Filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Registration Statement No. 333-265219

PROSPECTUS/OFFER TO EXCHANGE

VIVID SEATS INC.

Offer to Exchange Warrants to Acquire Shares of Class A Common Stock

of

Vivid Seats Inc.

for

Shares of Class A Common Stock

of

Vivid Seats Inc.

and

Consent Solicitation

THE OFFER PERIOD (AS DEFINED HEREIN) AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS WILL EXPIRE AT 11:59 P.M., EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, ON JUNE 29, 2022, OR SUCH LATER TIME AND DATE TO WHICH WE MAY EXTEND THE OFFER.

Terms of the Offer and Consent Solicitation

Until the Expiration Date (as defined herein), we are offering to the holders of our outstanding public warrants each to purchase shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A Common Stock”), of Vivid Seats Inc. (the “Company”), the opportunity to receive 0.240 shares of Class A Common Stock in exchange for each of our outstanding public warrants tendered by the holder and exchanged pursuant to the offer (the “Offer”).

The Offer is being made to all holders of our public warrants. The public warrants are governed by the warrant agreement, dated as of October 14, 2021 (the “Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement”), by and between Horizon Acquisition Corporation, our predecessor (“Horizon”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent. Our Class A Common Stock and public warrants are listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbols “SEAT” and “SEATW,” respectively. As of June 24, 2022, a total of 18,132,766 public warrants were outstanding. Pursuant to the Offer, we are offering up to an aggregate of 4,351,864 shares of our Class A Common Stock in exchange for the public warrants.

Each warrant holder whose public warrants are exchanged pursuant to the Offer will receive 0.240 shares of our Class A Common Stock for each public warrant tendered by such holder and exchanged. No fractional shares of Class A Common Stock will be issued pursuant to the Offer. In lieu of issuing fractional shares, any holder of public warrants who would otherwise have been entitled to receive fractional shares pursuant to the Offer will, after aggregating all such fractional shares of such holder, be paid in cash (without interest) in an amount equal to such fractional part of a share multiplied by the last sale price of our Class A Common Stock on Nasdaq on the last trading day of the Offer Period (as defined herein). Our obligation to complete the Offer is not conditioned on the receipt of a minimum number of tendered public warrants.

Concurrently with the Offer, we are also soliciting consents (the “Consent Solicitation”) from holders of the public warrants to amend the Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement, which governs all of the public warrants, to permit the Company to require that each public warrant that is outstanding upon the closing of the Offer be converted into 0.213 shares of Class A Common Stock, which is a ratio 12.7% less than the exchange

ratio applicable to the Offer. Pursuant to the terms of the Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement, all except certain specified modifications or amendments require the vote or written consent of holders of at least 65% of the outstanding public warrants.

Eldridge Industries, LLC (“Eldridge”), which holds approximately 28.5% of our outstanding public warrants, has agreed to tender its public warrants in the Offer and to consent to the Warrant Amendment in the Consent Solicitation pursuant to a tender and support agreement (the “Tender and Support Agreement”). Accordingly, if holders of an additional approximately 36.5% of the outstanding public warrants consent to the Warrant Amendment in the Consent Solicitation, and the other conditions described herein are satisfied or waived, then the Warrant Amendment will be adopted. For additional detail regarding the Tender and Support Agreement, see “Market Information, Dividends and Related Stockholder Matters—Transactions and Agreements Concerning Our Securities—Tender and Support Agreement.”

You may not consent to the Warrant Amendment without tendering your public warrants in the Offer, and you may not tender public warrants without consenting to the Warrant Amendment. The consent to the Warrant Amendment is a part of the letter of transmittal and consent relating to the public warrants, and therefore by tendering your public warrants for exchange you will be delivering to us your consent. You may revoke your consent at any time prior to the Expiration Date by withdrawing the public warrants you have tendered in the Offer.

The Offer and Consent Solicitation is made solely upon the terms and conditions in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange and in the related letter of transmittal and consent (as it may be supplemented and amended from time to time, the “Letter of Transmittal and Consent”). The Offer and Consent Solicitation will be open until 11:59 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time, on June 29, 2022, or such later time and date to which we may extend (the period during which the Offer and Consent Solicitation is open, giving effect to any withdrawal or extension, is referred to as the “Offer Period,” and the date and time at which the Offer Period ends is referred to as the “Expiration Date”). The Offer and Consent Solicitation is not made to those holders who reside in states or other jurisdictions where an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

We may withdraw the Offer and Consent Solicitation only if the conditions to the Offer and Consent Solicitation are not satisfied or waived prior to the Expiration Date. Promptly upon any such withdrawal, we will return the tendered warrants to the holders (and the related consent to the Warrant Amendment will be revoked).

