# Vivid Seats Inc. (SEAT) FY 2023 MD&A

Verbatim Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis from Vivid Seats Inc.'s 10-K for fiscal year 2023.

SEC filing source: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1856031/000095017024028243/seat-20231231.htm
Accession: 0000950170-24-028243
Filing date: 2024-03-08
Report date: 2023-12-31
Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary.
Confidence: high

Company profile: /company/SEAT/
All MD&A years: /company/SEAT/mda/
Previous year: /company/SEAT/mda/fy2022/ (FY 2022)
Next year: /company/SEAT/mda/fy2024/ (FY 2024)

Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

This discussion is intended to help readers understand our results of operations and financial condition and is provided as an addition to, and should be read together with, our audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included elsewhere in this Report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, as discussed in the “Forward-Looking Statements” section of this Report. Important factors that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those set forth in the "Risk Factors" section of this Report.

Overview

We are an online ticket marketplace that utilizes our technology platform to connect fans of live events seamlessly with ticket sellers. Our mission is to empower and enable fans to Experience It Live. We believe in the power of shared experiences to connect people with live events delivering some of life’s most exciting moments. We operate a technology platform and marketplace that enables ticket buyers to easily discover and purchase tickets while enabling ticket sellers and partners to seamlessly manage their operations. We differentiate from competitors by offering an extensive breadth and depth of ticket listings at a competitive value. The following table summarizes our Marketplace Gross Order Value (“Marketplace GOV”), revenues and net income (loss) for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands):

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","2023","","","2022","","","2021"],["Marketplace GOV*","","$","3,920,526","","","$","3,184,754","","","$","2,399,092"],["Revenues","","","712,879","","","","600,274","","","","443,038"],["Net income (loss)","","","113,141","","","","70,779","","","","(19,129",")"],["Adjusted EBITDA*","","","141,982","","","","113,325","","","","109,869"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

* See “Key Business Metrics and Non-GAAP Financial Measure” below for more information on Marketplace GOV and Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure.

Our Business Model

We operate our business in two segments, Marketplace and Resale.

Marketplace

In our Marketplace segment, we primarily act as an intermediary between ticket buyers, sellers and partners through which we earn revenue processing ticket sales from our Owned Properties, consisting of our websites and mobile applications, including Vivid Seats, Vegas.com and Wavedash, and from our Private Label Offering, which includes numerous distribution partners. Our Marketplace segment also includes our Vivid Picks daily fantasy sports offering, where users partake in contests by making picks from a variety of sport and player matchups. Using our online platform, we facilitate customer payments, deposits and withdrawals, coordinate ticket deliveries, and provide customer service. We do not hold ticket inventory in our Marketplace segment.

We primarily earn revenue from service and delivery fees charged to ticket buyers. We also earn referral fee revenue by offering event ticket insurance to ticket buyers, using a third-party insurance provider. The revenue we earn from our Vivid Picks daily fantasy sports offering is the difference between cash entry fees collected and cash amounts paid out to users for winning picks, less customer promotions and incentives.

We incur costs for developing and maintaining our platform, providing back-office support and customer service, facilitating payments and deposits, and shipping non-electronic tickets. We also incur substantial marketing costs, primarily related to online advertising.

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A key component of our platform is Skybox, a proprietary ERP tool used by the majority of ticket sellers. Skybox is a free-to-use system that helps ticket sellers manage ticket inventories, adjust pricing, and fulfill orders across multiple ticket resale marketplaces. Professional ticket sellers use an ERP to manage their operations, and Skybox is their most widely adopted ERP.

Resale

In our Resale segment, we acquire tickets to resell on secondary ticketing marketplaces, including our own. Our Resale segment also provides internal research and development support for Skybox and our ongoing efforts to deliver industry-leading seller software and tools.

Key Business Metrics and Non-GAAP Financial Measure

We use the following metrics to evaluate our performance, identify trends, formulate financial projections, and make strategic decisions. We believe these metrics provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our results of operations in the same manner as our management team.

The following table summarizes our key business metrics and non-GAAP financial measure for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands):

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","2023","","","2022","","","2021"],["Marketplace GOV(1)","","$","3,920,526","","","$","3,184,754","","","$","2,399,092"],["Total Marketplace orders(2)","","","10,898","","","","9,183","","","","6,637"],["Total Resale orders(3)","","","380","","","","313","","","","199"],["Adjusted EBITDA(4)","","$","141,982","","","$","113,325","","","$","109,869"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

(1)
Marketplace GOV represents the total transactional amount of Marketplace segment orders placed on our platform in a period, inclusive of fees, exclusive of taxes and net of event cancellations that occurred during that period. During the year ended December 31, 2023, Marketplace GOV was negatively impacted by event cancellations in the amount of $43.6 million compared to $80.3 million and $108.0 million during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

(2)
Total Marketplace orders represents the volume of Marketplace segment orders placed on our platform in a period, net of event cancellations that occurred during that period. During the year ended December 31, 2023, our Marketplace segment experienced 99,078 event cancellations compared to 199,595 and 257,109 event cancellations during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

(3)
Total Resale orders represents the volume of Resale segment orders in a period, net of event cancellations that occurred during that period. During the year ended December 31, 2023, our Resale segment experienced 2,910 event cancellations compared to 5,205 and 6,165 event cancellations during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

(4)
Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. We believe Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our results of operations, as well as provides a useful measure for making period-to-period comparisons of our business performance. See the “Adjusted EBITDA” section below for more information and a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to its most directly comparable GAAP measure.

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Marketplace GOV

Marketplace GOV is a key driver of our Marketplace segment revenue. Marketplace GOV represents the total transactional amount of Marketplace orders in a period, inclusive of fees, exclusive of taxes, and net of event cancellations that occurred during that period. Marketplace GOV reflects our ability to attract and retain customers, as well as the overall health of the industry.

