0.0B$375.0M$750.0M$584.5MOperating cash flow-$34.0MCapex$550.5MFree cash flow

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts FY 2025. Operating cash flow: accession 0000071691-26-000011; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | Capital expenditures: accession 0000071691-26-000011; concept PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment; source concepts us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment | Free cash flow: accession 0000071691-26-000011; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment

Financial Charts

NYT revenue, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT revenue, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT RevenueLatest point: FY2025 = $2.8BSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearReported revenue$0.0B$2.0B$4.0BFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000071691-26-000011; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax. Source concepts: us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax.

NYT net income, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT net income, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT Net incomeLatest point: FY2025 = $344.0MSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearNet income$0.0B$250.0M$500.0MFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000071691-26-000011; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.

NYT operating income, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT operating income, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT Operating incomeLatest point: FY2025 = $431.6MSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearOperating income$0.0B$250.0M$500.0MFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000071691-26-000011; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: OperatingIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss.

NYT diluted eps, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT diluted eps, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT Diluted EPSLatest point: FY2025 = $2.09/shareSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearDiluted EPS (USD/share)$0.00/share$2.00/share$4.00/shareFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000071691-26-000011; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.

NYT operating cash flow, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT operating cash flow, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT Operating cash flowLatest point: FY2025 = $584.5MSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearOperating cash flow$0.0B$375.0M$750.0MFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000071691-26-000011; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities.

NYT capital expenditures, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT capital expenditures, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT Capital expendituresLatest point: FY2025 = $34.0MSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearCapital expenditures$0.0B$125.0M$250.0MFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000071691-26-000011; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment.

NYT dividends paid, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT dividends paid, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT Dividends paidLatest point: FY2025 = $110.4MSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearDividends paid$0.0B$125.0M$250.0MFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000071691-26-000011; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: PaymentsOfDividendsCommonStock. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsOfDividendsCommonStock.

NYT share buybacks, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT share buybacks, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT Share buybacksLatest point: FY2025 = $165.3MSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearShare buybacks$0.0B$125.0M$250.0MFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000071691-26-000011; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock.

NYT assets, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT assets, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT AssetsLatest point: FY2025 = $3.0BSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearAssets$0.0B$2.0B$4.0BFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000071691-26-000011; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: Assets. Source concepts: us-gaap:Assets.

NYT stockholders' equity, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT stockholders' equity, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT Stockholders' equityLatest point: FY2025 = $2.0BSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearStockholders' equity$0.0B$2.0B$4.0BFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000071691-26-000011; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: StockholdersEquity. Source concepts: us-gaap:StockholdersEquity.

NYT cash and cash equivalents, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT cash and cash equivalents, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT Cash and cash equivalentsLatest point: FY2025 = $255.4MSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearCash and cash equivalents$0.0B$250.0M$500.0MFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000071691-26-000011; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue. Source concepts: us-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue.

NYT free cash flow, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT free cash flow, last 5 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts FY2025.NYT Free cash flowLatest point: FY2025 = $550.5MSource: SEC companyfacts FY2025.Fiscal yearFree cash flow$0.0B$375.0M$750.0MFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000071691-26-000011; filed 2026-02-27. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment.

Quarterly

Quarterly standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-05-06. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0000071691.json.

Flow metrics use discrete quarter-length periods from 10-Q/10-Q/A filings. Q4 revenue and net income are derived only when annual FY and nine-month YTD facts exist for the same fiscal year; derived Q4 values are labeled. EPS Q4 is not derived.

QuarterEnd DateRevenueNet IncomeDiluted EPSMethod
2022-Q22022-06-260.37reported discrete quarter
2022-Q32022-09-250.22reported discrete quarter
2023-Q12023-03-310.13reported discrete quarter
2023-Q22023-06-30590,853,00046,574,0000.28reported discrete quarter
2023-Q32023-09-30598,345,00053,615,0000.32reported discrete quarter
2023-Q42023-12-31676,215,000109,877,000derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD
2024-Q12024-03-31594,015,00040,417,0000.24reported discrete quarter
2024-Q22024-06-30625,097,00065,540,0000.40reported discrete quarter
2024-Q32024-09-30640,178,00064,143,0000.39reported discrete quarter
2024-Q42024-12-31726,629,000123,725,000derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD
2025-Q12025-03-31635,910,00049,551,0000.30reported discrete quarter
2025-Q22025-06-30685,873,00082,945,0000.50reported discrete quarter
2025-Q32025-09-30700,821,00081,647,0000.50reported discrete quarter
2025-Q42025-12-31802,314,000129,838,000derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD
2026-Q12026-03-31712,236,00087,922,0000.54reported discrete quarter

Quarterly Charts

NYT quarterly revenue, last 12 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts 2026-Q1.NYT quarterly revenue, last 12 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts 2026-Q1.NYT Quarterly RevenueLatest point: 2026-Q1 = $712.2MSource: SEC companyfacts 2026-Q1.Fiscal quarterQuarterly Revenue$0.0B$500.0M$1.0B2023-Q22023-Q32023-Q42024-Q12024-Q22024-Q32024-Q42025-Q12025-Q22025-Q32025-Q42026-Q1

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0000071691-26-000025; filed 2026-05-06. Concept: RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax. Source concepts: us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax.

NYT quarterly net income, last 12 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts 2026-Q1.NYT quarterly net income, last 12 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts 2026-Q1.NYT Quarterly Net incomeLatest point: 2026-Q1 = $87.9MSource: SEC companyfacts 2026-Q1.Fiscal quarterQuarterly Net income$0.0B$125.0M$250.0M2023-Q22023-Q32023-Q42024-Q12024-Q22024-Q32024-Q42025-Q12025-Q22025-Q32025-Q42026-Q1

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0000071691-26-000025; filed 2026-05-06. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.

NYT quarterly diluted eps, last 12 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts 2026-Q1.NYT quarterly diluted eps, last 12 periods. Source: SEC companyfacts 2026-Q1.NYT Quarterly Diluted EPSLatest point: 2026-Q1 = $0.54/shareSource: SEC companyfacts 2026-Q1.Fiscal quarterQuarterly Diluted EPS (USD/share)$0.00/share$0.50/share$1.00/share2022-Q22022-Q32023-Q12023-Q22023-Q32024-Q12024-Q22024-Q32025-Q12025-Q22025-Q32026-Q1

Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0000071691-26-000025; filed 2026-05-06. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.

Macro Cross-References

Latest quarter (10-Q)

Latest 10-Q source: 0000071691-26-000025.

Extracted structurally from real Item 2 body heading to real Item 3/4 boundary. Confidence: high. Filing date: 2026-05-06. Report date: 2026-03-31.

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW

We are a global media organization focused on creating and distributing high-quality news and information that help our audience understand and engage with the world. We believe that our original, independent and high-quality reporting, storytelling, expertise and journalistic excellence set us apart from other sources and are at the heart of what makes our journalism worth paying for.

We generate revenues principally from the sale of subscriptions and advertising. Subscription revenues consist of revenues from standalone and multiproduct bundle subscriptions to our digital products and subscriptions to and single-copy and bulk sales of our print products. Advertising revenue is derived from the sale of our advertising products and services. Affiliate, licensing and other revenues primarily consist of revenues from licensing, Wirecutter affiliate referrals, commercial printing, the leasing of floors in the New York headquarters building located at 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York (the “Company Headquarters”), and retail commerce. Our main operating costs are employee-related costs.

In the accompanying analysis of financial information, we present certain information derived from our consolidated financial information but not presented in our financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”). We are presenting in this report supplemental non-GAAP financial performance measures that exclude depreciation, amortization, severance, non-operating retirement costs and certain identified special items, as applicable. In addition, we present our free cash flow, defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from or as a substitute for the related GAAP measures and should be read in conjunction with financial information presented on a GAAP basis. For further information and reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures, see “— Results of Operations — Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

In the third quarter of 2025, the Company updated its internal reporting to reflect how the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer (who is the Company’s Chief Operating Decision Maker) manages the business, and, as a result, the Company has determined it has one reportable segment and one reporting unit.

Financial Highlights

•Total revenues increased 12.0% to $712.2 million in the first quarter of 2026 from $635.9 million in the first quarter of 2025.

•Total subscription revenues increased 11.3% to $516.9 million in the first quarter of 2026 from $464.3 million in the first quarter of 2025. Digital-only subscription revenues increased 16.1% to $389.0 million in the first quarter of 2026 from $335.0 million in the first quarter of 2025. The Company added approximately 310,000 net digital-only subscribers compared with the end of 2025, bringing the total number of subscribers to 13.08 million subscribers, including approximately 12.52 million digital-only subscribers. Compared with the end of the first quarter of 2025, there was a net increase of 1,460,000 digital-only subscribers. Digital-only average revenue per user (“ARPU”) increased 2.4% year-over-year to $9.77.

•Total advertising revenues increased 17.3% to $126.8 million in the first quarter of 2026 from $108.1 million in the first quarter of 2025, due to an increase in digital advertising revenues of 31.6% to $93.3 million.

•Affiliate, licensing and other revenues increased 7.8% to $68.5 million in the first quarter of 2026 from $63.6 million in the first quarter of 2025, as a result of higher licensing revenues.

•Operating costs increased 7.7% to $621.6 million in the first quarter of 2026 from $577.3 million in the first quarter of 2025. Adjusted operating costs, defined as operating costs before depreciation, amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (a non-GAAP financial measure discussed below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures”), increased 9.4% to $594.3 million in the first quarter of 2026 from $543.2 million in the first quarter of 2025.

•Operating profit increased 54.5% to $90.6 million in the first quarter of 2026 from $58.6 million in the first quarter of 2025. Adjusted operating profit (“AOP”), defined as operating profit before depreciation, amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (a non-GAAP financial measure discussed below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures”), increased 27.2% to $117.9 million in the first quarter of 2026 from $92.7 million in the first quarter of 2025.

19

•Operating profit margin (operating profit expressed as a percentage of revenues) increased to 12.7% in the first quarter of 2026, compared with 9.2% in the first quarter of 2025. Adjusted operating profit margin, defined as adjusted operating profit expressed as a percentage of revenues (a non-GAAP financial measure discussed below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures”), increased to 16.6% in the first quarter of 2026, compared with 14.6% in the first quarter of 2025.

•Diluted earnings per share were $0.54 and $0.30 for the first quarters of 2026 and 2025, respectively. Adjusted diluted earnings per share, defined as diluted earnings per share excluding amortization of acquired intangible assets, severance, non-operating retirement costs and special items (a non-GAAP financial measure discussed below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures”), were $0.61 and $0.41 for the first quarters of 2026 and 2025, respectively.

Industry Trends, Economic Conditions, Challenges and Risks

We operate in a highly competitive environment that is subject to rapid and, at times, unpredictable change. We compete for audience, subscribers, advertisers and licensees against a wide variety of companies. Companies shaping our competitive environment include content creators, providers and distributors; news aggregators; search engines; social media platforms; streaming services; and AI companies, certain of which have attracted and any of which may further attract audiences, subscribers, advertisers and/or licensees to their platforms and away from ours. Competition among these companies is robust, and new competitors can quickly emerge and have in recent years. We have designed our strategy to navigate the challenges and take advantage of opportunities presented by this period of transformation in our industry.

We and the companies with which we do business are subject to risks and uncertainties caused by factors beyond our control, including economic weakness, instability and volatility, including the potential for a recession; expanded or retaliatory tariffs or taxes or other trade barriers; a competitive talent market; inflation; supply chain disruptions; high interest rates and interest rates volatility; and political and sociopolitical uncertainties and conflicts. These factors may result in declines and/or volatility in our results. Macroeconomic uncertainty has had in the past, and may have in the future, an adverse impact on both digital and print advertising spending. Additionally, we believe that there is marketer sensitivity to being adjacent to news or specific news topics, impacting overall advertising spend.

The newspaper industry has transitioned from being primarily print-focused to digital, resulting in secular declines in both print subscription and print advertising revenues, and we do not expect this trend to reverse. Our printing and distribution costs have been impacted as a result of this transition, and may be further impacted in the future by higher costs, including those associated with raw materials, delivery and distribution and outside printing, or if they were to become subject to expanded or retaliatory tariffs.

We actively monitor industry trends and political and economic conditions, challenges and risks to remain flexible and to optimize and evolve our business as appropriate; however, the full impact they will have on our business, operations and financial results is uncertain and will depend on numerous factors and future developments. The risks related to our business are further described in the section titled “Item 1A — Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025.

20

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following table presents our consolidated financial results:

For the Quarters Ended
(In thousands)March 31, 2026March 31, 2025% Change
Revenues
Subscription$516,871$464,25711.3%
Advertising126,824108,07617.3%
Affiliate, licensing and other68,54163,5777.8%
Total revenues712,236635,91012.0%
Operating costs
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)362,936334,6378.5%
Sales and marketing77,26365,95917.1%
Product development70,19366,5395.5%
General and administrative86,45279,9138.2%
Depreciation and amortization20,56321,378(3.8)%
Generative AI Litigation Costs4,2124,397(4.2)%
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment4,453*
Total operating costs621,619577,2767.7%
Operating profit90,61758,63454.5%
Other components of net periodic benefit costs(3,582)(4,638)(22.8)%
Interest income and other, net11,2839,97213.1%
Income before income taxes98,31863,96853.7%
Income tax expense10,39614,417(27.9)%
Net income$87,922$49,55177.4%

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or not meaningful.

21

Revenues

Subscription Revenues

Subscription revenues consist of revenues from subscriptions to our digital and print products (which include our news product, as well as The Athletic and our Audio, Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products), and single-copy and bulk sales of our print products (which represented less than 5% of our subscription revenues in the first quarters of 2026 and 2025). Subscription revenues are based on both the number of digital-only subscriptions and copies of the printed newspaper sold, and the rates charged to the respective customers.

We offer a digital-only bundle that includes access to our digital news product (which includes our news website, NYTimes.com, and mobile application), as well as The Athletic and our Audio, Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products. Our subscriptions also include standalone digital subscriptions to each of these products.

The following table summarizes digital-only and print subscription revenues for the first quarters of 2026 and 2025:

For the Quarters Ended
(In thousands)March 31, 2026March 31, 2025% Change
Digital-only subscription revenues(1)$389,044$335,02616.1%
Print subscription revenues(2)127,827129,231(1.1)%
Total subscription revenues$516,871$464,25711.3%

(1)Includes bundled subscriptions and standalone subscriptions to our news product, as well as The Athletic and our Audio, Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products.

(2)Includes domestic home-delivery subscriptions, which include access to our digital products. Also includes single-copy, NYT International and other subscr

[Excerpt truncated for page length; source filing is linked above.]

Latest 10-K MD&A

Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary. Confidence: high. Filing date: 2026-02-27. Report date: 2025-12-31.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis provides information that management believes is relevant to an assessment and understanding of our consolidated financial condition as of December 31, 2025, and results of operations for the two years ended December 31, 2025. Please read this item together with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related Notes included in this Annual Report. For comparison of results of operations for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2024, and December 31, 2023 see Part II, Item 7 of our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on February 27, 2025.

Significant components of the management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations section include:

PAGE
Executive Overview:The executive overview section provides a summary of The New York Times Company and our business.31
Results of Operations:The results of operations section provides an analysis of our results on a consolidated basis.35
Non-Operating Items:The non-operating items section discusses certain non-operating items.42
Non-GAAP Financial Measures:The non-GAAP financial measures section provides a comparison of our non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures for the two years ended December 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024.43
Liquidity and Capital Resources:The liquidity and capital resources section provides a discussion of our cash flows for the two years ended December 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024, and restricted cash, capital expenditures and third-party financing, commitments and contingencies existing as of December 31, 2025.47
Critical Accounting Estimates:The critical accounting estimates section provides detail with respect to accounting policies that are considered by management to require significant judgment and use of estimates and that could have a significant impact on our financial statements.51

EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW

We are a global media organization focused on creating and distributing high-quality news and information that help our audience understand and engage with the world. We believe that our original, independent and high-quality reporting, storytelling, expertise and journalistic excellence set us apart from other sources and are at the heart of what makes our journalism worth paying for. For further information, see “Item 1 — Business – Overview” and “– Our Strategy.”

We generate revenues principally from the sale of subscriptions and advertising. Subscription revenues consist of revenues from standalone and multiproduct bundle subscriptions to our digital products and subscriptions to and single-copy and bulk sales of our print products. Advertising revenue is derived from the sale of our advertising products and services. The Company changed the revenue caption “Other” on its Consolidated Statement of Operations to “Affiliate, licensing and other” beginning with the quarter ended March 31, 2025. Affiliate, licensing and other revenues primarily consist of revenues from licensing, Wirecutter affiliate referrals, commercial printing, the leasing of floors in our Company Headquarters, our live events business and retail commerce. Our main operating costs are employee-related costs.

In the accompanying analysis of financial information, we present certain information derived from our consolidated financial information but not presented in our financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”). We are presenting in this report supplemental non-GAAP financial performance measures that may exclude depreciation, amortization, severance, non-operating retirement costs and certain identified special items, as applicable. In addition, we present our free cash flow, defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from or as a substitute for the related GAAP measures and should be read in conjunction with our financial information presented on a GAAP basis. For further information and

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 31

reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures, see “— Results of Operations — Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

Fiscal year 2024, ended December 31, 2024, was composed of one additional day as compared to fiscal year 2025, ended December 31, 2025, as a result of 2024 being a leap year.

In the third quarter of 2025, the Company updated its internal reporting to reflect how the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer (who is the Company’s Chief Operating Decision Maker) manages the business, and as a result, the Company has determined it has one reportable segment and one reporting unit.

2025 Financial Highlights

•The Company ended 2025 with approximately 12.78 million subscribers to its print and digital products, including approximately 12.21 million digital-only subscribers. Of the 12.21 million digital-only subscribers, approximately 6.48 million were bundle and multiproduct subscribers. Compared with the end of 2024, there was a net increase of approximately 1,400,000 digital-only subscribers.

•Total digital-only average revenue per user (“ARPU”) grew 2.7% year-over-year to $9.68 driven primarily by subscribers transitioning from promotional to higher prices and price increases on certain tenured subscribers.

•Operating profit increased 22.9% to $431.6 million in 2025 from $351.1 million in 2024. Adjusted operating profit (“AOP”), defined as operating profit before depreciation, amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (a non-GAAP measure discussed below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures”), increased 20.8% to $550.1 million in 2025 from $455.4 million in 2024. Operating profit margin (operating profit expressed as a percentage of revenues) increased to 15.3% in 2025, compared with 13.6% in 2024. Adjusted operating profit margin (adjusted operating profit expressed as a percentage of revenues) increased to 19.5% in 2025, compared with 17.6% in 2024.

•Total revenues increased 9.2% to $2.82 billion in 2025 from $2.59 billion in 2024.

•Total subscription revenues increased 9.1% to $1.95 billion in 2025 from $1.79 billion in 2024. Digital-only subscription revenues increased 14.3% to $1.43 billion in 2025 from $1.25 billion in 2024.

•Total advertising revenues increased 11.8% to $566.0 million in 2025 from $506.3 million in 2024, due to an increase of 20.0% in digital advertising revenues, partially offset by a decrease of 5.4% in print advertising revenues.

•Affiliate, licensing and other revenues increased 5.7% to $308.1 million in 2025 from $291.4 million in 2024, as a result of higher licensing revenues.

•Operating costs increased 7.1% to $2.39 billion in 2025 from $2.23 billion in 2024. Adjusted operating costs, defined as operating costs before depreciation, amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (a non-GAAP measure discussed below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures”), increased 6.8% to $2.27 billion in 2025 from $2.13 billion in 2024.

•Diluted earnings per share were $2.09 and $1.77 for 2025 and 2024, respectively. Adjusted diluted earnings per share, defined as diluted earnings per share excluding amortization of acquired intangible assets, severance, non-operating retirement costs and special items (a non-GAAP measure discussed below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures”) were $2.46 and $2.01 for 2025 and 2024, respectively.

•Net cash from operating activities for 2025 was $584.5 million compared with $410.5 million in 2024, and free cash flow, defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures (a non-GAAP measure discussed below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures”), was $550.5 million compared with $381.3 million in 2024.

P. 32 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Industry Trends, Economic Conditions, Challenges and Risks

We operate in a highly competitive environment that is subject to rapid and, at times, unpredictable change. We compete for audience, subscribers, advertisers and licensees against a wide variety of companies. Companies shaping our competitive environment include content creators, providers and distributors; news aggregators; search engines; social media platforms; streaming services; and AI companies, certain of which have attracted and any of which may further attract audiences, subscribers, advertisers and/or licensees to their platforms and away from ours. Competition among these companies is robust, and new competitors can quickly emerge and have in recent years. We have designed our strategy to navigate the challenges and take advantage of opportunities presented by this period of transformation in our industry.

We and the companies with which we do business are subject to risks and uncertainties caused by factors beyond our control, including economic weakness, instability and volatility, including the potential for a recession; expanded or retaliatory tariffs or taxes or other trade barriers; a competitive talent market; inflation; supply chain disruptions; high interest rates and interest rates volatility; and political and sociopolitical uncertainties and conflicts. These factors may result in declines and/or volatility in our results. Macroeconomic uncertainty has had in the past, and may have in the future, an adverse impact on both digital and print advertising spending. Additionally, we believe that there is marketer sensitivity to being adjacent to news or specific news topics, impacting overall advertising spend.

The newspaper industry has transitioned from being primarily print-focused to digital, resulting in secular declines in both print subscription and print advertising revenues, and we do not expect this trend to reverse. Our printing and distribution costs have been impacted as a result of this transition, and may be further impacted in the future by higher costs, including those associated with raw materials, delivery and distribution and outside printing, or if they were to become subject to expanded or retaliatory tariffs (though newsprint is currently exempt from the proposed expansion of U.S. tariffs on goods from Canada).

We actively monitor industry trends and political and economic conditions, challenges and risks to remain flexible and to optimize and evolve our business as appropriate; however, the full impact they will have on our business, operations and financial results is uncertain and will depend on numerous factors and future developments. The risks related to our business are further described in the section titled “Item 1A — Risk Factors.”

Liquidity

Throughout 2025, we returned capital to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases and continued to manage our pension liability as discussed below. As of December 31, 2025, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of approximately $1.2 billion and was debt-free.

Capital Return

The Company aims to return at least 50% of free cash flow to stockholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases over the next three to five years.

We have paid quarterly dividends on the Class A and Class B Common Stock each quarter since late 2013. In February 2026, our Board of Directors approved a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share, an increase of $0.05 per share from the previous quarter. We currently expect to continue to pay cash dividends in the future, although changes in our dividend program will be considered by our Board of Directors in light of our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other factors considered relevant.

Our Board of Directors approved Class A Common Stock share repurchase programs in February 2023 ($250.0 million) and February 2025 ($350.0 million). The authorizations provide that shares of Class A Common Stock may be purchased from time to time as market conditions warrant, through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or other means, including Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. We expect to repurchase shares to offset the impact of dilution from our equity compensation program and to return capital to our stockholders. There is no expiration date with respect to these authorizations. During the year ended December 31, 2025, repurchases totaled approximately $165.3 million (excluding commissions and excise taxes), and we repurchased an additional $41.9 million (excluding commissions and excise taxes) between January 1, 2026 and February 18, 2026, fully utilizing the 2023 authorization, leaving approximately $308.2 million remaining under the 2025 authorization.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 33

Managing Pension Liability

We remain focused on managing our pension plan obligations. We have taken steps over the last several years to reduce the size and volatility of our pension obligations, including freezing accruals under all but one of our qualified defined benefit pension plans, making immediate pension benefits offers in the form of lump-sum payments to certain active and former employees and transferring certain future benefit obligations and administrative costs to insurers.

As of December 31, 2025, our qualified pension plans had plan assets that were approximately $76 million above the present value of future benefits obligations, compared with approximately $71 million as of December 31, 2024. We made contributions of approximately $13 million to certain qualified pension plans in both 2025 and 2024, respectively. We expect to make contributions in 2026 to satisfy the greater of minimum funding or collective bargaining agreement requirements of approximately $14 million. We will continue to look for ways to reduce the size and volatility of our pension obligations.

While we have made significant progress in our liability-driven investment strategy to reduce the funding volatility of our qualified pension plans, the size of our pension plan obligations relative to the size of our current operations will continue to have an impact on our reported financial results. We expect to continue to experience volatility in our pension costs, particularly due to the impact of changing discount rates, long-term return on plan assets and mortality assumptions on our qualified and non-qualified pension plans. We may also incur additional withdrawal obligations related to multiemployer plans in which we participate, as well as multiemployer plans from which we previously withdrew.

P. 34 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

The following table presents our consolidated financial results for the years ended December 31, 2025, and 2024:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2025December 31, 20242025 vs. 2024
Revenues
Digital$1,434,336$1,254,59214.3%
Print516,442533,615(3.2)%
Subscription revenues1,950,7781,788,2079.1%
Digital410,634342,09220.0%
Print155,359164,219(5.4)%
Advertising revenues565,993506,31111.8%
Affiliate, licensing and other308,147291,4015.7%
Total revenues2,824,9182,585,9199.2%
Operating costs
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)1,389,7131,309,5146.1%
Sales and marketing307,084278,42510.3%
Product development264,347248,1986.5%
General and administrative328,064307,9306.5%
Depreciation and amortization85,00782,9362.5%
Generative AI Litigation Costs13,32110,80023.3%
Impairment charges2,858*
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustments2,967(2,980)*
Total operating costs2,393,3612,234,8237.1%
Operating profit431,557351,09622.9%
Other components of net periodic benefit costs(18,557)(4,158)*
Interest income and other, net38,25636,4854.9%
Income before income taxes451,256383,42317.7%
Income tax expense107,27589,59819.7%
Net income$343,981$293,82517.1%

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 35

Revenues

Subscription; advertising; and affiliate, licensing and other revenues were as follows:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2025December 31, 20242025 vs. 2024
Subscription$1,950,778$1,788,2079.1%
Advertising565,993506,31111.8%
Affiliate, licensing and other308,147291,4015.7%
Total revenues$2,824,918$2,585,9199.2%

Subscription Revenues

Subscription revenues consist of revenues from subscriptions to our digital and print products (which include our news product, as well as The Athletic and our Audio, Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products), and single-copy and bulk sales of our print products (which represented less than 5% of our subscription revenues in 2025 and 2024). Subscription revenues are based on both the number of digital-only subscriptions and copies of the printed newspaper sold, and the rates charged to the respective customers.

We offer a digital-only bundle that includes access to our digital news product (which includes our news website, NYTimes.com, and mobile application), as well as The Athletic and our Audio, Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products. Our subscriptions also include standalone digital subscriptions to each of these products.

Subscription revenues increased $162.6 million, or 9.1%, in 2025 compared with 2024, primarily due to an increase in digital-only subscription revenues of $179.8 million, or 14.3%, partially offset by a decrease in print subscription revenues of $17.2 million, or 3.2%. Digital-only subscription revenues increased primarily due to an increase in bundle and multiproduct revenues of $223.3 million and an increase in other single-product subscription revenues of $22.9 million, partially offset by a decrease in news-only subscription revenues of $66.4 million. Bundle and multiproduct average digital-only subscribers increased approximately 1,170,000, or 24.3%, while bundle and multiproduct ARPU (as defined below) increased $0.49, or 4.0%. Other single-product average digital-only subscribers increased approximately 630,000, or 20.5%, while other single-product ARPU decreased $0.13, or 3.6%. News-only average digital-only subscribers decreased approximately 620,000, or 27.0%, while news-only ARPU increased $1.21, or 10.7%. In calculating average digital-only subscribers for our subscriber categories, we use the monthly average number of digital-only subscribers (calculated as the weighted average of each month’s daily average subscribers). Print subscription revenue decreased primarily due to a decrease in home-delivery subscription revenue, which was driven by a lower number of average print subscribers, reflecting secular trends, partially offset by an increase in domestic home-delivery prices.

The following table summarizes digital and print subscription revenues for the years ended December 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2025December 31, 20242025 vs. 2024
Digital-only subscription revenues(1)$1,434,336$1,254,59214.3%
Print subscription revenues(2)516,442533,615(3.2)%
Total subscription revenues$1,950,778$1,788,2079.1%

(1)Includes revenue from bundled and standalone subscriptions to our news product, as well as The Athletic and our Audio, Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products.

(2)Includes domestic home-delivery subscriptions, which include access to our digital products. Also includes single-copy, NYT International and Other subscription revenues.

P. 36 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

A subscriber is defined as a user who has subscribed (and for whom a valid method of payment has been provided) for the right to access one or more of the Company’s products. The Company ended 2025 with approximately 12.78 million subscribers to its print and digital products, including approximately 12.21 million digital-only subscribers. Compared with the end of 2024, there was a net increase of approximately 1,400,000 digital-only subscribers.

Print domestic home-delivery subscribers totaled approximately 570,000 at the end of 2025, a net decrease of approximately 40,000 subscribers compared with the end of 2024. Subscribers with a domestic home-delivery print subscription to The New York Times, which includes access to our digital products, are excluded from digital-only subscribers.

We currently report three mutually exclusive digital-only subscriber categories: bundle and multiproduct, news-only and other single-product, which collectively sum to total digital-only subscribers, as well as the ARPU for each of these categories.

Following the fourth quarter of 2025, we plan to make a change to our subscriber disclosures. We will continue to report total digital-only subscribers and total digital-only ARPU. However, we will discontinue reporting digital-only subscribers and ARPU by the categories of bundle and multiproduct, news-only, and other single product, as well as the percentages represented by group corporate, group education and family subscriptions. We believe total digital-only subscribers and total digital-only ARPU best align with how we manage the business for long-term growth.

The following table sets forth subscribers as of the end of the five most recent fiscal quarters.

December 31, 2025September 30, 2025June 30, 2025March 31, 2025December 31, 2024
Digital-only subscribers:
Bundle and multiproduct(1)(2)(3)6,4806,2706,0205,7605,440
News-only(2)(4)1,4701,5601,6901,7901,930
Other single-product(2)(3)(5)4,2703,9203,5903,5003,450
Total digital-only subscribers(2)(3)(6)12,21011,76011,30011,06010,820
Print subscribers(7)570570580600610
Total subscribers12,78012,33011,88011,66011,430

(1)Subscribers with a bundle subscription or standalone digital-only subscriptions to two or more of the Company’s products.

(2)Includes group corporate and group education subscriptions, which collectively represented approximately 6% of total digital-only subscribers as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2025. The number of group subscribers is derived using the value of the relevant contract and a discounted subscription rate.

(3)As of the second quarter of 2025, includes subscribers related to family subscriptions. Each family subscription is priced higher than a comparable individual subscription and is counted as one billed subscriber and one additional subscriber to reflect the additional entitlements in these subscriptions. The additional subscribers represented less than 3% of total digital-only subscribers as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2025.

(4)Subscribers with only a digital-only news product subscription.

(5)Subscribers with only one digital-only subscription to The Athletic or to our Audio, Cooking, Games or Wirecutter products.

(6)Subscribers with digital-only subscriptions to one or more of our news product, The Athletic, or our Audio, Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products.

(7)Subscribers with a domestic home-delivery or mail print subscription to The New York Times, which includes access to our digital products, or a print subscription to our Book Review or Large Type Weekly products.

The sum of individual metrics may not always equal total amounts indicated due to rounding. Subscribers (including net subscriber additions) are rounded to the nearest ten thousand.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 37

ARPU, a metric we calculate to track the revenue generation of our digital subscriber base, represents the average revenue per digital subscriber over a 28-day billing cycle during the applicable period. The following table sets forth ARPU metrics relating to the above digital-only subscriber categories for the two most recent fiscal years.

Years Ended
December 31, 2025December 31, 2024
Digital-only ARPU:
Bundle and multiproduct$12.67$12.18
News-only$12.57$11.36
Other single-product$3.47$3.60
Total digital-only ARPU$9.68$9.42

Beginning in the second quarter of 2025, ARPU metrics are calculated by dividing the digital subscription revenues in the year by the average number of digital-only subscribers (calculated as the weighted average of each month's daily average subscribers) divided by the number of days in the year multiplied by 28 to reflect a 28-day billing cycle. This change had a de minimis impact on ARPU.

Total digital-only ARPU was $9.68 for the year ended December 31, 2025, an increase of 2.7% compared with the year ended December 31, 2024. The year-over-year increase was driven primarily by subscribers graduating from promotional to higher prices and price increases on certain tenured subscribers.

Advertising Revenues

Advertising revenue is primarily derived from advertisers (such as luxury goods, technology and financial companies) promoting products, services or brands on digital platforms in the form of display, audio, email and video ads; in print in the form of column-inch ads; and at live events. Advertising revenue is primarily determined by the volume (e.g., impressions or column inches), rate and mix of advertisements. As of the first quarter of 2025, we updated our discussion of digital advertising revenue and no longer distinguish between “core” and “other” digital advertising. Digital advertising includes revenue from display (which includes website and mobile applications), audio, email and video advertisements that are sold either directly to marketers by our advertising sales teams or, for a smaller proportion of advertising revenue, through programmatic auctions run by third-party ad exchanges. Digital advertising revenue also includes revenues generated by creative services fees. Print advertising includes revenue from column-inch ads and classified advertising, as well as preprinted advertising, also known as freestanding inserts.

The following table summarizes digital and print advertising revenues for the years ended December 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2025December 31, 20242025 vs. 2024
Digital advertising revenues$410,634$342,09220.0%
Print advertising revenues155,359164,219(5.4)%
Total advertising revenues$565,993$506,31111.8%

Digital advertising revenues, which represented 72.6% of the total advertising revenues in 2025, increased $68.5 million, or 20.0%, to $410.6 million compared with $342.1 million in 2024. The increase was primarily a result of higher display revenues of $66.4 million, driven by new advertising supply and strong marketer demand. Display impressions increased 19%, while the average rate increased 6%.

Print advertising revenues, which represented 27.4% of total advertising revenues in 2025, decreased $8.9 million, or 5.4%, to $155.4 million compared with $164.2 million in 2024. The decrease in 2025 was primarily due to an 8.8% decrease in revenues from column-inch ads, partially offset by a 3.7% increase in print advertising rate. Print advertising revenues in 2025 continued to be impacted by secular trends.

P. 38 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Affiliate, Licensing and Other Revenues

Affiliate, licensing and other revenues primarily consist of revenues from licensing, Wirecutter affiliate referrals, commercial printing, the leasing of floors in our Company Headquarters, our live events business and retail commerce.

Affiliate, licensing and other revenues increased $16.7 million, or 5.7%, in 2025 compared with 2024, primarily as a result of higher licensing revenues of $14.4 million, largely related to commercial agreements with third-party digital platforms, partially offset by the expiration of smaller license agreements, as well as growth in Wirecutter affiliate referral revenues of $5.1 million, partially offset by lower books, television and film revenues of $5.3 million.

Digital affiliate, licensing and other revenues, which consist primarily of Wirecutter affiliate referral revenues and digital licensing revenues, totaled $201.0 million and $186.1 million in 2025 and 2024, respectively. Building rental revenue from the leasing of floors in the Company Headquarters totaled $26.8 million and $26.6 million in 2025 and 2024, respectively.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 39

Operating Costs

Operating costs were as follows:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2025December 31, 20242025 vs. 2024
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)$1,389,713$1,309,5146.1%
Sales and marketing307,084278,42510.3%
Product development264,347248,1986.5%
General and administrative328,064307,9306.5%
Depreciation and amortization85,00782,9362.5%
Generative AI Litigation Costs13,32110,80023.3%
Impairment charges2,858*
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustments2,967(2,980)*
Total operating costs$2,393,361$2,234,8237.1%

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

The components of operating costs as a percentage of total operating costs were as follows:

Years Ended
December 31, 2025December 31, 2024
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)58%59%
Sales and marketing13%12%
Product development11%11%
General and administrative14%14%
Depreciation and amortization3%4%
Generative AI Litigation Costs1%%
Impairment charges%%
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustments%%
Total100%100%

P. 40 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

The components of operating costs as a percentage of total revenues were as follows:

Years Ended
December 31, 2025December 31, 2024
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)49%51%
Sales and marketing11%11%
Product development9%10%
General and administrative12%12%
Depreciation and amortization3%3%
Generative AI Litigation Costs%%
Impairment charges%%
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustments%%
Total84%87%

Cost of Revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)

Cost of revenue includes all costs related to content creation, subscriber and advertiser servicing, and print production and distribution as well as infrastructure costs related to delivering digital content, which include all cloud and cloud-related costs as well as compensation for employees that enhance and maintain that infrastructure, excluding depreciation and amortization.

Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization) in 2025 increased $80.2 million, or 6.1%, compared with 2024, largely due to higher journalism costs of $48.7 million, higher subscriber servicing costs of $16.7 million, higher advertising servicing costs of $7.8 million, higher digital content delivery costs of $4.1 million and higher print production and distribution costs of $2.5 million. The increase in journalism costs was largely due to higher compensation and benefits, which was driven by growth in the number of employees who work in our newsrooms as well as higher salaries, benefits costs and incentive compensation. The increase in subscriber servicing costs was largely due to higher commissions and credit card processing fees due to an increase in subscriptions, as well as higher compensation and benefits. The increase in advertising servicing costs was due to an increase in outside services costs as a result of a higher number of events and higher volume of custom advertising campaigns, as well as higher compensation and benefits, which was driven by higher incentive compensation and higher benefits costs. The increase in digital content delivery costs was largely due to higher cloud-related costs. The increase in print production and distribution costs was primarily due to higher distribution rates and higher occupancy, repairs and maintenance expenses, partially offset by fewer print copies produced.

Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing includes costs related to the Company’s subscription and brand marketing efforts as well as advertising sales costs.

Sales and marketing costs in 2025 increased $28.7 million, or 10.3%, compared with 2024, primarily due to higher marketing costs of $15.4 million and higher sales costs of $12.9 million. The increase in marketing costs was primarily due to higher media expenses and higher compensation and benefits, which was driven by higher incentive compensation and higher benefits costs. The increase in sales costs was primarily due to higher compensation and benefits, which was driven by higher incentive compensation, growth in the number of employees and higher benefits costs.

Media expenses, a component of sales and marketing costs that represents the cost to promote our subscription business, increased 9.3% to $151.6 million in 2025 from $138.8 million in 2024. The increase was largely a result of higher brand marketing expenses.

Product Development

Product development includes costs associated with the Company’s investment in developing and enhancing new and existing product technology, including engineering, product development and data insights.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 41

Product development costs in 2025 increased $16.1 million, or 6.5%, compared with 2024, largely due to higher compensation and benefits expenses of $8.0 million, which was driven by higher benefits costs and higher incentive compensation, as well as higher software and licensing costs of $3.6 million and higher outside services costs of $3.2 million.