You may tender some or all of your public warrants in response to the Offer. If you elect to tender warrants in response to the Offer and Consent Solicitation, please follow the instructions in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange and the related documents, including the Letter of Transmittal and Consent. If you tender warrants, you may withdraw your tendered warrants at any time before the Expiration Date and retain them on their current terms, or amended terms if the Warrant Amendment is approved, by following the instructions in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange. In addition, tendered warrants that are not accepted by us for exchange by July 28, 2022 may thereafter be withdrawn by you until such time as the warrants are accepted by us for exchange. If you withdraw the tender of your public warrants, your consent to the Warrant Amendment will be withdrawn as a result.

Public warrants not exchanged for shares of our Class A Common Stock pursuant to the Offer will remain outstanding subject to their current terms, or amended terms if the Warrant Amendment is approved. If the Warrant Amendment is approved, we intend to require the conversion of all outstanding public warrants to shares of Class A Common Stock as provided in the Warrant Amendment. Our public warrants are currently listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “SEATW”; however, our public warrants may be delisted if, following the completion of the Offer and Consent Solicitation, the extent of public distribution or the aggregate market value of outstanding warrants has become so reduced as to make further listing inadvisable or unavailable.

The Offer and Consent Solicitation is conditioned upon the effectiveness of a registration statement on Form S-4 that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) regarding the shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon exchange of the public warrants pursuant to the Offer. This Prospectus/Offer to Exchange forms a part of the registration statement.

Our board of directors (the “Board of Directors”) has approved the Offer and Consent Solicitation. However, neither we nor any of our management, our Board of Directors or the information agent, the exchange agent or the dealer manager for the Offer and Consent Solicitation is making any recommendation as to whether holders of public warrants should tender warrants for exchange in the Offer and, as applicable, consent to the Warrant Amendment in the Consent Solicitation. Each holder of a public warrant must make its own decision as to whether to exchange some or all of its public warrants and, as applicable, consent to the Warrant Amendment.

All questions concerning the terms of the Offer and Consent Solicitation should be directed to the dealer manager:

Evercore Group L.L.C.

55 East 52^nd Street, 35^th Floor

New York, New York 10055

Toll-Free: (888) 474-0200

All questions concerning exchange procedures and requests for additional copies of this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange, the Letter of Transmittal and Consent or the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery should be directed to the information agent:

D.F. King & Co., Inc.

48 Wall Street, 22^nd Floor

New York, New York 10005

Banks and Brokers call: (212) 269-5550

Call Toll Free: (800) 549-6864

Email: vivid@dfking.com

We will amend our offering materials, including this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange, to the extent required by applicable securities laws to disclose any material changes to information previously published, sent or given to warrant holders.

The securities offered by this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange involve risks. Before participating in the Offer and consenting to the Warrant Amendment, you are urged to read carefully the section titled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 9 of this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange.

Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission or any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Through the Offer, we are soliciting your consent to the Warrant Amendment. By tendering your public warrants, you will be delivering your consent to the proposed Warrant Amendment, which consent will be effective upon our acceptance of public warrants for exchange.

The dealer manager for the Offer and Consent Solicitation is:

Evercore ISI

This Prospectus/Offer to Exchange is dated June 28, 2022.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS/OFFER TO EXCHANGE

This Prospectus/Offer to Exchange is a part of the registration statement that we filed on Form S-4 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. You should read this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange, including the detailed information regarding the Company, our Class A Common Stock and public warrants and the financial statements and the notes included herein and any applicable prospectus supplement.

We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange. If anyone makes any recommendation or representation to you, or gives you any information, you must not rely upon that recommendation, representation or information as having been authorized by us. We and the dealer manager take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. You should not assume that the information in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange or any prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of those documents. You should not consider this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange to be an offer or solicitation relating to the securities in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation relating to the securities is not authorized. Furthermore, you should not consider this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange to be an offer or solicitation relating to the securities if the person making the offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so, or if it is unlawful for you to receive such an offer or solicitation.