Our Marketplace GOV can be impacted by seasonality. Typically, we experience slightly increased activity in the fourth quarter when all major sports leagues are in season and there is an increase in order volume for theater events during the holiday season and concert on-sales for the following year. Quarterly fluctuations in our Marketplace GOV result from the popularity and demand of performers, tours, teams and events, the length and team composition of sports playoff series and championship games, and the number of event cancellations.

Our Marketplace GOV increased during the year ended December 31, 2023 as a result of increases in the number of orders processed and average order size and, to a lesser extent, fewer event cancellations and our acquisitions of Wavedash in September 2023 and Vegas.com in November 2023.

Total Marketplace Orders

Total Marketplace orders represent the volume of Marketplace segment orders placed on our platform in a period, net of event cancellations that occurred during that period. An order can include one or more tickets, hotel rooms or parking passes. Total Marketplace orders allow us to monitor order volume and better identify trends within our Marketplace segment. Total Marketplace orders increased during the year ended December 31, 2023 as a result of a higher number of new orders processed and, to a lesser extent, fewer event cancellations and our acquisitions of Wavedash in September 2023 and Vegas.com in November 2023.

Total Resale Orders

Total Resale orders represent the volume of Resale segment orders sold in a period, net of event cancellations that occurred during that period. An order can include one or more tickets or parking passes. Total Resale orders allow us to monitor order volume and better identify trends within our Resale segment. Total Resale orders increased during the year ended December 31, 2023 as a result of higher activity in our Resale segment.

Adjusted EBITDA

We present Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, because it is a measure frequently used by analysts, investors and other interested parties to evaluate companies in our industry. Further, we believe this measure is helpful in highlighting trends in our operating results because it excludes the impact of items that are outside of our control or not reflective of ongoing performance related directly to the operation of our business.

Adjusted EBITDA is a key measure used by our management internally to make operating decisions, including those related to analyzing operating expenses, evaluating performance and performing strategic planning and annual budgeting. Moreover, we believe Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our results of operations, as well as provides a useful measure for making period-to-period comparisons of our business performance and highlighting trends in our operating results.

Adjusted EBITDA is not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles and should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect all amounts associated with our operating results as determined in accordance with GAAP and may exclude recurring costs, such as interest expense – net, equity-based compensation, litigation, settlements and related costs, change in fair value of warrants, change in fair value of derivative assets and foreign currency revaluation (gains)/losses. In addition, other companies may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do, thereby limiting its usefulness as a comparative tool. We compensate for these limitations by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from Adjusted EBITDA.

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The following is a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to its most directly comparable GAAP measure, net income (loss) (in thousands):

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","2023","","","2022","","","2021"],["Net income","","$","113,141","","","$","70,779","","","$","(19,129",")"],["Income tax expense (benefit)","","","(42,199",")","","","(1,590",")","","","304"],["Interest expense \u2013 net","","","13,505","","","","12,858","","","","58,179"],["Depreciation and amortization","","","17,178","","","","7,732","","","","2,322"],["Sales tax liability(1)","","","3,172","","","","2,814","","","","8,956"],["Transaction costs(2)","","","12,779","","","","4,840","","","","12,852"],["Equity-based compensation(3)","","","27,614","","","","19,053","","","","6,047"],["Loss on extinguishment of debt(4)","","","\u2014","","","","4,285","","","","35,828"],["Litigation, settlements and related costs(5)","","","215","","","","2,477","","","","2,835"],["Severance related to COVID-19(6)","","","\u2014","","","","\u2014","","","","286"],["Change in fair value of warrants(7)","","","(971",")","","","(8,227",")","","","1,389"],["Change in fair value of derivative asset(8)","","","(536",")","","","\u2014","","","","\u2014"],["Change in fair value of contingent consideration(9)","","","(998",")","","","(2,065",")","","","\u2014"],["Loss on asset disposals(10)","","","685","","","","369","","","","\u2014"],["Foreign currency revaluation gain(11)","","","(2,177",")","","","\u2014","","","","\u2014"],["TRA liability adjustment(12)","","","574","","","","\u2014","","","","\u2014"],["Adjusted EBITDA","","$","141,982","","","$","113,325","","","$","109,869"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

(1)
We have historically incurred sales tax expense in jurisdictions where we expected to collect and remit indirect taxes, but were not yet collecting from customers. The sales tax liability for 2023 represents the liability recorded for local admissions taxes which we are not yet collecting from customers, including estimated penalties. The sales tax liability for 2022 and 2021 represents the tax liability for sales tax prior to the date we began collecting sales tax from customers reduced by abatements received, inclusive of any penalties and interest assessed by the jurisdictions.

(2)
This consists of legal, accounting, tax and other professional fees; personnel-related costs, which consist of retention bonuses; and integration costs. Transaction costs recognized in 2023 were primarily related to the 2023 Secondary Offerings (as defined herein) and our acquisitions and strategic investments. Transaction costs recognized in 2022 were primarily related to our acquisitions and strategic investments, the refinancing of the June 2017 First Lien Loan (as defined herein) with the February 2022 First Lien Loan (as defined herein) and our exchange offering of shares of our Class A common stock for properly tendered public warrants. Transaction costs recognized in 2021 were primarily related to the Merger Transaction, to the extent they were not eligible for capitalization, and our acquisition of Vivid Picks.

(3)
This relates to profits interests issued prior to the Merger Transaction and equity granted pursuant to the 2021 Plan, which we do not consider to be indicative of our core operating performance.

(4)
Losses incurred in 2022 resulted from the extinguishment of the June 2017 First Lien Loan in February 2022. Losses incurred in 2021 resulted from the retirement of the May 2020 First Lien Loan (as defined herein) and fees paid related to the early payment of a portion of the principal of the June 2017 First Lien Loan in October 2021.

(5)
This relates to external legal costs, settlement costs and insurance recoveries that were unrelated to our core business operations.

(6)
This relates to severance costs resulting from significant reductions in employee headcount due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic prior to 2022.