General and Administrative Costs

General and administrative costs include general management, corporate enterprise technology, building operations, unallocated overhead, severance and multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs.

General and administrative costs in 2025 increased $20.1 million, or 6.5%, compared with 2024, primarily due to higher compensation and benefits of $15.1 million, which was driven by incentive compensation and higher benefits costs, higher professional fees of $3.5 million and higher severance expense of $1.9 million, partially offset by lower other miscellaneous expenses of $1.2 million.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization costs in 2025 increased $2.1 million, or 2.5%, compared with 2024. The increase is primarily due to higher equipment and building depreciation.

Generative AI Litigation Costs

For the years ended 2025 and 2024, the Company recorded $13.3 million and $10.8 million, respectively, of pre-tax litigation-related costs in connection with certain lawsuits alleging unlawful and unauthorized copying and use of the Company’s journalism and other content in connection with the development of generative artificial intelligence products (“Generative AI Litigation Costs”). Management determined to report Generative AI Litigation Costs as a special item beginning in 2024 because, unlike other litigation expenses, the Generative AI Litigation Costs arise from discrete, complex and unusual proceedings and do not, in management’s view, reflect the Company’s ongoing business operational performance. See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Impairment Charges

In 2025, the Company recorded a $2.9 million impairment charge related to excess leased office space that is being marketed for sublet.

There were no impairment charges in 2024.

Multiemployer Pension Plan Liability Adjustments

In 2025, the Company recorded $3.0 million net charges related to a multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment.

In 2024, the Company recorded a favorable adjustment related to a reduction in its multiemployer pension plan liability of $3.0 million.

Other Items

See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information regarding other items.

NON-OPERATING ITEMS

Interest Income and Other, Net

See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding interest income and other.

Income Taxes

See Note 11 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding income taxes.

Other Components of Net Periodic Benefit Costs

See Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding other components of net periodic benefit costs.

P. 42 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

We have included in this report certain supplemental financial information derived from consolidated financial information but not presented in our financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. Specifically, we have referred to the following non-GAAP financial measures in this report:

•adjusted diluted earnings per share, defined as diluted earnings per share excluding severance, non-operating retirement costs and the impact of special items;

•adjusted operating profit, defined as operating profit before depreciation, amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items, and expressed as a percentage of revenues, adjusted operating profit margin;

•adjusted operating costs, defined as operating costs before depreciation, amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items; and

•free cash flow, defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures.

The special items in 2025 consisted of:

•$13.3 million of Generative AI Litigation Costs ($9.8 million, or $0.06 per share, after tax);

•A $3.5 million charge ($2.6 million, or $0.02 per share, after tax) related to an impairment of a non-marketable equity investment;

•$3.0 million net charges ($2.2 million, or $0.01 per share, after tax) related to multiemployer pension plan liability adjustments;

•A $2.9 million impairment charge ($2.1 million, or $0.01 per share, after tax) related to excess leased office space that is being marketed for sublet; and

The special items in 2024 consisted of:

•$10.8 million of Generative AI Litigation Costs ($8.0 million, or $0.05 per share, after tax); and

•A $3.0 million favorable adjustment ($2.2 million, or $0.01 per share, after tax) related to reductions in our multiemployer pension plan liabilities.

We have included these non-GAAP financial measures because management reviews them on a regular basis and uses them to evaluate and manage the performance of our operations. We believe that, for the reasons outlined below, these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors as a supplement to reported diluted earnings/(loss) per share, operating profit/(loss) and operating costs. However, these measures should be evaluated only in conjunction with the comparable GAAP financial measures and should not be viewed as alternative or superior measures of GAAP results.

Adjusted diluted earnings per share provides useful information in evaluating the Company’s period-to-period performance because it eliminates items that the Company does not consider to be indicative of earnings from ongoing operating activities. Adjusted operating profit and adjusted operating profit margin are useful in evaluating the ongoing performance of the Company’s businesses as they exclude the significant non-cash impact of depreciation and amortization, as well as items not indicative of ongoing operating activities. Total operating costs include depreciation, amortization, severance and multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items. Total operating costs, excluding these items, provide investors with helpful supplemental information on the Company’s underlying operating costs that is used by management in its financial and operational decision-making.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 43

Management considers special items, which may include impairment charges, pension settlement charges, acquisition-related costs, and beginning in 2024, Generative AI Litigation Costs, as well as other items that arise from time to time, to be outside the ordinary course of our operations. Management believes that excluding these items provides a better understanding of the underlying trends in the Company’s operating performance and allows more accurate comparisons of the Company’s operating results to historical performance. Management determined to report Generative AI Litigation Costs as a special item and thus exclude them beginning in 2024 because, unlike other litigation expenses which are not excluded, the Generative AI Litigation Costs arise from discrete, complex and unusual proceedings and do not, in management’s view, reflect the Company’s ongoing business operational performance. In addition, management excludes severance costs, which may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter, because it believes these costs do not necessarily reflect expected future operating costs and do not contribute to a meaningful comparison of the Company’s operating results to historical performance.

Non-operating retirement costs include (i) interest cost, expected return on plan assets, amortization of actuarial gains and loss components and amortization of prior service credits of single-employer pension expense, (ii) interest cost, amortization of actuarial gains and loss components and (iii) all multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs. These non-operating retirement costs are primarily tied to financial market performance including changes in market interest rates and investment performance. Management considers non-operating retirement costs to be outside the performance of the business and believes that presenting adjusted diluted earnings per share excluding non-operating retirement costs and presenting adjusted operating results excluding multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs, in addition to the Company’s GAAP diluted earnings per share and GAAP operating results, provide increased transparency and a better understanding of the underlying trends in the Company’s operating business performance.

The Company considers free cash flow, which is defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures, to provide useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash that is available to be used to strengthen the Company’s balance sheet and for strategic opportunities including, among others, investing in the Company’s business, strategic acquisitions, dividend payouts and repurchasing stock. See “Liquidity and Capital Resources — Free Cash Flow” below for more information and a reconciliation of free cash flow to net cash provided by operating activities.

P. 44 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are set out in the tables below.

Reconciliation of diluted earnings per share excluding amortization of acquired intangible assets, severance, non-operating retirement costs and special items (or adjusted diluted earnings per share)
Years Ended% Change
December 31, 2025December 31, 20242025 vs. 2024
Diluted earnings per share$2.09$1.7718.1%
Add:
Amortization of acquired intangible assets0.170.17
Severance0.060.0520.0%
Non-operating retirement costs:
Multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs0.030.04(25.0)%
Other components of net periodic benefit costs0.110.03*
Special items:
Generative AI Litigation Costs0.080.0714.3%
Impairment charges0.02*
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustments0.02(0.02)*
Impairment of a non-marketable equity security0.02*
Income tax expense of adjustments(0.13)(0.08)62.5%
Adjusted diluted earnings per share(1)$2.46$2.0122.4%

(1)Amounts may not add due to rounding.

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 45

Reconciliation of operating profit before depreciation and amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (or adjusted operating profit) and of adjusted operating profit margin
Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2025December 31, 20242025 vs. 2024
Operating profit$431,557$351,09622.9%
Add:
Depreciation and amortization85,00782,9362.5%
Severance9,4547,51225.9%
Multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs4,9726,038(17.7)%
Generative AI Litigation Costs13,32110,80023.3%
Impairment charges2,858*
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustments2,967(2,980)*
Adjusted operating profit$550,136$455,40220.8%
Divided by:
Revenue$2,824,918$2,585,9199.2%
Operating profit margin15.3%13.6%170 bps
Adjusted operating profit margin19.5%17.6%190 bps

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

Reconciliation of total operating costs before depreciation and amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (or adjusted operating costs)
Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2025December 31, 20242025 vs. 2024
Operating costs$2,393,361$2,234,8237.1%
Less:
Depreciation and amortization85,00782,9362.5%
Severance9,4547,51225.9%
Multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs4,9726,038(17.7)%
Generative AI Litigation Costs13,32110,80023.3%
Impairment charges2,858*
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustments2,967(2,980)*
Adjusted operating costs$2,274,782$2,130,5176.8%

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

P. 46 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Overview

The following table presents information about our financial position:

Financial Position Summary

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands, except ratios)December 31, 2025December 31, 20242025 vs. 2024
Cash and cash equivalents$255,445$199,44828.1%
Marketable securities$912,407$712,42028.1%
Total cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities$1,167,852$911,86828.1%
Total New York Times Company stockholders’ equity$2,041,363$1,927,2095.9%
Ratios:
Current assets to current liabilities1.541.53

Our primary sources of cash from operations were revenues from subscription and advertising sales. Subscription and advertising revenues provided approximately 69% and 20%, respectively, of total revenues in 2025. The remaining cash inflows were primarily from other revenue sources such as licensing, Wirecutter affiliate referrals, commercial printing, the leasing of floors in the Company Headquarters, our live events business and retail commerce.

Our primary uses of cash from operations were for employee compensation and benefits and other operating expenses. We believe our cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities balance and cash provided by operations, in combination with other sources of cash, will be sufficient to meet our financing needs over the next twelve months and beyond.

As of December 31, 2025, we had cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities of $1,167.9 million and approximately $400 million in available borrowings, and no amounts were outstanding under our credit facility. Our cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities balances increased in 2025, primarily due to cash proceeds from operating activities, partially offset by cash used for share repurchases, dividend payments, capital expenditures and taxes paid on behalf of employees resulting from share-based compensation tax withholding.

We have paid quarterly dividends on the Class A and Class B Common Stock since 2013. In February 2026, the Board of Directors approved a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share, an increase of $0.05 per share from the previous quarter (see Note 18 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information). We currently expect to continue to pay cash dividends in the future, although changes in our dividend program will be considered by our Board of Directors in light of our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other factors considered relevant.

The Board of Directors approved Class A Common Stock share repurchase programs in February 2023 ($250.0 million) and February 2025 ($350.0 million). The authorizations provide that shares of Class A Common Stock may be purchased from time to time as market conditions warrant, through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or other means, including Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. We expect to repurchase shares to offset the impact of dilution from our equity compensation program and to return capital to our stockholders. There is no expiration date with respect to these authorizations. During the year ended December 31, 2025, repurchases totaled approximately $165.3 million (excluding commissions and excise taxes), and we repurchased an additional $41.9 million (excluding commissions and excise taxes) between January 1, 2026 and February 18, 2026, fully utilizing the 2023 authorization, leaving approximately $308.2 million remaining under the 2025 authorization.

During 2025, we made contributions of $13.1 million to certain qualified pension plans funded by cash on hand. As of December 31, 2025, our qualified pension plans had plan assets that were $75.9 million above the present value of future benefits obligations, an increase of $4.6 million from $71.3 million as of December 31, 2024. We expect contributions made to satisfy the greater of minimum funding or collective bargaining agreement requirements to total approximately $14 million in 2026.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 47

Capital Resources

Sources and Uses of Cash

Cash flows provided by/(used in) by category were as follows:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2025December 31, 20242025 vs. 2024
Operating activities$584,489$410,51242.4%
Investing activities$(221,316)$(306,086)(27.7)%
Financing activities$(306,139)$(192,715)58.9%

Operating Activities

Cash from operating activities is generated by cash receipts from subscriptions; advertising sales; and affiliate, licensing and other revenues. Operating cash outflows include payments for employee compensation, pension and other benefits, raw materials, marketing expenses and income taxes.

Net cash provided by operating activities increased in 2025 compared with 2024 due to higher net income, lower tax payments due to the impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and net proceeds in connection with the lease and subsequent sale of approximately four acres of excess land at our printing and distribution facility in College Point, N.Y., partially offset by higher cash payments for incentive compensation.

Investing Activities

Cash from investing activities generally includes proceeds from marketable securities that have matured and the sale of assets, investments or a business. Cash used in investing activities generally includes purchases of marketable securities, payments for capital projects and acquisitions of new businesses and investments.

Net cash used in investing activities in 2025 was primarily related to $200.4 million in net purchases of marketable securities and $34.0 million in capital expenditures payments.

Financing Activities

Cash from financing activities generally includes borrowings under third-party financing arrangements, the issuance of long-term debt and funds from stock option exercises. Cash used in financing activities generally includes the repayment of amounts outstanding under third-party financing arrangements, the payment of dividends, the payment of long-term debt and capital lease obligations, and stock-based compensation tax withholding.

Net cash used in financing activities in 2025 was primarily related to share repurchases of $165.3 million, dividend payments of $110.4 million and share-based compensation tax withholding payments of $30.0 million.

See “— Third-Party Financing” below and our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for additional information on our sources and uses of cash.

P. 48 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Free Cash Flow

Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure defined as net cash provided by operating activities, less capital expenditures. The Company considers free cash flow to provide useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash that is available to be used to strengthen the Company’s balance sheet and for strategic opportunities including, among others, investing in the Company’s business, strategic acquisitions, dividend payouts and repurchasing stock. In addition, management uses free cash flow to set targets for return of capital to stockholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases.

The Company aims to return at least 50% of free cash flow to stockholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases over the next three to five years.

The following table presents a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow:

Years Ended
(In thousands)December 31, 2025December 31, 2024
Net cash provided by operating activities$584,489$410,512
Less: Capital expenditures(33,984)(29,173)
Free cash flow$550,505$381,339

Free cash flow for 2025 was $550.5 million compared with $381.3 million in 2024. Free cash flow increased primarily due to higher cash provided by operating activities, as discussed above.

Restricted Cash

We were required to maintain $15.0 million of restricted cash as of December 31, 2025, and $14.4 million as of December 31, 2024, substantially all of which is set aside to collateralize workers’ compensation obligations.

Capital Expenditures

Capital expenditures totaled approximately $33 million and $31 million in 2025 and 2024, respectively. The increase in capital expenditures in 2025 was primarily driven by higher expenditures related to improvements at our College Point, N.Y., printing and distribution facility and at a newsroom bureau, partially offset by lower expenditures at the Company Headquarters. The cash payments related to the capital expenditures totaled approximately $34 million and $29 million in 2025 and 2024, respectively, due to the timing of the payments. In 2026, we expect capital expenditures of approximately $51 million, which will be funded from cash on hand. The capital expenditures will be primarily driven by improvements in our Company Headquarters, expenditures related to our College Point, N.Y., printing and distribution facility, and investments in technology to support our strategic initiatives.

Third-Party Financing

On June 13, 2025, the Company entered into an amendment and restatement of its previous credit facility that, among other changes, increased the committed amount to $400.0 million and extended the maturity date to June 13, 2030 (as amended and restated, the “Credit Facility”). Certain of the Company’s domestic subsidiaries have guaranteed the Company’s obligations under the Credit Facility. Borrowings under the Credit Facility bear interest at specified rates based on our utilization and consolidated leverage ratio. The Credit Facility contains various customary affirmative and negative covenants. In addition, the Company is obligated to pay a quarterly unused commitment fee at an annual rate of 0.20%.

As of December 31, 2025, there were no borrowings and approximately $0.4 million in outstanding letters of credit, with the remaining committed amount available. As of December 31, 2025, the Company was in compliance with the financial covenants contained in the Credit Facility. See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding the Credit Facility.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 49

Contractual Obligations

The information provided is based on management’s best estimate and assumptions of our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2025. Actual payments in future periods may vary from those reflected in the table.

Payment due in
(In thousands)Total20262027-20282029-2030Later Years
Operating leases(1)$55,173$14,010$21,578$13,351$6,234
Purchase commitments(2)37,36715,42921,938
Benefit plans(3)376,37442,13683,68382,956167,599
Total$468,914$71,575$127,199$96,307$173,833

(1)See Note 16 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our operating leases.

(2)Represents purchase commitments for the use of digital content delivery services from August 1, 2023, through July 31, 2028.

(3)The Company’s general funding policy with respect to qualified pension plans is to contribute amounts to satisfy the greater of minimum funding or collective bargaining agreement requirements. Contributions for our qualified pension plans and future benefit payments for our unfunded pension and other postretirement benefit payments have been estimated over a 10-year period; therefore, the amounts included in the “Later Years” column only include payments for the period of 2031-2035. For our funded qualified pension plans, estimating funding depends on several variables, including the performance of the plans’ investments, assumptions for discount rates, expected long-term rates of return on assets, rates of compensation increases (applicable only for the Guild-Times Adjustable Pension Plan that has not been frozen) and other factors. Thus, our actual contributions could vary substantially from these estimates. While benefit payments under these plans are expected to continue beyond 2035, we have included in this table only those benefit payments estimated over the next 10 years. Benefit plans in the table above also include estimated payments for multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liabilities. See Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our pension and other postretirement benefits plans.

Other Liabilities — Other in our Consolidated Balance Sheets include liabilities related to (1) deferred compensation, primarily related to our deferred executive compensation plan (the “DEC”) and (2) various other liabilities, including our contingent tax liability for uncertain tax positions and contingent consideration. These liabilities are not included in the table above primarily because the timing of the future payments is not determinable. See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

The DEC previously enabled certain eligible executives to elect to defer a portion of their compensation on a pre-tax basis. The deferred amounts are invested at the executives’ election in various hypothetical investment options. The fair value of deferred compensation is based on the hypothetical investments elected by the executives. The fair value of deferred compensation was $11.7 million as of December 31, 2025. The DEC was frozen effective December 31, 2015, and no new contributions may be made into the plan. See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on Other Liabilities — Other.

Our liability for uncertain tax positions was approximately $4 million, including approximately $0.4 million of accrued interest as of December 31, 2025. Until formal resolutions are reached between the Company and the taxing authorities, determining the timing and amount of possible audit settlements relating to uncertain tax positions is not practicable. Therefore, we do not include this obligation in the table of contractual obligations. See Note 11 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding income taxes.

We have a contract through the end of 2027 with Domtar Corporation, a large global manufacturer and distributor of paper, market pulp and wood products. The contract requires the Company to purchase annually a percentage of our total newsprint requirement at market rate in an arm’s-length transaction. Since the quantities of newsprint purchased annually under this contract are based on our total newsprint requirement, the amount of the related payments for these purchases is excluded from the table above.

P. 50 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

Our Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements for the periods presented.

We continually evaluate the policies and estimates we use to prepare our Consolidated Financial Statements. In general, management’s estimates are based on historical experience, information from third-party professionals and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the facts and circumstances. Actual results may differ from those estimates made by management.

Our critical accounting estimates include our accounting for goodwill and intangibles, retirement benefits and revenue recognition. Specific risks related to our critical accounting estimates are discussed below. For a description of our related accounting policies, see Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Goodwill

We evaluate whether there has been an impairment of goodwill on an annual basis or in an interim period if certain circumstances indicate that a possible impairment may exist.

(In thousands)December 31, 2025December 31, 2024
Goodwill$409,212$412,173
Total assets$2,997,090$2,841,479
Percentage of goodwill to total assets14%15%

The impairment analysis is considered a critical accounting estimate because of the significance of goodwill to our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

We test goodwill for impairment at a reporting unit level. We have an option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value.

If we elect to bypass the qualitative assessment or if the qualitative assessment indicates that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, then we are required to perform a quantitative assessment for impairment by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. Fair value is calculated by a combination of a discounted cash flow model and a market approach model.

When performing a quantitative assessment for goodwill, the discounted cash flow model requires us to make various judgments, estimates and assumptions, many of which are interdependent, about future revenues, operating margins, growth rates, capital expenditures, working capital and discount rates. The starting point for the assumptions used in our discounted cash flow model is the annual long-range financial forecast. The annual planning process that we undertake to prepare the long-range financial forecast takes into consideration a multitude of factors, including historical growth rates and operating performance, related industry trends, macroeconomic conditions, and marketplace data, among others. Assumptions are also made for perpetual growth rates for periods beyond the long-range financial forecast period. Our estimates of fair value are sensitive to changes in all of these variables, certain of which relate to broader macroeconomic conditions outside our control.

The market approach analysis includes applying a multiple, based on comparable market transactions, to certain operating metrics of a reporting unit.

The significant estimates and assumptions used by management in assessing the recoverability of goodwill and intangibles are estimated future cash flows, discount rates, growth rates and other factors. Any changes in these estimates or assumptions could result in an impairment charge. The estimates, based on reasonable and supportable assumptions and projections, require management’s subjective judgment. Depending on the assumptions and estimates used, the estimated results of the impairment tests can vary within a range of outcomes.

For the 2025 annual impairment testing, based on our qualitative assessment, we concluded that goodwill is not impaired.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 51

Pension Benefits

We sponsor a frozen single-employer defined benefit pension plan. The Company and The NewsGuild of New York (the “Guild”) jointly sponsor the Guild-Times Adjustable Pension Plan (the “APP”), which continues to accrue active benefits. Our pension liability also includes our multiemployer pension plan withdrawal obligations.

The table below includes the liability for all of our pension plans.

(In thousands)December 31, 2025December 31, 2024
Pension liabilities (includes current portion)$225,863$228,040
Total liabilities$955,727$914,270
Percentage of pension liabilities to total liabilities24%25%

Our Company-sponsored defined benefit pension plans include qualified plans (funded) as well as non-qualified plans (unfunded). These plans provide participating employees with retirement benefits in accordance with benefit formulas detailed in each plan. All of our non-qualified plans, which provide enhanced retirement benefits to select employees, are frozen, except for a foreign-based pension plan discussed below.

Our joint Company- and Guild-sponsored plan is a qualified plan and is included in the table below.

We also have a foreign-based pension plan for certain non-U.S. employees (the “foreign plan”). The information for the foreign plan is combined with the information for U.S. non-qualified plans. The benefit obligation of the foreign plan is immaterial to our total benefit obligation.

The funded status of our qualified and non-qualified pension plans as of December 31, 2025, is as follows:

December 31, 2025
(In thousands)Qualified PlansNon-Qualified PlansAll Plans
Pension obligation$1,016,379$166,097$1,182,476
Fair value of plan assets1,092,3151,092,315
Pension asset/(obligation), net$75,936$(166,097)$(90,161)

We made contributions of approximately $13 million to the APP in 2025. We expect contributions made to satisfy the greater of minimum funding or collective bargaining agreement requirements to total approximately $14 million in 2026.

Pension expense is calculated using a number of actuarial assumptions, including an expected long-term rate of return on assets (for qualified plans) and a discount rate. Our methodology in selecting these actuarial assumptions is discussed below.

In determining the expected long-term rate of return on assets, we evaluated input from our investment consultants and investment management firms, including our review of asset class return expectations, as well as long-term historical asset class returns. Projected returns by such consultants are based on broad equity and bond indices. Our objective is to select an average rate of earnings expected on existing plan assets and expected contributions to the plan (less plan expenses to be incurred) during the year. The expected long-term rate of return determined on this basis was 5.60% at the beginning of 2025. Our plan assets had an average rate of return of approximately 9.55% in 2025 and an average annual return of approximately 6.79% over the three-year period 2023–2025. We regularly review our actual asset allocation and periodically rebalance our investments to meet our investment strategy.

The market-related value of plan assets is multiplied by the expected long-term rate of return on assets to compute the expected return on plan assets, a component of net periodic pension cost. The market-related value of plan assets is a calculated value that recognizes changes in fair value over three years.

P. 52 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Based on the composition of our assets at the end of the year, we estimated our 2026 expected long-term rate of return to be 5.80%. If we had decreased our expected long-term rate of return on our plan assets by 50 basis points in 2025, pension expense would have increased by approximately $5 million for our qualified pension plans. Our funding requirements would not have been materially affected.

We determined our discount rate using a Ryan ALM, Inc. Curve (the “Ryan Curve”). The Ryan Curve provides the bonds included in the curve and allows adjustments for certain outliers (i.e., bonds on “watch”). We believe the Ryan Curve allows us to calculate an appropriate discount rate.

To determine our discount rate, we project a cash flow based on annual accrued benefits. For active participants, the benefits under the respective pension plans are projected to the date of termination. The projected plan cash flow is discounted to the measurement date, which is the last day of our fiscal year, using the annual spot rates provided in the Ryan Curve. A single discount rate is then computed so that the present value of the benefit cash flow equals the present value computed using the Ryan Curve rates.

The weighted-average discount rate determined on this basis was 5.45% for our qualified plans and 5.25% for our non-qualified plans as of December 31, 2025.

If we had decreased the expected discount rate by 50 basis points for our qualified plans and our non-qualified plans in 2025, pension expense would have increased by approximately $0.3 million and our pension obligation would have increased by approximately $55 million as of December 31, 2025.

We will continue to evaluate all of our actuarial assumptions, generally on an annual basis, and will adjust as necessary. Actual pension expense will depend on future investment performance, changes in future discount rates, the level of contributions we make and various other factors.

We also recognize the present value of pension liabilities associated with the withdrawal from multiemployer pension plans. Our multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liability was approximately $60 million as of December 31, 2025. This liability represents the present value of the obligations related to complete and partial withdrawals that have already occurred.

See Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding our pension plans.

Revenue Recognition

Our contracts with customers sometimes include promises to transfer multiple products and services to a customer. Determining whether products and services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately versus together may require significant judgment. We use an observable price to determine the standalone selling price for separate performance obligations if available or, when not available, an estimate that maximizes the use of observable inputs and faithfully depicts the selling price of the promised goods or services if we sold those goods or services separately to a similar customer in similar circumstances.

RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

See Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding recent accounting pronouncements.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 53

MD&A history

Prior-year 10-K MD&A spans are extracted from SEC filings with the same bounded parser used for the latest filing. The latest 10-K appears above; prior years are below.

FY 2024 10-K MD&A

SEC filing source: 0000071691-25-000047.

Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary. Published MD&A gate trimmed front/tail over-capture. Confidence: high. Filing date: 2025-02-27. Report date: 2024-12-31.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis provides information that management believes is relevant to an assessment and understanding of our consolidated financial condition as of December 31, 2024, and results of operations for the two years ended December 31, 2024. Please read this item together with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related Notes included in this Annual Report. For comparison of results of operations for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, see Part II, Item 7 of our 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on February 20, 2024.

Significant components of the management’s discussion and analysis of results of operations and financial condition section include:

PAGE
Executive Overview:The executive overview section provides a summary of The New York Times Company and our business.29
Results of Operations:The results of operations section provides an analysis of our results on a consolidated basis and segment information.33
Non-Operating Items:The non-operating items section discusses certain non-operating items.44
Non-GAAP Financial MeasuresThe Non-GAAP financial measures section provides a comparison of our non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures for the two years ended December 31, 2024, and December 31, 2023.44
Liquidity and Capital Resources:The liquidity and capital resources section provides a discussion of our cash flows for the two years ended December 31, 2024, and December 31, 2023, and restricted cash, capital expenditures and third-party financing, commitments and contingencies existing as of December 31, 2024.48
Critical Accounting Estimates:The critical accounting policies and estimates section provides detail with respect to accounting policies that are considered by management to require significant judgment and use of estimates and that could have a significant impact on our financial statements.52

EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW

We are a global media organization focused on creating and distributing high-quality news and information that help our audience understand and engage with the world. We believe that our original, independent and high-quality reporting, storytelling, expertise and journalistic excellence set us apart from other sources and are at the heart of what makes our journalism worth paying for. For further information, see “Item 1 — Business – Overview” and “– Our Strategy.”

We generate revenues principally from the sale of subscriptions and advertising. Subscription revenues consist of revenues from standalone and multiproduct bundle subscriptions to our digital products and subscriptions to and single-copy and bulk sales of our print products. Advertising revenue is derived from the sale of our advertising products and services. Other revenues primarily consist of revenues from Wirecutter affiliate referrals, licensing, commercial printing, the leasing of floors in our Company Headquarters, our live events business, retail commerce, books, television and film and our student subscription sponsorship program. Our main operating costs are employee-related costs.

In the accompanying analysis of financial information, we present certain information derived from our consolidated financial information but not presented in our financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”). We are presenting in this report supplemental non-GAAP financial performance measures that exclude depreciation, amortization, severance, non-operating retirement costs and certain identified special items, as applicable. In addition, we present our free cash flow, defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from or as a substitute for the related GAAP measures and should be read in conjunction with financial information presented on a GAAP basis. For further information and

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 29

reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures, see “— Results of Operations — Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

2024 Financial Highlights

•The Company ended 2024 with approximately 11.43 million subscribers across its print and digital products, including approximately 10.82 million digital-only subscribers. Of the 10.82 million digital-only subscribers, approximately 5.44 million were bundle and multiproduct subscribers. Compared with the end of 2023, there was a net increase of 1,110,000 digital-only subscribers.

•Total digital-only average revenue per user (“ARPU”) grew 2.6% year-over-year to $9.42 driven primarily by subscribers graduating from promotional to higher prices and price increases on tenured non-bundled subscribers.

•Operating profit increased 27.1% to $351.1 million in 2024 from $276.3 million in 2023. Adjusted operating profit (“AOP”) defined as operating profit before depreciation, amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (a non-GAAP measure discussed below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures”) increased 16.8% to $455.4 million in 2024 from $389.9 million in 2023. Operating profit margin (operating profit expressed as a percentage of revenues) increased to 13.6% in 2024, compared with 11.4% in 2023. Adjusted operating profit margin (adjusted operating profit expressed as a percentage of revenues) increased to 17.6% in 2024, compared with 16.1% in 2023.

•Total revenues increased 6.6% to $2.59 billion in 2024 from $2.43 billion in 2023.

•Total subscription revenues increased 8.0% to $1.79 billion in 2024 from $1.66 billion in 2023. Digital-only subscription revenues increased 14.1% to $1.25 billion in 2024 from $1.10 billion in 2023.

•Total advertising revenues increased 0.2% to $506.3 million in 2024 from $505.2 million in 2023, due to an increase of 7.7% in digital advertising revenues and a decrease of 12.4% in print advertising revenues.

•Other revenue increased 10.0% to $291.4 million in 2024 from $264.8 million in 2023, as a result of continued strength in Wirecutter affiliate referral and licensing revenues.

•Operating costs increased 4.0% to $2.23 billion in 2024 from $2.15 billion in 2023. Adjusted operating costs, defined as operating costs before depreciation, amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (a non-GAAP measure discussed below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures”) increased 4.6% to $2.13 billion in 2024 from $2.04 billion in 2023.

•Diluted earnings per share were $1.77 and $1.40 for 2024 and 2023, respectively. Adjusted diluted earnings per share, defined as diluted earnings per share excluding amortization of acquired intangible assets, severance, non-operating retirement costs and special items (a non-GAAP measure discussed below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures”) were $2.01 and $1.63 for 2024 and 2023, respectively.

•Net cash from operating activities for 2024 was $410.5 million compared with $360.6 million in 2023, and free cash flow (net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures, a non-GAAP measure) was $381.3 million compared with $337.9 million in 2023.

Industry Trends, Economic Conditions, Challenges and Risks

We operate in a highly competitive environment that is subject to rapid change. Companies shaping our competitive environment include content providers and distributors, news aggregators, search engines, social media platforms, streaming services and products and tools powered by generative artificial intelligence. Competition among these companies is robust, and new competitors can quickly emerge and have in recent years. We have designed our strategy to navigate the challenges and take advantage of opportunities presented by this period of transformation in our industry.

We and the companies with which we do business are subject to risks and uncertainties caused by factors beyond our control, including economic weakness, instability, uncertainty and volatility, including the potential for a recession; a competitive labor market; inflation; supply chain disruptions; high interest rates; and political and sociopolitical uncertainties and conflicts. These factors may result in declines and/or volatility in our results.

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We believe the macroeconomic environment has had, and may in the future have, an adverse impact on both digital and print advertising spending. Additionally, we believe that there may be marketer sensitivity to some news topics, impacting overall advertising spend.

The newspaper industry has transitioned from being primarily print focused to digital, resulting in secular declines in both print subscription and print advertising revenues, and we do not expect this trend to reverse. Our printing and distribution costs have been impacted as a result of this transition, and may be further impacted in the future by higher costs, including those associated with raw materials, delivery and distribution and outside printing.

We actively monitor industry trends, economic conditions, challenges and risks to remain flexible and to optimize and evolve our business as appropriate; however, the full impact they will have on our business, operations and financial results is uncertain and will depend on numerous factors and future developments. The risks related to our business are further described in the section titled “Item 1A — Risk Factors.”

Liquidity

Throughout 2024, we returned capital to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases and continued to manage our pension liability as discussed below. As of December 31, 2024, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of approximately $912 million and was debt-free.

Capital Return

The Company aims to return at least 50% of free cash flow to stockholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases over the next three to five years.

We have paid quarterly dividends on the Class A and Class B Common Stock each quarter since late 2013. In February 2025, The Board of Directors approved a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, an increase of $0.05 per share from the previous quarter. We currently expect to continue to pay cash dividends in the future, although changes in our dividend program will be considered by our Board of Directors in light of our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other factors considered relevant.

The Board of Directors approved Class A share repurchase programs in February 2022 ($150.0 million), February 2023 ($250.0 million) and February 2025 ($350.0 million). The authorizations provide that shares of Class A Common Stock may be purchased from time to time as market conditions warrant, through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or other means, including Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. We expect to repurchase shares to offset the impact of dilution from our equity compensation program and to return capital to our stockholders. There is no expiration date with respect to these authorizations. Through February 19, 2025, we repurchased 6,655,899 shares under these authorizations for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $266.9 million (excluding commissions and excise taxes), fully utilizing the 2022 authorization and leaving approximately $483.1 million remaining under the 2023 and 2025 authorizations.

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Managing Pension Liability

We remain focused on managing our pension plan obligations. We have taken steps over the last several years to reduce the size and volatility of our pension obligations, including freezing accruals under all but one of our qualified defined benefit pension plans, making immediate pension benefits offers in the form of lump-sum payments to certain former employees and transferring certain future benefit obligations and administrative costs to insurers.

As of December 31, 2024, our qualified pension plans had plan assets that were approximately $71 million above the present value of future benefits obligations, compared with approximately $83 million as of December 31, 2023. We made contributions of approximately $13 million and $10 million to certain qualified pension plans in 2024 and 2023, respectively. We expect to make contributions in 2025 to satisfy the greater of minimum funding or collective bargaining agreement requirements of approximately $13 million. We will continue to look for ways to reduce the size and volatility of our pension obligations.

While we have made significant progress in our liability-driven investment strategy to reduce the funding volatility of our qualified pension plans, the size of our pension plan obligations relative to the size of our current operations will continue to have an impact on our reported financial results. We expect to continue to experience volatility in our pension costs, particularly due to the impact of changing discount rates, long-term return on plan assets and mortality assumptions on our qualified and non-qualified pension plans. We may also incur additional withdrawal obligations related to multiemployer plans in which we participate, as well as multiemployer plans from which we previously withdrew.

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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

The following table presents our consolidated financial results for the years ended December 31, 2024, and 2023:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2024December 31, 20232024 vs. 2023
Revenues
Digital$1,254,592$1,099,43914.1%
Print533,615556,714(4.1)%
Subscription revenues1,788,2071,656,1538.0%
Digital342,092317,7447.7%
Print164,219187,462(12.4)%
Advertising revenues506,311505,2060.2%
Other291,401264,79310.0%
Total revenues2,585,9192,426,1526.6%
Operating costs
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)1,309,5141,249,0614.8%
Sales and marketing278,425260,2277.0%
Product development248,198228,8048.5%
General and administrative307,930311,039(1.0)%
Depreciation and amortization82,93686,115(3.7)%
Generative AI Litigation Costs10,800*
Impairment charges15,239*
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment(2,980)(605)*
Total operating costs2,234,8232,149,8804.0%
Operating profit351,096276,27227.1%
Other components of net periodic benefit (costs)/income(4,158)2,737*
Gain from joint ventures2,477*
Interest income and other, net36,48521,10272.9%
Income before income taxes383,423302,58826.7%
Income tax expense89,59869,83628.3%
Net income293,825232,75226.2%
Net income attributable to the noncontrolling interest(365)*
Net income attributable to The New York Times Company common stockholders$293,825$232,38726.4%

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

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Revenues

Subscription, advertising and other revenues were as follows:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2024December 31, 20232024 vs. 2023
Subscription$1,788,207$1,656,1538.0%
Advertising506,311505,2060.2%
Other291,401264,79310.0%
Total$2,585,919$2,426,1526.6%

Subscription Revenues

Subscription revenues consist of revenues from subscriptions to our digital and print products (which include our news product, as well as The Athletic and our Audio, Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products), and single-copy and bulk sales of our print products (which represented less than 5% of our subscription revenues in 2024 and 2023). Subscription revenues are based on both the number of digital-only subscriptions and copies of the printed newspaper sold, and the rates charged to the respective customers.

We offer a digital-only bundle that includes access to our digital news product (which includes our news website, NYTimes.com, and mobile application), as well as The Athletic and our Audio, Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products. Our subscriptions also include standalone digital subscriptions to each of these products.

Subscription revenues increased $132.1 million, or 8.0%, in 2024 compared with 2023, primarily due to an increase in digital-only subscription revenues of $155.2 million, or 14.1%, partially offset by a decrease in print subscription revenues of $23.1 million, or 4.1%. Digital-only subscription revenues increased primarily due to an increase in bundle and multiproduct revenues of $199.3 million and an increase in other single-product subscription revenues of $26.8 million, partially offset by a decrease in news-only subscription revenues of $70.9 million. Bundle and multiproduct average digital-only subscribers increased 1,480,000, or 44.2%, while bundle and multiproduct ARPU (as defined below) decreased $0.87, or 6.7%. Other single-product average digital-only subscribers increased 540,000, or 21.4%, while other single-product ARPU increased $0.03, or 0.8%. News-only average digital-only subscribers decreased 1,020,000, or 30.6%, while news-only ARPU increased $1.82, or 19.1%. In calculating average digital-only subscribers for our subscriber categories, we use the monthly average number of digital-only subscribers (calculated as the sum of the number of subscribers in each category at the beginning and end of the month, divided by two). Print subscription revenue decreased primarily due to a decrease in home-delivery subscription revenue, which was driven by a lower number of average print subscribers, reflecting secular trends, partially offset by an increase in domestic home-delivery prices.

The following table summarizes digital and print subscription revenues for the years ended December 31, 2024, and December 31, 2023:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2024December 31, 20232024 vs. 2023
Digital-only subscription revenues(1)$1,254,592$1,099,43914.1%
Print subscription revenues(2)533,615556,714(4.1)%
Total subscription revenues$1,788,207$1,656,1538.0%
(1) Includes revenue from bundled and standalone subscriptions to our news product, as well as The Athletic and our Audio, Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products.
(2) Includes domestic home-delivery subscriptions, which include access to our digital products. Also includes single-copy, NYT International and Other subscription revenues.