We are making this Offer to all public warrant holders except those holders who reside in states or other jurisdictions where an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful (or would require further action in order to comply with applicable securities laws).

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Prospectus/Offer to Exchange includes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “designed,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions which are predictions of, or indicate future events and trends or which do not related to historical matters, may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:

These forward-looking statements are based largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Forward-looking statements are predictions and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange, or in the case of statements incorporated by reference, on the date of the document incorporated by reference.

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Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange under the sections entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors,” in our press releases and in our other financial filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange are based upon information available to us as of the date of this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange or, in the case of statements incorporated by reference, on the date of the document incorporated by reference. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange, whether as a result of new information, future events, or risks. New information, future events, or risks may cause the forward-looking events we discuss in this report not to occur.

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CERTAIN DEFINED TERMS

Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange to:    

“Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement” are to that certain Warrant Agreement, dated as of October 14, 2021, between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and Horizon, which amended and restated the Prior Warrant Agreement;

“B2B” are to business-to-business;

“B2C” are to business-to-consumer;

“Blocker Corporations” are to the Blocker Corporations as defined in the Tax Receivable Agreement;

“Business Combination” are to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Agreement;

“bylaws” are to our amended and restated bylaws currently in effect, filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange forms a part;

“charter” are to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation currently in effect, filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange forms a part;    

“Closing” are to the consummation of the Business Combination on October 18, 2021;    

“Consent Solicitation” are to the solicitation of consent from the holders of the public warrants to approve the Warrant Amendment;

“Eldridge” are to Eldridge Industries, LLC;

“Exchange Agreement” are to that certain Exchange Agreement, dated as of April 21, 2021, by and between Sponsor and Horizon;    

“Expiration Date” are to 11:59 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time, on June 29, 2022;

“Form of New Warrant Agreement” are to that certain form of warrant agreement entered into by and between Horizon and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company pursuant to which the Vivid Seats $10.00 Exercise Warrants and Vivid Seats $15.00 Exercise Warrants were issued;

“GAAP” are to generally accepted accounting principles in the United States;

“Horizon IPO Public Warrants” are to the warrants sold by Horizon as part of the units in Horizon’s initial public offering of units, the base offering of which closed on August 25, 2020;

“Horizon Equityholders” are to Sponsor and any investment vehicles or funds managed or controlled, directly or indirectly, by any of Sponsor’s affiliates;    

“Horizon $10.00 Exercise Warrants” are to warrants for Horizon Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, with an exercise price of $10.00, issued in connection with the Sponsor Exchange;    

“Horizon $15.00 Exercise Warrants” are to warrants for Horizon Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, with an exercise price of $15.00, issued in connection with the Sponsor Exchange;

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“Hoya Intermediate” are to Hoya Intermediate, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company;

“Hoya Intermediate Warrants” are warrants issued by Hoya Intermediate to the Company and Hoya Topco;

“Hoya Topco” are to Hoya Topco, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company;

“Intermediate Common Units” are to common units of Hoya Intermediate;

“Letter of Transmittal and Consent” are to the letter of transmittal and consent (as it may be supplemented and amended from time to time) related to the Offer and Consent Solicitation;

“Marketplace GOV” are to the total transactional amount of Marketplace segment orders placed on the Vivid Seats platform in a period, inclusive of fees, exclusive of taxes, and net of event cancellations that occurred during that period;    

“Offer” are to the opportunity to receive 0.240 shares of Class A Common Stock in exchange for each of our outstanding public warrants;

“Offer Period” are to the period during which the Offer and Consent Solicitation is open, giving effect to any extension;    

“PIPE Investors” are to the qualified institutional buyers and accredited investors, including Sponsor or its affiliates, that purchased shares of our Class A Common Stock in the PIPE Subscription;    

“PIPE Subscription” are to the issuance and sale of shares of our Class A Common Stock to the PIPE Investors in a private placement that closed concurrently with the Closing;    

“Prior Warrant Agreement” are to that certain Warrant Agreement, dated as of August 20, 2020, between Horizon and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company;

“Private Equity Owner” are to, collectively, GTCR Fund XI/B LP, GTCR Fund XI/C LP, GTCR Co-Invest XI LP, GTCR Golder Rauner, L.L.C., GTCR Golder Rauner II, L.L.C., GTCR Management XI LLC and GTCR LLC;