(7)
This relates to the revaluation of warrants to purchase Intermediate Units held by Hoya Topco following the Merger Transaction.

(8)
This relates to the revaluation of derivatives recorded at fair value.

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(9)
This relates to the revaluation of Vivid Picks cash earnouts.

(10)
This relates to asset disposals, which are not considered indicative of our core operating performance.

(11)
This relates to unrealized foreign currency revaluation (gain) loss from the remeasurement of non-operating assets and liabilities denominated in non-functional currencies on the balance sheet date.

(12)
This relates to remeasurement of the TRA liability.

Key Factors Affecting Our Performance

Our operational and financial results have been, and will continue to be, affected by a number of factors that present significant opportunities as well as risks and challenges, including those discussed below and elsewhere in this Report, particularly in the “Risk Factors” section. The key factors discussed below impacted our 2023 results and/or are anticipated to impact our 2024 results.

Growth and Retention of Ticket Buyers, Sellers and Partners

Our revenue growth primarily depends on acquiring and retaining customers. We seek to have ticket buyers and sellers view us as the go-to ticketing marketplace when searching for, purchasing and selling event tickets. We differentiate ourselves from competitors by offering an extensive breadth and depth of ticket listings at a competitive value, and by providing a reliable and secure experience for ticket buyers. We acquire new ticket buyers through various marketing channels, partnerships, brand advertisement and word-of-mouth. Performance marketing channels are highly competitive, and we must continue to be effective in these acquisition channels.

We seek to retain buyers by cultivating brand awareness and affinity for our differentiated offering. We provide an optimal customer experience, additional avenues for engagement and outreach such as through customized emails, Game Center and Vivid Picks, and most importantly, exceptional value with our Vivid Seats Rewards loyalty program.

Likewise, we must preserve our longstanding relationships with ticket sellers to maintain extensive ticket listing options at competitive prices. We recognize the importance of seller and other partner relationships in the ticketing ecosystem and offer products and services designed to support their needs.

Macroenvironment and Resulting Consumer Demand for Live Events

Consumer demand for live events could be impacted by economic conditions affecting discretionary consumer and corporate spending, including unemployment levels, fuel prices, interest rates inflationary concerns and changes in tax rates and tax laws. While such conditions existed in 2023, we did not see a resulting impact to overall demand for live event tickets, ticket prices and/or price sensitivity, but an impact is possible if such conditions persist or worsen.

Ticketing Industry Competition

Our business faces significant competition from other primary and secondary ticketing service providers. Forms of competition can include, but are not limited to, increasing performance marketing spend, increasing brand advertisement spend, pricing changes, exclusive partnerships, and new product offerings and enhancements. To combat such competitive dynamics, we continue to refine our marketing strategies to attract and retain customers and innovate to offer our customers an attractive value proposition. We also face competition from other professional ticket resellers in our Resale segment.

Supply of Live Concert, Sporting and Theater Events

The number and popularity of live concert, sporting, and theater events will have a significant effect on our revenue and operating income. Many of the factors affecting the strength of the event slate are outside of our control.

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Attracting and Retaining Talent

We rely on our ability to attract, motivate and retain employees. Our success depends on our ability to continue to identify, attract, hire, integrate, develop, motivate and retain highly skilled personnel for all areas of our organization. We share the dedication to our mission to Experience It Live. Offering employees an engaging and positive work environment contributes to both their and our success. We are committed to fostering an environment that is inclusive and welcoming to diversity in backgrounds, experiences and thoughts as a means toward achieving employee engagement, empowerment, innovation and good decision-making.

Seasonality

Our operational and financial results can be impacted by seasonality. Typically we experience slightly increased activity in the fourth quarter when all major sports leagues are in season and there is an increase in order volume for theater events during the holiday season and concert on-sales for the following year. In addition, our financial results and growth rates can vary from period to period depending on, among other things: popularity and demand for certain performers and events; sports teams’ performances, and the length and team composition of sports playoff series and championship games; the timing of tours of top grossing acts; event cancellations; weather, seasonal and other fluctuations in our operating results; the timing of guaranteed payments, investments, acquisitions and financing activities; competitive dynamics; and timing of disbursements of accounts payable to sellers and partners around quarter-end.

Recent Developments

Vegas.com Acquisition

On November 3, 2023, we acquired Vegas.com, an online ticket marketplace for live event enthusiasts exploring Las Vegas, Nevada. The purchase price was $248.3 million, consisting of $152.8 million in cash and approximately 15.6 million shares of our Class A common stock. We financed the cash portion of the purchase price with cash on hand. The acquisition was accounted for as an acquisition of a business in accordance with the acquisition method of accounting.

Wavedash Acquisition

On September 8, 2023, we acquired Wavedash, an online ticket marketplace headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The purchase price was JPY 10,946.1 million, or approximately $74.3 million based on the exchange rate in effect on the acquisition date, before considering the net effect of cash acquired. We financed the purchase price with cash on hand. The acquisition was accounted for as an acquisition of a business in accordance with the acquisition method of accounting.

2023 Secondary Offerings and Share Repurchase

On December 12, 2023, we completed a public offering of 23.575 million shares of our Class A common stock, which included 3.1 million shares sold pursuant to the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares (the "December 2023 Secondary Offering") and 2.0 million shares subject to the Share Repurchase (as defined below). The shares were purchased by the underwriters from Hoya Topco, the selling stockholder, at a price of $6.24 per share and, other than the shares subject to the Share Repurchase (as defined below), were sold at a public offering price of $6.50 per share. Hoya Topco exchanged 23.575 million shares of our Class B common stock and 23.575 million Intermediate Units for the shares of our Class A common stock that it sold in the December 2023 Secondary Offering. We did not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares by Hoya Topco in the December 2023 Secondary Offering. Pursuant to the underwriting agreement for the December 2023 Secondary Offering, we repurchased 2.0 million shares of our Class A common stock from the underwriters at a price of $6.24 per share (the same price per share paid by the underwriters to Hoya Topco) (the “Share Repurchase”). We funded the Share Repurchase with cash on hand.