P. 34 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

A subscriber is defined as a customer who has subscribed (and provided a valid method of payment) for the right to access one or more of the Company’s products. The Company ended 2024 with approximately 11.43 million subscribers to its print and digital products, including approximately 10.82 million digital-only subscribers. Compared with 2023, there was a net increase of 1,110,000 digital-only subscribers.

Print domestic home-delivery subscribers totaled approximately 610,000 at the end of 2024, a net decrease of 50,000 subscribers compared with the end of 2023. Subscribers with a domestic home-delivery print subscription to The New York Times, which includes access to our digital products, are excluded from digital-only subscribers.

The following table sets forth subscribers as of the end of the five most recent fiscal quarters:

December 31, 2024September 30, 2024June 30, 2024March 31, 2024December 31, 2023
Digital-only subscribers:
Bundle and multiproduct (1)(2)5,4405,1204,8304,5504,220
News-only (2)(3)1,9302,1102,2902,5002,740
Other single-product (2)(4)3,4503,2403,1002,8602,740
Total digital-only subscribers (2)(5)10,82010,47010,2109,9109,700
Print subscribers(6)610620630640660
Total subscribers11,43011,09010,84010,55010,360
(1) Subscribers with a bundle subscription or standalone digital-only subscriptions to two or more of the Company’s products.
(2) Includes group corporate and group education subscriptions, which collectively represented approximately 6% of total digital-only subscribers as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2024. The number of group subscribers is derived using the value of the relevant contract and a discounted subscription rate.
(3) Subscribers with only a digital-only news product subscription.
(4) Subscribers with only one digital-only subscription to The Athletic or to our Audio, Cooking, Games or Wirecutter products.
(5) Subscribers with digital-only subscriptions to one or more of our news product, The Athletic, or our Audio, Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products.
(6) Subscribers with a domestic home-delivery or mail print subscription to The New York Times, which includes access to our digital products, or a print subscription to our Book Review or Large Type Weekly products.
The sum of individual metrics may not always equal total amounts indicated due to rounding. Subscribers (including net subscriber additions) are rounded to the nearest ten thousand.

The following table sets forth the subset of subscribers above who have a paid digital-only standalone subscription or a bundle subscription that includes the ability to access The Athletic as of the end of the five most recent fiscal quarters. The Company plans to discontinue reporting this metric after the fourth quarter of 2024. Digital-only subscribers with The Athletic will continue to be included in our reported bundle and multiproduct and other single-product subscriber categories.

December 31, 2024September 30, 2024June 30, 2024March 31, 2024December 31, 2023
Digital-only subscribers with The Athletic (1)(2)5,8305,5405,2804,9904,650
(1) We provide all bundle subscribers with the ability to access The Athletic and all bundle subscribers are included in this metric.
(2) Subscribers (including net subscriber additions) are rounded to the nearest ten thousand.

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ARPU, a metric we calculate to track the revenue generation of our digital subscriber base, represents the average revenue per subscriber over a 28-day billing cycle during the applicable period. The following table sets forth ARPU metrics relating to the above digital-only subscriber categories for the two most recent fiscal years:

December 31, 2024December 31, 2023
Digital-only ARPU:
Bundle and multiproduct$12.18$13.05
News-only$11.36$9.54
Other single-product$3.60$3.57
Total digital-only ARPU$9.42$9.18
ARPU metrics are calculated by dividing the digital subscription revenue in the year by the average number of digital-only subscribers divided by the number of days in the year multiplied by 28 to reflect a 28-day billing cycle. In calculating ARPU metrics, for our subscriber categories (Bundle and multiproduct, News-only and Other single-product), we use the weighted average of monthly average number of digital-only subscribers (calculated as the sum of the number of subscribers in each category at the beginning and end of the month, divided by two) and for Total digital-only ARPU, we use the weighted average daily average number of digital-only subscribers.

Total digital-only ARPU was $9.42 for December 31, 2024, an increase of 2.6% compared with December 31, 2023. The year-over-year increase was driven primarily by subscribers graduating from promotional to higher prices and price increases on tenured non-bundled subscribers.

Advertising Revenues

Advertising revenue is principally from advertisers (such as luxury goods, technology and financial companies) promoting products, services or brands on digital platforms in the form of display, audio and video ads; in print in the form of column-inch ads; and at live events. Advertising revenue is primarily derived from offerings sold directly to marketers by our advertising sales teams. A smaller proportion of our total advertising revenues is generated through programmatic auctions run by third-party ad exchanges. Advertising revenue is primarily determined by the volume (e.g., impressions or column inches), rate and mix of advertisements. Digital advertising includes our core digital advertising business and other digital advertising. Our core digital advertising consists of direct-sold display (which includes website and mobile applications), podcast, email and video advertisements that are sold directly to marketers by our advertising sales teams. Other digital advertising includes programmatic advertising and creative services fees. NYTG and The Athletic has revenue from all categories discussed above. Print advertising includes revenue from column-inch ads and classified advertising, as well as preprinted advertising, also known as freestanding inserts. There is no print advertising revenue generated from The Athletic, which does not have a print product.

P. 36 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

The following table summarizes digital and print advertising revenues for the years ended December 31, 2024, and December 31, 2023:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2024December 31, 20232024 vs. 2023
Digital advertising revenues$342,092$317,7447.7%
Print advertising revenues164,219187,462(12.4)%
Total advertising revenues$506,311$505,2060.2%

Digital advertising revenues, which represented 67.6% of the total advertising revenues in 2024, increased $24.3 million, or 7.7%, to $342.1 million compared with $317.7 million in 2023. The increase was primarily a result of higher core digital advertising of $12.3 million and higher other digital revenues of $12.1 million. Core digital advertising revenues increased due to higher direct-sold display advertising and revenues from email newsletters, partially offset by a decrease in podcast advertising revenues. Direct-sold display impressions increased 10%, while the average rate decreased 5%. Other digital advertising revenue increased primarily due to an increase in programmatic revenues largely driven by new advertising supply across our products and an increase in creative services as a result of more custom advertising campaigns in 2024. Programmatic impressions increased 40%, while the average rate decreased 18%.

Print advertising revenues, which represented 32.4% of total advertising revenues in 2024, decreased $23.2 million, or 12.4%, to $164.2 million compared with $187.5 million in 2023. The decrease in 2024 was due to a 13.6% decrease in column-inches. Print advertising revenues in 2024 continue to be impacted by secular trends.

We believe the macroeconomic environment has had, and may in the future have, an adverse impact on both digital and print advertising spending. Additionally, we believe that there may be marketer sensitivity to some news topics, impacting overall advertising spend.

Other Revenues

Other revenues primarily consist of revenues from Wirecutter affiliate referrals, licensing, commercial printing, the leasing of floors in our Company Headquarters, our live events business, retail commerce, books, television and film and our student subscription sponsorship program. Digital other revenues, which consist primarily of Wirecutter affiliate referral revenues and digital licensing revenue, totaled $186.1 million and $152.0 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively. Building rental revenue from the leasing of floors in the Company Headquarters totaled $26.6 million and $27.2 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Other revenues increased $26.6 million, or 10.0% in 2024 compared with 2023, primarily as a result of growth in Wirecutter affiliate referral revenues of $17.1 million, as well as higher content licensing revenues of $14.9 million, primarily related to an Apple licensing deal, partially offset by lower books, television and film revenues of $7.8 million.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 37

Operating Costs

Operating costs were as follows:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2024December 31, 20232024 vs. 2023
Operating costs:
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)$1,309,514$1,249,0614.8%
Sales and marketing278,425260,2277.0%
Product development248,198228,8048.5%
General and administrative307,930311,039(1.0)%
Depreciation and amortization82,93686,115(3.7)%
Generative AI Litigation Costs10,800*
Impairment charges15,239*
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment(2,980)(605)*
Total operating costs$2,234,823$2,149,8804.0%

The components of operating costs as a percentage of total operating costs were as follows:

Years Ended
December 31, 2024December 31, 2023
Components of operating costs as a percentage of total operating costs
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)59%58%
Sales and marketing12%12%
Product development11%11%
General and administrative14%14%
Depreciation and amortization4%4%
Acquisition-related costs%%
Generative AI Litigation Costs%%
Impairment charges%1%
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment%%
Total100%100%

P. 38 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

The components of operating costs as a percentage of total revenues were as follows:

Years Ended
December 31, 2024December 31, 2023
Components of operating costs as a percentage of total revenues
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)51%51%
Sales and marketing11%11%
Product development10%9%
General and administrative12%13%
Depreciation and amortization3%4%
Acquisition-related costs%%
Generative AI Litigation Costs%%
Impairment charges%1%
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment%%
Total87%89%

Cost of Revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)

Cost of revenue includes all costs related to content creation, subscriber and advertiser servicing, and print production and distribution as well as infrastructure costs related to delivering digital content, which include all cloud and cloud-related costs as well as compensation for employees that enhance and maintain that infrastructure.

Cost of revenue in 2024 increased $60.5 million, or 4.8%, compared with 2023, largely due to higher journalism costs of $46.2 million, higher digital content delivery costs of $7.5 million, higher advertising servicing costs of $7.1 million and higher subscriber servicing costs of $6.5 million, partially offset by lower print production and distribution costs of $6.8 million. The increase in journalism costs was largely due to higher compensation and benefits, which was driven by higher salaries and growth in the number of employees who work in our newsrooms. The increase in digital content delivery costs was largely due to higher cloud-related costs. The increase in advertising servicing costs was largely due to an increase in costs to fulfill advertising contracts and higher creative services fees. The increase in subscriber servicing costs was largely due to higher third-party commissions and credit card processing fees due to increased subscriptions, partially offset by lower customer care costs. The decrease in print production and distribution costs was primarily due to lower newsprint pricing and fewer print copies produced.

Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing includes costs related to the Company’s subscription and brand marketing efforts as well as advertising sales costs.

Sales and marketing costs in 2024 increased $18.2 million, or 7.0%, compared with 2023, primarily due to higher sales costs of $9.9 million and higher marketing costs of $8.3 million. The increase in sales costs was primarily due to higher compensation and benefits largely driven by growth in the number of employees and higher salaries, as well as higher outside services costs. The increase in marketing costs was primarily due to higher media expenses, partially offset by lower compensation and benefits costs driven by fewer employees.

Media expenses, a component of sales and marketing costs that represents the cost to promote our subscription business, increased 17.9% to $138.8 million in 2024 from $117.7 million in 2023. The increase was largely a result of higher subscriber acquisition spending, partially offset by lower brand spend.

Product Development

Product development includes costs associated with the Company’s investment in developing and enhancing new and existing product technology, including engineering, product development and data insights.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 39

Product development costs in 2024 increased $19.4 million, or 8.5%, compared with 2023, largely due to higher compensation and benefits expenses driven by incentive compensation and higher salaries, as well as higher outside services costs.

General and Administrative Costs

General and administrative costs include general management, corporate enterprise technology, building operations, unallocated overhead, severance and multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs.

General and administrative costs in 2024 decreased $3.1 million, or 1.0%, compared with 2023, primarily due to lower building operations and maintenance expenses of $3.4 million.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization costs in 2024 decreased $3.2 million, or 3.7%, compared with 2023. The decrease is primarily due to lower amortization as a result of fully amortized intangible assets in 2024.

Generative AI Litigation Costs

In 2024, the Company recorded $10.8 million of pre-tax litigation-related costs in connection with a lawsuit against Microsoft Corporation and Open AI Inc. and various of its corporate affiliates alleging unlawful and unauthorized copying and use of the Company’s journalism and other content in connection with their development of generative artificial intelligence products (“Generative AI Litigation Costs”). Management determined to report Generative AI Litigation Costs as a special item beginning in 2024 because, unlike other litigation expenses, the Generative AI Litigation Costs arise from a discrete, complex and unusual proceeding and do not, in management’s view, reflect the Company’s ongoing business operational performance. See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Impairment Charges

There were no impairment charges in 2024.

In 2023, the Company recorded a $12.7 million impairment charge related to excess leased office space that is being marketed for sublet (the “lease-related impairment”).

In 2023 the Company recorded impairment charges of $2.5 million related to an indefinite-lived intangible asset.

Multiemployer Pension Plan Liability Adjustment

In 2024 and 2023, the Company recorded favorable adjustments related to a reduction in its multiemployer pension plan liability of $3.0 million and $2.3 million, respectively.

In 2023 the Company recorded a charge of $1.7 million in connection with its withdrawal from a multiemployer pension plan.

Segment Information

We have two reportable segments: NYTG and The Athletic. Management uses adjusted operating profit (loss) by segment in assessing performance and allocating resources. The Company includes in its presentation, revenues and adjusted operating costs to arrive at adjusted operating profit (loss) by segment. Adjusted operating costs are defined as operating costs before depreciation and amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items. Adjusted operating profit is defined as operating profit before depreciation and amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items. Adjusted operating profit expressed as a percentage of revenues is referred to as adjusted operating profit margin.

Subscription revenues from and expenses associated with our bundle are allocated to NYTG and The Athletic.

We allocate 10% of bundle revenues to The Athletic based on management’s view of The Athletic’s relative value to the bundle, which is derived based on analysis of various metrics, and allocate the remaining bundle revenues to NYTG.

We allocate 10% of product development, marketing and subscriber servicing expenses (including the direct variable expenses such as credit card fees and sales taxes) associated with the bundle to The Athletic, and the remaining costs are allocated to NYTG, in each case, in line with the revenues allocations.

P. 40 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Years Ended% Change
(in thousands)December 31, 2024December 31, 20232024 vs. 2023
Revenues
NYTG$2,416,084$2,295,5375.3%
The Athletic172,085131,27131.1%
Intersegment eliminations(1)(2,250)(656)*
Total revenues$2,585,919$2,426,1526.6%
Adjusted operating costs
NYTG$1,955,699$1,874,2564.3%
The Athletic177,068162,7018.8%
Intersegment eliminations(1)(2,250)(656)*
Total adjusted operating costs$2,130,517$2,036,3014.6%
Adjusted operating profit
NYTG$460,385$421,2819.3%
The Athletic(4,983)(31,430)(84.1)%
Total adjusted operating profit$455,402$389,85116.8%
Adjusted operating profit margin % – NYTG19.1%18.4%70 bps
(1) Intersegment eliminations (“I/E”) related to content licensing.
* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or not meaningful.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 41

Revenues detail by segment
Years Ended% Change
(in thousands)December 31, 2024December 31, 20232024 vs. 2023
NYTG
Subscription$1,667,948$1,555,7057.2%
Advertising472,947477,261(0.9)%
Other275,189262,5714.8%
Total$2,416,084$2,295,5375.3%
The Athletic
Subscription$120,259$100,44819.7%
Advertising33,36427,94519.4%
Other18,4622,878*
Total$172,085$131,27131.1%
I/E(1)$(2,250)$(656)*
The New York Times Company
Subscription$1,788,207$1,656,1538.0%
Advertising506,311505,2060.2%
Other291,401264,79310.0%
Total$2,585,919$2,426,1526.6%
(1) Intersegment eliminations (“I/E”) related to content licensing recorded in Other revenues.
* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or not meaningful.

P. 42 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Adjusted operating costs (operating costs before depreciation and amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items) detail by segment
Years Ended% Change
(in thousands)December 31, 2024December 31, 20232024 vs. 2023
NYTG
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)$1,209,078$1,157,5274.5%
Sales and marketing248,300223,46411.1%
Product development213,947203,8135.0%
Adjusted general and administrative(1)284,374289,452(1.8)%
Total$1,955,699$1,874,2564.3%
The Athletic
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)$102,686$92,19011.4%
Sales and marketing30,12536,763(18.1)%
Product development34,25124,99137.1%
Adjusted general and administrative(2)10,0068,75714.3%
Total$177,068$162,7018.8%
I/E(3)(2,250)(656)*
The New York Times Company
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)$1,309,514$1,249,0614.8%
Sales and marketing278,425260,2277.0%
Product development248,198228,8048.5%
Adjusted general and administrative294,380298,209(1.3)%
Total$2,130,517$2,036,3014.6%
(1) Excludes severance of $6.6 million and $6.4 million for the 12 months of 2024 and 2023, respectively. Excludes multiemployer pension withdrawal costs of $6.0 million and $5.2 million for the 12 months of 2024 and 2023, respectively.
(2) Excludes severance of $0.9 million and $1.2 million for the 12 months of 2024 and 2023, respectively.
(3) Intersegment eliminations (“I/E”) related to content licensing recorded in Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization).
* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or not meaningful.

The New York Times Group

NYTG revenues increased in 2024 to $2.4 billion from $2.3 billion in 2023. Subscription revenues increased 7.2% in 2024 to $1.7 billion from $1.6 billion in 2023 due to growth in subscription revenues from digital-only products, partially offset by decreases in print subscription revenues. Advertising revenues decreased 0.9% in 2024 to $472.9 million from $477.3 million in 2023 due to declines in print advertising revenues, partially offset by higher digital advertising revenues. Print advertising revenues decreased primarily as a result of a decrease in column-inches. Digital advertising revenues increased primarily as a result of higher revenues from programmatic advertising, direct-sold display advertising and creative services. Other revenues increased 4.8% in 2024 to $275.2 million from $262.6 million in 2023 due to higher Wirecutter affiliate referral revenues, partially offset by lower book, television and film revenues.

NYTG adjusted operating costs increased 4.3% in 2024 to $2.0 billion from $1.9 billion in 2023. The increase in costs in 2024 was primarily due to higher journalism, sales and marketing, subscriber and advertising servicing and product development costs, partially offset by lower print production and distribution costs, as well as lower general and administrative costs.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 43

NYTG adjusted operating profit increased 9.3% in 2024 to $460.4 million from $421.3 million in 2023. The increase in 2024 was primarily as a result of higher digital subscription, digital advertising and other revenues, partially offset by higher adjusted operating costs and lower print advertising revenues and print subscription revenues.

The Athletic

The Athletic’s revenues increased 31.1% in 2024 to $172.1 million from $131.3 million in 2023. Subscription revenues increased 19.7% in 2024 to $120.3 million from $100.4 million in 2023, primarily due to growth in digital-only subscribers with The Athletic. Other revenues increased in 2024 to $18.5 million from $2.9 million in 2023, primarily due to an increase in licensing revenue from an Apple licensing deal. Advertising revenues increased 19.4% in 2024 to $33.4 million from $27.9 million in 2023, primarily due to higher revenues from direct-sold display advertising, partially offset by a decrease in podcast advertising.

The Athletic’s adjusted operating costs increased 8.8% in 2024 to $177.1 million from $162.7 million in 2023. The increase in costs in 2024 was primarily due to higher product development and journalism costs, partially offset by lower sales and marketing costs as some media spend was shifted to NYTG for bundle marketing.

The Athletic’s adjusted operating loss decreased 84.1% to $5.0 million in 2024 from $31.4 million in 2023, primarily as a result of higher digital subscription and other revenues, partially offset by higher adjusted operating costs.

Other Items

See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information regarding other items.

NON-OPERATING ITEMS

Interest Income and Other, Net

See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding interest income and other.

Income Taxes

See Note 11 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding income taxes.

Other Components of Net Periodic Benefit Costs

See Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding other components of net periodic benefit costs.

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

We have included in this report certain supplemental financial information derived from consolidated financial information but not presented in our financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. Specifically, we have referred to the following non-GAAP financial measures in this report:

•adjusted diluted earnings per share, defined as diluted earnings per share excluding severance, non-operating retirement costs and the impact of special items;

•adjusted operating profit, defined as operating profit before depreciation, amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items, and expressed as a percentage of revenues, adjusted operating profit margin;

•adjusted operating costs, defined as operating costs before depreciation, amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items; and

•free cash flow, defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures.

The special items in 2024 consisted of:

•$10.8 million of pre-tax litigation-related costs ($8.0 million or $0.05 per share after tax) in connection with a lawsuit against Microsoft Corporation and Open AI Inc. and various of its corporate affiliates alleging unlawful and unauthorized copying and use of the Company’s journalism and other content in connection

P. 44 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

with their development of generative artificial intelligence products (“Generative AI Litigation Costs”). Management determined to report Generative AI Litigation Costs as a special item beginning in 2024 because, unlike other litigation expenses, the Generative AI Litigation Costs arise from a discrete, complex and unusual proceeding and do not, in management’s view, reflect the Company’s ongoing business operational performance; and

•a $3.0 million favorable adjustment ($2.2 million or $0.01 per share after tax) related to reductions in our multiemployer pension plan liabilities.

The special items in 2023 consisted of:

•a $12.7 million impairment charge ($9.3 million or $0.06 per share after tax) related to excess leased office space that is being marketed for sublet (the “lease-related impairment”);

•a $2.5 million charge ($1.8 million or $0.01 per share after tax) related to an impairment of an indefinite-lived intangible asset;

•a $1.7 million charge ($1.2 million or $0.01 per share after tax) in connection with the Company’s withdrawal from a multiemployer pension plan;

•a $2.3 million favorable adjustment ($1.7 million or $0.01 per share after tax) related to a reduction in a multiemployer pension plan liability; and

•a $2.5 million gain ($1.8 million or $0.01 per share after tax) reflecting our proportionate share of a distribution from the liquidation of Madison Paper Industries (“Madison”), a partnership that previously operated a paper mill, in which the Company had an investment through a subsidiary.

We have included these non-GAAP financial measures because management reviews them on a regular basis and uses them to evaluate and manage the performance of our operations. We believe that, for the reasons outlined below, these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors as a supplement to reported diluted earnings/(loss) per share, operating profit/(loss) and operating costs. However, these measures should be evaluated only in conjunction with the comparable GAAP financial measures and should not be viewed as alternative or superior measures of GAAP results.

Adjusted diluted earnings per share provides useful information in evaluating the Company’s period-to-period performance because it eliminates items that the Company does not consider to be indicative of earnings from ongoing operating activities. Adjusted operating profit and adjusted operating profit margin are useful in evaluating the ongoing performance of the Company’s businesses as they exclude the significant non-cash impact of depreciation and amortization, as well as items not indicative of ongoing operating activities. Total operating costs include depreciation, amortization, severance and multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items. Total operating costs, excluding these items, provide investors with helpful supplemental information on the Company’s underlying operating costs that is used by management in its financial and operational decision-making.

Management considers special items, which may include impairment charges, pension settlement charges, acquisition-related costs, and beginning in 2024, Generative AI Litigation Costs, as well as other items that arise from time to time, to be outside the ordinary course of our operations. Management believes that excluding these items provides a better understanding of the underlying trends in the Company’s operating performance and allows more accurate comparisons of the Company’s operating results to historical performance. Management determined to report Generative AI Litigation Costs as a special item and thus exclude them beginning in 2024 because, unlike other litigation expenses which are not excluded, the Generative AI Litigation Costs arise from a discrete, complex and unusual proceeding and do not, in management’s view, reflect the Company’s ongoing business operational performance. In addition, management excludes severance costs, which may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter, because it believes these costs do not necessarily reflect expected future operating costs and do not contribute to a meaningful comparison of the Company’s operating results to historical performance.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 45

Excluded from our non-GAAP financial measures are non-operating retirement costs that are primarily tied to financial market performance and changes in market interest rates and investment performance. Management considers non-operating retirement costs to be outside the performance of the business and believes that presenting adjusted diluted earnings per share excluding non-operating retirement costs and presenting adjusted operating results excluding multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs, in addition to the Company’s GAAP diluted earnings per share and GAAP operating results, provide increased transparency and a better understanding of the underlying trends in the Company’s operating business performance.

The Company considers free cash flow, which is defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures, to provide useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash that is available to be used to strengthen the Company’s balance sheet and for strategic opportunities including, among others, investing in the Company’s business, strategic acquisitions, dividend payouts and repurchasing stock. See “Liquidity and Capital Resources — Free Cash Flow” below for more information and a reconciliation of free cash flow to net cash provided by operating activities.

Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are set out in the tables below.

Reconciliation of diluted earnings per share excluding amortization of acquired intangible assets, severance, non-operating retirement costs and special items (or adjusted diluted earnings per share)
Years Ended% Change
December 31, 2024December 31, 20232024 vs. 2023
Diluted earnings per share$1.77$1.4026.4%
Add:
Amortization of acquired intangible assets0.170.18(5.6)%
Severance0.050.05%
Non-operating retirement costs:
Multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs0.040.0333.3%
Other components of net periodic benefit costs0.03(0.02)*
Special items:
Generative AI Litigation Costs0.07*
Impairment charges0.10*
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment(0.02)*
Gain from joint venture, net of noncontrolling interest(0.01)*
Income tax expense of adjustments(0.08)(0.08)%
Adjusted diluted earnings per share(1)$2.01$1.6323.3%

(1) Amounts may not add due to rounding.

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

P. 46 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Reconciliation of operating profit before depreciation and amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (or adjusted operating profit) and of adjusted operating profit margin
Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2024December 31, 20232024 vs. 2023
Operating profit$351,096$276,27227.1%
Add:
Depreciation and amortization82,93686,115(3.7)%
Severance7,5127,582(0.9)%
Multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs6,0385,24815.1%
Generative AI Litigation Costs10,800*
Impairment charges15,239*
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment(2,980)(605)*
Adjusted operating profit$455,402$389,85116.8%
Divided by:
Revenue$2,585,919$2,426,1526.6%
Operating profit margin13.6%11.4%220 bps
Adjusted operating profit margin17.6%16.1%150 bps

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

Reconciliation of total operating costs before depreciation and amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (or adjusted operating costs)
Years Ended
(In thousands)December 31, 2024December 31, 2023% Change
NYTGThe AthleticI/E(1)TotalNYTGThe AthleticI/E(1)Total
Operating costs$2,032,653$204,420$(2,250)$2,234,823$1,959,191$191,345$(656)$2,149,8804.0%
Less:
Depreciation and amortization56,46226,47482,93658,63727,47886,115(3.7)%
Severance6,6348787,5126,4161,1667,582(0.9)%
Multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs6,0386,0385,2485,24815.1%
Generative AI Litigation Costs10,80010,800*
Impairment charges15,23915,239*
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment(2,980)(2,980)(605)(605)*
Adjusted operating costs$1,955,699$177,068$(2,250)$2,130,517$1,874,256$162,701$(656)$2,036,3014.6%

(1)Intersegment eliminations (“I/E”) related to content licensing.

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 47

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Overview

The following table presents information about our financial position:

Financial Position Summary

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands, except ratios)December 31, 2024December 31, 20232024 vs. 2023
Cash and cash equivalents$199,448$289,472(31.1)%
Marketable securities$712,420$419,72769.7%
Total cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities$911,868$709,19928.6%
Total New York Times Company stockholders’ equity$1,927,209$1,763,2199.3%
Ratios:
Current assets to current liabilities1.531.28

Our primary sources of cash from operations were revenues from subscription and advertising sales. Subscription and advertising revenues provided approximately 69% and 20%, respectively, of total revenues in 2024. The remaining cash inflows were primarily from other revenue sources such as Wirecutter affiliate referrals, licensing, commercial printing, the leasing of floors in the Company Headquarters, our live events business, retail commerce, books, television and film and our student subscription sponsorship program.

Our primary uses of cash from operations were for employee compensation and benefits and other operating expenses. We believe our cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities balance and cash provided by operations, in combination with other sources of cash, will be sufficient to meet our financing needs over the next twelve months and beyond.

As of December 31, 2024, we had cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities of $911.9 million and approximately $350 million in available borrowings, and no amounts were outstanding under the Credit Facility. Our cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities balances increased in 2024, primarily due to cash proceeds from operating activities, partially offset by cash used for share repurchases, dividend payments, capital expenditures and taxes paid on behalf of employees resulting from share-based compensation tax withholding.

We have paid quarterly dividends on the Class A and Class B Common Stock since late 2013. In February 2025, the Board of Directors approved a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, an increase of $0.05 per share from the previous quarter (see Note 18 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information). We currently expect to continue to pay cash dividends in the future, although changes in our dividend program will be considered by our Board of Directors in light of our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other factors considered relevant.

The Board of Directors approved Class A share repurchase programs in February 2022 ($150.0 million), February 2023 ($250.0 million) and February 2025 ($350.0 million). The authorizations provide that shares of Class A Common Stock may be purchased from time to time as market conditions warrant, through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or other means, including Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. We expect to repurchase shares to offset the impact of dilution from our equity compensation program and to return capital to our stockholders. There is no expiration date with respect to these authorizations. Through February 19, 2025, the aggregate purchase price of repurchases under these programs totaled approximately $266.9 million (excluding commissions and excise taxes), fully utilizing the 2022 authorization and leaving approximately $483.1 million remaining under the 2023 and 2025 authorizations.

P. 48 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

During 2024, we made contributions of $13.2 million to certain qualified pension plans funded by cash on hand. As of December 31, 2024, our qualified pension plans had plan assets that were $71.3 million above the present value of future benefits obligations, a decrease of $11.7 million from $83.0 million as of December 31, 2023. We expect contributions made to satisfy the greater of minimum funding or collective bargaining agreement requirements to total approximately $13 million in 2025.

Capital Resources

Sources and Uses of Cash

Cash flows provided by/(used in) by category were as follows:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2024December 31, 20232024 vs. 2023
Operating activities$410,512$360,61813.8%
Investing activities$(306,086)$(159,690)91.7%
Financing activities$(192,715)$(132,710)45.2%

Operating Activities

Cash from operating activities is generated by cash receipts from subscriptions, advertising sales and other revenue. Operating cash outflows include payments for employee compensation, retirement and other benefits, raw materials, marketing expenses, interest and income taxes.

Net cash provided by operating activities increased in 2024 compared with 2023 due to higher net income, partially offset by higher tax payments and higher cash payments for incentive compensation.

Investing Activities

Cash from investing activities generally includes proceeds from marketable securities that have matured and the sale of assets, investments or a business. Cash used in investing activities generally includes purchases of marketable securities, payments for capital projects and acquisitions of new businesses and investments.

Net cash used in investing activities in 2024 was primarily related to $289.4 million in net purchases of marketable securities and $29.2 million in capital expenditures payments.

Financing Activities

Cash from financing activities generally includes borrowings under third-party financing arrangements, the issuance of long-term debt and funds from stock option exercises. Cash used in financing activities generally includes the repayment of amounts outstanding under third-party financing arrangements, the payment of dividends, the payment of long-term debt and capital lease obligations, and stock-based compensation tax withholding.

Net cash used in financing activities in 2024 was primarily related to share repurchases of $85.0 million, dividend payments of $82.9 million and share-based compensation tax withholding payments of $21.8 million.

See “— Third-Party Financing” below and our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for additional information on our sources and uses of cash.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 49

Free Cash Flow

Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure defined as net cash provided by operating activities, less capital expenditures. The Company considers free cash flow to provide useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash that is available to be used to strengthen the Company’s balance sheet and for strategic opportunities including, among others, investing in the Company’s business, strategic acquisitions, dividend payouts and repurchasing stock. In addition, management uses free cash flow to set targets for return of capital to stockholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases.

The Company aims to return at least 50% of free cash flow to stockholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases over the next three to five years.

The following table presents a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow:

Years Ended
(In thousands)December 31, 2024December 31, 2023
Net cash provided by operating activities$410,512$360,618
Less: Capital expenditures(29,173)(22,669)
Free cash flow$381,339$337,949

Free cash flow for 2024 was $381.3 million compared with $337.9 million in 2023. Free cash flow increased primarily due to higher cash provided by operating activities, as discussed above.

Restricted Cash

We were required to maintain $14.4 million of restricted cash as of December 31, 2024, and $13.7 million as of December 31, 2023, substantially all of which is set aside to collateralize workers’ compensation obligations.

Capital Expenditures

Capital expenditures totaled approximately $31 million and $23 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively. The increase in capital expenditures in 2024 was primarily driven by higher expenditure related to improvements in the Company Headquarters and at our College Point, N.Y., printing and distribution facility. The cash payments related to the capital expenditures totaled approximately $29 million and $23 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively, due to the timing of the payments. In 2025, we expect capital expenditures of approximately $40 million, which will be funded from cash on hand. The capital expenditures will be primarily driven by expenditures related to our College Point, N.Y., printing and distribution facility, improvements in our Company Headquarters and investments in technology to support our strategic initiatives.

Third-Party Financing

On July 27, 2022, we entered into a $350.0 million five-year unsecured Credit Facility that amended and restated a prior facility. Certain of our domestic subsidiaries have guaranteed our obligations under the Credit Facility. As of December 31, 2024, there was approximately $0.6 million in outstanding letters of credit and the remaining committed amount remains available. As of December 31, 2024, there were no outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facility and the Company was in compliance with the financial covenants contained in the Credit Facility. See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding the Credit Facility.

P. 50 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Contractual Obligations

The information provided is based on management’s best estimate and assumptions of our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2024. Actual payments in future periods may vary from those reflected in the table.

Payment due in
(In thousands)Total20252026-20272028-2029Later Years
Operating leases(1)$55,288$12,413$17,375$12,923$12,577
Purchase commitment(2)52,74515,37930,9086,458
Benefit plans(3)428,66441,82484,37684,599217,865
Total$536,697$69,616$132,659$103,980$230,442

(1) See Note 16 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our operating leases.

(2) Represents purchase commitments for the use of digital content delivery services from August 1, 2023 through July 31, 2028.

(3) The Company’s general funding policy with respect to qualified pension plans is to contribute amounts at least sufficient to satisfy the minimum amount required by applicable laws and regulations and Guild contracts. Contributions for our qualified pension plans and future benefit payments for our unfunded pension and other postretirement benefit payments have been estimated over a 10-year period; therefore, the amounts included in the “Later Years” column only include payments for the period of 2030-2034. For our funded qualified pension plans, estimating funding depends on several variables, including the performance of the plans’ investments, assumptions for discount rates, expected long-term rates of return on assets, rates of compensation increases (applicable only for the Guild-Times Adjustable Pension Plan that has not been frozen) and other factors. Thus, our actual contributions could vary substantially from these estimates. While benefit payments under these plans are expected to continue beyond 2034, we have included in this table only those benefit payments estimated over the next 10 years. Benefit plans in the table above also include estimated payments for multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liabilities. See Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our pension and other postretirement benefits plans.

Other Liabilities — Other in our Consolidated Balance Sheets include liabilities related to (1) deferred compensation, primarily related to our deferred executive compensation plan (the “DEC”) and (2) various other liabilities, including our contingent tax liability for uncertain tax positions and contingent consideration. These liabilities are not included in the table above primarily because the timing of the future payments is not determinable. See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

The DEC previously enabled certain eligible executives to elect to defer a portion of their compensation on a pre-tax basis. The deferred amounts are invested at the executives’ election in various hypothetical investment options. The fair value of deferred compensation is based on the hypothetical investments elected by the executives. The fair value of deferred compensation was $13.2 million as of December 31, 2024. The DEC was frozen effective December 31, 2015, and no new contributions may be made into the plan. See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on Other Liabilities — Other.

Our liability for uncertain tax positions was approximately $7 million, including approximately $2 million of accrued interest as of December 31, 2024. Until formal resolutions are reached between the Company and the taxing authorities, determining the timing and amount of possible audit settlements relating to uncertain tax positions is not practicable. Therefore, we do not include this obligation in the table of contractual obligations. See Note 11 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding income taxes.

The contingent consideration represents contingent payments in connection with the acquisition of substantially all of the assets and certain liabilities of Serial Productions, LLC. The Company estimated the fair value of the contingent consideration liability using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow model. The estimate of the fair value of contingent consideration requires subjective assumptions to be made regarding probabilities assigned to operational targets and the discount rate. The contingent consideration balance of $1.6 million as of December 31, 2024, is included in Accrued expenses and other, in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. See Note 8 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information.

We have a contract through the end of 2025 with Domtar Corporation, a large global manufacturer and distributor of paper, market pulp and wood products. The contract requires the Company to purchase annually the lesser of a fixed number of tons or a percentage of our total newsprint requirement at market rate in an arm’s-length transaction. Since the quantities of newsprint purchased annually under this contract are based on our total newsprint requirement, the amount of the related payments for these purchases is excluded from the table above.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 51

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

Our Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements for the periods presented.

We continually evaluate the policies and estimates we use to prepare our Consolidated Financial Statements. In general, management’s estimates are based on historical experience, information from third-party professionals and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the facts and circumstances. Actual results may differ from those estimates made by management.

Our critical accounting estimates include our accounting for goodwill and intangibles, retirement benefits and revenue recognition. Specific risks related to our critical accounting estimates are discussed below. For a description of our related accounting policies, see Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Goodwill and Intangibles

We evaluate whether there has been an impairment of goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible assets on an annual basis or in an interim period if certain circumstances indicate that a possible impairment may exist.

(In thousands)December 31, 2024December 31, 2023
Goodwill$412,173$416,098
Intangibles$258,006$285,490
Total assets$2,841,479$2,714,595
Percentage of goodwill and intangibles to total assets24%26%

The impairment analysis is considered critical because of the significance of goodwill and intangibles to our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

We test goodwill for impairment at a reporting unit level. We have an option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value.

If we elect to bypass the qualitative assessment or if the qualitative assessment indicates that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, then we are required to perform a quantitative assessment for impairment by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. Fair value is calculated by a combination of a discounted cash flow model and a market approach model.

We test indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment at the asset level. We have an option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the asset is less than its carrying value. If we elect to bypass the qualitative assessment or if the qualitative assessment indicates that it is more likely than not that the intangible asset is impaired, then we are required to perform a quantitative assessment by comparing the fair value of the asset with its carrying amount. If the fair value, which is based on future cash flows, exceeds the carrying value, the asset is not considered impaired. If the carrying amount exceeds the fair value, an impairment loss would be recognized in an amount equal to the excess of the carrying amount of the asset over the fair value of the asset.

Intangible assets that are amortized are tested for impairment at the asset level associated with the lowest level of cash flows whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. An impairment exists if the carrying value of the asset (1) is not recoverable (the carrying value of the asset is greater than the sum of undiscounted cash flows) and (2) is greater than its fair value.

P. 52 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

When performing a quantitative assessment for goodwill, the discounted cash flow model requires us to make various judgments, estimates and assumptions, many of which are interdependent, about future revenues, operating margins, growth rates, capital expenditures, working capital and discount rates. The starting point for the assumptions used in our discounted cash flow model is the annual long-range financial forecast. The annual planning process that we undertake to prepare the long-range financial forecast takes into consideration a multitude of factors, including historical growth rates and operating performance, related industry trends, macroeconomic conditions, and marketplace data, among others. Assumptions are also made for perpetual growth rates for periods beyond the long-range financial forecast period. Our estimates of fair value are sensitive to changes in all of these variables, certain of which relate to broader macroeconomic conditions outside our control.