“public warrants” are to the public warrants to purchase the Company’s Class A Common Stock issued and outstanding pursuant to the Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement, as amended;

“Registration Rights Agreement” are to that certain Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of October 18, 2021, by and among us, Sponsor, Hoya Topco and the other holders party thereto;    

“Reorganization Transaction” are to a Reorganization Transaction as defined in the Tax Receivable Agreement;

“Second A&R LLCA” are to the Second Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Hoya Intermediate;

“Sponsor” are to Horizon Sponsor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company;

“Sponsor Agreement” are to that certain Sponsor Agreement, dated as of April 21, 2021, by and among Eldridge, Sponsor, Horizon and Hoya Topco;

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“Sponsor Exchange” are to the irrevocable tender by Sponsor to Horizon of all of its Horizon Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, for cancellation in exchange for (i) the Horizon $10.00 Exercise Warrants, (ii) the Horizon $15.00 Exercise Warrants and (iii) 50,000 shares of Horizon Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, pursuant to the Exchange Agreement;     

“Stockholders’ Agreement” are to that certain Stockholders’ Agreement, dated as of October 18, 2021, by and among the Company, Sponsor and Hoya Topco;

“Tax Receivable Agreement” are to that certain Tax Receivable Agreement, dated October 18, 2021, by and among the Company, Hoya Topco, Hoya Intermediate, the TRA Holder Representative and other TRA Holders;    

“Tender and Support Agreement” are to that certain Tender and Support Agreement, dated May 26, 2022, by and between Eldridge and the Company;

“Topco Equityholders” are to (a) Hoya Topco or (b) after the distribution (in the aggregate pursuant to one or more distributions) by Hoya Topco of more than 50% of the voting shares of the Company held by Hoya Topco on October 18, 2021, (i) GTCR Fund XI/B LP, GTCR Fund XI/C LP, GTCR Co-Invest XI LP, GTCR Golder Rauner, L.L.C., GTCR Golder Rauner II, L.L.C., GTCR Management XI LLC and/or GTCR LLC and (ii) any investment vehicles or funds managed or controlled, directly or indirectly, by or otherwise affiliated with the foregoing entities;

“Total Marketplace orders” are to the volume of Marketplace segment orders placed on the Vivid Seats platform during a period, net of event cancellations occurring during the period;    

“Total Resale orders” are to the volume of Resale segment orders sold by the Vivid Seats’ resale team in a period, net of event cancellations that occurred during that period;    

“TRA Holder Representative” are to GTCR Management XI, LLC;

“TRA Holders” are to the TRA Holders as defined in the Tax Receivable Agreement;

“Transaction Agreement” are to that certain Transaction Agreement, dated as of April 21, 2021, by and among Horizon, Sponsor, Hoya Topco, Hoya Intermediate and the Company;     

“Vivid Seats $10.00 Exercise Warrants” are to warrants to purchase our Class A Common Stock with an exercise price of $10.00, issued in exchange for the Horizon $10.00 Exercise Warrants, with terms consistent with the Form of New Warrant Agreement;    

“Vivid Seats $15.00 Exercise Warrants” are to warrants to purchase our Class A Common Stock with an exercise price of $10.00, issued in exchange for the Horizon $15.00 Exercise Warrants, with terms consistent with the Form of New Warrant Agreement;    

“Vivid Seats Class B Warrants” are to warrants to purchase our Class B Common Stock exercisable upon the exercise of Hoya Intermediate Warrants held by Hoya Topco;    

“Vivid Seats Private Placement Warrants” are to the private placement warrants to purchase the Company’s Class A Common Stock issued and outstanding pursuant to the Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement, as amended; and

“Warrant Amendment” are to the amendment to the Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement permitting us to require that each outstanding public warrant be converted into 0.213 shares of Class A Common Stock, which is a ratio 12.7% less than the exchange ratio applicable to the Offer.

Additionally, unless the context otherwise requires, references in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange to the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” and similar references refer to Vivid Seats Inc. and its subsidiaries.