We completed a public offering of 18.4 million shares of our Class A common stock, comprising 16.0 million shares sold on May 22, 2023 and 2.4 million shares sold on June 15, 2023 pursuant to the full exercise of the underwriters'

44

option to purchase additional shares (the "June 2023 Secondary Offering" and, together with the December 2023 Secondary Offering, the “2023 Secondary Offerings”). The shares were purchased by the underwriters from Hoya Topco, the selling stockholder, at a price of $7.68 per share and were sold at a public offering price of $8.00 per share. Hoya Topco exchanged 18.4 million shares of our Class B common stock and 18.4 million Intermediate Units for the shares of our Class A common stock that it sold in the June 2023 Secondary Offering. We did not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares by Hoya Topco in the June 2023 Secondary Offering.

Income Tax

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has a framework to implement a global minimum corporate tax of 15% for companies with global revenues and profits above certain thresholds (referred to as "Pillar Two"), with certain aspects effective January 1, 2024 and other aspects effective January 1, 2025. While it is uncertain whether the United States will enact legislation to adopt Pillar Two, certain countries in which we operate (Canada and Japan) have either introduced or are in the process of introducing legislation to implement Pillar Two. We continue to assess the Pillar Two legislation and do not anticipate any material impacts to our consolidated financial statements.

Results of Operations

Discussions of the year ended December 31, 2021 and comparison of the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 can be found in the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed on March 7, 2023, as amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto, which section is incorporated by reference herein.

On March 5, 2024, we issued a press release announcing financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 (the “Earnings Release”). Net income of $113.1 million presented in this Report differs from Net income of $107.0 million initially reported in the Earnings Release due to a $6.1 million income tax benefit adjustment for the three months and fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 made following the Earnings Release and prior to the filing of this Report. This resulted in a corresponding $6.1 million decrease in our Additional paid-in capital and $6.1 million decrease in our Accumulated deficit as of December 31, 2023 from the amounts included in the Earnings Release. The information in this Report supersedes the disclosure in the Earnings Release.

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2023 and 2022

The following table sets forth our results of operations (in thousands, except percentages):

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","2023","","","2022","","","Change","","","% Change"],["Revenues","","$","712,879","","","$","600,274","","","$","112,605","","","","19","%"],["Costs and expenses:"],["Cost of revenues (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below)","","","182,184","","","","140,508","","","","41,676","","","","30","%"],["Marketing and selling","","","274,096","","","","248,375","","","","25,721","","","","10","%"],["General and administrative","","","159,081","","","","127,619","","","","31,462","","","","25","%"],["Depreciation and amortization","","","17,178","","","","7,732","","","","9,446","","","","122","%"],["Change in fair value of contingent consideration","","","(998",")","","","(2,065",")","","","1,067","","","","52","%"],["Income from operations","","","81,338","","","","78,105","","","","3,233","","","","4","%"],["Other (income) expense:"],["Interest expense \u2013 net","","","13,505","","","","12,858","","","","647","","","","5","%"],["Loss on extinguishment of debt","","","\u2014","","","","4,285","","","","(4,285",")","","","(100",")%"],["Other (income) expense:","","","(3,109",")","","","(8,227",")","","","5,118","","","","62","%"],["Income before income taxes","","","70,942","","","","69,189","","","","1,753","","","","3","%"],["Income tax expense (benefit)","","","(42,199",")","","","(1,590",")","","","(40,609",")","","","(2,554",")%"],["Net income","","","113,141","","","","70,779","","","","42,362","","","","60","%"],["Net income attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interests","","","38,605","","","","42,117","","","","(3,512",")","","","(8",")%"],["Net income attributable to Class A Common Stockholders","","$","74,536","","","$","28,662","","","$","45,874","","","","160","%"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

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Revenues

The following table presents revenues by segment (in thousands, except percentages):

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","2023","","","2022","","","Change","","","% Change"],["Revenues:"],["Marketplace","","$","597,388","","","$","511,094","","","$","86,294","","","","17","%"],["Resale","","","115,491","","","","89,180","","","","26,311","","","","30","%"],["Total revenues","","$","712,879","","","$","600,274","","","$","112,605","","","","19","%"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

Total revenues increased $112.6 million, or 19%, during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase, which occurred in both our Marketplace and Resale segments, resulted primarily from increases in new orders processed and average order size, which is calculated by dividing Marketplace GOV by Total Marketplace Orders. Fewer event cancellation and our acquisitions of Wavedash in September 2023 and Vegas.com in November 2023 also contributed to the increase.

Marketplace

The following table presents Marketplace revenues segment by event category (in thousands, except percentages):

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","2023","","","2022","","","Change","","","% Change"],["Revenues:"],["Concerts","","$","308,507","","","$","251,423","","","$","57,084","","","","23","%"],["Sports","","","199,837","","","","196,467","","","","3,370","","","","2","%"],["Theater","","","83,273","","","","61,483","","","","21,790","","","","35","%"],["Other","","","5,771","","","","1,721","","","","4,050","","","","235","%"],["Total Marketplace revenues","","$","597,388","","","$","511,094","","","$","86,294","","","","17","%"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

Marketplace revenues increased $86.3 million, or 17%, during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase resulted primarily from increases in new orders processed and average order size (especially in our concerts event category) and, to a lesser extent, fewer event cancellations. Revenues from our theater event category also increased substantially, primarily due to increased orders from our Vegas.com acquisition.

Total Marketplace orders increased 1.7 million, or 19%, during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022.

Cancellation charges, which are recognized as a reduction of revenues, negatively impacted Marketplace revenues by $20.0 million and $27.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease was primarily due to higher store credit breakage and negative impacts in early 2022 from abnormally high cancellations.