The market approach analysis includes applying a multiple, based on comparable market transactions, to certain operating metrics of a reporting unit.

The significant estimates and assumptions used by management in assessing the recoverability of goodwill and intangibles are estimated future cash flows, discount rates, growth rates and other factors. Any changes in these estimates or assumptions could result in an impairment charge. The estimates, based on reasonable and supportable assumptions and projections, require management’s subjective judgment. Depending on the assumptions and estimates used, the estimated results of the impairment tests can vary within a range of outcomes.

For the 2024 annual impairment testing, based on our assessments, we concluded that goodwill and intangible assets are not impaired.

Pension Benefits

We sponsor a frozen single-employer defined benefit pension plan. The Company and The NewsGuild of New York (the “Guild”) jointly sponsor the Guild-Times Adjustable Pension Plan (the “APP”), which continues to accrue active benefits. Our pension liability also includes our multiemployer pension plan withdrawal obligations.

The table below includes the liability for all of our pension plans.

(In thousands)December 31, 2024December 31, 2023
Pension liabilities (includes current portion)$228,040$248,151
Total liabilities$912,060$951,376
Percentage of pension liabilities to total liabilities25%26%

Our Company-sponsored defined benefit pension plans include qualified plans (funded) as well as non-qualified plans (unfunded). These plans provide participating employees with retirement benefits in accordance with benefit formulas detailed in each plan. All of our non-qualified plans, which provide enhanced retirement benefits to select employees, are frozen, except for a foreign-based pension plan discussed below.

Our joint Company and Guild-sponsored plan is a qualified plan and is included in the table below.

We also have a foreign-based pension plan for certain non-U.S. employees (the “foreign plan”). The information for the foreign plan is combined with the information for U.S. non-qualified plans. The benefit obligation of the foreign plan is immaterial to our total benefit obligation.

The funded status of our qualified and non-qualified pension plans as of December 31, 2024, is as follows:

December 31, 2024
(In thousands)Qualified PlansNon-Qualified PlansAll Plans
Pension obligation$1,026,326$166,781$1,193,107
Fair value of plan assets1,097,6281,097,628
Pension asset/(obligation), net$71,302$(166,781)$(95,479)

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 53

We made contributions of approximately $13 million to the APP in 2024. We expect contributions made to satisfy the greater of minimum funding or collective bargaining agreement requirements to total approximately $13 million in 2025.

Pension expense is calculated using a number of actuarial assumptions, including an expected long-term rate of return on assets (for qualified plans) and a discount rate. Our methodology in selecting these actuarial assumptions is discussed below.

In determining the expected long-term rate of return on assets, we evaluated input from our investment consultants and investment management firms, including our review of asset class return expectations, as well as long-term historical asset class returns. Projected returns by such consultants are based on broad equity and bond indices. Our objective is to select an average rate of earnings expected on existing plan assets and expected contributions to the plan (less plan expenses to be incurred) during the year. The expected long-term rate of return determined on this basis was 5.90% at the beginning of 2024. Our plan assets had an average rate of return of approximately 1.12% in 2024 and an average annual return of approximately -4.62% over the three-year period 2022–2024. We regularly review our actual asset allocation and periodically rebalance our investments to meet our investment strategy.

The market-related value of plan assets is multiplied by the expected long-term rate of return on assets to compute the expected return on plan assets, a component of net periodic pension cost. The market-related value of plan assets is a calculated value that recognizes changes in fair value over three years.

Based on the composition of our assets at the end of the year, we estimated our 2025 expected long-term rate of return to be 5.60%. If we had decreased our expected long-term rate of return on our plan assets by 50 basis points in 2024, pension expense would have increased by approximately $6 million for our qualified pension plans. Our funding requirements would not have been materially affected.

We determined our discount rate using a Ryan ALM, Inc. Curve (the “Ryan Curve”). The Ryan Curve provides the bonds included in the curve and allows adjustments for certain outliers (i.e., bonds on “watch”). We believe the Ryan Curve allows us to calculate an appropriate discount rate.

To determine our discount rate, we project a cash flow based on annual accrued benefits. For active participants, the benefits under the respective pension plans are projected to the date of termination. The projected plan cash flow is discounted to the measurement date, which is the last day of our fiscal year, using the annual spot rates provided in the Ryan Curve. A single discount rate is then computed so that the present value of the benefit cash flow equals the present value computed using the Ryan Curve rates.

The weighted-average discount rate determined on this basis was 5.73% for our qualified plans and 5.62% for our non-qualified plans as of December 31, 2024.

If we had decreased the expected discount rate by 50 basis points for our qualified plans and our non-qualified plans in 2024, pension expense would have increased by approximately $0.5 million and our pension obligation would have increased by approximately $56 million as of December 31, 2024.

We will continue to evaluate all of our actuarial assumptions, generally on an annual basis, and will adjust as necessary. Actual pension expense will depend on future investment performance, changes in future discount rates, the level of contributions we make and various other factors.

We also recognize the present value of pension liabilities associated with the withdrawal from multiemployer pension plans. Our multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liability was approximately $61 million as of December 31, 2024. This liability represents the present value of the obligations related to complete and partial withdrawals that have already occurred. For those plans that have yet to provide us with a demand letter, the actual liability will not be known until they complete a final assessment of the withdrawal liability and issue a demand to us. Therefore, the estimate of our multiemployer pension plan liability will be adjusted as more information becomes available that allows us to refine our estimates.

See Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding our pension plans.

P. 54 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Revenue Recognition

Our contracts with customers sometimes include promises to transfer multiple products and services to a customer. Determining whether products and services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately versus together may require significant judgment. We use an observable price to determine the standalone selling price for separate performance obligations if available or, when not available, an estimate that maximizes the use of observable inputs and faithfully depicts the selling price of the promised goods or services if we sold those goods or services separately to a similar customer in similar circumstances.

RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

See Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding recent accounting pronouncements.

FY 2023 10-K MD&A

SEC filing source: 0000071691-24-000030.

Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary. Published MD&A gate trimmed front/tail over-capture. Confidence: high. Filing date: 2024-02-20. Report date: 2023-12-31.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis provides information that management believes is relevant to an assessment and understanding of our consolidated financial condition as of December 31, 2023, and results of operations for the two years ended December 31, 2023. Please read this item together with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related Notes included in this Annual Report. For comparison of results of operations for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and December 26, 2021, see Part II, Item 7 of our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on February 28, 2023.

On February 1, 2022, we acquired The Athletic Media Company, a global digital subscription-based sports media business that provides national and local coverage of clubs and teams in the United States and around the world, and beginning in the first quarter of 2022, the Company has two reportable segments: The New York Times Group and The Athletic. See Note 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to this acquisition.

In 2022, the Company adopted a change to its fiscal calendar and as a result, there were five fewer days in fiscal year 2023 compared with 2022.

Significant components of the management’s discussion and analysis of results of operations and financial condition section include:

PAGE
Executive Overview:The executive overview section provides a summary of The New York Times Company and our business.30
Results of Operations:The results of operations section provides an analysis of our results on a consolidated basis and segment information.34
Non-Operating and Non-GAAP Items:The non-operating and non-GAAP items section provides a comparison of our non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures for the two years ended December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022.45
Liquidity and Capital Resources:The liquidity and capital resources section provides a discussion of our cash flows for the two years ended December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, and restricted cash, capital expenditures and third-party financing, commitments and contingencies existing as of December 31, 2023.50
Critical Accounting Estimates:The critical accounting policies and estimates section provides detail with respect to accounting policies that are considered by management to require significant judgment and use of estimates and that could have a significant impact on our financial statements.54

EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW

We are a global media organization focused on creating and distributing high-quality news and information that helps our audience understand and engage with the world. We believe that our original, independent and high-quality reporting, storytelling, expertise and journalistic excellence set us apart from other news organizations and are at the heart of what makes our journalism worth paying for. For further information, see “Item 1 — Business – Overview” and “– Our Strategy.”

We generate revenues principally from the sale of subscriptions and advertising. Subscription revenues consist of revenues from standalone and multi-product bundle subscriptions to our digital products and subscriptions to and single-copy and bulk sales of our print products. Advertising revenue is derived from the sale of our advertising products and services. Other revenues primarily consist of revenues from Wirecutter affiliate referrals, licensing, commercial printing, the leasing of floors in our Company Headquarters, television and film, retail commerce, our live events business and our student subscription sponsorship program. Our main operating costs are employee-related costs.

P. 30 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Beginning with the third quarter of 2023, we have updated our presentation of total operating costs to include operating items that are outside the ordinary course of our operations (“special items”). These items have been previously presented separate from operating costs and included in operating profit. We recast operating costs for the prior periods in order to present comparable financial results. There was no change to consolidated operating profit, net income or cash flows as a result of this change.

In the accompanying analysis of financial information, we present certain information derived from our consolidated financial information but not presented in our financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”). We are presenting in this report supplemental non-GAAP financial performance measures that exclude depreciation, amortization, severance, non-operating retirement costs and certain identified special items, as applicable. In addition, we present our free cash flow, defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from or as a substitute for the related GAAP measures and should be read in conjunction with financial information presented on a GAAP basis. For further information and reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures, see “— Results of Operations — Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

This report includes a discussion of the estimated impact of the five fewer days on our year-over-year comparison of revenues where meaningful. Management believes that estimating the impact of the five fewer days on the Company’s operating costs and operating profit presents challenges and, therefore, no such estimate is made with respect to these items. For further detail on the impact of the five fewer days on our results, see the discussion below and “— Results of Operations-Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

2023 Financial Highlights

•The Company added approximately 880,000 net digital-only subscribers compared with the end of 2022, fueled by bundle and multi-product subscriber additions.

•Total digital-only average revenue per user (“ARPU”) grew 2.6% year-over-year to $9.18 driven primarily by subscribers graduating from promotional to higher prices and price increases on tenured non-bundled subscribers.

•Operating profit increased 36.8% to $276.3 million in 2023 from $202.0 million in 2022. Operating profit before depreciation, amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items discussed below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” (or “adjusted operating profit,” a non-GAAP measure) increased 12.0% to $389.9 million in 2023 from $347.9 million in 2022. Operating profit margin (operating profit expressed as a percentage of revenues) increased to 11.4% in 2023, compared with 8.7% in 2022. Adjusted operating profit margin (adjusted operating profit expressed as a percentage of revenues) increased to 16.1% in 2023, compared with 15.1% in 2022.

•Total revenues increased 5.1% to $2.43 billion in 2023 from $2.31 billion in 2022.

•Total subscription revenues increased 6.7% to $1.66 billion in 2023 from $1.55 billion in 2022. Digital-only subscription revenues increased 12.4% to $1,099.4 million in 2023 from $978.6 million in 2022. The Company ended 2023 with approximately 10.36 million subscribers across its print and digital products, including approximately 9.70 million digital-only subscribers. Of the 9.70 million digital-only subscribers, approximately 4.22 million were bundle and multiproduct subscribers. Compared with the end of 2022, there was a net increase of 880,000 digital-only subscribers.

•Total advertising revenues decreased 3.5% to $505.2 million in 2023 from $523.3 million in 2022, due to a decrease of 8.5% in print advertising revenues and a decrease of 0.2% in digital advertising revenues.

•Other revenue increased 13.8% year-over-year as a result of continued strength in licensing and Wirecutter affiliate referral revenues.

•Operating costs increased 2.1% to $2.15 billion in 2023 from $2.11 billion in 2022. Operating costs before depreciation, amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (or “adjusted operating costs,” a non-GAAP measure) increased 3.9% to $2.04 billion in 2023 from $1.96 billion in 2022.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 31

•Diluted earnings per share were $1.40 and $1.04 for 2023 and 2022, respectively. Diluted earnings per share excluding amortization of acquired intangible assets, severance, non-operating retirement costs and special items discussed below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” (or “adjusted diluted earnings per share,” a non-GAAP measure) were $1.63 and $1.32 for 2023 and 2022, respectively.

•Net cash from operating activities for 2023 was $360.6 million and free cash flow (net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures, a non-GAAP measure) was $337.9 million compared with $113.7 million in 2022.

Industry Trends, Economic Conditions, Challenges and Risks

We operate in a highly competitive environment that is subject to rapid change. Companies shaping our competitive environment include content providers and distributors, as well as news aggregators, search engines, social media platforms and emerging products and tools powered by generative AI. Competition among these companies is robust, and new competitors can quickly emerge. We have designed our strategy to take advantage of both the challenges and opportunities presented by this period of transformation in our industry.

We and the companies with which we do business are subject to risks and uncertainties caused by factors beyond our control, including economic, geopolitical and public health conditions. These include economic weakness, instability, uncertainty and volatility, including the potential for a recession; a competitive labor market and evolving workforce expectations, including for unionized employees; inflation; supply chain disruptions; rising interest rates; and political and sociopolitical uncertainties and conflicts (including the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war). These factors may result in declines and/or volatility in our results.

We believe the macroeconomic environment has had and may in the future have an adverse impact on both digital and print advertising spending. Additionally, we believe that there may be marketer sensitivity to some news topics, impacting overall advertising spend.

We are experiencing a competitive labor market and pressure on compensation and benefit costs for certain employees, mainly in technology roles. In addition, although we have not seen a significant impact from inflation on our recent financial results to date, if inflation increases for an extended period, our employee-related costs are likely to increase. Our printing and distribution costs also have been impacted in the past and may be further impacted in the future by inflation and higher costs, including those associated with raw materials, delivery costs and/or utilities.

The media industry has transitioned from being primarily print focused to digital, resulting in secular declines in both print subscription and print advertising revenues, and we do not expect this trend to reverse. We actively monitor industry trends, economic conditions, challenges and risks to remain flexible and to optimize and evolve our business as appropriate; however, the full impact they will have on our business, operations and financial results is uncertain and will depend on numerous factors and future developments. The risks related to our business are further described in the section titled “Item 1A — Risk Factors.”

Liquidity

Throughout 2023, we returned capital to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases and continued to manage our pension liability as discussed below. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of approximately $709 million and was debt-free.

P. 32 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Capital Return

The Company aims to return at least 50% of free cash flow to stockholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases over the next three to five years.

We have paid quarterly dividends on the Class A and Class B Common Stock each quarter since late 2013. In February 2024, The Board of Directors approved a quarterly dividend of $0.13 per share, an increase of $0.02 per share from the previous quarter. We currently expect to continue to pay comparable cash dividends in the future, although changes in our dividend program will be considered by our Board of Directors in light of our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other factors considered relevant.

In February 2022, the Board of Directors approved a $150.0 million Class A share repurchase program. In February 2023, the Board of Directors approved a $250.0 million Class A share repurchase program in addition to the amount remaining under the 2022 authorization. The authorizations provide that shares of Class A Common Stock may be purchased from time to time as market conditions warrant, through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or other means, including Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. Through February 14, 2024, we repurchased 4,761,893 shares under these authorizations for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $170.5 million (excluding commissions), fully utilizing the 2022 authorization and leaving approximately $229.5 million remaining under the 2023 authorization. We expect to repurchase shares to offset the impact of dilution from our equity compensation program and to return capital to our stockholders. There is no expiration date with respect to these authorizations.

Managing Pension Liability

We remain focused on managing our pension plan obligations. We have taken steps over the last several years to reduce the size and volatility of our pension obligations, including freezing accruals under all but one of our qualified defined benefit pension plans, making immediate pension benefits offers in the form of lump-sum payments to certain former employees and transferring certain future benefit obligations and administrative costs to insurers.

As of December 31, 2023, our qualified pension plans had plan assets that were approximately $83 million above the present value of future benefits obligations, compared with approximately $70 million as of December 31, 2022. We made contributions of approximately $10 million and $11 million to certain qualified pension plans in 2023 and 2022, respectively. We expect to make contributions in 2024 to satisfy minimum funding requirements of approximately $13 million. We will continue to look for ways to reduce the size and volatility of our pension obligations.

While we have made significant progress in our liability-driven investment strategy to reduce the funding volatility of our qualified pension plans, the size of our pension plan obligations relative to the size of our current operations will continue to have an impact on our reported financial results. We expect to continue to experience volatility in our pension costs, particularly due to the impact of changing discount rates, long-term return on plan assets and mortality assumptions on our qualified and non-qualified pension plans. We may also incur additional withdrawal obligations related to multiemployer plans in which we participate, as well as multiemployer plans from which we previously withdrew.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 33

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

Fiscal year 2023 was composed of 52 weeks, and fiscal year 2022 was composed of 52 weeks and an additional five days. The following table presents our consolidated financial results:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2023December 31, 20222023 vs. 2022
(52 weeks)(52 weeks and five days)
Revenues
Digital$1,099,439$978,57412.4
Print556,714573,788(3.0)
Subscription revenues1,656,1531,552,3626.7
Digital317,744318,440(0.2)
Print187,462204,848(8.5)
Advertising revenues505,206523,288(3.5)
Other264,793232,67113.8
Total revenues2,426,1522,308,3215.1
Operating costs
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)1,249,0611,208,9333.3
Sales and marketing260,227267,553(2.7)
Product development228,804204,18512.1
General and administrative311,039289,2597.5
Depreciation and amortization86,11582,6544.2
Acquisition-related costs34,712*
Impairment charges15,2394,069*
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment(605)14,989*
Total operating costs(1)2,149,8802,106,3542.1
Operating profit276,272201,96736.8
Other components of net periodic benefit (income)/costs(2,737)6,659*
Gain from joint ventures2,477*
Interest income and other, net21,10240,691(48.1)
Income before income taxes302,588235,99928.2
Income tax expense69,83662,09412.5
Net income232,752173,90533.8
Net income attributable to the noncontrolling interest(365)
Net income attributable to The New York Times Company common stockholders$232,387$173,90533.6

(1) The year ended December 31, 2022 was recast to conform to the current presentation of total operating costs. See “Executive Overview” for more details.

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

P. 34 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Revenues

Subscription, advertising and other revenues were as follows:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2023December 31, 20222023 vs. 2022
(52 weeks)(52 weeks and five days)
Subscription$1,656,153$1,552,3626.7
Advertising505,206523,288(3.5)
Other264,793232,67113.8
Total$2,426,152$2,308,3215.1

Subscription Revenues

Subscription revenues consist of revenues from subscriptions to our digital and print products (which include our news product, as well as The Athletic and our Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products), and single-copy and bulk sales of our print products (which represent less than 5% of these revenues). Subscription revenues are based on both the number of digital-only subscriptions and copies of the printed newspaper sold, and the rates charged to the respective customers.

We offer a digital-only bundle that includes access to our digital news product (which includes our news website, NYTimes.com, and mobile and Audio applications), as well as The Athletic and our Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products. Our subscriptions also include standalone digital subscriptions to our digital news product, as well as to The Athletic, and to our Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products.

Subscription revenues increased $103.8 million, or 6.7%, in 2023 compared with 2022, primarily due to an increase in digital-only subscription revenues of $120.9 million, or 12.4%, partially offset by a decrease in print subscription revenues of $17.1 million, or 3.0% and the impact of five fewer days in the year. Digital-only subscription revenues increased primarily due to an increase in bundle and multiproduct revenues of $151.5 million and an increase in other single-product subscription revenues of $12.3 million, partially offset by a decrease in news-only subscription revenues of $42.9 million and the impact of five fewer days in the year. Bundle and multiproduct average digital-only subscribers increased 1,350,000, or 67.8%, while bundle and multiproduct ARPU decreased $2.80, or 17.7%. Other single-product average digital-only subscribers increased 420,000, or 20.1%, while other single-product ARPU decreased $0.22, or 5.8%. News-only average digital-only subscribers decreased 860,000, or 20.6%, while news-only ARPU increased $1.30, or 15.8%. Print subscription revenue decreased primarily due to a decrease in home-delivery subscription revenue, which was driven by a lower number of average print subscribers, reflecting secular trends and the impact of five fewer days in the year, partially offset by an increase in domestic home-delivery prices.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 35

The following table summarizes digital and print subscription revenues for the years ended December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2023December 31, 20222023 vs. 2022
(52 weeks)(52 weeks and five days)
Digital-only subscription revenues(1)$1,099,439$978,57412.4
Print subscription revenues(2)556,714573,788(3.0)
Total subscription revenues$1,656,153$1,552,3626.7
(1) Includes revenue from bundled and standalone subscriptions to our news product, as well as The Athletic and our Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products.
(2) Includes domestic home-delivery subscriptions, which include access to our digital products. Also includes single-copy, NYT International and Other subscription revenues.

A subscriber is defined as a customer who has subscribed (and provided a valid method of payment) for the right to access one or more of the Company’s products. The Company ended 2023 with approximately 10.36 million subscribers to its print and digital products, including approximately 9.70 million digital-only subscribers. Compared with 2022, there was a net increase of 880,000 digital-only subscribers.

Print domestic home-delivery subscribers totaled approximately 660,000 at the end of 2023, a net decrease of 70,000 subscribers compared with the end of 2022. Subscribers with a domestic home-delivery print subscription to The New York Times, which includes access to our digital products, are excluded from digital-only subscribers.

Beginning with the second quarter of 2023, we report three mutually exclusive digital-only subscriber categories: bundle and multiproduct, news-only and other single-product, which collectively sum to Total digital-only subscribers, as well as the ARPU for each of these categories.

The following table sets forth subscribers as of the end of the five most recent fiscal quarters:

December 31, 2023September 30, 2023June 30, 2023March 31, 2023December 31, 2022
Digital-only subscribers:
Bundle and multiproduct (1)(2)4,2203,7903,3003,0202,500
News-only (2)(3)2,7403,0203,3203,5803,920
Other single-product (2)(4)2,7402,6002,5802,4202,410
Total digital-only subscribers (2)(5)9,7009,4109,1909,0208,830
Print subscribers(6)660670690710730
Total subscribers10,36010,0809,8809,7309,550
(1) Subscribers with a bundle subscription or standalone digital-only subscriptions to two or more of the Company’s products.
(2) Includes group corporate and group education subscriptions, which collectively represented approximately 6% of total digital-only subscribers as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2023. The number of group subscribers is derived using the value of the relevant contract and a discounted subscription rate.
(3) Subscribers with only a digital-only news product subscription.
(4) Subscribers with only one digital-only subscription to The Athletic or to our Cooking, Games or Wirecutter products.
(5) Subscribers with digital-only subscriptions to one or more of our news product, The Athletic, or our Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products.
(6) Subscribers with a domestic home-delivery or mail print subscription to The New York Times, which includes access to our digital products, or a print subscription to our Book Review or Large Type Weekly products.
The sum of individual metrics may not always equal total amounts indicated due to rounding. Subscribers (including net subscriber additions) are rounded to the nearest ten thousand.

P. 36 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

The following table sets forth the subset of subscribers above who have a paid digital-only standalone subscription or a bundle subscription that includes the ability to access The Athletic as of the end of the five most recent fiscal quarters:

December 31, 2023September 30, 2023June 30, 2023March 31, 2023December 31, 2022
Digital-only subscribers with The Athletic (1)(2)4,6504,1803,6403,2702,680
(1) In June 2022, we provided all bundle subscribers with the ability to access The Athletic and all bundle subscribers are included in this metric.
(2) Subscribers (including net subscriber additions) are rounded to the nearest ten thousand.

ARPU, a metric we calculate to track the revenue generation of our digital subscriber base, represents the average revenue per subscriber over a 28-day billing cycle during the applicable period. The following table sets forth ARPU metrics relating to the above digital-only subscriber categories for the two most recent fiscal years:

December 31, 2023December 31, 2022
Digital-only ARPU:
Bundle and multiproduct$13.05$15.85
News-only$9.54$8.24
Other single-product$3.57$3.79
Total digital-only ARPU$9.18$8.95
ARPU metrics are calculated by dividing the digital subscription revenue in the year by the average number of digital-only subscribers divided by the number of days in the year multiplied by 28 to reflect a 28-day billing cycle. In calculating ARPU metrics, for our subscriber categories (Bundle and multiproduct, News-only and Other single-product), we use the weighted average of monthly average number of digital-only subscribers (calculated as the sum of the number of subscribers in each category at the beginning and end of the month, divided by two) and for Total digital-only ARPU, we use the weighted average daily average number of digital-only subscribers.

Total digital-only ARPU was $9.18 for December 31, 2023, an increase of 2.6% compared with December 31, 2022. The year-over-year increase was driven primarily by subscribers graduating from promotional to higher prices and price increases on tenured non-bundled subscribers.

Advertising Revenues

Advertising revenue is principally from advertisers (such as technology, financial and luxury goods companies) promoting products, services or brands on digital platforms in the form of display ads, audio and video ads, in print in the form of column-inch ads and at live events. Advertising revenue is primarily derived from offerings sold directly to marketers by our advertising sales teams. A smaller proportion of our total advertising revenues is generated through open-market programmatic auctions run by third-party ad exchanges. Advertising revenue is primarily determined by the volume (e.g., impressions or column inches), rate and mix of advertisements. Digital advertising includes our core digital advertising business and other digital advertising. Our core digital advertising business includes direct-sold website, mobile application, podcast, email and video advertisements (including direct-sold programmatic advertising). Direct-sold display advertising, a component of core digital advertising, includes offerings on websites and mobile applications sold directly to marketers by our advertising sales teams. Other digital advertising includes open-market programmatic advertising and creative services fees. NYTG has revenue from all categories discussed above. The Athletic has revenue from direct-sold display advertising (including direct-sold programmatic advertising), podcast, email and video advertisements and open-market programmatic advertising. Print advertising includes revenue from column-inch ads and classified advertising, as well as preprinted advertising, also known as freestanding inserts. There is no print advertising revenue generated from The Athletic, which does not have a print product.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 37

The following table summarizes digital and print advertising revenues for the years ended December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2023December 31, 20222023 vs. 2022
(52 weeks)(52 weeks and five days)
Advertising revenues
Digital$317,744$318,440(0.2)%
Print187,462204,848(8.5)%
Total advertising$505,206$523,288(3.5)%

Digital advertising revenues, which represented 62.9% of the total advertising revenues in 2023, decreased $0.7 million, or 0.2%, to $317.7 million compared with $318.4 million in 2022. The decrease was primarily a result of the impact of five fewer days in the year and lower other digital revenues of $1.4 million, partially offset by higher revenues in core digital advertising of $6.3 million. Core digital advertising revenues increased due to higher direct-sold display advertising, partially offset by a decrease in podcast advertising revenues and the impact of five fewer days in the year. Direct-sold display impressions increased 17%, while the average rate decrease was de minimis. Other digital advertising revenue decreased primarily due to a decrease in creative services fees as a result of fewer advertising campaigns in 2023, partially offset by an increase in open-market programmatic advertising revenues. Programmatic impressions increased 54%, while the average rate decreased 28%.

Print advertising revenues, which represented 37.1% of total advertising revenues in 2023, decreased $17.4 million, or 8.5%, to $187.5 million compared with $204.8 million in 2022. The decrease in 2023 was due to a 6.3% decrease in print advertising rate and a 2.4% decrease in column-inches. Print advertising revenue in 2023 continues to be impacted by secular trends.

In addition, we believe the macroeconomic environment has had and may in the future have an adverse impact on both digital and print advertising spending. Additionally, we believe that there may be marketer sensitivity to some news topics, impacting overall advertising spend.

Other Revenues

Other revenues primarily consist of revenues from Wirecutter affiliate referrals, licensing, commercial printing, the leasing of floors in our Company Headquarters, television and film, retail commerce, our live events business and our student subscription sponsorship program. Digital other revenues, which consist primarily of Wirecutter affiliate referral revenue, digital licensing revenue and our student subscription sponsorship program, totaled $152.0 million and $114.6 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Building rental revenue from the leasing of floors in the Company Headquarters totaled $27.2 million and $28.5 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Other revenues increased $32.1 million, or 13.8% in 2023 compared with 2022, primarily as a result of an increase in licensing revenues of $16.0 million, primarily related to a Google commercial agreement, partially offset by licensing revenue related to the Facebook News agreement, which ended in the fourth quarter of 2022; growth in Wirecutter revenues of $15.8 million driven by affiliate referral revenues, and an increase in books; television and film revenues of $5.4 million, partially offset by the impact of five fewer days in the year.

P. 38 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Operating Costs

Operating costs were as follows:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2023December 31, 20222023 vs. 2022
(52 weeks)(52 weeks and five days)(1)
Operating costs:
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)$1,249,061$1,208,9333.3
Sales and marketing260,227267,553(2.7)
Product development228,804204,18512.1
General and administrative311,039289,2597.5
Depreciation and amortization86,11582,6544.2
Acquisition-related costs34,712*
Impairment charges15,2394,069*
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment(605)14,989*
Total operating costs$2,149,880$2,106,3542.1
(1) Recast to conform to the current presentation of total operating costs. See “Executive Overview” for more details.

The components of operating costs as a percentage of total operating costs were as follows:

Years Ended
December 31, 2023December 31, 2022
(52 weeks)(52 weeks and five days)(1)
Components of operating costs as a percentage of total operating costs
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)58%57%
Sales and marketing12%13%
Product development11%10%
General and administrative14%14%
Depreciation and amortization4%4%
Acquisition-related costs%1%
Impairment charges1%1%
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment%%
Total100%100%
(1) Recast to conform to the current presentation of total operating costs. See “Executive Overview” for more details.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 39

The components of operating costs as a percentage of total revenues were as follows:

Years Ended
December 31, 2023December 31, 2022
(52 weeks)(52 weeks and five days)(1)
Components of operating costs as a percentage of total revenues
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)51%52%
Sales and marketing11%12%
Product development9%9%
General and administrative13%13%
Depreciation and amortization4%4%
Acquisition-related costs%2%
Impairment charges1%%
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment%1%
Total89%93%
(1) Recast to conform to the current presentation of total operating costs. See “Executive Overview” for more details.

Cost of Revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)

Cost of revenue includes all costs related to content creation, subscriber and advertiser servicing, and print production and distribution as well as infrastructure costs related to delivering digital content, which include all cloud and cloud-related costs as well as compensation for employees that enhance and maintain that infrastructure.

Cost of revenue in 2023 increased $40.1 million, or 3.3%, compared with 2022, largely due to higher journalism costs of $54.4 million, higher digital content delivery costs of $6.5 million, and higher subscriber servicing costs of $3.1 million, partially offset by lower advertising servicing costs of $14.7 million and lower print production and distribution costs of $9.2 million. The increase in journalism costs was largely due to higher compensation and benefits, which was driven by growth in the number of employees who work in our newsrooms, merit increases and higher content creation costs as a result of additional television episodes in 2023. The increase in digital content delivery costs was largely due to higher compensation and benefits driven by growth in the number of employees and higher cloud-related costs. The increase in subscriber servicing costs was largely due to higher credit card processing fees and third-party commissions due to increased subscriptions and an increase in the number of employees, partially offset by lower customer care costs. Advertising servicing costs decreased primarily due to fewer live events in 2023 and a decrease in the number of employees. The decrease in print production and distribution costs was primarily due to fewer print copies produced and lower compensation driven by production staffing efficiencies, partially offset by higher paper pricing.

Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing include costs related to the Company’s subscription and brand marketing efforts as well as advertising sales costs.

Sales and marketing costs in 2023 decreased $7.3 million, or 2.7%, compared with 2022, primarily due to lower marketing costs of $14.9 million, offset by higher sales costs of $7.6 million. The decrease in marketing costs was primarily due to lower media expenses. The increase in sales costs was primarily due to higher compensation and benefits, largely driven by an increase in the number of sales employees.

Media expenses, a component of sales and marketing costs that represents the cost to promote our subscription business, decreased 12.3% to $117.7 million in 2023 from $134.1 million in 2022. The decrease was largely a result of lower brand marketing expenses.

P. 40 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Product Development

Product development includes costs associated with the Company’s investment in developing and enhancing new and existing product technology, including engineering, product development and data insights.

Product development costs in 2023 increased $24.6 million, or 12.1%, compared with 2022, largely due to growth in the number of digital product development employees in connection with digital subscription strategic initiatives.

General and Administrative Costs

General and administrative costs include general management, corporate enterprise technology, building operations, unallocated overhead, severance and multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs.

General and administrative costs in 2023 increased $21.8 million, or 7.5%, compared with 2022, primarily due to higher compensation and benefits of $14.1 million driven by merit increases and incentive compensation, stock price appreciation on stock-based awards of $4.6 million as well as higher cybersecurity costs and software licenses of $3.1 million.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization costs in 2023 increased $3.5 million, or 4.2%, compared with 2022. The increase was due to the impact from the additional month of The Athletic costs in 2023, as well as assets placed in service in connection with the improvements in our Company Headquarters in 2022.

Acquisition-Related Costs

In the second quarter of 2022, the Company recorded $34.7 million of acquisition-related costs, which primarily included expenses paid in connection with the acceleration of The Athletic stock options and legal, accounting, financial advisory and integration planning expenses. There were no such costs recorded in 2023.

Impairment Charges

In 2023, the Company recorded a $12.7 million impairment charge related to excess leased office space that is being marketed for sublet (the “lease-related impairment”).

In 2023 and 2022, the Company recorded impairment charges of $2.5 million and $4.1 million, respectively, related to an indefinite-lived intangible asset.

Multiemployer Pension Plan Liability Adjustment

In 2023 and 2022, the Company recorded favorable adjustments related to a reduction in its multiemployer pension plan liability of $2.3 million and $7.1 million, respectively.

In 2023 and 2022, the Company recorded charges of $1.7 million and $22.1 million, respectively, in connection with its withdrawal from multiemployer pension plans.

Segment Information

Since the acquisition of The Athletic in the first quarter of 2022, we have had two reportable segments: The New York Times Group (“NYTG”) and The Athletic. Management uses adjusted operating profit (loss) by segment in assessing performance and allocating resources. The Company includes in its presentation revenues and adjusted operating costs to arrive at adjusted operating profit (loss) by segment. Adjusted operating costs are defined as operating costs before depreciation and amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items. Adjusted operating profit is defined as operating profit before depreciation and amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items. Adjusted operating profit expressed as a percentage of revenues is referred to as adjusted operating profit margin.

Subscription revenues from and expenses associated with our bundle are allocated to NYTG and The Athletic. The Athletic was first introduced into our bundle in June 2022. Therefore, The Athletic’s results for 2022 include bundle revenues and expenses for only six months of the year, whereas 2023 includes bundle revenue and expenses for the entire year.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 41

Prior to April 1, 2023, we allocated bundle revenues first to our digital news product based on its standalone list price and then the remaining bundle revenues were allocated to the other products in the bundle, including The Athletic, based on their relative standalone list prices. Starting April 1, 2023, we allocate 10% of bundle revenues to The Athletic based on management’s view of The Athletic’s relative value to the bundle, which is derived based on analysis of various metrics, and allocate the remaining bundle revenues to NYTG.

Prior to April 1, 2023, we allocated to NYTG and The Athletic direct variable expenses associated with the bundle, which include credit card fees, third-party fees and sales taxes, based on a historical actual percentage of these costs to bundle revenues. Starting April 1, 2023, we allocate 10% of product development, marketing and subscriber servicing expenses (including the direct variable expenses referenced above) associated with the bundle to The Athletic, and the remaining costs are allocated to NYTG, in each case, in line with the revenues allocations.

For comparison purposes, the Company has recast segment results for 2022 to reflect the updated allocation methodology.

The results of The Athletic have been included in our Consolidated Financial Statements beginning February 1, 2022, the date of the acquisition. Results for the 12 months of 2022 included The Athletic for approximately 11 months, while results for the 12 months of 2023 included the Athletic for the full 12 months.

Years Ended% Change
(in thousands)December 31, 2023December 31, 20222023 vs. 2022
(52 weeks)(52 weeks and five days)(1)(2)
Revenues
NYTG$2,295,537$2,223,6763.2%
The Athletic131,27184,64555.1%
Intersegment eliminations(3)(656)*
Total revenues$2,426,152$2,308,3215.1%
Adjusted operating costs
NYTG$1,874,256$1,834,6272.2%
The Athletic162,701125,76329.4%
Intersegment eliminations(3)(656)*
Total adjusted operating costs$2,036,301$1,960,3903.9%
Adjusted operating profit
NYTG$421,281$389,0498.3%
The Athletic(31,430)(41,118)(23.6)%
Total adjusted operating profit$389,851$347,93112.0%
Adjusted operating profit margin % - NYTG18.4%17.5%90 bps
(1) Recast to reflect updated bundle allocation methodology.
(2) Recast to conform to the current presentation of total operating costs. See “Executive Overview” for more details.
(3) Intersegment eliminations (“I/E”) related to content licensing.
* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or not meaningful.

P. 42 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Revenues detail by segment
Years Ended% Change
(in thousands)December 31, 2023December 31, 20222023 vs. 2022
(52 weeks)(52 weeks and five days)(1)
NYTG
Subscription$1,555,705$1,480,2955.1%
Advertising477,261511,321(6.7)%
Other262,571232,06013.1%
Total$2,295,537$2,223,6763.2%
The Athletic
Subscription$100,448$72,06739.4%
Advertising27,94511,967*
Other2,878611*
Total$131,271$84,64555.1%
I/E(2)$(656)$*
The New York Times Company
Subscription$1,656,153$1,552,3626.7%
Advertising505,206523,288(3.5)%
Other264,793232,67113.8%
Total$2,426,152$2,308,3215.1%
(1) Recast to reflect updated bundle allocation methodology.
(2) I/E related to content licensing recorded in Other revenues.
* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or not meaningful.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 43

Adjusted operating costs (operating costs before depreciation and amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items) detail by segment
Years Ended% Change
(in thousands)December 31, 2023December 31, 20222023 vs. 2022
(52 weeks)(52 weeks and five days)(1)
NYTG
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)$1,157,527$1,134,5532.0%
Sales and marketing223,464242,333(7.8)%
Product development203,813187,4348.7%
Adjusted general and administrative(2)289,452270,3077.1%
Total$1,874,256$1,834,6272.2%
The Athletic
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)$92,190$74,38023.9%
Sales and marketing36,76325,22045.8%
Product development24,99116,75149.2%
Adjusted general and administrative(3)8,7579,412(7.0)%
Total$162,701$125,76329.4%
I/E(4)(656)*
The New York Times Company
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)$1,249,061$1,208,9333.3%
Sales and marketing260,227267,553(2.7)%
Product development228,804204,18512.1%
Adjusted general and administrative298,209279,7196.6%
Total$2,036,301$1,960,3903.9%
(1) Recast to reflect updated bundle allocation methodology.
(2) Excludes severance of $6.4 million and $4.5 million for the 12 months of 2023 and 2022, respectively. Excludes multiemployer pension withdrawal costs of $5.2 million and $4.9 million for the 12 months of 2023 and 2022, respectively.
(3) Excludes severance of $1.2 million and $0.2 million for the 12 months of 2023 and 2022, respectively.
(4) I/E related to content licensing recorded in Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization).
* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or not meaningful.