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. In addition to the risks and uncertainties discussed above under “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” you should carefully consider the risk factors below, as well as the other information contained in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange, before making an investment decision. Any of the risk factors could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects and the trading price of our securities, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The global COVID-19 pandemic has had, and may continue to have, a material negative impact on our business and operating results. The ultimate magnitude of this impact will depend on a variety of factors, including the duration of the pandemic, the acceptance and efficacy of vaccines and other mitigation efforts, restrictions or new operational requirements, the state of the U.S. and global economies as a result of the pandemic, and the public’s willingness to attend events with large numbers of people, all of which are uncertain at this time.

The global spread and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is complex, unpredictable, and continuously evolving. It has resulted in significant disruption and additional risks to our business, the entertainment industry, and the global economy. The COVID-19 pandemic has led governments and other authorities around the world to impose measures intended to control its spread, including restrictions on large gatherings of people, travel bans, border closings and restrictions, business closures, quarantines, shelter-in-place orders, social distancing measures and vaccine requirements. In mid-March 2020, as the unprecedented impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic became clearer, concert promoters, venue operators, sports leagues and theaters around the world shut down.

Different jurisdictions have lifted social distancing guidelines and restrictions on gatherings of people at different times and may continue to have different rules in place in the future. While vaccination programs around the world began in late 2020, with widespread distribution and availability in the United States by mid-2021, the ultimate impact of such programs on the pandemic and its duration, including the efficacy and acceptance of the vaccine, still remains unclear.

At this time, it is difficult to know or predict when events will be held at a pre-pandemic scope and scale on a consistent basis and what restrictions will be placed on future events due to the unknown evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of March 31, 2022, most jurisdictions permit full capacity and many events were taking place as planned, but some events continue to be canceled, rescheduled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of variants such as Delta and Omicron. All sports leagues have recommenced, but some have done so with restrictions related to vaccination and/or testing status and, in some cases at reduced capacity or other social distancing measures, which impacts the need for ticketing. There has been increasing concert and theater activity, but the number of concert and theater events is still below that of pre-COVID levels.

Our business depends on concert, sporting and theater events in order to generate most of our revenue from ticket sales in the secondary ticket market. Due to fewer sporting, concert and theater events as well as lower fan attendance since the onset of the pandemic, our revenue has been negatively impacted and it is possible these circumstances continue for a longer period of time than currently anticipated.

We face ancillary risks and uncertainties arising from the global COVID-19 pandemic in addition to the possible shutdown or limitation of concert, sporting and theater events. COVID-19, and its variants including Omicron, may also precipitate or aggravate other risk factors, which have had, and may continue to have, a

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material negative impact on our business and operating results. Many of these risks and uncertainties may extend beyond the duration of current pandemic conditions due to the uncertainty around how concert, sporting and theater industries may change going forward as a result of the pandemic. Such additional or attendant risks and uncertainties include, among other things:

The likelihood of the realization or intensification of these risks and uncertainties and the ultimate magnitude of their impact on us are not knowable or quantifiable at this time. The global COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts may continue to endure for an unknown period of time. New COVID-19 variants have and may continue to emerge, which could lead to new or additional restrictions being put into place for a greater duration of time. The longer the duration of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the greater the ancillary and lingering effects, and the greater the negative impact on us and our results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Business and the Live Events and Ticketing Industries

Our business is dependent on the continued occurrence of large-scale sporting events, concerts and theater shows and any decrease in the number of such events will result in decreased demand for our services.

Ticket sales are sensitive to fluctuations in the number of entertainment, sporting and theater events and activities offered by promoters, teams and facilities, and adverse trends in the entertainment, sporting and leisure event industries could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We rely on these entertainers to create and perform at live music, sporting and theater events, and any unwillingness to tour, lack of availability of popular artists or decrease in the number of games or performances held could limit our ability to generate revenue. Accordingly, our success depends upon the ability of these promoters, teams and facilities to correctly anticipate public demand for particular events, as well as the availability of popular artists, entertainers and teams, and any decrease in availability or failure to anticipate public demand could result in reduced demand for our services, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business depends on relationships with buyers, sellers and distribution partners, and any adverse changes in these relationships will adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business is dependent on maintaining our deep and longstanding relationships with the parties that use our platform to buy and sell tickets, including ticket buyers, ticket sellers, and distribution partners that sell

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tickets to consumers using our ticket inventory, payment platform and customer service. We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to maintain existing relationships, or enter into new relationships, on acceptable terms, if at all, and the failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in Internet search engine algorithms and dynamics, or search engine disintermediation, or changes in marketplace rules could have a negative impact on traffic for our sites and ultimately, our business and results of operations.