Marketplace revenues by business model consisted of the following (in thousands, except percentages):

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","2023","","","2022","","","Change","","","% Change"],["Revenues:"],["Owned Properties","","$","462,263","","","$","400,413","","","$","61,850","","","","15","%"],["Private Label","","","135,125","","","","110,681","","","","24,444","","","","22","%"],["Total Marketplace revenues","","$","597,388","","","$","511,094","","","$","86,294","","","","17","%"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

The increases in revenue from both Owned Properties and Private Label during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 resulted from increases in new orders processed and average order size and, to a lesser extent, fewer event cancellations.

Within the Marketplace segment, we also earn referral fee revenue by offering event ticket insurance to ticket buyers, using a third-party insurance provider. Our referral fee revenue was $29.4 million and $33.4 million during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease was due to declining insurance attachment rates to orders following abnormally high rates during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and following the resumption of live events in 2021 and 2022.

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Resale

Resale revenues increased $26.3 million, or 30%, during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase resulted primarily from higher order volume.

Total Resale orders increased 0.1 million, or 21%, during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. Cancellation charges, which are classified as a reduction of revenue, negatively impacted Resale revenues by $1.1 million and less than $0.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Cost of Revenues (exclusive of Depreciation and Amortization)

The following table presents cost of revenues by segment (in thousands, except percentages):

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","2023","","","2022","","","Change","","","% Change"],["Cost of revenues:"],["Marketplace","","$","94,557","","","$","73,126","","","$","21,431","","","","29","%"],["Resale","","","87,627","","","","67,382","","","","20,245","","","","30","%"],["Total cost of revenues","","$","182,184","","","$","140,508","","","$","41,676","","","","30","%"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

Total cost of revenues increased $41.7 million, or 30%, for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was primarily driven by higher Marketplace GOV in our Marketplace segment and higher revenue in our Resale segment.

Marketplace

Marketplace cost of revenues increased $21.4 million, or 29%, for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was relatively consistent with the increase in Marketplace GOV, which increased by 23% during the same period.

Resale

Resale cost of revenues increased $20.2 million, or 30%, for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase resulted from an increase in Resale revenues, which increased by 30% during the same period.

Marketing and Selling

The following table presents marketing and selling expenses (in thousands, except percentages):

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","2023","","","2022","","","Change","","","% Change"],["Marketing and selling:"],["Online","","$","239,335","","","$","224,872","","","$","14,463","","","","6","%"],["Offline","","","34,761","","","","23,503","","","","11,258","","","","48","%"],["Total marketing and selling","","$","274,096","","","$","248,375","","","$","25,721","","","","10","%"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

Marketing and selling expenses, which are entirely attributable to our Marketplace segment, increased $25.7 million, or 10%, during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase resulted from greater spending on online advertising, attributable to higher Marketplace GOV, and higher spending on offline advertising, attributable to increased brand marketing and partnership efforts to further cultivate brand awareness and affinity. Total marketing and selling expenses increased relatively less than Total Marketplace revenues, which increased by 17%, as we saw initial benefits of our increasing share of repeat orders.

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General and Administrative

The following table presents general and administrative expenses (in thousands, except percentages):

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","2023","","","2022","","","Change","","","% Change"],["General and administrative:"],["Personnel expenses","","$","110,307","","","$","88,037","","","$","22,270","","","","25","%"],["Non-income tax expenses","","","5,962","","","","4,380","","","","1,582","","","","36","%"],["Other","","","42,812","","","","35,202","","","","7,610","","","","22","%"],["Total general and administrative","","$","159,081","","","$","127,619","","","$","31,462","","","","25","%"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

Total general and administrative expenses increased $31.5 million, or 25%, for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was primarily due to higher personnel expenses from higher employee headcount, including headcount added through our acquisitions of Wavedash and Vegas.com, and from higher equity-based compensation expense. Higher professional fees incurred with our acquisitions of Wavedash and Vegas.com, which are reflected in other expenses, also contributed to the increase.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expenses increased $9.4 million, or 122%, during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was primarily due to the intangibles acquired as part of our acquisitions of Wavedash and Vegas.com and, to a lesser extent, an increase in capitalized development activities related to our platform. The magnitude of the increase attributable to the amortization of acquired intangibles had a significant impact on net income for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the prior-year period.

Change in Fair Value of Contingent Consideration

Change in fair value of contingent consideration was $1.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 due to the fair value remeasurement of cash earnouts.

Other (Income) Expense

Interest expense – net

Interest expense – net increased $0.6 million, or 5%, during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 primarily due to higher interest rates, partially offset by interest earned on cash balances.

Loss on extinguishment of debt

Loss on extinguishment of debt was $4.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2022 due to the refinancing of the June 2017 First Lien Loan with the February 2022 First Lien Loan in the first quarter of 2022. There was no loss on extinguishment of debt during the year ended December 31, 2023.

Other (income) expense

Other (income) expense decreased $5.1 million, or 62%, during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease was primarily due to the fair value remeasurement of warrants, net of foreign currency revaluation gains due to unrealized gains arising from the remeasurement of non-operating assets and liabilities denominated in non-functional currencies on the balance sheet date.

Income tax expense (benefit)

Income tax benefit increased $40.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was primarily due to the release of our valuation allowance on our U.S. net operating losses and interest limitations and tax credit carryforwards, as well as valuation allowance releases following the 2023 Secondary Offerings.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

We have historically financed our operations primarily through cash generated from operations. Our primary short-term requirements for liquidity and capital are to fund general working capital, capital expenditures and debt service requirements. Our primary long-term liquidity needs are related to debt repayment and potential acquisitions.

Our primary source of funds is cash generated from operations. Our existing cash and cash equivalents are sufficient to fund our liquidity needs for the next 12 months and thereafter for the foreseeable future. As of December 31, 2023, we had $125.5 million of cash and cash equivalents, which consist of interest-bearing deposit accounts, money market accounts managed by financial institutions and highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less. For the year ended December 31, 2023, we generated positive cash flows from our operating activities.