The New York Times Group

NYTG revenues increased in 2023 to $2.3 billion from $2.2 billion in 2022. Subscription revenues increased 5.1% in 2023 to $1.6 billion from $1.5 billion in 2022 due to growth in subscription revenues from digital-only products, partially offset by decreases in print subscription revenues. Both digital and print subscription revenues were impacted by the five fewer days in 2023. Advertising revenues decreased 6.7% in 2023 to $477.3 million from $511.3 million in 2022 due to lower print advertising revenue, as well as lower digital advertising revenues, primarily as a result of lower revenues from podcasts, creative services and the impact of five fewer days in the year, which were partially offset by higher programmatic advertising. Print advertising revenue was impacted by secular trends. In addition, we believe the macroeconomic environment adversely impacted both digital and print advertising spending.

P. 44 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

NYTG adjusted operating costs increased 2.2% in 2023 to $1.9 billion from $1.8 billion in 2022. The increase in costs in both periods was primarily related to growth in the numbers of employees who work in the newsroom as well as higher general and administrative and product development costs, partially offset by lower sales and marketing costs as well as advertising servicing costs.

NYTG adjusted operating profit increased 8.3% in 2023 to $421.3 million from $389.0 million in 2022. The increase in 2023 was primarily as a result of higher digital subscription and other revenues, partially offset by higher adjusted operating costs and lower advertising revenues.

The Athletic

The results of The Athletic have been included in our Consolidated Financial Statements beginning February 1, 2022, the date of the acquisition. Results for 2022 included The Athletic for approximately 11 months, while results for 2023 included the Athletic for the full 12 months.

The Athletic’s revenues increased 55.1% in 2023 to $131.3 million from $84.6 million in 2022. Subscription revenues increased 39.4% in 2023 to $100.4 million from $72.1 million in 2022, primarily due to the impact from the additional month of revenues in 2023, as well as the impact of additional months of bundle-related revenues in 2023 and growth in digital-only subscribers with The Athletic. Advertising revenues increased to $27.9 million from $12.0 million in 2022, primarily due to the launch of display advertising in the third quarter of 2022.

The Athletic’s adjusted operating costs increased 29.4% in 2023 to $162.7 million from $125.8 million in 2022. The increase in costs in 2023 was primarily due to higher sales and marketing costs, journalism costs and product development costs, primarily due to the impact from the additional month of costs in 2023, as well as the impact of the additional months of bundle-related costs.

The Athletic’s adjusted operating loss decreased 23.6% to $31.4 million in 2023 from $41.1 million in 2022, primarily as a result of higher digital subscription and advertising revenues partially offset by higher adjusted operating costs.

Other Items

See Note 7 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information regarding other items.

NON-OPERATING AND NON-GAAP ITEMS

Interest Income and Other, Net

See Note 7 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding interest income and other.

Income Taxes

See Note 12 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding income taxes.

Other Components of Net Periodic Benefit Costs

See Notes 9 and 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding other components of net periodic benefit costs.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We have included in this report certain supplemental financial information derived from consolidated financial information but not presented in our financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. Specifically, we have referred to the following non-GAAP financial measures in this report:

•diluted earnings per share excluding amortization of acquired intangible assets, severance, non-operating retirement costs and the impact of special items (or adjusted diluted earnings per share);

•operating profit before depreciation, amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (or adjusted operating profit, and as a percentage of revenues, adjusted operating profit margin);

•operating costs before depreciation, amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (or adjusted operating costs); and

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 45

•free cash flow (defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures).

The special items in 2023 consisted of:

•a $12.7 million impairment charge ($9.3 million or $0.06 per share after tax) related to excess leased office space that is being marketed for sublet (the “lease-related impairment”);

•a $2.5 million charge ($1.8 million or $0.01 per share after tax) related to an impairment of an indefinite-lived intangible asset;

•a $1.7 million charge ($1.2 million or $0.01 per share after tax) in connection with the Company’s withdrawal from a multiemployer pension plan;

•a $2.3 million favorable adjustment ($1.7 million or $0.01 per share after tax) related to a reduction in a multiemployer pension plan liability; and

•a $2.5 million gain ($1.8 million or $0.01 per share after tax) reflecting our proportionate share of a distribution from the liquidation of Madison Paper Industries (“Madison”), a partnership that previously operated a paper mill, in which the Company had an investment through a subsidiary.

The special items in 2022 consisted of:

•a $22.1 million charge ($16.2 million or $0.10 per share after tax) in connection with the Company’s withdrawal from a multiemployer pension plan;

•a $4.1 million charge ($3.0 million or $0.02 per share after tax) related to an impairment of an indefinite-lived intangible asset;

•a $7.1 million gain ($5.2 million or $0.03 per share after tax) related to a multiemployer pension liability adjustment;

•a $34.2 million gain ($24.9 million or $0.15 per share after tax) related to an agreement to lease and subsequently sell approximately four acres of land at our printing and distribution facility in College Point, N.Y. The gain is included in Interest income and other, net in our Consolidated Statements of Operations; and

•a $34.7 million of pre-tax costs ($25.4 million or $0.15 per share after tax) related to the acquisition of The Athletic Media Company. Acquisition-related costs primarily include expenses paid in connection with the acceleration of The Athletic Media Company stock options, and legal, accounting, financial advisory and integration planning expenses.

We have included these non-GAAP financial measures because management reviews them on a regular basis and uses them to evaluate and manage the performance of our operations. We believe that, for the reasons outlined below, these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors as a supplement to reported diluted earnings/(loss) per share, operating profit/(loss) and operating costs. However, these measures should be evaluated only in conjunction with the comparable GAAP financial measures and should not be viewed as alternative or superior measures of GAAP results.

Adjusted diluted earnings per share provides useful information in evaluating the Company’s period-to-period performance because it eliminates items that the Company does not consider to be indicative of earnings from ongoing operating activities. Adjusted operating profit and adjusted operating profit margin are useful in evaluating the ongoing performance of the Company’s businesses as they exclude the significant non-cash impact of depreciation and amortization, as well as items not indicative of ongoing operating activities. Total operating costs include depreciation, amortization, severance and multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items. Total operating costs, excluding these items, provide investors with helpful supplemental information on the Company’s underlying operating costs that is used by management in its financial and operational decision-making.

Management considers special items, which may include impairment charges, pension settlement charges, acquisition-related costs and other items that arise from time to time, to be outside the ordinary course of our operations. Management believes that excluding these items provides a better understanding of the underlying trends in the Company’s operating performance and allows more accurate comparisons of the Company’s operating results to historical performance. In addition, management excludes severance costs, which may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter, because it believes these costs do not necessarily reflect expected future operating costs and do not contribute to a meaningful comparison of the Company’s operating results to historical performance.

P. 46 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Excluded from our non-GAAP financial measures are non-operating retirement costs that are primarily tied to financial market performance and changes in market interest rates and investment performance. Management considers non-operating retirement costs to be outside the performance of the business and believes that presenting adjusted diluted earnings per share excluding non-operating retirement costs and presenting adjusted operating results excluding multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs, in addition to the Company’s GAAP diluted earnings per share and GAAP operating results, provide increased transparency and a better understanding of the underlying trends in the Company’s operating business performance.

The Company considers free cash flow, which is defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures, to provide useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash that is available to be used to strengthen the Company’s balance sheet and for strategic opportunities including, among others, investing in the Company’s business, strategic acquisitions, dividend payouts and repurchasing stock. See “Liquidity and Capital Resources — Free Cash Flow” below for more information and a reconciliation of free cash flow to net cash provided by operating activities.

Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are set out in the tables below.

In addition, the Company adopted a change to its fiscal calendar and as a result, its 2023 fiscal year included five fewer days compared with 2022. Included below is the estimated impact of the five fewer days on fiscal year revenue. Management believes that estimating the impact of the five fewer days on the Company’s operating costs and operating profit presents challenges and, therefore, no such estimate is made with respect to these items.

Reconciliation of diluted earnings per share excluding amortization of acquired intangible assets, severance, non-operating retirement costs and special items (or adjusted diluted earnings per share)
Years Ended% Change
December 31, 2023December 31, 20222023 vs. 2022
(52 weeks)(52 weeks and five days)
Diluted earnings per share$1.40$1.0434.6%
Add:
Amortization of acquired intangible assets0.180.1612.5%
Severance0.050.0366.7%
Non-operating retirement costs:
Multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs0.030.03*
Other components of net periodic benefit costs(0.02)0.04*
Special items:
Acquisition-related costs0.21*
Impairment charges0.100.02*
Gain on the sale of land(0.20)*
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment (1)0.09*
Gain from joint venture, net of noncontrolling interest(0.01)*
Income tax expense of adjustments(0.08)(0.10)(20.0)%
Adjusted diluted earnings per share (2)$1.63$1.3223.5%

(1) Twelve months ended December 31, 2022, includes a loss of $0.13 related to an estimated charge for a withdrawal from a multiemployer pension plan, partially offset by a gain of $0.04 resulting from a multiemployer pension liability adjustment.

(2) Amounts may not add due to rounding.

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 47

Reconciliation of operating profit before depreciation and amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (or adjusted operating profit) and of adjusted operating profit margin
Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2023December 31, 20222023 vs. 2022
(52 weeks)(52 weeks and five days)
Operating profit$276,272$201,96736.8%
Add:
Depreciation and amortization86,11582,6544.2%
Severance7,5824,66962.4%
Multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs5,2484,8717.7%
Acquisition-related costs34,712*
Impairment charge15,2394,069*
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment(605)14,989*
Adjusted operating profit$389,851$347,93112.0%
Divided by:
Revenue2,426,1522,308,3215.1%
Operating profit margin11.4%8.7%270 bps
Adjusted operating profit margin16.1%15.1%100 bps

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

Reconciliation of total operating costs before depreciation and amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (or adjusted operating costs)
Years Ended
(In thousands)December 31, 2023December 31, 2022% Change
(52 weeks)(52 weeks and five days)
NYTGThe AthleticI/ETotalNYTGThe AthleticTotal
Operating costs$1,959,191$191,345$(656)$2,149,880$1,955,169$151,185$2,106,3542.1%
Less:
Depreciation and amortization58,63727,47886,11557,39225,26282,6544.2%
Severance6,4161,1667,5824,5091604,66962.4%
Multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs5,2485,2484,8714,8717.7%
Acquisition-related costs34,71234,712*
Impairment charges15,23915,2394,0694,069*
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment(605)(605)14,98914,989*
Adjusted operating costs$1,874,256$162,701$(656)$2,036,301$1,834,627$125,763$1,960,3903.9%

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

P. 48 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Reconciliation of revenues excluding the estimated impact of the five fewer days in 2023
Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2023December 31, 2022 As ReportedFive Days(1)December 31, 2022 Adjusted2023 vs. 2022
Digital subscription revenue$1,099,439$978,574$(11,724)$966,85013.7%
Print subscription revenue556,714573,788(4,266)569,522(2.2)%
Total subscription revenue1,656,1531,552,362(15,990)1,536,3727.8%
Digital advertising revenue317,744318,440(5,628)312,8121.6%
Print advertising revenue187,462204,848(1,092)203,756(8.0)%
Total advertising revenues505,206523,288(6,720)516,568(2.2)%
Other revenue264,793232,671(1,503)231,16814.5%
Total revenues$2,426,152$2,308,321$(24,213)$2,284,1086.2%

(1) Represents the five-day period included in fiscal 2022 between December 27, 2021, and December 31, 2021.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 49

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Overview

The following table presents information about our financial position:

Financial Position Summary

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands, except ratios)December 31, 2023December 31, 20222023 vs. 2022
Cash and cash equivalents$289,472$221,38530.8
Marketable securities419,727264,88958.5
Total cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities (1)709,199486,27445.8
Total New York Times Company stockholders’ equity1,763,2191,597,96710.3
Ratios:
Current assets to current liabilities1.281.15

(1) Approximately $550.0 million of cash and marketable securities were used in February 2022 to fund the purchase price of The Athletic Media Company (refer to commentary below).

Our primary sources of cash from operations were revenues from subscription and advertising sales. Subscription and advertising revenues provided about 68% and 21%, respectively, of total revenues in 2023. The remaining cash inflows were primarily from other revenue sources such as Wirecutter affiliate referrals, licensing, commercial printing, the leasing of floors in the Company Headquarters, books, television and film, retail commerce, our live events business, and our student subscription sponsorship program.

Our primary uses of cash from operations were for employee compensation and benefits and other operating expenses. We believe our cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities balance and cash provided by operations, in combination with other sources of cash, will be sufficient to meet our financing needs over the next twelve months and beyond.

As of December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities of $709.2 million and approximately $350 million in available borrowings, and no amounts were outstanding under the Credit Facility. Our cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities balances increased in 2023, primarily due to cash proceeds from operating activities, partially offset by cash used for dividend payments, share repurchases, capital expenditures, and taxes paid on behalf of employees resulting from share-based compensation tax withholding.

We have paid quarterly dividends on the Class A and Class B Common Stock since late 2013. In February 2024, the Board of Directors approved a quarterly dividend of $0.13 per share, an increase of $0.02 per share from the previous quarter (see Note 19 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information). We currently expect to continue to pay comparable cash dividends in the future, although changes in our dividend program will be considered by our Board of Directors in light of our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other factors considered relevant.

In February 2022, the Board of Directors approved a $150.0 million Class A share repurchase program. In February 2023, the Board of Directors approved a $250.0 million Class A share repurchase program in addition to the amount remaining under the 2022 authorization. The authorizations provide that shares of Class A Common Stock may be purchased from time to time as market conditions warrant, through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or other means, including Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. Through February 14, 2024, the aggregate purchase price of repurchases under these programs totaled approximately $170.5 million (excluding commissions), fully utilizing the 2022 authorization and leaving approximately $229.5 million remaining under the 2023 authorization. We expect to repurchase shares to offset the impact of dilution from our equity compensation program and to return capital to our stockholders. There is no expiration date with respect to these authorizations.

P. 50 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

During 2023, we made contributions of $10.5 million to certain qualified pension plans funded by cash on hand. As of December 31, 2023, our qualified pension plans had plan assets that were $83.0 million above the present value of future benefits obligations, an increase of $13.5 million from $69.5 million as of December 31, 2022. We expect contributions made to satisfy minimum funding requirements to total approximately $13 million in 2023.

Beginning in 2022, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated the option to deduct research and development expenditures immediately in the year incurred and instead requires taxpayers to capitalize and amortize such expenditures over five years. In 2023 and 2022, our cash from operations decreased by approximately $12 million and $60 million, respectively, and our net deferred tax assets increased by similar amounts as a result of this legislation.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 was signed into law in August 2022. The tax-related provisions of this legislation did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Capital Resources

Sources and Uses of Cash

Cash flows provided by/(used in) by category were as follows:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2023December 31, 20222023 vs. 2022
Operating activities$360,618$150,687*
Investing activities$(159,690)$(73,561)*
Financing activities$(132,710)$(174,306)(23.9)

Operating Activities

Cash from operating activities is generated by cash receipts from subscriptions, advertising sales and other revenue. Operating cash outflows include payments for employee compensation, retirement and other benefits, raw materials, marketing expenses, interest and income taxes.

Net cash provided by operating activities increased in 2023 compared with 2022 due to higher net income (which in 2022 was impacted by a payment related to the acceleration of The Athletic stock options in connection with the acquisition), lower tax payments and lower cash payments for incentive compensation, partially offset by lower cash collections from accounts receivable.

Investing Activities

Cash from investing activities generally includes proceeds from marketable securities that have matured and the sale of assets, investments or a business. Cash used in investing activities generally includes purchases of marketable securities, payments for capital projects and acquisitions of new businesses and investments.

Net cash used in investing activities in 2023 was primarily related to $144.3 million in net purchases of marketable securities and $22.7 million in capital expenditures payments.

Financing Activities

Cash from financing activities generally includes borrowings under third-party financing arrangements, the issuance of long-term debt and funds from stock option exercises. Cash used in financing activities generally includes the repayment of amounts outstanding under third-party financing arrangements, the payment of dividends, the payment of long-term debt and capital lease obligations, and stock-based compensation tax withholding.

Net cash used in financing activities in 2023 was primarily related to dividend payments of $69.5 million, share repurchases of $44.6 million (excluding commissions) and share-based compensation tax withholding payments of $14.9 million.

See “— Third-Party Financing” below and our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for additional information on our sources and uses of cash.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 51

Free Cash Flow

Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure defined as net cash provided by operating activities, less capital expenditures. The Company considers free cash flow to provide useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash that is available to be used to strengthen the Company’s balance sheet and for strategic opportunities including, among others, investing in the Company’s business, strategic acquisitions, dividend payouts and repurchasing stock. In addition, management uses free cash flow to set targets for return of capital to stockholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases.

The Company aims to return at least 50% of free cash flow to stockholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases over the next three to five years.

The following table presents a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow:

Years Ended
(In thousands)December 31, 2023December 31, 2022
Net cash provided by operating activities$360,618$150,687
Less: Capital expenditures(22,669)(36,961)
Free cash flow$337,949$113,726

Free cash flow for 2023 was $337.9 million compared with $113.7 million in 2022. Free cash flow increased primarily due to higher cash provided by operating activities, as discussed above.

Restricted Cash

We were required to maintain $13.7 million of restricted cash as of December 31, 2023, and $13.8 million as of December 31, 2022, substantially all of which is set aside to collateralize workers’ compensation obligations.

Capital Expenditures

Capital expenditures totaled approximately $23 million and $36 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease in capital expenditures in 2023 was primarily driven by higher expenditures in the prior year related to improvements in our Company Headquarters. The expenditures in 2022 were intended to address growth in the number of employees and support hybrid work. The cash payments related to the capital expenditures totaled approximately $23 million and $27 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively, due to the timing of the payments. In 2024, we expect capital expenditures of approximately $50 million, which will be funded from cash on hand. The capital expenditures will be primarily driven by expenditures related to our College Point, N.Y., printing and distribution facility, investments in technology to support our strategic initiatives and improvements in our Company Headquarters.

Acquisition of The Athletic Media Company

On February 1, 2022, we completed the acquisition of The Athletic Media Company, a global digital subscription-based sports media business that provides national and local coverage of clubs and teams in the United States and around the world, for an all-cash purchase price of $550.0 million, subject to customary closing adjustments (see Note 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to this acquisition). The purchase price was funded from cash on hand.

Third-Party Financing

On July 27, 2022, we entered into a $350.0 million five-year unsecured Credit Facility that amended and restated a prior facility. Certain of our domestic subsidiaries have guaranteed our obligations under the Credit Facility. As of December 31, 2023, there was approximately $0.6 million in outstanding letters of credit and the remaining committed amount remains available. As of December 31, 2023, there were no outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facility and the Company was in compliance with the financial covenants contained in the Credit Facility. See Note 7 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding the Credit Facility.

P. 52 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Contractual Obligations

The information provided is based on management’s best estimate and assumptions of our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2023. Actual payments in future periods may vary from those reflected in the table.

Payment due in
(In thousands)Total20242025-20262027-2028Later Years
Operating leases(1)$62,644$12,279$17,794$14,559$18,012
Purchase commitment(2)68,07415,32930,80821,937
Benefit plans(3)292,01842,65783,93967,09598,327
Total$422,736$70,265$132,541$103,591$116,339

(1) See Note 17 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our operating leases.

(2) Represents purchase commitments for the use of digital content delivery services from August 1, 2023 through July 31, 2028.

(3) The Company’s general funding policy with respect to qualified pension plans is to contribute amounts at least sufficient to satisfy the minimum amount required by applicable law and regulations and Guild contracts. Contributions for our qualified pension plans and future benefit payments for our unfunded pension and other postretirement benefit payments have been estimated over a 10-year period; therefore, the amounts included in the “Later Years” column only include payments for the period of 2029-2033. For our funded qualified pension plans, estimating funding depends on several variables, including the performance of the plans’ investments, assumptions for discount rates, expected long-term rates of return on assets, rates of compensation increases (applicable only for the Guild-Times Adjustable Pension Plan that has not been frozen) and other factors. Thus, our actual contributions could vary substantially from these estimates. While benefit payments under these plans are expected to continue beyond 2033, we have included in this table only those benefit payments estimated over the next 10 years. Benefit plans in the table above also include estimated payments for multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liabilities. See Notes 9 and 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our pension and other postretirement benefits plans.

Other Liabilities — Other in our Consolidated Balance Sheets include liabilities related to (1) deferred compensation, primarily related to our deferred executive compensation plan (the “DEC”) and (2) various other liabilities, including our contingent tax liability for uncertain tax positions and contingent consideration. These liabilities are not included in the table above primarily because the timing of the future payments is not determinable. See Note 11 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

The DEC previously enabled certain eligible executives to elect to defer a portion of their compensation on a pre-tax basis. The deferred amounts are invested at the executives’ option in various mutual funds. The fair value of deferred compensation is based on the mutual fund investments elected by the executives and on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets. The fair value of deferred compensation was $13.8 million as of December 31, 2023. The DEC was frozen effective December 31, 2015, and no new contributions may be made into the plan. See Note 11 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on Other Liabilities — Other.

Our liability for uncertain tax positions was approximately $9 million, including approximately $2 million of accrued interest as of December 31, 2023. Until formal resolutions are reached between us and the taxing authorities, determining the timing and amount of possible audit settlements relating to uncertain tax positions is not practicable. Therefore, we do not include this obligation in the table of contractual obligations. See Note 12 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding income taxes.

The contingent consideration represents contingent payments in connection with the acquisition of substantially all the assets and certain liabilities of Serial Productions, LLC. The Company estimated the fair value of the contingent consideration liability using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow model. The estimate of the fair value of contingent consideration requires subjective assumptions to be made regarding probabilities assigned to operational targets and the discount rate. The contingent consideration balance of $5.0 million as of December 31, 2023, is included in Accrued expenses and other, for the current portion of the liability, and Other Liabilities — Other, for the long-term portion of the liability, in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. See Note 8 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 53

We have a contract through the end of 2025 with Resolute FP US Inc., a subsidiary of Resolute Forest Products Inc., a major paper supplier, to purchase newsprint. The contract requires us to purchase annually the lesser of a fixed number of tons or a percentage of our total newsprint requirement at market rate in an arm’s-length transaction. Since the quantities of newsprint purchased annually under this contract are based on our total newsprint requirement, the amount of the related payments for these purchases is excluded from the table above.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

Our Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements for the periods presented.

We continually evaluate the policies and estimates we use to prepare our Consolidated Financial Statements. In general, management’s estimates are based on historical experience, information from third-party professionals and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the facts and circumstances. Actual results may differ from those estimates made by management.

Our critical accounting estimates include our accounting for goodwill and intangibles, retirement benefits and revenue recognition. Specific risks related to our critical accounting estimates are discussed below. For a description of our related accounting policies, see Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Goodwill and Intangibles

We evaluate whether there has been an impairment of goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible assets on an annual basis or in an interim period if certain circumstances indicate that a possible impairment may exist.

(In thousands)December 31, 2023December 31, 2022
Goodwill$416,098$414,046
Intangibles$285,490$317,314
Total assets$2,714,595$2,533,752
Percentage of goodwill and intangibles to total assets26%29%

The impairment analysis is considered critical because of the significance of goodwill and intangibles to our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

We test goodwill for impairment at a reporting unit level. We first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value.

If we determine that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, we compare the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. Fair value is calculated by a combination of a discounted cash flow model and a market approach model.

We test indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment at the asset level. We first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the asset is less than its carrying value. If we determine that it is more likely than not that the intangible asset is impaired, we perform a quantitative assessment by comparing the fair value of the asset with its carrying amount. If the fair value, which is based on future cash flows, exceeds the carrying value, the asset is not considered impaired. If the carrying amount exceeds the fair value, an impairment loss would be recognized in an amount equal to the excess of the carrying amount of the asset over the fair value of the asset.

Intangible assets that are amortized are tested for impairment at the asset level associated with the lowest level of cash flows whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. An impairment exists if the carrying value of the asset (1) is not recoverable (the carrying value of the asset is greater than the sum of undiscounted cash flows) and (2) is greater than its fair value.

P. 54 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

The discounted cash flow analysis requires us to make various judgments, estimates and assumptions, many of which are interdependent, about future revenues, operating margins, growth rates, capital expenditures, working capital, discount rates and royalty rates. The starting point for the assumptions used in our discounted cash flow analysis is the annual long-range financial forecast. The annual planning process that we undertake to prepare the long-range financial forecast takes into consideration a multitude of factors, including historical growth rates and operating performance, related industry trends, macroeconomic conditions, and marketplace data, among others. Assumptions are also made for perpetual growth rates for periods beyond the long-range financial forecast period. Our estimates of fair value are sensitive to changes in all of these variables, certain of which relate to broader macroeconomic conditions outside our control.

The market approach analysis includes applying a multiple, based on comparable market transactions, to certain operating metrics of a reporting unit.

The significant estimates and assumptions used by management in assessing the recoverability of goodwill and intangibles are estimated future cash flows, discount rates, growth rates and other factors. Any changes in these estimates or assumptions could result in an impairment charge. The estimates, based on reasonable and supportable assumptions and projections, require management’s subjective judgment. Depending on the assumptions and estimates used, the estimated results of the impairment tests can vary within a range of outcomes.

In September 2023, we performed a quantitative assessment of our indefinite-lived intangible asset and recorded a $2.5 million impairment. See Notes 2 and 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information regarding our impairment testing. In our 2023 annual impairment testing, based on our qualitative assessment, we concluded that goodwill is not impaired. In 2023, we did not identify any impairment related to intangible assets with definite lives.

Pension Benefits

We sponsor a frozen single-employer defined benefit pension plan. The Company and The NewsGuild of New York (the “Guild”) jointly sponsor the Guild-Times Adjustable Pension Plan (the “APP”), which continues to accrue active benefits. Our pension liability also includes our multiemployer pension plan withdrawal obligations.

The table below includes the liability for all of our pension plans.

(In thousands)December 31, 2023December 31, 2022
Pension liabilities (includes current portion)$248,151$253,764
Total liabilities$951,376$933,780
Percentage of pension liabilities to total liabilities26%27%

Our Company-sponsored defined benefit pension plans include qualified plans (funded) as well as non-qualified plans (unfunded). These plans provide participating employees with retirement benefits in accordance with benefit formulas detailed in each plan. All of our non-qualified plans, which provide enhanced retirement benefits to select employees, are frozen, except for a foreign-based pension plan discussed below.

Our joint Company and Guild-sponsored plan is a qualified plan and is included in the table below.

We also have a foreign-based pension plan for certain non-U.S. employees (the “foreign plan”). The information for the foreign plan is combined with the information for U.S. non-qualified plans. The benefit obligation of the foreign plan is immaterial to our total benefit obligation.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 55

The funded status of our qualified and non-qualified pension plans as of December 31, 2023, is as follows:

December 31, 2023
(In thousands)Qualified PlansNon-Qualified PlansAll Plans
Pension obligation$1,068,489$180,556$1,249,045
Fair value of plan assets1,151,5051,151,505
Pension asset/(obligation), net$83,016$(180,556)$(97,540)

We made contributions of approximately $10 million to the APP in 2023. We expect contributions made to satisfy minimum funding requirements to total approximately $13 million in 2024.

Pension expense is calculated using a number of actuarial assumptions, including an expected long-term rate of return on assets (for qualified plans) and a discount rate. Our methodology in selecting these actuarial assumptions is discussed below.

In determining the expected long-term rate of return on assets, we evaluated input from our investment consultants and investment management firms, including our review of asset class return expectations, as well as long-term historical asset class returns. Projected returns by such consultants are based on broad equity and bond indices. Our objective is to select an average rate of earnings expected on existing plan assets and expected contributions to the plan (less plan expenses to be incurred) during the year. The expected long-term rate of return determined on this basis was 5.60% at the beginning of 2023. Our plan assets had an average rate of return of approximately 9.92% in 2023 and an average annual return of approximately -4.37% over the three-year period 2021–2023. We regularly review our actual asset allocation and periodically rebalance our investments to meet our investment strategy.

The market-related value of plan assets is multiplied by the expected long-term rate of return on assets to compute the expected return on plan assets, a component of net periodic pension cost. The market-related value of plan assets is a calculated value that recognizes changes in fair value over three years.

Based on the composition of our assets at the end of the year, we estimated our 2024 expected long-term rate of return to be 5.90%. If we had decreased our expected long-term rate of return on our plan assets by 50 basis points in 2023, pension expense would have increased by approximately $7 million for our qualified pension plans. Our funding requirements would not have been materially affected.

We determined our discount rate using a Ryan ALM, Inc. Curve (the “Ryan Curve”). The Ryan Curve provides the bonds included in the curve and allows adjustments for certain outliers (i.e., bonds on “watch”). We believe the Ryan Curve allows us to calculate an appropriate discount rate.

To determine our discount rate, we project a cash flow based on annual accrued benefits. For active participants, the benefits under the respective pension plans are projected to the date of termination. The projected plan cash flow is discounted to the measurement date, which is the last day of our fiscal year, using the annual spot rates provided in the Ryan Curve. A single discount rate is then computed so that the present value of the benefit cash flow equals the present value computed using the Ryan Curve rates.

The weighted-average discount rate determined on this basis was 5.25% for our qualified plans and 5.21% for our non-qualified plans as of December 31, 2023.

If we had decreased the expected discount rate by 50 basis points for our qualified plans and our non-qualified plans in 2023, pension expense would have increased by approximately $0.6 million and our pension obligation would have increased by approximately $63 million as of December 31, 2023.

We will continue to evaluate all of our actuarial assumptions, generally on an annual basis, and will adjust as necessary. Actual pension expense will depend on future investment performance, changes in future discount rates, the level of contributions we make and various other factors.

P. 56 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

We also recognize the present value of pension liabilities associated with the withdrawal from multiemployer pension plans. Our multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liability was approximately $68 million as of December 31, 2023. This liability represents the present value of the obligations related to complete and partial withdrawals that have already occurred as well as an estimate of future withdrawals that we considered probable and reasonably estimable. For those plans that have yet to provide us with a demand letter, the actual liability will not be known until they complete a final assessment of the withdrawal liability and issue a demand to us. Therefore, the estimate of our multiemployer pension plan liability will be adjusted as more information becomes available that allows us to refine our estimates.

See Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding our pension plans.

Revenue Recognition

Our contracts with customers sometimes include promises to transfer multiple products and services to a customer. Determining whether products and services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately versus together may require significant judgment. We use an observable price to determine the standalone selling price for separate performance obligations if available or, when not available, an estimate that maximizes the use of observable inputs and faithfully depicts the selling price of the promised goods or services if we sold those goods or services separately to a similar customer in similar circumstances.

RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

See Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding recent accounting pronouncements.

FY 2022 10-K MD&A

SEC filing source: 0000071691-23-000006.

Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary. Confidence: high. Filing date: 2023-02-28. Report date: 2022-12-31.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis provides information that management believes is relevant to an assessment and understanding of our consolidated financial condition as of December 31, 2022, and results of operations for the two years ended December 31, 2022. Please read this item together with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related Notes included in this Annual Report. We have omitted discussion of 2020 results where it would be redundant to the discussion previously included in Part II, Item 7 of our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on February 23, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference.

On February 1, 2022, we acquired The Athletic Media Company, a global digital subscription-based sports media business that provides national and local coverage of clubs and teams in the United States and around the world, and beginning in the first quarter of 2022, the Company has two reportable segments: The New York Times Group and The Athletic. See Note 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to this acquisition.

The Company has adopted a change to its fiscal calendar and as a result, its 2022 fourth quarter and fiscal year included an additional six days compared with 2021.

Significant components of the management’s discussion and analysis of results of operations and financial condition section include:

PAGE
Executive Overview:The executive overview section provides a summary of The New York Times Company and our business.28
Results of Operations:The results of operations section provides an analysis of our results on a consolidated basis and segment information.32
Non-Operating and Non-GAAP Items:The non-operating and non-GAAP items section provides a comparison of our non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures for the two years ended December 31, 2022, and December 26, 2021.45
Liquidity and Capital Resources:The liquidity and capital resources section provides a discussion of our cash flows for the two years ended December 31, 2022, and December 26, 2021, and restricted cash, capital expenditures and third-party financing, commitments and contingencies existing as of December 31, 2022.50
Critical Accounting Estimates:The critical accounting policies and estimates section provides detail with respect to accounting policies that are considered by management to require significant judgment and use of estimates and that could have a significant impact on our financial statements.54
Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits:The pensions and other postretirement benefits section provides a discussion of our benefit plans, including our pension liability, funding status, annual contributions, and actuarial assumptions.56

EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW

We are a global media organization focused on creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news and information that helps our audience understand and engage with the world. We believe that our original, independent and high-quality reporting, storytelling and journalistic excellence set us apart from other news organizations and are at the heart of what makes our journalism worth paying for. For further information, see “Item 1 — Business – Overview” and “– Our Strategy.”

We generate revenues principally from the sale of subscriptions and advertising. Subscription revenues consist of revenues from standalone and multi-product bundle subscriptions to our digital products and subscriptions to and single-copy and bulk sales of our print products. Advertising revenue is derived from the sale of our advertising products and services. Other revenues primarily consist of revenues from licensing, Wirecutter affiliate referrals, commercial printing, the leasing of floors in the Company Headquarters, retail commerce, our live events business,

P. 28 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

our student subscription sponsorship program, and television and film. Our main operating costs are employee-related costs.

In the accompanying analysis of financial information, we present certain information derived from our consolidated financial information but not presented in our financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”). We are presenting in this report supplemental non-GAAP financial performance measures that exclude depreciation, amortization, severance, non-operating retirement costs and certain identified special items, as applicable. In addition, we present our free cash flow, defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from or as a substitute for the related GAAP measures and should be read in conjunction with financial information presented on a GAAP basis. For further information and reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures, see “— Results of Operations — Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

This report includes a discussion of the estimated impact of the additional six days on our year-over-year comparison of revenues where meaningful. Management believes that estimating the impact of the additional six days on the Company’s operating costs and operating profit presents challenges and, therefore, no such estimate is made with respect to these items. For further detail on the impact of the additional week on our results, see the discussion below and “— Results of Operations-Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

2022 Financial Highlights

•On February 1, 2022, we acquired The Athletic Media Company and have included its results in our Consolidated Financial Statements beginning February 1, 2022.

•Operating profit decreased 24.6% to $202.0 million in 2022 from $268.0 million in 2021. Operating profit before depreciation, amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items discussed below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” (or “adjusted operating profit,” a non-GAAP measure) increased 3.7% to $347.9 million in 2022 from $335.4 million in 2021. Operating profit margin (operating profit expressed as a percentage of revenues) decreased to 8.7% in 2022, compared with 12.9% in 2021. Adjusted operating profit margin (adjusted operating profit expressed as a percentage of revenues) decreased to 15.1% in 2022, compared with 16.2% in 2021.

•Total revenues increased 11.3% to $2.31 billion in 2022 from $2.07 billion in 2021.

•Total subscription revenues increased 14.0% to $1.55 billion in 2022 from $1.36 billion in 2021. Digital-only subscription revenues increased 26.5% to $978.6 million in 2022 from $773.9 million in 2021. Paid digital-only subscribers totaled approximately 8.83 million with approximately 10.26 million paid digital-only subscriptions at the end of 2022, a net increase of 1.01 million digital-only subscribers and 1.10 million digital-only subscriptions compared with the end of 2021. The year-over-year net increase in digital-only subscribers and subscriptions excludes approximately 1.03 million subscribers and 1.16 million subscriptions, respectively, that were added as a result of the acquisition of The Athletic in the first quarter of 2022.

•Total advertising revenues increased 5.2% to $523.3 million in 2022 from $497.5 million in 2021, due to an increase of 8.4% in print advertising revenues and an increase of 3.2% in digital advertising revenues.

•Operating costs increased 13.8% to $2.05 billion in 2022 from $1.80 billion in 2021. Operating costs before depreciation, amortization, severance and multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs (or “adjusted operating costs,” a non-GAAP measure) increased 12.7% to $1.96 billion in 2022 from $1.74 billion in 2021.

•Operating costs that we refer to as “technology costs,” consisting of product development costs as well as components of costs of revenues and general and administrative costs as described below, increased 24.5% to $377.2 million in 2022 from $302.9 million in 2021.

•Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations were $1.04 and $1.31 for 2022 and 2021, respectively. Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations excluding amortization of acquired intangible assets, severance, non-operating retirement costs and special items discussed below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” (or “adjusted diluted earnings per share,” a non-GAAP measure) were $1.32 and $1.28 for 2022 and 2021, respectively.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 29

Industry Trends, Economic Conditions, Challenges and Risks

We operate in a highly competitive environment that is subject to rapid change. Our competitors include content providers and distributors, as well as news aggregators, search engines and social media platforms. Competition among these companies is robust, and new competitors can quickly emerge. We have designed our strategy to take advantage of both the challenges and opportunities presented by this period of transformation in our industry.

We and the companies with which we do business are subject to risks and uncertainties caused by factors beyond our control, including economic, public health and geopolitical conditions. These include economic weakness, uncertainty and volatility, including the potential for a recession; a competitive labor market and evolving workforce expectations (including for unionized employees); inflation; supply chain disruptions; rising interest rates; the continued effects of the Covid-19 pandemic; and political and sociopolitical uncertainties and conflicts (including the war in Ukraine). These factors may result in declines and/or volatility in our results.

Although we did not see a significant impact from inflation on our financial results in 2022, if inflation remains at current levels, or increases, for an extended period, our employee-related costs are likely to increase. Our printing and distribution costs have been impacted and may be further impacted by inflation and higher costs, including those associated with raw materials, delivery costs and/or utilities.

We actively monitor industry trends, economic conditions, challenges and risks to remain flexible and to optimize and evolve our business as appropriate; however, the full impact they will have on our business, operations and financial results is uncertain and will depend on numerous factors and future developments. The risks related to our business are further described in the section titled “Item 1A — Risk Factors.”

Liquidity

On February 1, 2022, we used approximately $550 million of our cash and cash equivalents to fund the acquisition of The Athletic Media Company. Throughout 2022, we returned capital to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases and continued to manage our pension liability as discussed below. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of approximately $486 million and was debt-free.

Capital Return

The Company aims to return at least 50% of free cash flow to stockholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases over the next three to five years, an increase from the target initially announced in June 2022.

We have paid quarterly dividends on the Class A and Class B Common Stock each quarter since late 2013. In February 2023, the Board of Directors approved a quarterly dividend of $0.11 per share, an increase of $0.02 per share from the previous quarter. We currently expect to continue to pay comparable cash dividends in the future, although changes in our dividend program will be considered by our Board of Directors in light of our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other factors considered relevant.

In February 2022, the Board of Directors approved a $150.0 million Class A share repurchase program. Through February 21, 2023, we repurchased 3,727,594 shares for approximately $127.2 million (excluding commissions) and approximately $22.8 million remained under this authorization. In February 2023, in addition to the amount remaining under the 2022 authorization, the Board of Directors approved a $250.0 million Class A share repurchase program. The authorizations provide that shares of Class A Common Stock may be purchased from time to time as market conditions warrant, through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or other means, including Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. We expect to repurchase shares to offset the impact of dilution from our equity compensation program and to return capital to our stockholders. There is no expiration date with respect to these authorizations. As of February 21, 2023, there have been no repurchases under the 2023 $250.0 million authorization.

Managing Pension Liability

We remain focused on managing our pension plan obligations. We have taken steps over the last several years to reduce the size and volatility of our pension obligations, including freezing accruals under all but one of our qualified defined benefit pension plans, making immediate pension benefits offers in the form of lump-sum payments to certain former employees and transferring certain future benefit obligations and administrative costs to insurers.

P. 30 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

As of December 31, 2022, our qualified pension plans had plan assets that were approximately $70 million above the present value of future benefits obligations, compared with approximately $74 million as of December 26, 2021. We made contributions of approximately $11 million and $10 million to certain qualified pension plans in 2022 and 2021, respectively. We expect to make contributions in 2023 to satisfy minimum funding requirements of approximately $11 million. We will continue to look for ways to reduce the size and volatility of our pension obligations.

While we have made significant progress in our liability-driven investment strategy to reduce the funding volatility of our qualified pension plans, the size of our pension plan obligations relative to the size of our current operations will continue to have an impact on our reported financial results. We expect to continue to experience volatility in our retirement-related costs, particularly due to the impact of changing discount rates and mortality assumptions on our unfunded, non-qualified pension plans and retiree medical costs. We may also incur additional withdrawal obligations related to multiemployer plans in which we participate as well as multiemployer plans from which we previously withdrew.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 31

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

Fiscal year 2022 was comprised of 52 weeks and an additional six days, and fiscal year 2021 was comprised of 52 weeks. The following table presents our consolidated financial results:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2022December 26, 20212022 vs. 2021
(52 weeks and six days)(52 weeks)
Revenues
Digital$978,574$773,88226.5
Print573,788588,233(2.5)
Subscription revenues1,552,3621,362,11514.0
Digital318,440308,6163.2
Print204,848188,9208.4
Advertising revenues523,288497,5365.2
Other232,671215,2268.1
Total revenues2,308,3212,074,87711.3
Operating costs
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)1,208,9331,039,56816.3
Sales and marketing267,553294,947(9.3)
Product development204,185160,87126.9
General and administrative289,259250,12415.6
Depreciation and amortization82,65457,50243.7
Total operating costs2,052,5841,803,01213.8
Acquisition-related costs34,712*
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment14,989*
Impairment charge4,069*
Lease termination charge3,831*
Operating profit201,967268,034(24.6)
Other components of net periodic benefit costs6,65910,478(36.4)
Interest income and other, net40,69132,94523.5
Income from continuing operations before income taxes235,999290,501(18.8)
Income tax expense62,09470,530(12.0)
Net income attributable to The New York Times Company common stockholders$173,905$219,971(20.9)

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

P. 32 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Revenues

Subscription, advertising and other revenues were as follows:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2022December 26, 20212022 vs. 2021
(52 weeks and six days)(52 weeks)
Subscription$1,552,362$1,362,11514.0
Advertising523,288497,5365.2
Other232,671215,2268.1
Total$2,308,321$2,074,87711.3

Subscription Revenues

Subscription revenues consist of revenues from subscriptions to our digital and print products (which include our news product, as well as The Athletic and our Cooking, Games, Audm and Wirecutter products), and single-copy and bulk sales of our print products (which represent less than 5% of these revenues). Subscription revenues are based on both the number of copies of the printed newspaper sold and digital-only subscriptions, and the rates charged to the respective customers.

Subscription revenues increased 14.0% in 2022 compared with 2021. The increase was primarily due to the large number of subscribers whose introductory promotional subscriptions have graduated to higher prices, growth in the number of subscribers to the Company’s digital-only products, the inclusion of subscription revenue from The Athletic and the impact of the additional six days in the year. The increases in digital-only subscription revenue were partially offset by a decrease in print subscription revenue. This decrease in 2022 compared with 2021 was primarily attributable to declines in domestic home delivery revenue and single-copy sales of 2.2% and 4.7%, respectively, driven by secular trends, partially offset by an increase in home delivery subscription prices and the impact of the additional six days. There is no print subscription revenue generated from The Athletic.

The Company ended 2022 with approximately 9.55 million paid subscribers with approximately 10.98 million paid subscriptions across its print and digital products. Of the 9.55 million subscribers, approximately 8.83 million were paid digital-only subscribers with approximately 10.26 million paid digital-only subscriptions.

There was a net increase of 1,010,000 digital-only subscribers and 1,100,000 digital-only subscriptions at the end of 2022 compared with the end of 2021. The year-over-year result excludes approximately 1,029,000 subscribers and 1,161,000 subscriptions that were added as a result of the acquisition of The Athletic in the first quarter of 2022.

Print domestic home delivery subscribers totaled approximately 730,000 with 720,000 print subscriptions at the end of 2022, a net decrease of 70,000 subscribers and 70,000 subscriptions compared with the end of 2021. The year-over-year decrease is a result of secular declines.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 33

The following table summarizes digital and print subscription revenues for the years ended December 31, 2022, and December 26, 2021:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2022December 26, 20212022 vs. 2021
(52 weeks and six days)(52 weeks)
Digital-only subscription revenues(1)$978,574$773,88226.5
Print subscription revenues
Domestic home delivery subscription revenues(2)517,395529,039(2.2)
Single-copy, NYT International and other subscription revenues(3)56,39359,194(4.7)
Subtotal print subscription revenues573,788588,233(2.5)
Total subscription revenues$1,552,362$1,362,11514.0
(1) Includes revenue from digital-only bundled and standalone subscriptions to our news product, as well as The Athletic and our Cooking, Games, Audm and Wirecutter products.
(2) Domestic home delivery subscriptions include access to our digital news product, as well as The Athletic and our Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products.
(3) NYT International is the international edition of our print newspaper.

We began reporting the number of subscribers and certain supplementary subscriber supplementary metrics with our first quarter 2022 results. While we are moving toward an emphasis on individual subscriber growth rather than growth of total subscriptions, we are reporting on the number of subscriptions at least through 2022.

We offer a digital subscription package (or “bundle”) that includes access to our digital news product, as well as The Athletic and our Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products. We also offer standalone digital subscriptions to our digital news product, as well as to The Athletic, and our Cooking, Games, Audm and Wirecutter products. The Company has set out below the number of digital-only, print and total subscribers to the Company’s products as well as certain additional metrics, including average revenue per subscriber. A digital-only subscriber is defined as a subscriber who has subscribed (and provided a valid method of payment) for the right to access one or more of the Company’s digital products.

Beginning with the second quarter of 2022, the Company has updated its rounding methodology for subscribers (including net subscriber additions), subscriptions (including net subscription additions) and subscriber-related metrics (other than ARPU) and rounds to the nearest ten thousand instead of the nearest thousand as it had previously been presenting.

P. 34 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

The following table summarizes digital and print subscribers as of the end of the five most recent fiscal quarters:

December 31, 2022September 25, 2022June 26, 2022March 27, 2022December 26, 2021
Digital-only subscribers (1)8,8308,5908,4108,2306,783
Print subscribers(2)730740760780795
Total subscribers (3)9,5509,3309,1709,0107,578
(1) Subscribers with paid digital-only subscriptions to one or more of our news product, The Athletic, or our Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products. Subscribers with a paid domestic home-delivery print subscription to The New York Times are excluded. The number of digital-only subscribers includes group corporate and group education subscriptions (which collectively represented approximately 5% of paid digital-only subscribers as of the fourth quarter of 2022). The number of group subscribers is derived using the value of the relevant contract and a discounted subscription rate.
(2) Subscribers with a paid domestic home delivery or mail print subscription to The New York Times, which also includes access to our digital news product, as well as The Athletic and our Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products, or a paid print subscription to our Book Review or Large Type Weekly products. Book Review, Mail and Large Type Weekly subscribers are included in the count of subscribers but not subscriptions.
(3) The sum of individual metrics may not always equal total amounts indicated due to rounding.

The following table summarizes supplementary subscriber metrics as of the end of the five most recent fiscal quarters:

December 31, 2022September 25, 2022June 26, 2022March 27, 2022December 26, 2021
Digital-only subscriber ARPU(1)$8.93$8.87$8.83$9.13$9.60
Digital-only bundle and multiproduct subscribers(2)2,5002,1301,9801,8351,607
Digital-only subscribers with News(3)6,3706,2106,1406,1015,826
Digital-only subscribers with The Athletic(4)2,6802,2901,6901,216
(1) “Digital-only subscriber Average Revenue per User” or “Digital-only subscriber ARPU” is calculated by dividing the average monthly digital subscription revenue (calculated by dividing digital subscription revenue in the quarter by 3.25 to reflect a 28-day billing cycle) in the measurement period by the average number of digital subscribers during the period.
(2) Subscribers with a digital bundle or paid digital-only subscriptions that includes access to two or more of the Company’s products, including through separate standalone subscriptions.
(3) Subscribers with a paid digital-only subscription that includes the ability to access the Company’s digital news product.
(4) Subscribers with a paid digital-only subscription that includes the ability to access The Athletic.

The following table summarizes digital and print subscriptions as of the end of the five most recent fiscal quarters:

December 31, 2022September 25, 2022June 26, 2022March 27, 2022December 26, 2021
Digital-only subscriptions(1)10,26010,0209,8109,5798,005
Print subscriptions(2)720730750770784
Total subscriptions(3)10,98010,75010,56010,3498,789
(1) Paid digital-only subscriptions to our news product, as well as The Athletic and our Cooking, Games, Audm and Wirecutter products. Standalone subscriptions to these products are counted separately and bundle subscriptions are counted as one subscription. The number of paid digital-only subscriptions includes group corporate and group education subscriptions (which collectively represented approximately 4% of paid digital-only subscriptions as of the fourth quarter of 2022). The number of group subscriptions is derived using the value of the relevant contract and a discounted subscription rate.
(2) Paid domestic home-delivery print subscriptions to The New York Times, which also include access to our digital news product, as well as The Athletic and our Cooking, Games and Wirecutter products. Excludes subscriptions to our Book Review or Large Type Weekly products and subscriptions to The New York Times that are delivered by mail.
(3) The sum of individual metrics may not always equal total amounts indicated due to rounding.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 35

We believe that the significant growth over the last several years in subscribers to our products demonstrates the success of our “subscription-first” strategy and the willingness of our readers to pay for high-quality journalism. The Company is increasing its emphasis on subscriber growth rather than growth of total subscriptions. The following charts illustrate the growth in net digital-only subscribers and corresponding subscription revenues as well as the relative stability of our print domestic home delivery subscription products.

(1) Amounts may not add due to rounding.

(2) Includes access to some of our digital products.

(3) Includes Book Review, Mail and Large Type Weekly subscribers.

(4) Print Other includes single-copy, NYT International and other subscription revenues.

P. 36 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Advertising Revenues

Advertising revenue is principally from advertisers (such as technology, financial and luxury goods companies) promoting products, services or brands on digital platforms in the form of display ads, audio and video ads, and in print in the form of column-inch ads.

Advertising revenue is primarily derived from offerings sold directly to marketers by our advertising sales teams. A smaller proportion of our total advertising revenues is generated through programmatic auctions run by third-party ad exchanges.

Advertising revenue is primarily determined by the volume (e.g., impressions or column inches), rate and mix of advertisements.

Digital advertising includes our core digital advertising business and other digital advertising. Our core digital advertising business includes direct-sold website, mobile application, podcast, email and video advertisements. Direct-sold display advertising, a component of core digital advertising, includes offerings on websites and mobile applications sold directly to marketers by our advertising sales teams. Other digital advertising includes open-market programmatic advertising and creative services fees.

The New York Times Group has revenue from all categories discussed above. The Athletic has revenue from direct-sold display advertising, podcast, email and video advertisements. There was no significant other digital advertising revenue generated from The Athletic in 2022.

Print advertising includes revenue from column-inch ads and classified advertising, as well as preprinted advertising, also known as freestanding inserts. There is no print advertising revenue generated from The Athletic.

The following table summarizes digital and print advertising revenues for the years ended December 31, 2022, and December 26, 2021:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2022December 26, 20212022 vs. 2021
(52 weeks and six days)(52 weeks)
Advertising revenues
Digital$318,440$308,6163.2%
Print204,848188,9208.4%
Total advertising$523,288$497,5365.2%

Digital advertising revenues, which represented 60.9% of total advertising revenues in 2022, increased $9.8 million, or 3.2%, to $318.4 million, compared with $308.6 million in 2021. The increase was primarily driven by higher direct-sold advertising at The New York Times Group, the addition of $12.0 million in advertising revenue from The Athletic, and the impact of the additional six days, which more than offset declines in revenue from fewer programmatic advertising impressions; in addition, we believe the macroeconomic environment adversely impacted advertising spend. Core digital advertising revenue increased $29.0 million, which includes $12.0 million from The Athletic, due to growth in direct-sold display advertising revenue and podcast advertising revenues as well as the impact of the additional six days in the year. Direct-sold display impressions increased 33%, while the average rate decreased 16%. Other digital advertising revenue decreased $19.2 million, primarily due to a 19.8% decrease in open-market programmatic advertising revenue, as well as a 28.7% decrease in creative services fees. Programmatic impressions decreased by 26%, while the average rate increased 8%.

Print advertising revenues, which represented 39.1% of total advertising revenues in 2022, increased $15.9 million, or 8.4%, to $204.8 million in 2022 compared with $188.9 million in 2021. The increase was primarily in the entertainment and luxury categories, which were more severely impacted by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. The increase was partially offset by secular trends and in addition we believe the macroeconomic environment adversely impacted advertising spend.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 37

Other Revenues

Other revenues primarily consist of revenues from licensing, Wirecutter affiliate referrals, commercial printing, the leasing of floors in the Company Headquarters, retail commerce, our live events business, our student subscription sponsorship program, and television and film. Digital other revenues, which consist primarily of Wirecutter affiliate referral revenue, digital licensing revenue, and television and film revenue, totaled $114.6 million and $111.4 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively. Building rental revenue consists of revenue from the leasing of floors in our Company Headquarters, which totaled $28.5 million and $22.9 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Other revenues increased 8.1% in 2022 compared with 2021, primarily as a result of higher Wirecutter affiliate referral revenues mainly due to Wirecutter’s presence on our core news website (NYTimes.com) homepage for the full year, resulting in increased views, higher revenue from our live events business mainly due to an increase in the number of in-person events, higher commercial printing revenue as we began printing several News Corporation publications in mid-2021 and several other publications in 2022 in our College Point, N.Y., printing and distribution facility, and the impact of the additional six days in the year. These increases were partially offset by lower television series revenues as a result of fewer episodes in 2022 compared to 2021.

P. 38 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Operating Costs

Operating costs were as follows:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2022December 26, 20212022 vs. 2021
(52 weeks and six days)(52 weeks)
Operating costs:
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)(1)$1,208,933$1,039,56816.3
Sales and marketing267,553294,947(9.3)
Product development(1)204,185160,87126.9
General and administrative(1)289,259250,12415.6
Depreciation and amortization(2)82,65457,50243.7
Total operating costs$2,052,584$1,803,01213.8
(1) Technology costs, which include product development costs and certain components of cost of revenue and general and administrative costs as described below, increased 24.5% to $377.2 million in 2022 from $302.9 million in 2021.
(2) Includes amortization of intangible assets related to our acquisitions of approximately $25 million for 2022.

The components of operating costs as a percentage of total operating costs were as follows:

Years Ended
December 31, 2022December 26, 2021
(52 weeks and six days)(52 weeks)
Components of operating costs as a percentage of total operating costs
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)59%58%
Sales and marketing13%16%
Product development10%9%
General and administrative14%14%
Depreciation and amortization4%3%
Total100%100%

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 39

The components of operating costs as a percentage of total revenues were as follows:

Years Ended
December 31, 2022December 26, 2021
(52 weeks and six days)(52 weeks)
Components of operating costs as a percentage of total revenues
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)52%50%
Sales and marketing12%14%
Product development9%8%
General and administrative13%12%
Depreciation and amortization4%3%
Total90%87%

P. 40 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Cost of Revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)

Cost of revenue includes all costs related to content creation, subscriber and advertiser servicing and print production and distribution, as well as infrastructure costs related to delivering digital content that include all cloud and cloud-related costs as well as compensation for employees that enhance and maintain that infrastructure.

Cost of revenue increased in 2022 by $169.4 million, or 16.3%, compared with 2021, largely due to higher journalism costs of $112.6 million, higher subscriber servicing costs of $23.3 million, higher print production and distribution costs of $17.7 million, higher digital content delivery costs of $12.8 million, and higher advertising service costs of $2.9 million. The increase in journalism costs was largely driven by the inclusion of $64.5 million in journalism costs from The Athletic, as well as growth in the number of employees who work in The New York Times Group newsroom and on our Cooking, Games, audio and Wirecutter products. The increase in subscriber servicing costs was primarily due to the inclusion of $7.6 million in subscriber servicing costs from The Athletic, and higher credit card processing fees and third-party commissions due to increased subscriptions. The increase in print production and distribution costs was largely due to an increase in newsprint pricing and fuel costs which were impacted by inflation and increased commercial printing activity. The increase in digital content delivery costs was primarily due to higher cloud-related costs for The New York Times Group, the inclusion of $1.3 million in digital content delivery costs from The Athletic, and higher compensation and benefits. Advertising servicing costs increased primarily due to an increase in live events. Technology costs in cost of revenue, which include costs related to content delivery and subscriber technology, increased 21.2% to $106.3 million compared with $87.7 million in 2021 due to the growth in the number of employees and increases in cloud-related costs.

Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing includes costs related to the Company’s marketing efforts as well as advertising sales costs.

Sales and marketing costs decreased in 2022 by $27.4 million, or 9.3%, compared with 2021, primarily due to lower media expenses, offset by the inclusion of $23.6 million in sales and marketing costs from The Athletic in 2022.

Media expenses, a component of sales and marketing costs that represents the cost to promote our subscription business, decreased to $134.1 million in 2022 from $187.3 million in 2021. The decrease was the result of lower brand marketing expenses at The New York Times Group, partially offset by the inclusion media expenses from The Athletic of $15.3 million in 2022.

Product Development

Product development includes costs associated with the Company’s investment into developing and enhancing new and existing product technology, including engineering, product development and data insights. All product development costs are technology costs.

Product development costs increased in 2022 by $43.3 million, or 26.9%, compared with 2021, largely due to growth in the number of digital product development employees in connection with digital subscription strategic initiatives and the inclusion of product development costs from The Athletic of $15.0 million in 2022.

General and Administrative Costs

General and administrative costs include general management, corporate enterprise technology, building operations, unallocated overhead costs, severance and multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs.

General and administrative costs increased in 2022 by $39.1 million, or 15.6%, compared with 2021, primarily as a result of growth in the number of employees, the inclusion of $ 9.6 million in general and administrative costs from The Athletic and higher building operations and maintenance costs related to employees returning to the office. Technology costs in general and administrative costs, which include costs related to technology and information security, increased 23.1% to $66.8 million compared with $54.3 million in 2021.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization costs increased $25.2 million, or 43.7%, in 2022 compared with 2021. The increase is due to The Athletic’s intangible assets amortization of approximately in 2022, and higher equipment depreciation, partially offset by lower depreciation from software assets.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 41

Segment Information

We acquired The Athletic Media Company on, and the results of The Athletic have been included in our Consolidated Financial Statements beginning, February 1, 2022. Beginning in the first quarter of 2022, we have two reportable segments: The New York Times Group and The Athletic. Management, including our President and Chief Executive Officer (who is our Chief Operating Decision Maker), uses adjusted operating profit by segment (as defined below) in assessing performance and allocating resources. We include in our presentation revenues and adjusted operating costs (as defined below) to arrive at adjusted operating profit by segment. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for more information on adjusted operating costs and adjusted operating profit.

Subscription revenue from our multi-product digital subscription package (or “bundle”) is allocated to The New York Times Group and The Athletic. We allocate revenue first to our digital news product based on its list price and then the remaining bundle revenue is allocated to the other products in the bundle, including The Athletic, based on their relative list price. The direct variable expenses associated with the bundle, which include credit card fees, third-party fees and sales taxes, are allocated to The New York Times Group and The Athletic based on a historical actual percentage of these costs to bundle revenue.

Years Ended% Change
(in thousands)December 31, 2022December 26, 20212022 vs. 2021
(52 weeks and six days)(1)(52 weeks)
Revenues
The New York Times Group$2,222,589$2,074,8777.1%
The Athletic85,732*
Total revenues$2,308,321$2,074,87711.3%
Adjusted operating costs
The New York Times Group$1,838,784$1,739,4785.7%
The Athletic121,606*
Total adjusted operating costs$1,960,390$1,739,47812.7%
Adjusted operating profit
The New York Times Group$383,805$335,39914.4%
The Athletic(35,874)*
Total adjusted operating profit$347,931$335,3993.7%
Adjusted operating profit margin % - New York Times Group17.3%16.2%110 bps
(1) The results of The Athletic have been included in our Consolidated Financial Statements beginning February 1, 2022.
* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or not meaningful.

P. 42 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Revenues detail by segment
Years Ended% Change
(in thousands)December 31, 2022December 26, 20212022 vs. 2021
(52 weeks and six days)(1)(52 weeks)
The New York Times Group
Subscription$1,479,209$1,362,1158.6%
Advertising511,320497,5362.8%
Other232,060215,2267.8%
Total$2,222,589$2,074,8777.1%
The Athletic
Subscription$73,153$*
Advertising11,968*
Other611*
Total$85,732$*
The New York Times Company
Subscription$1,552,362$1,362,11514.0%
Advertising523,288497,5365.2%
Other232,671215,2268.1%
Total$2,308,321$2,074,87711.3%
(1) The results of The Athletic have been included in our Consolidated Financial Statements beginning February 1, 2022.
* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or not meaningful.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 43

Adjusted operating costs (operating costs before depreciation and amortization, severance and multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs) detail by segment
Years Ended% Change
(in thousands)December 31, 2022December 26, 20212022 vs. 2021
(52 weeks and six days)(3)(52 weeks)
The New York Times Group
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)$1,135,518$1,039,5689.2%
Sales and marketing243,936294,947(17.3)%
Product development189,027160,87117.5%
Adjusted general and administrative(1)270,303244,09210.7%
Total$1,838,784$1,739,4785.7%
The Athletic
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)$73,415$*
Sales and marketing23,617*
Product development15,158*
Adjusted general and administrative(2)9,416*
Total$121,606$*
The New York Times Company
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)$1,208,933$1,039,56816.3%
Sales and marketing267,553294,947(9.3)%
Product development204,185160,87126.9%
Adjusted general and administrative279,719244,09214.6%
Total$1,960,390$1,739,47812.7%
(1) Excludes severance of $4.7 million for the 12 months of 2022 and multiemployer pension withdrawal costs of $4.9 million for the 12 months of 2022. Excludes severance of $0.9 million for the 12 months of 2021 and multiemployer pension withdrawal costs of $5.2 million for the 12 months of 2021.
(2) Excludes $0.2 million of severance for the 12 months of 2022.
(3) The results of The Athletic have been included in our Consolidated Financial Statements beginning February 1, 2022.
* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or not meaningful.

The New York Times Group

The New York Times Group revenues increased in 2022 by $147.7 million, or 7.1%, compared with 2021. Subscription revenues increased by $117.1 million, or 8.6%, compared with 2021, primarily due to growth in subscription revenues from digital-only products. Advertising revenues increased by $13.8 million, or 2.8%, compared with 2021, primarily due to growth in print advertising.

The New York Times Group adjusted operating costs increased in 2022 by $99.3 million, or 5.7%, compared with 2021, primarily related to growth in the number of employees, partially offset by lower media expenses.

The New York Times Group adjusted operating profit increased in 2022 by $48.4 million, or 14.4%, compared with 2021, as higher revenues and the impact of the additional six days in the year more than offset higher costs.

P. 44 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

The Athletic

The Athletic revenues totaled $85.7 million in 2022 (from February 1, 2022), primarily from subscription revenues.

The Athletic adjusted operating costs totaled $121.6 million in 2022 (from February 1, 2022) largely from cost of revenue, which was primarily related to journalism costs.

The Athletic adjusted operating loss totaled $35.9 million in 2022 (from February 1, 2022).

Other Items

See Note 7 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information regarding other items.

NON-OPERATING AND NON-GAAP ITEMS

Interest Income and Other, Net

See Note 7 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding interest income and other.

Income Taxes

See Note 12 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding income taxes.

Other Components of Net Periodic Benefit Costs

See Notes 9 and 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding other components of net periodic benefit costs.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We have included in this report certain supplemental financial information derived from consolidated financial information but not presented in our financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. Specifically, we have referred to the following non-GAAP financial measures in this report:

•diluted earnings per share from continuing operations excluding amortization of acquired intangible assets, severance, non-operating retirement costs and the impact of special items (or adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations);

•operating profit before depreciation, amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (or adjusted operating profit, and as a percentage of revenues, adjusted operating profit margin);

•operating costs before depreciation, amortization, severance and multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs (or adjusted operating costs); and

•free cash flow (defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures).

The special items in 2022 consisted of:

•a $22.1 million charge ($16.2 million or $0.10 per share after tax) in connection with the Company’s withdrawal from a multiemployer pension plan;

•a $4.1 million charge ($3.0 million or $0.02 per share after tax) related to an impairment of an indefinite-lived intangible asset;

•a $7.1 million gain ($5.2 million or $0.03 per share after tax) related to a multiemployer pension liability adjustment;

•a $34.2 million gain ($24.9 million or $0.15 per share after tax) related to an agreement to lease and subsequently sell approximately four acres of land at our printing and distribution facility in College Point, N.Y. The gain is included in Interest income and other, net in our Consolidated Statements of Operations; and

•a $34.7 million of pre-tax costs ($25.4 million or $0.15 per share after tax) related to the acquisition

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 45

of The Athletic Media Company. Acquisition-related costs primarily include expenses paid in connection with the acceleration of The Athletic Media Company stock options, and legal, accounting, financial advisory and integration planning expenses.

The special items in 2021 consisted of:

•a $27.2 million gain ($19.8 million after tax or $0.12 per share) related to a non-marketable equity investment transaction. The gain consists of a $15.2 million realized gain due to the partial sale of the investment and an $11.9 million unrealized gain due to the mark to market of the remaining investment, and is included in Interest income and other, net in our Consolidated Statements of Operations; and

•a $3.8 million charge ($2.8 million or $0.02 per share after tax) resulting from the termination of a tenant’s lease in the Company Headquarters.

We have included these non-GAAP financial measures because management reviews them on a regular basis and uses them to evaluate and manage the performance of our operations. We believe that, for the reasons outlined below, these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors as a supplement to reported diluted earnings/(loss) per share from continuing operations, operating profit/(loss) and operating costs. However, these measures should be evaluated only in conjunction with the comparable GAAP financial measures and should not be viewed as alternative or superior measures of GAAP results.

Adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations provides useful information in evaluating the Company’s period-to-period performance because it eliminates items that the Company does not consider to be indicative of earnings from ongoing operating activities. Adjusted operating profit (and adjusted operating profit margin) is useful in evaluating the ongoing performance of the Company’s business as it excludes the significant non-cash impact of depreciation and amortization, as well as items not indicative of ongoing operating activities. Total operating costs include depreciation, amortization, severance and multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs. Total operating costs excluding these items provide investors with helpful supplemental information on the Company’s underlying operating costs that is used by management in its financial and operational decision-making.

Beginning with the fourth quarter of 2022, the Company has updated its definition of adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations to exclude amortization of acquired intangible assets in addition to previously excluded severance, non-operating retirement costs and special items. Excluding amortization of acquired intangible assets to arrive at adjusted diluted earnings per share allows for comparability between periods of the Company’s operating performance.

Management considers special items, which may include impairment charges, pension settlement charges and other items that arise from time to time, to be outside the ordinary course of our operations. Management believes that excluding these items provides a better understanding of the underlying trends in the Company’s operating performance and allows more accurate comparisons of the Company’s operating results to historical performance. In addition, management excludes severance costs, which may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter, because it believes these costs do not necessarily reflect expected future operating costs and do not contribute to a meaningful comparison of the Company’s operating results to historical performance.

Excluded from our non-GAAP financial measures are non-operating retirement costs that are primarily tied to financial market performance and changes in market interest rates and investment performance. Management considers non-operating retirement costs to be outside the performance of the business and believes that presenting adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations excluding non-operating retirement costs and presenting adjusted operating results excluding multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs, in addition to the Company’s GAAP diluted earnings per share from continuing operations and GAAP operating results, provide increased transparency and a better understanding of the underlying trends in the Company’s operating business performance.

The Company considers free cash flow, which is defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures, to provide useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash that is available to be used to strengthen the Company’s balance sheet and for strategic opportunities including, among others, investing in the Company’s business, strategic acquisitions, dividend payouts and repurchasing stock. See “Liquidity and Capital Resources — Free Cash Flow” below for more information and a reconciliation of free cash flow to net cash provided by operating activities.

P. 46 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures from, respectively, diluted earnings per share from continuing operations, operating profit and operating costs, the most directly comparable GAAP items, as well as details on the components of non-operating retirement costs, are set out in the tables below.

In addition, the Company has adopted a change to its fiscal calendar and as a result, its 2022 fourth quarter and fiscal year included an additional six days compared with 2021. Included below is the estimated impact of the additional six days on fiscal year revenue. Management believes that estimating the impact of the additional six days on the Company’s operating costs and operating profit presents challenges and, therefore, no such estimate is made with respect to these items.

Reconciliation of diluted earnings per share from continuing operations excluding amortization of acquired intangible assets, severance, non-operating retirement costs and special items (or adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations)
Years Ended% Change
December 31, 2022December 26, 20212022 vs. 2021
(52 weeks and six days)(52 weeks)
Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations$1.04$1.31(20.6)%
Add:
Amortization of acquired intangible assets0.160.01*
Severance0.030.01*
Non-operating retirement costs:
Multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs0.030.03
Other components of net periodic benefit costs0.040.06(33.3)%
Special items:
Acquisition-related costs0.21*
Gain from non-marketable equity security(0.16)*
Impairment charge0.02*
Lease termination charge0.02*
Gain on the sale of land(0.20)*
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment (1)0.09*
Income tax expense/(benefit) of adjustments(0.10)0.01*
Adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations (2)(3)$1.32$1.283.1%

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

(1) Twelve months ended December 31, 2022, includes a loss of $0.13 related to an estimated charge for a withdrawal from a multiemployer pension plan, partially offset by a gain of $0.04 resulting from a multiemployer pension liability adjustment.

(2) Amounts may not add due to rounding.

(3) Recast to conform 2021 periods to the updated definition of adjusted diluted earnings per share.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 47

Reconciliation of operating profit before depreciation and amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (or adjusted operating profit) and of adjusted operating profit margin
Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2022December 26, 20212022 vs. 2021
(52 weeks and six days)(52 weeks)
Operating profit$201,967$268,034(24.6)%
Add:
Depreciation and amortization82,65457,50243.7%
Severance4,669882*
Multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs4,8715,150(5.4)%
Special items:
Acquisition-related costs34,712*
Impairment charge4,069*
Lease termination charge3,831*
Multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment14,989*
Adjusted operating profit$347,931$335,3993.7%
Divided by:
Revenue2,308,3212,074,87711.3%
Operating profit margin8.7%12.9%(420) bps
Adjusted operating profit margin15.1%16.2%(110) bps

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

Reconciliation of operating costs before depreciation and amortization, severance and multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs (or adjusted operating costs)
Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2022December 26, 20212022 vs. 2021
(52 weeks and six days)(52 weeks)
Operating costs$2,052,584$1,803,01213.8%
Less:
Depreciation and amortization82,65457,50243.7%
Severance4,669882*
Multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs4,8715,150(5.4)%
Adjusted operating costs$1,960,390$1,739,47812.7%

P. 48 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Reconciliation of revenues excluding the estimated impact of the additional six days in 2022
Years Ended% Change
December 31, 2022 As ReportedAdditional Six DaysDecember 31, 2022 AdjustedDecember 26, 20212022 vs. 2021
Digital subscription revenue$978,574$(16,981)$961,593$773,88224.3%
Print subscription revenue573,788(5,120)568,668588,233(3.3)%
Total subscription revenue1,552,362(22,101)1,530,2611,362,11512.3%
Digital advertising revenue318,440(5,398)313,042308,6161.4%
Print advertising revenue204,848(1,267)203,581188,9207.8%
Total advertising revenues523,288(6,665)516,623497,5363.8%
Other revenue232,671(1,743)230,928215,2267.3%
Total revenues$2,308,321$(30,509)$2,277,812$2,074,8779.8%

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 49

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Overview

The following table presents information about our financial position:

Financial Position Summary

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands, except ratios)December 31, 2022December 26, 20212022 vs. 2021
Cash and cash equivalents$221,385$319,973(30.8)
Marketable securities264,889754,455(64.9)
Total cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities (1)486,2741,074,428(54.7)
Total New York Times Company stockholders’ equity1,597,9671,538,7203.9
Ratios:
Current assets to current liabilities1.151.70

(1) Approximately $550.0 million of cash and marketable securities were used in February 2022 to fund the purchase price of The Athletic Media Company (refer to commentary below).

Our primary sources of cash from operations were revenues from subscription and advertising sales. Subscription and advertising revenues provided about 67% and 23%, respectively, of total revenues in 2022. The remaining cash inflows were primarily from other revenue sources such as licensing, Wirecutter affiliate referrals, commercial printing, the leasing of floors in the Company Headquarters, retail commerce, our live events business, our student subscription sponsorship program, and television and film.

Our primary uses of cash from operations were for consideration paid for the acquisition of The Athletic Media Company in February 2022, employee compensation and benefits and other operating expenses. We believe our cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities balance and cash provided by operations, in combination with other sources of cash, will be sufficient to meet our financing needs over the next 12 months and beyond.

As of December 31, 2022, we had cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities of $486.3 million and approximately $350 million in available borrowings, and no amounts were outstanding under the Credit Facility. Our cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities balances decreased in 2022, primarily due to consideration paid for the acquisition of The Athletic Media Company, cash used for shares repurchases, dividend payments and capital expenditures, partially offset by cash proceeds from operating activities. Approximately $550.0 million of cash and marketable securities were used in February 2022 to fund the purchase price of The Athletic Media Company (see Note 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to this acquisition).

We have paid quarterly dividends on the Class A and Class B Common Stock since late 2013. In February 2023, the Board of Directors approved a quarterly dividend of $0.11 per share, an increase of $0.02 per share from the previous quarter (see Note 19 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information). We currently expect to continue to pay comparable cash dividends in the future, although changes in our dividend program will be considered by our Board of Directors in light of our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other factors considered relevant.

In February 2022, the Board of Directors approved a $150.0 million Class A share repurchase program. Through February 21, 2023, repurchases under that program totaled approximately $127.2 million (excluding commissions) and approximately $22.8 million remained. In February 2023, the Board of Directors approved a $250.0 million Class A share repurchase program in addition to the amount remaining under the 2022 authorization. The authorizations provide that shares of Class A Common Stock may be purchased from time to time as market conditions warrant, through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or other means, including Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. We expect to repurchase shares to offset the impact of dilution from our equity compensation program and to return capital to our stockholders. There is no expiration date with respect to these authorizations. As of February 21, 2023, there have been no repurchases under the 2023 $250.0 million authorization.

P. 50 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

During 2022, we made contributions of $11.2 million to certain qualified pension plans funded by cash on hand. As of December 31, 2022, our qualified pension plans had plan assets that were $69.5 million above the present value of future benefits obligations, a decrease of $4.8 million from $74.3 million as of December 26, 2021. We expect contributions made to satisfy minimum funding requirements to total approximately $11 million in 2023.

Beginning in 2022, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated the option to deduct research and development expenditures immediately in the year incurred and instead requires taxpayers to capitalize and amortize such expenditures over five years. In 2022, our cash from operations decreased by approximately $60 million and our net deferred tax assets increased by a similar amount as a result of this legislation. In 2023, we expect a negative impact on our cash from operations of approximately $45 million. The actual impact on fiscal 2023 cash from operations will depend on the amount of research and development costs we incur.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 was signed into law in August 2022. We do not expect the tax-related provisions of this legislation to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Capital Resources

Sources and Uses of Cash

Cash flows provided by/(used in) by category were as follows:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 31, 2022December 26, 20212022 vs. 2021
Operating activities$150,687$269,098(44.0)
Investing activities$(73,561)$(180,807)(59.3)
Financing activities$(174,306)$(54,947)217.2

Operating Activities

Cash from operating activities is generated by cash receipts from subscriptions, advertising sales and other revenue. Operating cash outflows include payments for employee compensation, retirement and other benefits, raw materials, marketing expenses, interest and income taxes.

Net cash provided by operating activities decreased in 2022 compared with 2021 due to higher cash payments for incentive compensation, higher cash tax payments due to a provision in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act deferring the deduction for research and development expenditures, a payment related to the acceleration of The Athletic Media Company stock options in connection with the acquisition, lower net income and an increase in prepaid expenses, partially offset by higher cash collections from accounts receivable.

Investing Activities

Cash from investing activities generally includes proceeds from marketable securities that have matured and the sale of assets, investments or a business. Cash used in investing activities generally includes purchases of marketable securities, payments for capital projects and acquisitions of new businesses and investments.

Net cash used in investing activities in 2022 was primarily related to $515.6 million in consideration paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired, and $37.0 million in capital expenditures payments, partially offset by $478.3 million net maturities of marketable securities.