Loan Agreements

In May 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we entered into a first lien term loan (the “May 2020 First Lien Loan”), which resulted in $251.5 million in net cash proceeds. We had an outstanding loan balance of $275.7 million under the May 2020 First Lien Loan as of December 31, 2020. Additional interest was capitalized into the principal in the first nine months of 2021, resulting in an outstanding principal of $304.1 million as of September 30, 2021. On October 18, 2021, we repaid the May 2020 First Lien Loan in full in connection with, and using the proceeds from, the Merger Transaction and a related private investment in public equity (the "PIPE Financing") and incurred a $28.0 million prepayment penalty.

In June 2017, we entered into a $525.0 million first lien term loan (the “June 2017 First Lien Loan”). In July 2018, the June 2017 First Lien Loan was amended to upsize the committed amount by $115.0 million. In October 2021, we made an early principal payment related to the June 2017 First Lien Loan of $148.2 million in connection with, and using the proceeds from, the Merger Transaction and the PIPE Financing. We had an outstanding loan balance of $465.7 million under the June 2017 First Lien Loan as of December 31, 2021.

On February 3, 2022, we entered into an amendment which refinanced the remaining balance of $190.7 million from the June 2017 First Lien Loan with a new $275.0 million term loan (the “February 2022 First Lien Loan”), which has a maturity date of February 3, 2029, and added a new $100.0 million revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Facility”) with a maturity date of February 3, 2027.

The terms of the February 2022 First Lien Loan specify a secured overnight financing rate (“SOFR”)-based floating interest rate and contain a springing financial covenant that requires compliance with a first lien net leverage ratio when revolver borrowings exceed certain levels. All obligations under the February 2022 First Lien Loan are unconditionally guaranteed by Hoya Intermediate and substantially all of Hoya Intermediate’s existing and future direct and indirect wholly owned domestic subsidiaries. The February 2022 First Lien Loan requires quarterly amortization payments of $0.7 million. The Revolving Facility does not require periodic payments. All obligations under the February 2022 First Lien Loan are secured, subject to permitted liens and other exceptions, by first-priority perfected security interests in substantially all of our assets. The February 2022 First Lien Loan carries an interest rate of SOFR (subject to a 0.5% floor) plus 3.25%. The effective interest rate on the February 2022 First Lien Loan was 9.05% and 7.98% per annum at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

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In connection with our acquisition of Wavedash, we assumed long-term debt owed to Shoko Chukin Bank of JPY 458.3 million (approximately $3.1 million), which has a maturity date of June 24, 2026 and is subject to a fixed interest rate of 1.27% per annum.

As of December 31, 2023, we had the February 2022 First Lien Loan and the Shoko Chukin Bank Loan outstanding and we had no outstanding borrowings under the Revolving Facility.

Share Repurchases

On May 25, 2022, our Board authorized a share repurchase program for up to $40.0 million of our Class A common stock (the “Repurchase Program”). The Repurchase Program was announced on May 26, 2022 and its authorization was fully utilized during 2022 and the three months ended March 31, 2023. Cumulatively under the Repurchase Program, we repurchased 5.3 million shares of our Class A common stock for $40.0 million and paid $0.1 million in commissions. The share repurchases are accounted for as Treasury stock in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

On December 12, 2023, we repurchased 2.0 million shares of our Class A common stock from the underwriters of the December 2023 Secondary Offering at a price of $6.24 per share (the same price per share paid by the underwriters to Hoya Topco, the selling stockholder). See Note 17, Equity, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for more information regarding the December 2023 Secondary Offering.

Distributions to non-controlling interests

Per the Hoya Intermediate LLC agreement, Hoya Intermediate is required to make pro-rata tax distributions to its members, of which $14.3 million was distributed to non-controlling interests in the year ended December 31, 2023.

Tax Receivable Agreement

In connection with the Merger Transaction, we entered into the TRA with the existing Hoya Intermediate shareholders that provides for our payment to such shareholders of 85% of the amount of the tax savings, if any, that we realize (or, under certain circumstances, are deemed to realize) as a result of, or attributable to, (i) increases in the tax basis of assets owned directly or indirectly by Hoya Intermediate or its subsidiaries from, among other things, any redemptions or exchanges of Intermediate Units, (ii) existing tax basis (including depreciation and amortization deductions arising from such tax basis) in long-lived assets owned directly or indirectly by Hoya Intermediate and its subsidiaries, and (iii) certain other tax benefits (including deductions in respect of imputed interest) related to us making payments under the TRA.

In connection with the 2023 Secondary Offerings, Hoya Topco exchanged Intermediate Units, and as a result, we recorded a liability of $165.2 million, a deferred tax asset of $75.2 million related to the 2023 Secondary Offerings as well as the projected payments under the TRA, a decrease to additional paid-in capital of $95.8 million, and a $5.8 million income tax benefit related to valuation allowance releases on the portion of the deferred tax asset associated with the basis difference in the investment in the partnership excluded from the disclosure of deferred tax asset and valuation allowance. We also recognized an income tax benefit of $14.0 million related to the release of valuation allowances at the time of the 2023 Secondary Offerings.

Due to an increase in the applicable state and local tax rate, there was a remeasurement of the TRA liability recorded for the 2023 June Secondary Offering, which resulted in an increase in the liability of $0.6 million, with the corresponding expense included in other income in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2023. As a result of the increase in the TRA liability, we recorded an increase in deferred tax assets of $0.3 million which was recorded to deferred tax expense.