Financing Activities

Cash from financing activities generally includes borrowings under third-party financing arrangements, the issuance of long-term debt and funds from stock option exercises. Cash used in financing activities generally includes the repayment of amounts outstanding under third-party financing arrangements, the payment of dividends, the payment of long-term debt and capital lease obligations, and stock-based compensation tax withholding.

Net cash used in financing activities in 2022 was primarily related to share repurchases of $105.1 million (excluding commissions), dividend payments of $56.8 million and share-based compensation tax withholding payments of $9.9 million.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 51

See “— Third-Party Financing” below and our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for additional information on our sources and uses of cash.

Free Cash Flow

Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure defined as net cash provided by operating activities, less capital expenditures. The Company considers free cash flow to provide useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash that is available to be used to strengthen the Company’s balance sheet and for strategic opportunities including, among others, investing in the Company’s business, strategic acquisitions, dividend payouts and repurchasing stock. In addition, management uses free cash flow to set targets for return of capital to stockholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases.

The Company aims to return at least 50% of free cash flow to stockholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases over the next three to five years, an increase from the target initially announced in June 2022.

The following table presents a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow:

Years Ended
(In thousands)December 31, 2022December 26, 2021
Net cash provided by operating activities$150,687$269,098
Less: Capital expenditures(36,961)(34,637)
Free cash flow$113,726$234,461

Restricted Cash

We were required to maintain $13.8 million of restricted cash as of December 31, 2022, and $14.3 million as of December 26, 2021, substantially all of which is set aside to collateralize workers’ compensation obligations.

Capital Expenditures

Capital expenditures totaled approximately $36 million and $35 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively. The increase in capital expenditures in 2022 was primarily driven by higher expenditures to enhance technologies that support our transition to hybrid work with employees working both from the office and remotely and higher expenditures related to improvements at our College Point, N.Y., printing and distribution facility, partially offset by lower expenditures for improvements in our Company Headquarters. The expenditures in 2021 and 2022 were intended to address growth in the number of employees and support hybrid work. The cash payments related to the capital expenditures totaled approximately $37 million and $35 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively, due to the timing of the payments. In 2023, we expect capital expenditures of approximately $50 million, which will be funded from cash on hand. The capital expenditures will be primarily driven by improvements in our Company Headquarters, investments in technology to support our strategic initiatives and expenditures related to our College Point, N.Y., printing and distribution facility.

Acquisition of The Athletic Media Company

On February 1, 2022, we completed the acquisition of The Athletic Media Company, a global digital subscription-based sports media business that provides national and local coverage of clubs and teams in the United States and around the world, for an all-cash purchase price of $550.0 million, subject to customary closing adjustments (see Note 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to this acquisition). The purchase price was funded from cash on hand.

Third-Party Financing

On July 27, 2022, we entered into a $350.0 million five-year unsecured Credit Facility that amended and restated a prior facility. Certain of our domestic subsidiaries have guaranteed our obligations under the Credit Facility. As of December 31, 2022, there was approximately $0.6 million in outstanding letters of credit and the remaining committed amount remains available. As of December 31, 2022, there were no outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facility and the Company was in compliance with the financial covenants contained in the Credit

P. 52 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Facility. See Note 7 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding the Credit Facility.

Contractual Obligations

The information provided is based on management’s best estimate and assumptions of our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2022. Actual payments in future periods may vary from those reflected in the table.

Payment due in
(In thousands)Total20232024-20252026-2027Later Years
Operating leases(1)$83,083$12,424$21,028$16,306$33,325
Benefit plans(2)314,76641,55981,94279,375111,890
Total$397,849$53,983$102,970$95,681$145,215

(1)See Note 17 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our operating leases.

(2)The Company’s general funding policy with respect to qualified pension plans is to contribute amounts at least sufficient to satisfy the minimum amount required by applicable law and regulations and Guild contracts. Contributions for our qualified pension plans and future benefit payments for our unfunded pension and other postretirement benefit payments have been estimated over a 10-year period; therefore, the amounts included in the “Later Years” column only include payments for the period of 2027-2032. For our funded qualified pension plans, estimating funding depends on several variables, including the performance of the plans’ investments, assumptions for discount rates, expected long-term rates of return on assets, rates of compensation increases (applicable only for the Guild-Times Adjustable Pension Plan that has not been frozen) and other factors. Thus, our actual contributions could vary substantially from these estimates. While benefit payments under these plans are expected to continue beyond 2032, we have included in this table only those benefit payments estimated over the next 10 years. Benefit plans in the table above also include estimated payments for multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liabilities. See Notes 9 and 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our pension and other postretirement benefits plans.

Other Liabilities — Other in our Consolidated Balance Sheets include liabilities related to (1) deferred compensation, primarily related to our deferred executive compensation plan (the “DEC”) and (2) various other liabilities, including our contingent tax liability for uncertain tax positions and contingent consideration. These liabilities are not included in the table above primarily because the timing of the future payments is not determinable. See Note 11 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

The DEC previously enabled certain eligible executives to elect to defer a portion of their compensation on a pre-tax basis. The deferred amounts are invested at the executives’ option in various mutual funds. The fair value of deferred compensation is based on the mutual fund investments elected by the executives and on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets. The fair value of deferred compensation was $14.6 million as of December 31, 2022. The DEC was frozen effective December 31, 2015, and no new contributions may be made into the plan. See Note 11 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on Other Liabilities — Other.

Our liability for uncertain tax positions was approximately $7 million, including approximately $2 million of accrued interest as of December 31, 2022. Until formal resolutions are reached between us and the taxing authorities, determining the timing and amount of possible audit settlements relating to uncertain tax positions is not practicable. Therefore, we do not include this obligation in the table of contractual obligations. See Note 12 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding income taxes.

The contingent consideration represents contingent payments in connection with the acquisition of substantially all the assets and certain liabilities of Serial Productions, LLC. The Company estimated the fair value of the contingent consideration liability using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow model. The estimate of the fair value of contingent consideration requires subjective assumptions to be made regarding probabilities assigned to operational targets and the discount rate. The contingent consideration balance of $5.3 million as of December 31, 2022, is included in Accrued expenses and other, for the current portion of the liability, and Other Liabilities — Other, for the long-term portion of the liability, in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. See Note 8 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 53

We have a contract through the end of 2025 with Resolute FP US Inc., a subsidiary of Resolute Forest Products Inc., a major paper supplier, to purchase newsprint. The contract requires us to purchase annually the lesser of a fixed number of tons or a percentage of our total newsprint requirement at market rate in an arm’s length transaction. Since the quantities of newsprint purchased annually under this contract are based on our total newsprint requirement, the amount of the related payments for these purchases is excluded from the table above.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

Our Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements for the periods presented.

We continually evaluate the policies and estimates we use to prepare our Consolidated Financial Statements. In general, management’s estimates are based on historical experience, information from third-party professionals and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the facts and circumstances. Actual results may differ from those estimates made by management.

Our critical accounting estimates include our accounting for goodwill and intangibles, retirement benefits and revenue recognition. Specific risks related to our critical accounting estimates are discussed below. For a description of our related accounting policies, see Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Goodwill and Intangibles

We evaluate whether there has been an impairment of goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible assets on an annual basis or in an interim period if certain circumstances indicate that a possible impairment may exist.

(In thousands)December 31, 2022December 26, 2021
Goodwill$414,046$166,360
Intangibles$317,314$14,246
Total assets$2,533,752$2,564,108
Percentage of goodwill and intangibles to total assets29%7%

The impairment analysis is considered critical because of the significance of goodwill and intangibles to our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

We test goodwill for impairment at a reporting unit level. We first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value.

If we determine that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, we compare the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. Fair value is calculated by a combination of a discounted cash flow model and a market approach model.

We test indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment at the asset level. We first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the asset is less than its carrying value. If we determine that it is more likely than not that the intangible asset is impaired, we perform a quantitative assessment by comparing the fair value of the asset with its carrying amount. If the fair value, which is based on future cash flows, exceeds the carrying value, the asset is not considered impaired. If the carrying amount exceeds the fair value, an impairment loss would be recognized in an amount equal to the excess of the carrying amount of the asset over the fair value of the asset.

Intangible assets that are amortized are tested for impairment at the asset level associated with the lowest level of cash flows whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. An impairment exists if the carrying value of the asset (1) is not recoverable (the carrying value of the asset is greater than the sum of undiscounted cash flows) and (2) is greater than its fair value.

The discounted cash flow analysis requires us to make various judgments, estimates and assumptions, many of which are interdependent, about future revenues, operating margins, growth rates, capital expenditures, working capital, discount rates and royalty rates. The starting point for the assumptions used in our discounted cash flow

P. 54 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

analysis is the annual long-range financial forecast. The annual planning process that we undertake to prepare the long-range financial forecast takes into consideration a multitude of factors, including historical growth rates and operating performance, related industry trends, macroeconomic conditions, and marketplace data, among others. Assumptions are also made for perpetual growth rates for periods beyond the long-range financial forecast period. Our estimates of fair value are sensitive to changes in all of these variables, certain of which relate to broader macroeconomic conditions outside our control.

The market approach analysis includes applying a multiple, based on comparable market transactions, to certain operating metrics of a reporting unit.

The significant estimates and assumptions used by management in assessing the recoverability of goodwill and intangibles are estimated future cash flows, discount rates, growth rates and other factors. Any changes in these estimates or assumptions could result in an impairment charge. The estimates, based on reasonable and supportable assumptions and projections, require management’s subjective judgment. Depending on the assumptions and estimates used, the estimated results of the impairment tests can vary within a range of outcomes.

In our 2022 annual impairment testing, based on our qualitative assessment, we concluded that goodwill is not impaired and we recorded a $4.1 million impairment of our indefinite-lived intangible asset. See Notes 2 and 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information regarding our impairment testing.

Retirement Benefits

Our single-employer pension and other postretirement benefit costs and obligations are accounted for using actuarial valuations. We recognize the funded status of these plans – measured as the difference between plan assets, if funded, and the benefit obligation – on the balance sheet and recognize changes in the funded status that arise during the period but are not recognized as components of net periodic pension cost, within other comprehensive income/(loss), net of tax. The assets related to our funded pension plans are measured at fair value.

We also recognize the present value of liabilities associated with the withdrawal from multiemployer pension plans.

We consider accounting for retirement plans critical to our operations because management is required to make significant subjective judgments about a number of actuarial assumptions, which include discount rates and the long-term return on plan assets. These assumptions may have an effect on the amount and timing of future contributions. Depending on the assumptions and estimates used, the impact from our pension and other postretirement benefits could vary within a range of outcomes and could have a material effect on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

See “— Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits” below for more information on our retirement benefits.

Revenue Recognition

Our contracts with customers sometimes include promises to transfer multiple products and services to a customer. Determining whether products and services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately versus together may require significant judgment. We use an observable price to determine the standalone selling price for separate performance obligations if available or, when not available, an estimate that maximizes the use of observable inputs and faithfully depicts the selling price of the promised goods or services if we sold those goods or services separately to a similar customer in similar circumstances.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 55

PENSIONS AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS

We maintain the Pension Plan, a frozen single-employer defined benefit pension plan. The Company and The NewsGuild of New York (the “Guild”) jointly sponsor the Guild-Times Adjustable Pension Plan (the “APP”), which continues to accrue active benefits. Our pension liability also includes our multiemployer pension plan withdrawal obligations. Our liability for postretirement obligations includes our liability to provide health benefits to eligible retired employees.

The table below includes the liability for all of these plans.

(In thousands)December 31, 2022December 26, 2021
Pension and other postretirement liabilities (includes current portion)$284,460$363,445
Total liabilities$933,780$1,023,383
Percentage of pension and other postretirement liabilities to total liabilities30.5%35.5%

Pension Benefits

Our Company-sponsored defined benefit pension plans include qualified plans (funded) as well as non-qualified plans (unfunded). These plans provide participating employees with retirement benefits in accordance with benefit formulas detailed in each plan. All of our non-qualified plans, which provide enhanced retirement benefits to select employees, are frozen, except for a foreign-based pension plan discussed below.

Our joint Company and Guild-sponsored plan is a qualified plan and is included in the table below.

We also have a foreign-based pension plan for certain non-U.S. employees (the “foreign plan”). The information for the foreign plan is combined with the information for U.S. non-qualified plans. The benefit obligation of the foreign plan is immaterial to our total benefit obligation.

The funded status of our qualified and non-qualified pension plans as of December 31, 2022, is as follows:

December 31, 2022
(In thousands)Qualified PlansNon-Qualified PlansAll Plans
Pension obligation$1,076,412$179,608$1,256,020
Fair value of plan assets1,145,9331,145,933
Pension asset/(obligation), net$69,521$(179,608)$(110,087)

We made contributions of approximately $11 million to the APP in 2022. We expect contributions made to satisfy minimum funding requirements to total approximately $11 million in 2023.

Pension expense is calculated using a number of actuarial assumptions, including an expected long-term rate of return on assets (for qualified plans) and a discount rate. Our methodology in selecting these actuarial assumptions is discussed below.

In determining the expected long-term rate of return on assets, we evaluated input from our investment consultants, actuaries and investment management firms, including our review of asset class return expectations, as well as long-term historical asset class returns. Projected returns by such consultants and economists are based on broad equity and bond indices. Our objective is to select an average rate of earnings expected on existing plan assets and expected contributions to the plan (less plan expenses to be incurred) during the year. The expected long-term rate of return determined on this basis was 3.75% at the beginning of 2022. Our plan assets had an average rate of return of approximately -21.93% in 2022 and an average annual return of approximately -2.36% over the three-year period 2020-2022. We regularly review our actual asset allocation and periodically rebalance our investments to meet our investment strategy.

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The market-related value of plan assets is multiplied by the expected long-term rate of return on assets to compute the expected return on plan assets, a component of net periodic pension cost. The market-related value of plan assets is a calculated value that recognizes changes in fair value over three years.

Based on the composition of our assets at the end of the year, we estimated our 2023 expected long-term rate of return to be 5.60%. If we had decreased our expected long-term rate of return on our plan assets by 50 basis points in 2022, pension expense would have increased by approximately $7 million for our qualified pension plans. Our funding requirements would not have been materially affected.

We determined our discount rate using a Ryan ALM, Inc. Curve (the “Ryan Curve”). The Ryan Curve provides the bonds included in the curve and allows adjustments for certain outliers (i.e., bonds on “watch”). We believe the Ryan Curve allows us to calculate an appropriate discount rate.

To determine our discount rate, we project a cash flow based on annual accrued benefits. For active participants, the benefits under the respective pension plans are projected to the date of termination. The projected plan cash flow is discounted to the measurement date, which is the last day of our fiscal year, using the annual spot rates provided in the Ryan Curve. A single discount rate is then computed so that the present value of the benefit cash flow equals the present value computed using the Ryan Curve rates.

The weighted-average discount rate determined on this basis was 5.66% for our qualified plans and 5.64% for our non-qualified plans as of December 31, 2022.

If we had decreased the expected discount rate by 50 basis points for our qualified plans and our non-qualified plans in 2022, pension expense would have increased by approximately $0.6 million and our pension obligation would have increased by approximately $64 million as of December 31, 2022.

We will continue to evaluate all of our actuarial assumptions, generally on an annual basis, and will adjust as necessary. Actual pension expense will depend on future investment performance, changes in future discount rates, the level of contributions we make and various other factors.

We also recognize the present value of pension liabilities associated with the withdrawal from multiemployer pension plans. Our multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liability was approximately $74 million as of December 31, 2022. This liability represents the present value of the obligations related to complete and partial withdrawals that have already occurred as well as an estimate of future withdrawals that we considered probable and reasonably estimable. For those plans that have yet to provide us with a demand letter, the actual liability will not be known until they complete a final assessment of the withdrawal liability and issue a demand to us. Therefore, the estimate of our multiemployer pension plan liability will be adjusted as more information becomes available that allows us to refine our estimates.

See Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding our pension plans.

Other Postretirement Benefits

We provide health benefits to certain primarily grandfathered retired employee groups (and their eligible dependents) who meet the definition of an eligible participant and certain age and service requirements, as outlined in the plan document. There is a de minimis liability for retiree health benefits for active employees. While we offer pre-age 65 retiree medical coverage to employees who meet certain retiree medical eligibility requirements, we do not provide post-age 65 retiree medical benefits for employees who retired on or after March 1, 2009. We accrue the costs of postretirement benefits during the employees’ active years of service and our policy is to pay our portion of insurance premiums and claims from general corporate assets.

See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding our other postretirement benefits.

RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

See Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding recent accounting pronouncements.

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FY 2021 10-K MD&A

SEC filing source: 0000071691-22-000006.

Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary. Confidence: high. Filing date: 2022-02-23. Report date: 2021-12-26.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis provides information that management believes is relevant to an assessment and understanding of our consolidated financial condition as of December 26, 2021, and results of operations for the three years ended December 26, 2021. Please read this item together with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related Notes included in this Annual Report. Given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our business in 2020, we believe that certain comparisons of our operating results in 2021 to 2019 provide useful context for our 2021 results. We have included supplemental disclosures and discussion comparing the operating results in 2021 to the 2019 results. We have omitted discussion of 2019 results where it would be redundant to the discussion previously included in Part II, Item 7, of our 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on February 25, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Significant components of the management’s discussion and analysis of results of operations and financial condition section include:

PAGE
Executive Overview:The executive overview section provides a summary of The New York Times Company and our business.28
Results of Operations:The results of operations section provides an analysis of our results on a consolidated basis.33
Non-Operating Items:The non-operating items section provides a comparison of our non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures for the two years ended December 26, 2021.42
Liquidity and Capital Resources:The liquidity and capital resources section provides a discussion of our cash flows for the three years ended December 26, 2021, and restricted cash, capital expenditures and outstanding debt, commitments and contingencies existing as of December 26, 2021.46
Critical Accounting Policies:The critical accounting policies and estimates section provides detail with respect to accounting policies that are considered by management to require significant judgment and use of estimates and that could have a significant impact on our financial statements.50
Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits:The pensions and other postretirement benefits section provides a discussion of our benefit plans.52

EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW

We are a global media organization that includes our digital and print products and related businesses. On February 1, 2022, subsequent to our fiscal year end, we completed the acquisition of The Athletic for an all-cash purchase price of $550 million, subject to customary closing adjustments. The purchase price was financed from cash on hand. See Note 19 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to this acquisition.

We generate revenues principally from subscriptions and advertising. Subscription revenues consist of revenues from subscriptions to our digital and print products (which include our news product, as well as our Games, Cooking, Audm and Wirecutter products) and single-copy and bulk sales of our print products. Advertising revenue is derived from the sale of our advertising products and services. Other revenues primarily consist of revenues from licensing, Wirecutter affiliate referrals, commercial printing, the leasing of floors in the Company Headquarters, retail commerce, television and film, our student subscription sponsorship program and our live events business.

Our main operating costs are employee-related costs.

In the accompanying analysis of financial information, we present certain information derived from our consolidated financial information but not presented in our financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”). We are presenting in this report supplemental non-GAAP financial performance measures that exclude depreciation, amortization, severance, non-

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operating retirement costs and certain identified special items, as applicable. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from or as a substitute for the related GAAP measures and should be read in conjunction with financial information presented on a GAAP basis. For further information and reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures, see “— Results of Operations — Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

We believe that a number of factors and industry trends have presented, and will continue to, present risks and challenges to our business. For a detailed discussion of certain factors that could affect our business, results of operations and financial condition, see “Item 1A — Risk Factors.”

2021 Financial Highlights

•In 2021, diluted earnings per share from continuing operations were $1.31, compared with $0.60 for 2020. Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations excluding severance, non-operating retirement costs and special items discussed below (or “adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations,” a non-GAAP measure) were $1.28 for 2021, compared with $0.97 for 2020.

•Operating profit increased 52.1% to $268.0 million in 2021 from $176.3 million in 2020. Operating profit before depreciation, amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items discussed below (or “adjusted operating profit,” a non-GAAP measure) increased 33.8% to $335.4 million in 2021 from $250.6 million in 2020.

•Total revenues increased 16.3% to $2.07 billion in 2021 from $1.78 billion in 2020.

•Total subscription revenues increased 13.9% to $1.36 billion in 2021 from $1.20 billion in 2020. Paid digital-only subscriptions totaled approximately 8,005,000 at the end of 2021, a net increase of 1,273,000 compared with the end of 2020. Of the 1,273,000 total net additions, 735,000 came from the Company’s digital news product, while 538,000 came from the Company’s Cooking, Games, Audm and Wirecutter (to which a subscription option was launched during the third quarter of 2021) products (“other digital-only products”). Subscribers totaled approximately 7.6 million.

•Total advertising revenues increased 26.8% to $497.5 million in 2021 from $392.4 million in 2020, due to an increase of 35.0% in digital advertising revenues and an increase of 15.3% in print advertising revenues.

•Operating costs increased 12.2% to $1.80 billion in 2021 from $1.61 billion in 2020. Operating costs before depreciation, amortization, severance and multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs (or “adjusted operating costs,” a non-GAAP measure) increased 13.5% to $1.74 billion in 2021 from $1.53 billion in 2020.

Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic

The global Covid-19 pandemic continues to have widespread, rapidly evolving, and unpredictable impacts on global society, economies, financial markets and business practices. The pandemic, efforts to contain it and the resulting disruptions have impacted our business in various ways, and there is substantial uncertainty as to the nature and degree of the continued effects of the pandemic over time.

For example, during 2020, we experienced significant growth in the number of subscriptions to our digital news and other products, which we believe was attributable in part to an increase in traffic given the news environment and as a result of the pandemic. The rate of digital subscription growth moderated in 2021, although it was our second-best year for net subscription additions, and we do not expect the 2020 growth rate to be indicative of results for future periods. In addition, revenues from the single-copy and bulk sales of our print newspaper (which include our international edition and collectively represent less than 5% of our total subscription revenues) were adversely affected as a result of continued increased levels of remote working and reductions in travel.

The worldwide economic slowdown caused by the pandemic led to a significant decline in our advertising revenues in 2020 as advertisers reduced their spending. While we experienced significantly increased demand for advertising in 2021, particularly with respect to digital advertising as the broader advertising market recovered, there is no assurance that this recovery will be sustained, and developments related to the pandemic such as global supply chain disruptions and labor shortages, among others, could adversely impact our advertising revenues in the future if our advertisers were to reduce their advertising spend as a result. In addition, the pandemic and attempts to contain

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 29

it have resulted in the postponement and cancellation of live events, and while this impact moderated in 2021, this continues to adversely affect our revenues from live events and related services.

In 2020 our expenses in certain areas decreased as a result of the pandemic: the costs to promote our subscription business, which we refer to as media expenses, decreased as we reduced marketing spend in response to a heightened news cycle; print production and distribution costs decreased due to lower demand for print newspaper copies; variable advertising costs were lower; and travel and entertainment costs decreased as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, while print production and distribution costs continued to be lower due to lower demand for print newspaper copies, media expenses were higher than both 2020 and 2019, as further described below, and variable advertising costs and travel and entertainment costs increased when compared with 2020, although they remained below 2019 levels. We have invested and expect to continue to invest in our Company Headquarters and other offices as well as technological improvements as we transition to hybrid work with employees working both from the office and remotely.

At this time, the full impact that the Covid-19 pandemic will have on our business, operations and financial results is uncertain. The extent to which the pandemic will continue to impact us will depend on numerous evolving factors and future developments, including the extent of variants and resurgences; the effect of ongoing vaccination and mitigation efforts; the impact of the pandemic on economic conditions and the companies with which we do business, including our advertisers; governmental, business and other actions; the status of travel restrictions; and changes in consumer behavior in response to the pandemic, among many other factors. We will continue to actively monitor the situation and may take further actions that alter our business operations as may be required by federal, state, local or foreign authorities, or that we determine are appropriate. Please see “Item 1A — Risk Factors” for more information.

Our Strategy

We are in the middle of a decades-long global shift in consumption from traditional media — such as print newspapers — to digital, as well as what we believe to be an overall growth in consumer demand for quality news and information. We have designed our strategy to take advantage of both the challenges and opportunities presented by this period of transformation in our industry.

In early 2019, we set a goal of reaching 10 million subscriptions by 2025. We ended 2021 with approximately 7.6 million paid subscribers with approximately 8.8 million subscriptions, and with the acquisition of The Athletic in February 2022, we met this target three years early. Even without The Athletic, we believe we would have reached 10 million subscriptions far sooner than we originally anticipated.

Our latest audience research suggests that there are at least 135 million adults worldwide who are willing to pay for one or more subscriptions to English-language news, sports coverage, puzzles, recipes, expert shopping advice or podcasting. Our current aim is to reach 15 million total subscribers by year-end 2027, up from approximately 7.6 million at the end of 2021. Since many people purchase subscriptions to multiple New York Times products, this new goal shifts the emphasis from counting total subscriptions to focusing on the growth and value of individual subscribers.

We believe that focusing on the following priorities will enable us to become an essential subscription for our addressable market, put us on track to achieve our 15 million subscriber goal and drive long-term, profitable growth for the Company and our shareholders.

Producing the best journalism

We believe that The Times’s original, independent and high-quality reporting, storytelling and journalistic excellence across topics and formats set us apart from others and is at the heart of what makes our journalism worth paying for. We expect to extend our news lead by focusing on four major areas — providing expert beat reporting on a broad array of important subjects, covering breaking news, producing signature journalism projects and excelling at ideas-based commentary and criticism.

The impact of our journalism and its breadth were evident as The Times continued to break stories, produce investigative reports and help our audience understand a wide range of topics, including the Covid-19 pandemic and its many reverberations, the intersection of race and culture in America, and the varied effects of climate change. Our ground-breaking coverage continues to be recognized, including in the 132 Pulitzer Prizes The Times has received — more than any other news organization.

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While general interest news is and will remain our primary value proposition, we are building leadership positions in a handful of areas that occupy a prominent place in global culture alongside general interest news — including sports fandom, puzzle gaming, cooking guidance and expert shopping guidance.

In 2022, we plan to continue making significant investments in our journalism and remain committed to providing a multimedia report of deep breadth, authority, creativity and excellence, produced with a focus on independence and integrity.

Growing engagement with our products

We will continue to focus on reaching a large non-paying audience while also creating a subscription experience so good at building valuable daily news and information habits that it draws people into lifelong relationships worth paying for. A central part of this approach will be offering a single, high-value New York Times subscription — or bundle — of interconnected products to our digital subscribers. To attract the widest audience, we offer subscriptions to each of our products on a standalone basis. But we believe that by focusing on the bundle, we are providing the most value to our customers, and in-turn, the best opportunity to monetize the full scale of our platform.

Within news, we have invested in bringing readers back to our site and exposing them to more of our offerings. For example, the innovation in our live briefings has kept users aware of the latest developments across important storylines; our growing suite of email newsletters now reaches the inboxes of more than 15 million global users and plays an increasingly central role in engaging potential subscribers; and our newsletters and news website and mobile app help surface the best recipes, games and product recommendations.

We plan to invest more in content and product development across news and in Games and Cooking; to continue exploring new opportunities for Wirecutter as a subscription product; to develop new audio programming and experiment in audio product; to test the concept of an app for children; and to help The Athletic reach more sports fans and grow its subscriber base. We see all of these products as a way for The Times to mean even more in people’s lives, and also to make a relationship with our brand more valuable.

Effectively monetizing our products

We ended 2021 with approximately 7.6 million paid subscribers with approximately 8.8 million subscriptions to our news and other products. Our approximately 1.273 million digital subscription net additions in 2021 were our second-highest annual total and 23% higher than 2019. We also reached significant milestones with our non-news subscription products, Games and Cooking, when each crossed one million subscriptions just before year end, the result of strong audience demand and product innovations like the addition of the Spelling Bee word puzzle to our Games product. We also gained efficiencies by applying learnings from our core news product, including customer journey enhancements and promotional pricing, and expanded subscriptions to our other non-news products, by launching paid subscriptions to Wirecutter in the third quarter of 2021.

In addition to digital subscription revenue, high-margin digital advertising revenue remains an important part of our business. We believe our journalism attracts valuable audiences and that we provide a safe and trusted platform for advertisers’ brands. In a recovering market, we continued to innovate advertising offerings that integrate well with the user experience, including solutions that use proprietary first-party data — rather than third-party data — to generate predictive insights and help inform our clients’ advertising strategies while leveraging our audiences in privacy-forward ways, as well as our audio advertising offerings. We expect each will continue to play critical roles in the growth of our digital advertising business.

Looking ahead, we plan to continue to invest in our journalism and digital product experience, with an increasing emphasis on growing total unique subscribers through a single New York Times bundle of interconnected products. At the same time, we believe we can apply disciplined cost-management to fund continued investment in our business and support long-term profitable growth. Given that our investments in our journalism and digital product experience have yielded strong organic subscriber growth, we expect that we’ll be able to improve the overall efficiency of our marketing spend for our core products. We also believe we can continue to maximize the efficiency and profitability of our print products and services, which remain a significant part of our business.

Making technology and data a bigger propellant of our growth

Achieving our ambition will require products and technology that match the quality of our journalism. Over the past five years, we have invested substantially in our digital product experience as well as in the back-end

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technology and underlying capabilities that allow users to seamlessly move among various devices and products. In 2022, we plan to continue investing in these areas, with a focus on strengthening our data management infrastructure, creating platforms that power our multi-product subscription bundle, and advancing machine learning applications across our business. Over time, we believe we will see further benefits from these investments as they help us better engage, habituate, convert and retain more subscribers.

Fostering a culture that enables our mission and people to thrive

We believe our ability to attract, develop and maximize the contributions of world-class talent, and to create the conditions for our people to do their best work, is vital to the continued success of our mission and business and central to our long-term strategy. As we continue to transform the Company, we are focused on building a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace; developing and promoting our talent; providing equitable and competitive compensation and benefits; and supporting the health, safety and well-being of our employees.

Effectively managing our liquidity and our non-operating costs

Throughout 2021 we continued to strengthen our liquidity position and further de-leverage and de-risk our balance sheet. As of December 26, 2021, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of approximately $1.1 billion and was debt-free. On February 1, 2022, we used approximately $550 million of this cash to fund the acquisition of The Athletic (see Note 19 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to this acquisition).

We have paid quarterly dividends on the Class A and Class B Common Stock since late 2013. In February 2022, the Board of Directors approved a quarterly dividend of $0.09 per share, an increase of $0.02 per share from the previous quarter. We currently expect to continue to pay comparable cash dividends in the future, although changes in our dividend program will be considered by our Board of Directors in light of our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other factors considered relevant.

In February 2022, the Board of Directors approved a $150.0 million Class A stock repurchase program that replaced the previous program, which was approved in 2015. The new authorization provides that Class A shares may be purchased from time to time as market conditions warrant, through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or other means, including Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. We expect to repurchase shares primarily to offset the impact of dilution from our equity compensation program, but subject to market conditions and other factors, we may also make opportunistic repurchases to reduce share count. There is no expiration date with respect to this authorization.

In addition, we remain focused on managing our pension plan obligations. We have taken steps over the last several years to reduce the size and volatility of our pension obligations, including freezing accruals under all but one of our qualified defined benefit pension plans, making immediate pension benefits offers in the form of lump-sum payments to certain former employees and transferring certain future benefit obligations and administrative costs to insurers. During 2020, we entered into an agreement to transfer certain future benefit obligations and administrative costs to an insurer, which allowed us to reduce our overall qualified pension plan obligations by approximately $236 million. See Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on these actions.

As of December 26, 2021, our qualified pension plans had plan assets that were approximately $74 million above the present value of future benefits obligations, compared with a surplus of approximately $36 million as of December 27, 2020. We made contributions of approximately $9 million and $10 million to certain qualified pension plans in 2021 and 2020, respectively. We expect to make contributions in 2022 to satisfy minimum funding requirements of approximately $10 million. We will continue to look for ways to reduce the size and volatility of our pension obligations.

While we have made significant progress in our liability-driven investment strategy to reduce the funding volatility of our qualified pension plans, the size of our pension plan obligations relative to the size of our current operations will continue to have an impact on our reported financial results. We expect to continue to experience volatility in our retirement-related costs, particularly due to the impact of changing discount rates and mortality assumptions on our unfunded, non-qualified pension plans and retiree medical costs. We may also incur additional withdrawal obligations due to the poor funded status of several of the multiemployer plans in which we participate.

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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

Fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019 each comprised 52 weeks. The following table presents our consolidated financial results:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 26, 2021December 27, 2020December 29, 20192021 vs. 20202021 vs. 2019
Revenues
Digital$773,882$598,280$460,45229.468.1
Print588,233597,088623,399(1.5)(5.6)
Subscription revenues1,362,1151,195,3681,083,85113.925.7
Digital308,616228,594260,45435.018.5
Print188,920163,826270,22415.3(30.1)
Advertising revenues497,536392,420530,67826.8(6.2)
Other215,226195,851197,6559.98.9
Total revenues2,074,8771,783,6391,812,18416.314.5
Operating costs
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)1,039,568959,312988,1598.45.2
Sales and marketing294,947228,993272,62628.88.2
Product development160,871133,384106,41520.651.2
General and administrative250,124223,558206,77811.921.0
Depreciation and amortization57,50262,13660,661(7.5)(5.2)
Total operating costs1,803,0121,607,3831,634,63912.210.3
Lease termination charge3,831**
Restructuring charge4,008*
Gain from pension liability adjustment(2,045)*
Operating profit268,034176,256175,58252.152.7
Other components of net periodic benefit costs10,47889,1547,302(88.2)43.5
Gain from joint ventures5,000*
Interest income/(expense) and other, net32,94523,330(3,820)41.2*
Income from continuing operations before income taxes290,501115,432164,460*76.6
Income tax expense70,53014,59524,494**
Net income219,971100,837139,966*57.2
Net income attributable to the noncontrolling interest(734)*
Net income attributable to The New York Times Company common stockholders$219,971$100,103$139,966*57.2

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

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Revenues

Subscription, advertising and other revenues were as follows:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 26, 2021December 27, 2020December 29, 20192021 vs. 20202021 vs. 2019
Subscription$1,362,115$1,195,368$1,083,85113.925.7
Advertising497,536392,420530,67826.8(6.2)
Other215,226195,851197,6559.98.9
Total$2,074,877$1,783,639$1,812,18416.314.5

Subscription Revenues

Subscription revenues consist of revenues from subscriptions to our digital and print products (which include our news product, as well as our other digital-only products), and single-copy and bulk sales of our print products (which represent less than 5% of these revenues). Subscription revenues are based on both the number of copies of the printed newspaper sold and digital-only subscriptions, and the rates charged to the respective customers.

The following table summarizes digital and print subscription revenues for the years ended December 26, 2021, December 27, 2020 and December 29, 2019:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 26, 2021December 27, 2020December 29, 20192021 vs. 20202021 vs. 2019
Digital-only subscription revenues:
News product subscription revenues(1)$693,994$543,578$426,12527.762.9
Other product subscription revenues(2)79,88854,70234,32746.0132.7
Subtotal digital-only subscriptions773,882598,280460,45229.468.1
Print subscription revenues
Domestic home delivery subscription revenues(3)529,039528,970524,5430.9
Single-copy, NYT International and other subscription revenues(4)59,19468,11898,856(13.1)(40.1)
Subtotal print subscription revenues588,233597,088623,399(1.5)(5.6)
Total subscription revenues$1,362,115$1,195,368$1,083,85113.925.7

(1) Includes revenues from subscriptions to the Company’s news product. News product subscription packages that include access to the Company’s Games, Cooking and Wirecutter products are also included in this category.

(2) Includes revenues from standalone subscriptions to the Company’s other digital-only products. During the third quarter of 2021, the Company launched a Wirecutter subscription option.

(3) Includes access to digital news, Games, Cooking and Wirecutter products.

(4) NYT International is the international edition of our print newspaper.

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The following table summarizes digital and print subscriptions as of December 26, 2021, and December 27, 2020:

As of% Change
(In thousands)December 26, 2021December 27, 20202021 vs. 2020
Digital-only subscriptions:
News product subscriptions(1)(2)5,8675,13214.3
Other product subscriptions(3)2,1381,60033.6
Subtotal digital-only subscriptions8,0056,73218.9
Print subscriptions784833(5.9)
Total subscriptions8,7897,56516.2

(1) Includes subscriptions to the Company’s news product. News product subscription packages that include access to the Company’s Games, Cooking and Wirecutter products are also included in this category.

(2) The number of paid digital-only subscriptions includes estimated group corporate and group education subscriptions (which collectively represent approximately 5% of total paid digital subscriptions to our news products in 2021). We calculate this estimate using the value of the relevant contract and a discounted subscription rate. The actual number of users who have access to our products through group subscriptions is substantially higher. In the fourth quarter of 2021, we updated the discounted subscription rate used in order to bring it in line with our current digital subscription pricing model. For comparison purposes, we recast news product subscriptions in prior periods using the updated methodology, and this resulted in approximately 42,000 additional group corporate and group education subscriptions in the fourth quarter of 2020. There is no impact to subscription revenue as a result of this change.

(3) Includes standalone subscriptions to the Company’s other digital-only products.

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We believe that the significant growth over the last several years in subscriptions to The Times’s products demonstrates the success of our “subscription-first” strategy and the willingness of our readers to pay for high-quality journalism. The following charts illustrate the acceleration in net digital-only subscription additions and corresponding subscription revenues, as well as the relative stability of our print domestic home delivery subscription products since the launch of the digital pay model in 2011.

(1) Amounts may not add due to rounding.

(2) Includes access to some of the Company’s digital products.

(3) Print Other includes single-copy, NYT International and other subscription revenues.

Note: Revenues for 2012 and 2017 include the impact of an additional week.

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2021 Compared with 2020

Subscription revenues increased 13.9% in 2021 compared with 2020. The increase was primarily due to an increase in digital subscription revenue driven by year-over-year growth of 18.9% in the number of subscriptions to the Company’s digital-only products, as well as digital subscriptions graduating to higher prices from introductory promotional pricing. The increase in digital-only subscription revenue was partially offset by a decrease in print subscription revenue attributable to lower single-copy and bulk sales, primarily as a result of increased levels of remote working and reductions in travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic as well as ongoing secular trends. Print domestic home delivery revenues were flat as decreases in the number of subscriptions were offset by price increases.

Paid digital-only subscriptions totaled approximately 8,005,000 at the end of 2021, a net increase of 1,273,000 subscriptions compared with the end of 2020. The year-over-year growth in our digital subscriptions is attributable in part to initiatives we have undertaken to drive subscriptions, including adjustments to our access model.