The TRA-related liabilities are classified as current or long-term based on the expected date of payment. At December 31, 2023, the amount due within the next 12 months was $0.1 million and is included in Accrued expenses and other current liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

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Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods indicated (in thousands):

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","2023","","","2022","","","2021"],["Net cash provided by operating activities","","$","147,320","","","$","14,375","","","$","175,790"],["Net cash used in investing activities","","","(225,641",")","","","(15,415",")","","","(9,345",")"],["Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities","","","(43,430",")","","","(236,480",")","","","38,028"],["Impact of foreign exchange on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash","","","1,895","","","","\u2014","","","","\u2014"],["Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash","","$","(119,856",")","","$","(237,520",")","","$","204,473"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

Cash Provided by Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities was $147.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 due to $113.1 million in net income, net non-cash charges of $2.0 million, and net cash inflows from a $36.2 million change in net operating assets and liabilities. The net cash inflows from the change in our net operating assets and liabilities were primarily due to an increase in accounts payable to ticket sellers, which typically occurs upon higher order volume as seen in 2023.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $14.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 due to $70.8 million in net income, non-cash charges of $24.4 million, and net cash outflows from a $80.8 million change in net operating assets and liabilities. The net cash outflows from the change in our net operating assets and liabilities were primarily due to decreases of $94.4 million in accrued expenses and other current liabilities and $30.8 million in accounts payable, partially offset by a $42.9 million decrease in prepaid expenses and other current assets. The decreases resulted primarily from sales tax liability settlements, the redemption of customer credits issued during the COVID-19 pandemic and a decrease in amounts payable to ticket sellers as events postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic finally occurred.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $175.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 due to $19.1 million in net loss, non-cash charges of $75.3 million and net cash inflows from a $119.7 million change in net operating assets and liabilities. The net cash inflows from the change in our net operating assets and liabilities were primarily due to increases of $128.2 million in accounts payable, $19.2 million in deferred revenue and $14.2 million in accrued expenses and other current liabilities, partially offset by a $44.1 million decrease related to deferred paid-in-kind interest paid on the May 2020 First Lien Loan, a $7.6 million decrease in prepaid expenses and other current assets and a $4.3 million increase in inventory. Excluding the decrease related to deferred paid-in-kind interest, each of these resulted from higher order volume and lower event cancellations in 2021.

Cash Used in Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $225.6 million, which was primarily related to our acquisitions of Wavedash and Vegas.com and, to a lesser extent, capital spending on development activities related to our platform and our investment in a privately held company.

Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $15.4 million, which was primarily attributable to capital spending on development activities related to our platform and capital expenditures related to our new corporate headquarters in Chicago, which we moved into in late 2022.

Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $9.3 million, which was primarily attributable to capital spending on development activities related to our platform.

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Cash (Used in) Provided by Financing Activities

Net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $43.4 million, which was primarily related to share repurchases and tax distributions to non-controlling interests.

Net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $236.5 million, which was primarily related to the repayment of the June 2017 First Lien Loan and share repurchases.

Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $38.0 million. This was due to capital contributions of $752.9 million, partially offset by $441.0 million in debt payments and debt extinguishment costs, $236.0 million of preferred equity redemptions, $20.1 million of Merger Transaction costs, and $17.7 million of dividends paid. We identified an immaterial error and revised the deferred interest payment of $44.1 million from an outflow in cash flows from financing activities to an outflow in cash flows from operating activities in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of December 31, 2023, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have had or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP, which requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, costs and expenses, and related disclosures. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and assumptions. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. The estimates and assumptions associated with revenue recognition, equity-based compensation, warrants and earnouts, recoverability of our goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets, definite-lived intangible assets, long-lived assets and valuation allowances have the greatest potential impact on our consolidated financial statements. Accordingly, these are the policies that are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our consolidated financial statements.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue from our Marketplace segment primarily consists of service and delivery fees from ticketing operations, reduced by incentives provided to ticket buyers, as well as service and delivery fees from travel reservations and other marketplace transactions we facilitate. We also recognize revenue for referral fees earned on the purchase of ticket insurance by buyers from third-party insurers.

We recognize revenue from live event tickets when the ticket seller confirms an order with the ticket buyer, at which point control of the ticket is transferred because the seller is then obligated to deliver the tickets to the buyer in accordance with the original marketplace listing. We recognize revenue from hotel reservations and tours at the time of check-in as the buyer does not have control of the item prior to that point. Revenue from Marketplace transactions is recognized on a net basis because we act as an agent for these transactions.

We estimate and reserve for future cancellation charges based on historical trends, with the corresponding charge reducing revenue. This reserve, known as accrued future customer compensation, is classified within Accrued expenses and other current liabilities, with a corresponding asset for expected recoveries from ticket sellers and distribution partners recorded within Prepaid expenses and other current assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Specific judgments and assumptions considered when estimating future cancellation charges include historical cancellation charges as a percentage of sales, the average length of time to realize such charges, and the potential exposure based on the volume of recent sales activity. Estimates for future cancellation charges resulting from event cancellations are determined based on historical event cancellation rates and the volume of sales for events that have not yet occurred.

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To the extent that actual cancellation charges are materially different than previously estimated amounts, or changes in recent trends require updates to previously reserved amounts, revenue may be materially impacted. In extreme circumstances, should actual cancellation charges exceed previous estimates by a significant amount, we may experience negative overall revenue.

When an event is cancelled, ticket buyers may receive either a cash refund or credit for future purchases in our marketplace. Credits issued to buyers for cancellations are recorded as accrued customer compensation within Accrued expenses and other current liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. When a credit is redeemed, revenue is recognized for the newly placed order. Breakage income from customer credits that are not expected to be used, and are not subject to escheatment, is estimated and recognized as revenue in proportion to the pattern of redemption for the customer credits that are used. We estimate breakage based on historical usage trends for credits issued by us and available data on comparable programs. To the extent that actual usage differs materially from expected usage, that trends in usage rates differ materially from those used to establish our breakage estimate, or that the volume of credits subject to escheatment changes, revenue may be materially impacted. In 2022 and 2023, we increased our estimated breakage rates based on lower credit usage. Our recorded breakage estimates exclude credits subject to escheatment and are further constrained by our limited history of customer credits and exposure to events outside of our control.