Digital-only news product subscriptions totaled approximately 5,867,000 at the end of 2021, a net increase of 735,000 subscriptions compared with the end of 2020. Other digital-only product subscriptions totaled approximately 2,138,000 at the end of 2021, a net increase of 538,000 subscriptions compared with the end of 2020.

Print domestic home delivery subscriptions totaled approximately 784,000 at the end of 2021, a net decrease of 49,000 subscriptions compared with the end of 2020. The year-over-year decrease is a result of secular declines.

2021 Compared with 2019

Subscription revenues increased 25.7% in 2021 compared with 2019. The increase was primarily due to growth in the number of subscriptions to the Company’s digital-only products. These increases were partially offset by a 36.8% and 53.7% decrease in print subscription revenue from single-copy and bulk sales and international edition of our newspaper, respectively, as a result of increased levels of remote working and reductions in travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic as well as secular trends.

Advertising Revenues

Advertising revenue is principally from advertisers (such as technology, financial and luxury goods companies) promoting products, services or brands on digital platforms in the form of display ads, audio and video ads, and in print, in the form of column-inch ads.

Advertising revenue is primarily derived from offerings sold directly to marketers by our advertising sales teams. A smaller proportion of our total advertising revenues is generated through programmatic auctions run by third-party ad exchanges.

Advertising revenues are primarily determined by the volume (e.g., impressions or column inches), rate and mix of advertisements. Digital advertising includes our core digital advertising business and other digital advertising. Our core digital advertising business includes direct-sold website, mobile application, podcast, email and video advertisements. Direct-sold display advertising, a component of core digital advertising, includes offerings on websites and mobile applications sold directly to marketers by our advertising sales teams. Our digital advertising offerings include solutions that use proprietary first-party data — rather than third-party data — to generate predictive insights and help inform our clients’ advertising strategies while leveraging our audiences in privacy-forward ways. Other digital advertising includes advertising revenues generated by open-market programmatic advertising, creative services fees associated with branded content, advertisements appearing on our Wirecutter product and classified advertising. Print advertising includes revenue from column-inch ads and classified advertising, as well as preprinted advertising, also known as freestanding inserts.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 37

The following table summarizes digital and print advertising revenues for the years ended December 26, 2021, December 27, 2020 and December 29, 2019:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 26, 2021December 27, 2020December 29, 20192021 vs. 20202021 vs. 2019
Advertising revenues
Digital$308,616$228,594$260,45435.0%18.5%
Print188,920163,826270,22415.3%(30.1)%
Total advertising$497,536$392,420$530,67826.8%(6.2)%

2021 Compared with 2020

Digital advertising revenues, which represented 62.0% of total advertising revenues in 2021, increased $80.0 million, or 35.0%, to $308.6 million, compared with $228.6 million in 2020. The increase was primarily driven by higher direct-sold advertising, including traditional display and podcasts, as well as the impact of the comparison to weak digital advertising revenues in 2020 caused by reduced advertiser spending during the earlier stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. Core digital advertising revenue increased $77.4 million due to growth in direct-sold display advertising revenue and podcast advertising revenues. Direct-sold display impressions increased 27%, while the average rate grew 18%. Other digital advertising revenue increased $2.6 million, primarily due to a 30% increase in creative services fees, partially offset by a 8.4% decrease in open-market programmatic advertising revenue. Programmatic impressions decreased by 44%, offsetting the average rate increase of 59%.

Print advertising revenues, which represented 38.0% of total advertising revenues in 2021, increased $25.1 million, or 15.3%, to $188.9 million in 2021 compared with $163.8 million in 2020. The increase was primarily in the luxury and media categories, and was partially offset by declines in the financial services category, as well as secular trends.

2021 Compared with 2019

Digital advertising revenues increased $48.2 million, or 18.5%, to $308.6 million in 2021 compared with $260.5 million in 2019. The increase was primarily driven by higher direct-sold advertising, including traditional display and podcasts. Core digital advertising revenue increased $71.7 million due to growth in direct-sold display advertising revenue and podcast advertising revenues. Direct-sold display impressions increased 8%, while the average rate grew 23%. Other digital advertising revenue decreased $23.5 million, primarily due to the closure of our HelloSociety and Fake Love digital marketing agencies.

Print advertising revenues declined $81.3 million, or 30.1%, to $188.9 million in 2021 compared with $270.2 million in 2019. The decline reflected reduced spending on print advertising by businesses negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic as well as continued secular trends.

P. 38 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Other Revenues

Other revenues primarily consist of revenues from licensing, Wirecutter affiliate referrals, commercial printing, the leasing of floors in the Company Headquarters, retail commerce, television and film, our student subscription sponsorship program and our live events business. Digital other revenues, which consist primarily of Wirecutter affiliate referral revenue, digital licensing revenue, and television and film revenue, totaled $111.4 million, $101.0 million and $79.8 million in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Building rental revenue consists of revenue from the leasing of floors in our Company Headquarters, which totaled $22.9 million, $28.5 million and $30.6 million in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

2021 Compared with 2020

Other revenues increased 9.9% in 2021 compared with 2020, primarily as a result of higher Wirecutter affiliate referral revenues mainly due to Wirecutter’s presence on our core news website (NYTimes.com) homepage resulting in increased views, higher licensing revenue as well as higher commercial printing revenue resulting from our beginning to print several News Corporation publications in our College Point, N.Y., printing and distribution facility in mid-2021, partially offset by volume declines from other publications. These increases were partially offset by lower television series revenues as a result of fewer episodes in 2021 compared to 2020.

2021 Compared with 2019

Other revenues increased 8.9% in 2021 compared with 2019, primarily as a result of higher Wirecutter affiliate referral revenues mainly due to Wirecutter’s presence on our core news website (NYTimes.com) homepage resulting in increased views and licensing revenue primarily related to Facebook News, to which the Company licenses select content for access by its users, partially offset by lower revenues from our television series as a result of fewer episodes in 2021 compared to 2019 and live events, which were impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 39

Operating Costs

Operating costs were as follows:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 26, 2021December 27, 2020December 29, 20192021 vs. 20202021 vs. 2019
Operating costs:
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)$1,039,568$959,312$988,1598.45.2
Sales and marketing294,947228,993272,62628.88.2
Product development160,871133,384106,41520.651.2
General and administrative250,124223,558206,77811.921.0
Depreciation and amortization57,50262,13660,661(7.5)(5.2)
Total operating costs$1,803,012$1,607,383$1,634,63912.210.3

The components of operating costs as a percentage of total operating costs were as follows:

Years Ended
December 26, 2021December 27, 2020December 29, 2019
Components of operating costs as a percentage of total operating costs
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)58%60%60%
Sales and marketing16%14%17%
Product development9%8%7%
General and administrative14%14%13%
Depreciation and amortization3%4%3%
Total100%100%100%

The components of operating costs as a percentage of total revenues were as follows:

Years Ended
December 26, 2021December 27, 2020December 29, 2019
Components of operating costs as a percentage of total revenues
Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)50%54%55%
Sales and marketing14%13%15%
Product development8%7%6%
General and administrative12%13%11%
Depreciation and amortization3%3%3%
Total87%90%90%

P. 40 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Cost of Revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)

Cost of revenue includes all costs related to content creation, subscriber and advertiser servicing, and print production and distribution as well as infrastructure costs related to delivering digital content, which include all cloud and cloud-related costs as well as compensation for employees that enhance and maintain that infrastructure.

2021 Compared with 2020

Cost of revenue increased in 2021 by $80.3 million, or 8.4%, compared with 2020, largely due to higher journalism costs of $58.3 million, higher subscriber servicing costs of $15.6 million, higher advertising servicing costs of $9.5 million, and higher digital content delivery costs of $4.5 million, partially offset by a $7.6 million decrease in print production and distribution costs. The increase in journalism costs was largely driven by growth in the number of employees who work in the newsroom and on our Games, Cooking and audio products, a higher incentive compensation accrual and costs in connection with the production of audio content. The increase in subscriber servicing costs was primarily due to higher credit card processing fees and third-party commissions due to increased subscriptions. Advertising servicing costs increased as a result of costs to produce higher creative services revenues. Digital content delivery costs increased due to higher cloud storage costs and a higher incentive compensation accrual. The decrease in print production and distribution costs was largely due to lower distribution costs and outside printing costs.

2021 Compared with 2019

Cost of revenue increased in 2021 by $51.4 million, or 5.2%, compared with 2019, largely due to higher journalism costs of $83.0 million, higher subscriber servicing costs of $27.4 million, and higher digital content delivery costs of $20.7 million. The increases were partially offset by lower print production and distribution costs of $61.0 million and lower advertising servicing costs of $18.7 million. The increase in journalism costs was largely driven by growth in the number of employees who work in the newsroom and on our Games, Cooking and audio products, and a higher incentive compensation accrual. The increase in subscriber servicing costs was primarily due to higher credit card processing fees and third-party commissions due to increased subscriptions. Digital content delivery costs increased due to higher cloud storage costs and growth in the number of employees. The decrease in print production and distribution costs was largely due to lower newsprint consumption and pricing, as well as lower distribution costs, primarily due to copy declines, and outside printing costs. Advertising servicing costs decreased primarily as a result of the closure of our HelloSociety and Fake Love digital marketing agencies as well as fewer live events.

Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing includes costs related to the Company’s marketing efforts as well as advertising sales costs.

2021 Compared with 2020

Sales and marketing costs increased in 2021 by $66.0 million, or 28.8%, compared with 2020, primarily due to higher media expenses.

Media expenses, a component of sales and marketing costs that represents the cost to promote our subscription business, increased to $187.3 million in 2021 from $129.6 million in 2020. The increase is primarily from subscription-related media expenses as we were able to profitably scale media spend as a result of strong demand for news and success in converting readers to subscribers, as well as higher brand marketing expenses. The Company had reduced its marketing expense in 2020 during the earlier stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

2021 Compared with 2019

Sales and marketing costs increased in 2021 by $22.3 million, or 8.2%, compared with 2019, primarily a result of higher media expenses and the growth in the number of marketing employees, partially offset by the closure of our HelloSociety and Fake Love digital marketing agencies, as well as lower travel costs due to the ongoing pandemic.

Media expenses increased to $187.3 million in 2021 from $156.9 million in 2019. The increase is primarily from subscription-related media expenses as we were able to profitably scale media spend as a result of strong demand for news and success in converting readers to subscribers, as well as higher brand marketing expenses.

Product Development

Product development includes costs associated with the Company’s investment into developing and enhancing new and existing product technology, including engineering, product development and data insights.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 41

2021 Compared with 2020

Product development costs increased in 2021 by $27.5 million, or 20.6%, compared with 2020, largely due to growth in the number of digital product development employees in connection with digital subscription strategic initiatives as well as a higher incentive compensation accrual.

2021 Compared with 2019

Product development costs increased in 2021 by $54.5 million, or 51.2%, compared with 2019, largely due to growth in the number of digital product development employees to support our digital subscription strategic initiatives as well as a higher incentive compensation accrual.

General and Administrative Costs

General and administrative costs include general management, corporate enterprise technology, building operations, unallocated overhead costs, severance and multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs.

2021 Compared with 2020

General and administrative costs increased in 2021 by $26.6 million, or 11.9%, compared with 2020, primarily as a result of higher incentive compensation accrual, growth in the number of employees and higher consulting costs.

2021 Compared with 2019

General and administrative costs increased in 2021 by $43.3 million, or 21.0%, compared with 2019, primarily due to higher incentive compensation accrual, growth in the number of employees, mainly in the enterprise technology and human resources departments in support of employee growth in other areas, and higher consulting costs.

Depreciation and Amortization

2021 Compared with 2020

Depreciation and amortization costs decreased $4.6 million, or 7.5%, in 2021 compared with 2020, primarily due to lower depreciation of software assets.

2021 Compared with 2019

Depreciation and amortization costs decreased $3.2 million, or 5.2%, in 2021 compared with 2019 due to lower depreciation of software assets, partially offset by equipment and building projects that were placed in service.

Other Items

See Note 7 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information regarding other items.

NON-OPERATING ITEMS

Investments in Joint Ventures

See Note 6 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding our joint venture investments.

Interest Income/(Expense) and Other, Net

See Note 7 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding interest expense and other.

Income Taxes

See Note 12 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding income taxes.

Other Components of Net Periodic Benefit Costs

See Notes 9 and 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding other components of net periodic benefit costs.

P. 42 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We have included in this report certain supplemental financial information derived from consolidated financial information but not presented in our financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. Specifically, we have referred to the following non-GAAP financial measures in this report:

•diluted earnings per share from continuing operations excluding severance, non-operating retirement costs and the impact of special items (or adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations);

•operating profit before depreciation, amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (or adjusted operating profit, and as a percentage of revenues, adjusted operating profit margin); and

•operating costs before depreciation, amortization, severance and multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs (or adjusted operating costs).

The special items in 2021 consisted of:

•a $27.2 million gain ($19.8 million after tax or $0.12 per share) related to a non-marketable equity investment transaction. The gain consists of a $15.2 million realized gain due to the partial sale of the investment and an $11.9 million unrealized gain due to the mark to market of the remaining investment, and is included in Interest income and other, net in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations; and

•a $3.8 million charge ($2.8 million or $0.02 per share after tax) resulting from the termination of a tenant’s lease in the Company Headquarters.

The special items in 2020 consisted of:

•a $10.1 million gain ($7.4 million after tax or $0.04 per share) related to a non-marketable equity investment transaction. The gain consists of $2.5 million realized gain due to the partial sale of the investment and a $7.6 million unrealized gain due to the mark to market of the remaining investment, and is included in Interest income/(expense) and other, net in our Consolidated Statements of Operations;

•A $5 million gain ($3.1 million or $0.02 per share after tax and net of noncontrolling interest) reflecting our proportionate share of a distribution from the pending liquidation of Madison Paper Industries (“Madison”), in which the Company has an investment through a subsidiary; and

•$80.6 million in pension settlement charges ($59.1 million after tax or $0.35 per share) in connection with the transfer of certain pension benefit obligations to an insurer.

The special items in 2019 consisted of:

•a $4.0 million charge ($3.0 million after tax or $0.02 per share) related to restructuring charges, including impairment and severance charges related to the closure of our digital marketing agency, HelloSociety, LLC; and

•a $2.0 million gain ($1.5 million after tax or $0.01 per share) from a multiemployer pension plan liability adjustment.

We have included these non-GAAP financial measures because management reviews them on a regular basis and uses them to evaluate and manage the performance of our operations. We believe that, for the reasons outlined below, these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors as a supplement to reported diluted earnings/(loss) per share from continuing operations, operating profit/(loss) and operating costs. However, these measures should be evaluated only in conjunction with the comparable GAAP financial measures and should not be viewed as alternative or superior measures of GAAP results.

Adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations provides useful information in evaluating the Company’s period-to-period performance because it eliminates items that the Company does not consider to be indicative of earnings from ongoing operating activities. Adjusted operating profit (and adjusted operating profit margin) is useful in evaluating the ongoing performance of the Company’s business as it excludes the significant non-cash impact of depreciation and amortization, as well as items not indicative of ongoing operating activities. Total operating costs include depreciation, amortization, severance and multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 43

Total operating costs excluding these items provide investors with helpful supplemental information on the Company’s underlying operating costs that is used by management in its financial and operational decision-making.

Management considers special items, which may include impairment charges, pension settlement charges and other items that arise from time to time, to be outside the ordinary course of our operations. Management believes that excluding these items provides a better understanding of the underlying trends in the Company’s operating performance and allows more accurate comparisons of the Company’s operating results to historical performance. In addition, management excludes severance costs, which may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter, because it believes these costs do not necessarily reflect expected future operating costs and do not contribute to a meaningful comparison of the Company’s operating results to historical performance.

Included in our non-GAAP financial measures are non-operating retirement costs which are primarily tied to financial market performance and changes in market interest rates and investment performance. Management considers non-operating retirement costs to be outside the performance of the business and believes that presenting adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations excluding non-operating retirement costs and presenting adjusted operating results excluding multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs, in addition to the Company’s GAAP diluted earnings per share from continuing operations and GAAP operating results, provide increased transparency and a better understanding of the underlying trends in the Company’s operating business performance.

Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures from, respectively, diluted earnings per share from continuing operations, operating profit and operating costs, the most directly comparable GAAP items, as well as details on the components of non-operating retirement costs, are set out in the tables below.

Reconciliation of diluted earnings per share from continuing operations excluding severance, non-operating retirement costs and special items (or adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations)
Years Ended% Change
December 26, 2021December 27, 20202021 vs. 2020
Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations$1.31$0.60*
Add:
Severance0.010.04(75.0)%
Non-operating retirement costs:
Multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs0.030.03
Other components of net periodic benefit costs0.060.0520.0%
Special items:
Gain from non-marketable equity security(0.16)(0.06)*
Lease termination charge0.02*
Gain from joint venture, net of noncontrolling interest(0.03)*
Pension settlement charge0.48*
Income tax expense/(benefit) of adjustments0.01(0.14)*
Adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations (1)$1.28$0.9732.0%

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

(1) Amounts may not add due to rounding.

P. 44 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Reconciliation of operating profit before depreciation and amortization, severance, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs and special items (or adjusted operating profit) and of adjusted operating profit margin
Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 26, 2021December 27, 2020December 29, 20192021 vs. 20202021 vs. 2019
Operating profit$268,034$176,256$175,58252.1%52.7%
Add:
Depreciation and amortization57,50262,13660,661(7.5)%(5.2)%
Severance8826,6753,979(86.8)%(77.8)%
Multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs5,1505,5506,183(7.2)%(16.7)%
Special items:
Lease termination charge3,831**
Restructuring charge4,008*
Gain from pension liability adjustment(2,045)*
Adjusted operating profit$335,399$250,617$248,36833.8%35.0%
Divided by:
Revenue2,074,8771,783,6391,812,18416.3%14.5%
Adjusted operating profit margin16.2%14.1%13.7%210 bps250 bps

* Represents a change equal to or in excess of 100% or one that is not meaningful.

Reconciliation of operating costs before depreciation and amortization, severance and multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs (or adjusted operating costs)
Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 26, 2021December 27, 2020December 29, 20192021 vs. 20202021 vs. 2019
Operating costs$1,803,012$1,607,383$1,634,63912.2%10.3%
Less:
Depreciation and amortization57,50262,13660,661(7.5)%(5.2)%
Severance8826,6753,979(86.8)%(77.8)%
Multiemployer pension plan withdrawal costs5,1505,5506,183(7.2)%(16.7)%
Adjusted operating costs$1,739,478$1,533,022$1,563,81613.5%11.2%

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 45

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Overview

The following table presents information about our financial position:

Financial Position Summary

% Change
(In thousands, except ratios)December 26, 2021December 27, 20202021 vs. 2020
Cash and cash equivalents$319,973$286,07911.8
Marketable securities754,455595,91126.6
Total cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities (1)1,074,428881,99021.8
Total New York Times Company stockholders’ equity1,538,7201,325,51716.1
Ratios:
Current assets to current liabilities1.701.72

(1) Approximately $550.0 million of cash and marketable securities were used in February 2022 to fund the purchase price of The Athletic (refer to commentary below).

Our primary sources of cash from operations were revenues from subscription and advertising sales. Subscription and advertising revenues provided about 66% and 24%, respectively, of total revenues in 2021. The remaining cash inflows were primarily from other revenue sources such as licensing, Wirecutter affiliate referrals, commercial printing, the leasing of floors in the Company Headquarters, retail commerce, television and film, our student subscription sponsorship program and our live events business.

Our primary uses of cash were for employee compensation and benefits and other operating expenses. We believe our cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities balance and cash provided by operations, in combination with other sources of cash, will be sufficient to meet our financing needs over the next 12 months and beyond.

We have continued to strengthen our liquidity position and our debt profile. As of December 26, 2021, we had cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities of $1.07 billion, and approximately $250 million in available borrowings and no amounts outstanding under the Credit Facility. Our cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities balances increased in 2021, primarily due to cash proceeds from operating activities and proceeds from the sale of non-marketable equity securities, partially offset by cash used for dividend payments, capital expenditures, and taxes paid on behalf of employees resulting from share-based compensation tax withholding. Approximately $550.0 million of cash and marketable securities were used in February 2022 to fund the purchase price of The Athletic (see Note 19 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to this acquisition).

We have paid quarterly dividends on the Class A and Class B Common Stock since late 2013. In February 2022, the Board of Directors approved a quarterly dividend of $0.09 per share, an increase of $0.02 per share from the previous quarter (see Note 19 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information). We currently expect to continue to pay comparable cash dividends in the future, although changes in our dividend program will be considered by our Board of Directors in light of our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other factors considered relevant.

During 2021, we made contributions of $9.2 million to certain qualified pension plans funded by cash on hand. As of December 26, 2021, our qualified pension plans had plan assets that were $74.3 million above the present value of future benefits obligations, an improvement of $38.1 million from the surplus of $36.2 million as of December 27, 2020. We expect contributions made to satisfy minimum funding requirements to total approximately $10 million in 2022. In October 2020, we entered into an agreement with an insurance company to transfer the future benefit obligations and annuity administration for certain retirees (or their beneficiaries) in The New York Times Companies Pension Plan (the ”Pension Plan”). This transfer of plan assets and obligations reduced the Company’s qualified pension plan obligations by $236.3 million.

P. 46 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

In February 2022, the Board of Directors approved a $150.0 million Class A stock repurchase program that replaced the previous program, which was approved in 2015. The new authorization provides that Class A shares may be purchased from time to time as market conditions warrant, through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or other means, including Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. We expect to repurchase shares primarily to offset the impact of dilution from our equity compensation program, but subject to market conditions and other factors, we may also make opportunistic repurchases to reduce share count. There is no expiration date with respect to this authorization. As of February 22, 2022, we repurchased 550,000 shares for approximately $23 million under the new authorization.

Capital Resources

Sources and Uses of Cash

Cash flows provided by/(used in) by category were as follows:

Years Ended% Change
(In thousands)December 26, 2021December 27, 20202021 vs. 2020
Operating activities$269,098$297,933(9.7)
Investing activities$(180,807)$(199,080)(9.2)
Financing activities$(54,947)$(44,973)22.2

Operating Activities

Cash from operating activities is generated by cash receipts from subscriptions, advertising sales and other revenue. Operating cash outflows include payments for employee compensation, retirement and other benefits, raw materials, marketing expenses, interest and income taxes.

Net cash provided by operating activities decreased in 2021 compared with 2020 due to lower cash collections from accounts receivable and lower cash payments received from prepaid subscriptions, partially offset by higher net income adjusted for non-cash items and lower cash payments made to settle accounts payable, accrued payroll and other liabilities.

Investing Activities

Cash from investing activities generally includes proceeds from marketable securities that have matured and the sale of assets, investments or a business. Cash used in investing activities generally includes purchases of marketable securities, payments for capital projects, acquisitions of new businesses and investments.

Net cash used in investing activities in 2021 was primarily related to $170.0 million in net purchases of marketable securities and $34.6 million in capital expenditures payments, partially offset by $20.1 million in cash proceeds related to the sale of a non-marketable equity investment.

Financing Activities

Cash from financing activities generally includes borrowings under third-party financing arrangements, the issuance of long-term debt and funds from stock option exercises. Cash used in financing activities generally includes the repayment of amounts outstanding under third-party financing arrangements, the payment of dividends, the payment of long-term debt and capital lease obligations, and stock-based compensation tax withholding.

Net cash used in financing activities in 2021 was primarily related to dividend payments of $45.3 million and share-based compensation tax withholding payments of $11.2 million.

See “— Third-Party Financing” below and our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for additional information on our sources and uses of cash.

Restricted Cash

We were required to maintain $14.3 million of restricted cash as of December 26, 2021, and $15.9 million as of December 27, 2020, substantially all of which is set aside to collateralize workers’ compensation obligations.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 47

Capital Expenditures

Capital expenditures totaled approximately $35 million and $30 million in 2021 and 2020, respectively. The increase in capital expenditures was primarily driven by improvements at our Company Headquarters and newsroom bureaus, partially offset by lower expenditures related to improvements at our College Point, N.Y, printing and distribution facility. The improvements in our Company Headquarters are intended to address growth in the number of employees and to enhance technologies that support our transition to hybrid work with employees working both from the office and remotely. The cash payments related to the capital expenditures totaled approximately $35 million and $34 million in 2021 and 2020, respectively, due to the timing of the payments. In 2022, we expect capital expenditures of approximately $50 million, which will be funded from cash on hand. The capital expenditures will be primarily driven by improvements in our Company Headquarters, investments in technology to support our strategic initiatives and expenditures related to our College Point, N.Y., printing and distribution facility.

Acquisition of The Athletic Media Company

On February 1, 2022, we completed the acquisition of The Athletic Media Company, a global digital subscription-based sports media business that provides national and local coverage of more than 200 clubs and teams in the U.S. and around the world, for an all-cash purchase price of $550 million, subject to customary closing adjustments (see Note 19 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to this acquisition). The purchase price was funded from cash on hand.

Third-Party Financing

As of December 26, 2021, there were no outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facility and the Company was in compliance with the financial covenants contained in the Credit Facility. See Note 7 for information regarding the Credit Facility.

P. 48 – THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Contractual Obligations

The information provided is based on management’s best estimate and assumptions of our contractual obligations as of December 26, 2021. Actual payments in future periods may vary from those reflected in the table.

Payment due in
(In thousands)Total20222023-20242025-2026Later Years
Operating leases(1)85,94311,17019,70516,39538,673
Benefit plans(2)353,04050,35288,63279,043135,013
Total$438,983$61,522$108,337$95,438$173,686

(1)See Note 17 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our operating leases.

(2)The Company's general funding policy with respect to qualified pension plans is to contribute amounts at least sufficient to satisfy the minimum amount required by applicable law and regulations and Guild contracts. Contributions for our qualified pension plans and future benefit payments for our unfunded pension and other postretirement benefit payments have been estimated over a 10-year period; therefore, the amounts included in the “Later Years” column only include payments for the period of 2027-2031. For our funded qualified pension plans, estimating funding depends on several variables, including the performance of the plans' investments, assumptions for discount rates, expected long-term rates of return on assets, rates of compensation increases (applicable only for the Guild-Times Adjustable Pension Plan that has not been frozen) and other factors. Thus, our actual contributions could vary substantially from these estimates. While benefit payments under these plans are expected to continue beyond 2031, we have included in this table only those benefit payments estimated over the next 10 years. Benefit plans in the table above also include estimated payments for multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liabilities. See Notes 9 and 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to our pension and other postretirement benefits plans.

Other Liabilities — Other in our Consolidated Balance Sheets include liabilities related to (1) deferred compensation, primarily related to our deferred executive compensation plan (the “DEC”) and (2) various other liabilities, including our contingent tax liability for uncertain tax positions and contingent consideration. These liabilities are not included in the table above primarily because the timing of the future payments is not determinable. See Note 11 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

The DEC previously enabled certain eligible executives to elect to defer a portion of their compensation on a pre-tax basis. The deferred amounts are invested at the executives’ option in various mutual funds. The fair value of deferred compensation is based on the mutual fund investments elected by the executives and on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets. The fair value of deferred compensation was $21.1 million as of December 26, 2021. The DEC was frozen effective December 31, 2015, and no new contributions may be made into the plan. See Note 11 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on Other Liabilities — Other.

Our liability for uncertain tax positions was approximately $7 million, including approximately $1 million of accrued interest as of December 26, 2021. Until formal resolutions are reached between us and the taxing authorities, determining the timing and amount of possible audit settlements relating to uncertain tax positions is not practicable. Therefore, we do not include this obligation in the table of contractual obligations. See Note 12 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding income taxes.

The contingent consideration represents contingent payments in connection with the acquisition of substantially all the assets and certain liabilities of Serial Productions, LLC. The Company estimated the fair value of the contingent consideration liability using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow model. The estimate of the fair value of contingent consideration requires subjective assumptions to be made regarding probabilities assigned to operational targets and the discount rate. The contingent consideration balance of $7.5 million as of December 26, 2021, is included in Accrued expenses and other, for the current portion of the liability, and Other non-current liabilities, for the long-term portion of the liability, in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. See Note 8 for more information.

We have a contract through the end of 2022 with Resolute FP US Inc., a subsidiary of Resolute Forest Products Inc., a major paper supplier, to purchase newsprint. The contract requires us to purchase annually the lesser of a fixed number of tons or a percentage of our total newsprint requirement at market rate in an arm’s length transaction. Since the quantities of newsprint purchased annually under this contract are based on our total newsprint requirement, the amount of the related payments for these purchases is excluded from the table above.

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CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

Our Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements for the periods presented.

We continually evaluate the policies and estimates we use to prepare our Consolidated Financial Statements. In general, management’s estimates are based on historical experience, information from third-party professionals and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the facts and circumstances. Actual results may differ from those estimates made by management.

Our critical accounting estimates include our accounting for goodwill and intangibles, retirement benefits and revenue recognition. Specific risks related to our critical accounting estimates are discussed below. For a description of our related accounting policies, refer to Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Goodwill and Intangibles

We evaluate whether there has been an impairment of goodwill or intangible assets not amortized on an annual basis or in an interim period if certain circumstances indicate that a possible impairment may exist.

(In thousands)December 26, 2021December 27, 2020
Goodwill$166,360$171,657
Intangibles$14,246$16,298
Total assets$2,564,108$2,307,689
Percentage of goodwill and intangibles to total assets7%8%

The impairment analysis is considered critical because of the significance of goodwill and intangibles to our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

We test goodwill for impairment at a reporting unit level. We first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value.

If we determine that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, we compare the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. Fair value is calculated by a combination of a discounted cash flow model and a market approach model.

We test intangible assets that are not amortized (i.e., trade names) for impairment at the asset level. We first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the asset is less than its carrying value. If we determine that it is more likely than not that the intangible asset is impaired, we perform a quantitative assessment by comparing the fair value of the asset with its carrying amount. If the fair value, which is based on future cash flows, exceeds the carrying value, the asset is not considered impaired. If the carrying amount exceeds the fair value, an impairment loss would be recognized in an amount equal to the excess of the carrying amount of the asset over the fair value of the asset. We recognized a de minimis impairment in 2020 and 2019 related to the closure of HelloSociety and Fake Love digital marketing agencies.

Intangible assets that are amortized (i.e., customer lists, non-competes, etc.) are tested for impairment at the asset level associated with the lowest level of cash flows. An impairment exists if the carrying value of the asset (1) is not recoverable (the carrying value of the asset is greater than the sum of undiscounted cash flows) and (2) is greater than its fair value.

The discounted cash flow analysis requires us to make various judgments, estimates and assumptions, many of which are interdependent, about future revenues, operating margins, growth rates, capital expenditures, working capital, discount rates and royalty rates. The starting point for the assumptions used in our discounted cash flow analysis is the annual long-range financial forecast. The annual planning process that we undertake to prepare the long-range financial forecast takes into consideration a multitude of factors, including historical growth rates and operating performance, related industry trends, macroeconomic conditions, and marketplace data, among others. Assumptions are also made for perpetual growth rates for periods beyond the long-range financial forecast period.

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Our estimates of fair value are sensitive to changes in all of these variables, certain of which relate to broader macroeconomic conditions outside our control.

The market approach analysis includes applying a multiple, based on comparable market transactions, to certain operating metrics of a reporting unit.

The significant estimates and assumptions used by management in assessing the recoverability of goodwill and intangibles are estimated future cash flows, discount rates, growth rates, as well as other factors. Any changes in these estimates or assumptions could result in an impairment charge. The estimates, based on reasonable and supportable assumptions and projections, require management’s subjective judgment. Depending on the assumptions and estimates used, the estimated results of the impairment tests can vary within a range of outcomes.

For the 2021 annual impairment testing, based on our qualitative assessment, we concluded that goodwill and intangible assets are not impaired.

Retirement Benefits

Our single-employer pension and other postretirement benefit costs and obligations are accounted for using actuarial valuations. We recognize the funded status of these plans – measured as the difference between plan assets, if funded, and the benefit obligation – on the balance sheet and recognize changes in the funded status that arise during the period but are not recognized as components of net periodic pension cost, within other comprehensive income/(loss), net of tax. The assets related to our funded pension plans are measured at fair value.

We also recognize the present value of liabilities associated with the withdrawal from multiemployer pension plans.

We consider accounting for retirement plans critical to our operations because management is required to make significant subjective judgments about a number of actuarial assumptions, which include discount rates, long-term return on plan assets and mortality rates. These assumptions may have an effect on the amount and timing of future contributions. Depending on the assumptions and estimates used, the impact from our pension and other postretirement benefits could vary within a range of outcomes and could have a material effect on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

See “— Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits” below for more information on our retirement benefits.

Revenue Recognition

Our contracts with customers sometimes include promises to transfer multiple products and services to a customer. Determining whether products and services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately versus together may require significant judgment. We use an observable price to determine the standalone selling price for separate performance obligations if available or, when not available, an estimate that maximizes the use of observable inputs and faithfully depicts the selling price of the promised goods or services if we sold those goods or services separately to a similar customer in similar circumstances.

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PENSIONS AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS

We maintain the Pension Plan, a frozen single-employer defined benefit pension plan. The Company and The NewsGuild of New York (the “Guild”) jointly sponsor the Guild-Times Adjustable Pension Plan (the “APP”), which continues to accrue active benefits. Our pension liability also includes our multiemployer pension plan withdrawal obligations. Our liability for postretirement obligations includes our liability to provide health benefits to eligible retired employees.

The table below includes the liability for all of these plans.

(In thousands)December 26, 2021December 27, 2020
Pension and other postretirement liabilities (includes current portion)$363,445$397,918
Total liabilities$1,023,383$979,578
Percentage of pension and other postretirement liabilities to total liabilities35.5%40.6%

Pension Benefits

Our Company-sponsored defined benefit pension plans include qualified plans (funded) as well as non-qualified plans (unfunded). These plans provide participating employees with retirement benefits in accordance with benefit formulas detailed in each plan. All of our non-qualified plans, which provide enhanced retirement benefits to select employees, are frozen, except for a foreign-based pension plan discussed below.

Our joint Company and Guild-sponsored plan is a qualified plan and is included in the table below.

We also have a foreign-based pension plan for certain non-U.S. employees (the “foreign plan”). The information for the foreign plan is combined with the information for U.S. non-qualified plans. The benefit obligation of the foreign plan is immaterial to our total benefit obligation.

The funded status of our qualified and non-qualified pension plans as of December 26, 2021, is as follows:

December 26, 2021
(In thousands)Qualified PlansNon-Qualified PlansAll Plans
Pension obligation$1,475,764$239,190$1,714,954
Fair value of plan assets1,550,0781,550,078
Pension asset/obligation, net$74,314$(239,190)$(164,876)

We made contributions of approximately $9 million to the APP in 2021. We expect contributions made to satisfy minimum funding requirements to total approximately $10 million in 2022.

Pension expense is calculated using a number of actuarial assumptions, including an expected long-term rate of return on assets (for qualified plans) and a discount rate. Our methodology in selecting these actuarial assumptions is discussed below.

In determining the expected long-term rate of return on assets, we evaluated input from our investment consultants, actuaries and investment management firms, including our review of asset class return expectations, as well as long-term historical asset class returns. Projected returns by such consultants and economists are based on broad equity and bond indices. Our objective is to select an average rate of earnings expected on existing plan assets and expected contributions to the plan (less plan expenses to be incurred) during the year. The expected long-term rate of return determined on this basis was 3.75% at the beginning of 2021. Our plan assets had an average rate of return of approximately 1.91% in 2021 and an average annual return of approximately 13.65% over the three-year period 2019-2021. We regularly review our actual asset allocation and periodically rebalance our investments to meet our investment strategy.

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The market-related value of plan assets is multiplied by the expected long-term rate of return on assets to compute the expected return on plan assets, a component of net periodic pension cost. The market-related value of plan assets is a calculated value that recognizes changes in fair value over three years.

Based on the composition of our assets at the end of the year, we estimated our 2022 expected long-term rate of return to be 3.75%. If we had decreased our expected long-term rate of return on our plan assets by 50 basis points in 2021, pension expense would have increased by approximately $7 million for our qualified pension plans. Our funding requirements would not have been materially affected.

We determined our discount rate using a Ryan ALM, Inc. Curve (the “Ryan Curve”). The Ryan Curve provides the bonds included in the curve and allows adjustments for certain outliers (i.e., bonds on “watch”). We believe the Ryan Curve allows us to calculate an appropriate discount rate.

To determine our discount rate, we project a cash flow based on annual accrued benefits. For active participants, the benefits under the respective pension plans are projected to the date of termination. The projected plan cash flow is discounted to the measurement date, which is the last day of our fiscal year, using the annual spot rates provided in the Ryan Curve. A single discount rate is then computed so that the present value of the benefit cash flow equals the present value computed using the Ryan Curve rates.

The weighted-average discount rate determined on this basis was 2.94% for our qualified plans and 2.81% for our non-qualified plans as of December 26, 2021.

If we had decreased the expected discount rate by 50 basis points for our qualified plans and our non-qualified plans in 2021, pension expense would have decreased by approximately $0.3 million and our pension obligation would have increased by approximately $108 million as of December 26, 2021.

We will continue to evaluate all of our actuarial assumptions, generally on an annual basis, and will adjust as necessary. Actual pension expense will depend on future investment performance, changes in future discount rates, the level of contributions we make and various other factors.

We also recognize the present value of pension liabilities associated with the withdrawal from multiemployer pension plans. Our multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liability was approximately $70 million as of December 26, 2021. This liability represents the present value of the obligations related to complete and partial withdrawals that have already occurred as well as an estimate of future partial withdrawals that we considered probable and reasonably estimable. For those plans that have yet to provide us with a demand letter, the actual liability will not be known until they complete a final assessment of the withdrawal liability and issue a demand to us. Therefore, the estimate of our multiemployer pension plan liability will be adjusted as more information becomes available that allows us to refine our estimates.

See Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding our pension plans.

Other Postretirement Benefits

We provide health benefits to certain primarily grandfathered retired employee groups (and their eligible dependents) who meet the definition of an eligible participant and certain age and service requirements, as outlined in the plan document. There is a de minimis liability for retiree health benefits for active employees. While we offer pre-age 65 retiree medical coverage to employees who meet certain retiree medical eligibility requirements, we do not provide post-age 65 retiree medical benefits for employees who retired on or after March 1, 2009. We accrue the costs of postretirement benefits during the employees’ active years of service and our policy is to pay our portion of insurance premiums and claims from general corporate assets.

See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding our other postretirement benefits.

RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

See Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding recent accounting pronouncements.

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