We also offer our customers the opportunity to participate in our Vivid Seats Rewards loyalty program, through our Marketplace segment, which allows enrolled buyers to earn and redeem credits on Vivid Seats transactions. We defer revenue associated with these credits, which is recorded as Deferred revenue on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The deferred amount is based on expected future usage, including the frequency with which buyers reach the threshold for reward credit conversions and the rate of credit redemptions, and is recognized as revenue when the credits are redeemed. To the extent that actual usage differs materially from expected usage, or that recent trends require a change in the estimated usage rate of unexpired credits, revenue will be materially impacted by the change.

Revenue from our Resale business primarily consists of sales of tickets to customers through online secondary ticket marketplaces. We recognize Resale revenue when an order is confirmed. We recognize Resale revenue on a gross basis because we act as a principal in these transactions.

Equity-Based Compensation

We account for restricted stock units ("RSUs"), stock options and profits interest at their grant date fair value. We award RSUs to our employees, directors and certain consultants. We also award stock options to certain employees and consultants. The awards are subject to the recipient’s continued service through the applicable vesting date. The grant date fair value of stock options is estimated using an option pricing model, which requires us to make assumptions and judgments about the variables used in the calculation related to the volatility of our common stock, risk-free interest rate and expected dividends. We estimate the fair value of profits interest using the Black-Scholes model, which includes assumptions related to volatility, expected term, dividend yield and risk-free interest rate. We account for forfeitures of outstanding, but unvested grants, in the period they occur. Expense related to grants of equity-based awards is recognized as equity-based compensation in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Warrants

The estimated fair value of warrant liabilities is determined using the Black-Scholes model, which requires us to make assumptions and judgments about the variables used in the calculation related to volatility, expected term, dividend yield and risk-free interest rate. The warrant liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

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Recoverability of Goodwill, Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets, Definite-Lived Intangible Assets, and Other Long-Lived Assets

Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets (Trademarks)

We account for acquired businesses using the acquisition method of accounting which requires that the assets acquired and liabilities assumed be recorded at the date of acquisition at their respective fair values. Our goodwill and indefinite-lived trademarks are held in our Marketplace segment, which contains two reporting units.

Goodwill is not subject to amortization and is reviewed for impairment annually, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate an impairment may have occurred. We assess goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level. Goodwill is considered impaired if the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, with an impairment charge recognized for the difference.

When reviewing goodwill for impairment, we begin by performing a qualitative assessment, which includes, but is not limited to, reviewing factors such as macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, cost factors, entity-specific financial performance and other events, including changes in our management. 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 then perform a quantitative assessment. Depending upon the results of that assessment, the recorded goodwill may be written down, and impairment expense is recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Operations when the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, as part of our annual assessment, a quantitative goodwill assessment was performed, and we determined that the fair value of our reporting units was greater than or equal to their respective carrying values.

Similar to goodwill, our indefinite-lived trademarks are not subject to amortization and are reviewed for impairment annually, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. For the year ended December 31, 2023, as part of our annual assessment, a quantitative and qualitative assessment was performed resulting in no impairment. The qualitative assessment included the history and longevity of our brands, our reputation, our market share and the importance of our brands in buying decisions.

Each reporting period, we perform an evaluation of the remaining useful life of our indefinite-lived trademarks to determine whether events and circumstances continue to support an indefinite life. We consider the life of our indefinite-lived trademarks to be appropriate for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Long-Lived Assets

We assess our indefinite-lived intangible asset (our trademarks) and other long-lived assets (collectively, our “long-lived assets”) for impairment periodically to determine whether events or business changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of an asset or asset group may not be recoverable. We classify our long-lived assets as a single asset group, which consists primarily of definite-lived intangible assets, property and equipment, right-of-use assets and personal seat licenses. Our definite-lived intangible assets consist of customer and supplier relationships, acquired developed technology and capitalized development costs.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, management did not identify any events or changes in circumstances which would indicate the carrying amount of an asset or asset group may not be recoverable. As such, there were no long-lived asset impairments for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Tax Valuation Allowance

We recognize deferred tax assets for the expected future benefit from certain net operating losses, tax credits, basis differences from investments in operating partnerships and other similar items. To the extent we believe all or a portion of these assets are not more likely than not to be realized, we record a valuation allowance against the deferred tax asset’s value.

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In determining the realizability of our deferred tax assets, we consider all available positive and negative evidence, including historical taxable income or loss amounts, projected future taxable income, anticipated reversals of temporary book/tax differences, tax planning strategies and recent results of operations. This assessment requires us to make judgements that rely heavily on future projections and assumptions that are inherently uncertain. In addition, we must make determinations about the relative weighting of certain positive and negative evidence to arrive at a conclusion regarding the need for a valuation allowance. To the extent actual results of operations, or actual taxable income or loss, differs materially from our assumptions, we would need to modify the valuation allowance with a corresponding adjustment to net income or net loss.

Hoya Intermediate is a limited liability company taxed as a partnership and, accordingly, any taxable income generated by Hoya Intermediate is included in the taxable income of its members, including VSI. As a result of the current tax structure, we have a significant deferred tax asset resulting from an outside basis difference in the investment in Hoya Intermediate. The realizability of this deferred tax asset is dependent upon whether the tax basis is expected to be recovered through ordinary business operations and would therefore not result in a capital loss. In general, the realizability of our deferred tax assets depends on the existence of sufficient taxable income of the appropriate character prior to expiration. We make judgements and rely on future projections of income, which are inherently uncertain, in determining the realizability of the deferred tax assets.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report for a description of recently adopted accounting pronouncements and issued accounting pronouncements not yet adopted.

JOBS Act Accounting Election

Section 107 of the JOBS Act allows emerging growth companies to take advantage of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. Under Section 107 of the JOBS Act, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. Any decision to opt out of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards is irrevocable. We have elected to use the extended transition period under Section 107 of the JOBS Act.

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