We rely heavily on Internet search engines, such as Google, to generate traffic to our website, through a combination of organic and paid searches. Search engines frequently update and change the logic that determines the placement and display of results of a user’s search, such that the purchased or algorithmic placement of links to our website can be negatively affected. In addition, a search engine could, for competitive or other purposes, alter its search algorithms or results causing our website to be placed lower in organic search query results. If a major search engine changes its algorithms in a manner that negatively affects the search engine ranking of our website or those of our partners, our business, results of operations and financial condition would be harmed. Furthermore, our failure to successfully manage our search engine optimization could result in a substantial decrease in traffic to our website, as well as increased costs if we were to replace free traffic with paid traffic, which may harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We also rely on application marketplaces, such as Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play, to enable downloads of our applications. Such marketplaces have in the past made, and may in the future make, changes that make access to our products more difficult or limit the features we are able to offer. For example, our applications may receive unfavorable treatment compared to the promotion and placement of competing applications, such as the order in which they appear within marketplaces. Further, iOS and Android apps are an important distribution channel for sales of our tickets. If Apple or Google chooses to charge commissions or fees on our revenue from app-based purchases, and we fail to negotiate favorable terms, it may harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. Similarly, if problems arise in our relationships with providers of application marketplaces, our user growth could be harmed.

We face intense competition in the ticketing industry, and we may not be able to maintain or increase our ticket listings and sales, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business faces significant competition from other national, regional and local primary and secondary ticketing service providers to secure new and retain existing sellers, buyers and distribution partners on a continuous basis. We also face competition in the resale of tickets from other professional ticket resellers. The intense competition that we face in the ticketing industry could cause the volume of our ticketing business to decline, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Other competitive variables that could lead to a decrease in event attendance, ticket prices, fees and/or profit margins that could adversely affect our financial performance include:

In addition, competition within the gaming and fantasy sports industry is significant, and our existing and potential users may elect to use competing daily fantasy sports products.

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If we do not continue to maintain and improve our platform or develop successful new solutions and enhancements, our business will suffer.

Our ability to attract and retain sellers, buyers and distribution partners depends in large part on our ability to provide a user-friendly and effective platform, develop and improve our platform and introduce compelling new solutions and enhancements. Our industry is characterized by rapidly changing technology, service and product introductions and changing demands of sellers, buyers and distribution partners. We spend substantial time and resources understanding such parties’ needs and responding to them. Building new solutions is costly and complex, and the timetable for commercial release is difficult to predict and may vary from our historical experience. In addition, after development, sellers, buyers and distribution partners may not be satisfied with our enhancements or perceive that the enhancements do not adequately meet their needs. The success of a new solution or enhancement to our platform can depend on several factors, including timely completion and delivery, competitive pricing, adequate quality testing, integration with our platform, user awareness and overall market acceptance and adoption. If we do not continue to maintain and improve our platform or develop successful new solutions and enhancements or improve existing ones, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be harmed.

The reputation and brand of our marketplace is important to our success, and if we are not able to maintain and enhance our brand, our business, financial condition and results of operation may be adversely affected.

Maintaining and enhancing our reputation and brand as a differentiated ticketing marketplace serving buyers, sellers and distribution partners is critical in retaining our relationships with our existing buyers, sellers and distribution partners and to our ability to attract new buyers, sellers and distribution partners. The successful promotion of our brand attributes will depend on a number of factors that we control and some factors outside of our control.

The promotion of our brand requires us to make substantial expenditures and management investment, which will increase as our market becomes more competitive and as we seek to expand our marketplace. To the extent these activities yield increased revenue, this revenue may not offset the increased expenses we incur. If we do not successfully maintain and enhance our brand and successfully differentiate our marketplace from competitive products and services, our business may not grow, we may not be able to compete effectively and we could lose buyers, sellers or distribution partners or fail to attract potential new buyers, sellers and distribution partners, all of which would adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

There are also factors outside of our control, which could undermine our reputation and harm our brand. Negative perception of our marketplace may harm our business, including as a result of complaints or negative publicity about us; the promotion on our platform of events that are deemed to be COVID-19 “superspreader” events by the media; our inability to timely comply with local laws, regulations and/or consumer protection related guidance; the use of our platform to sell fraudulent tickets; responsiveness to issues or complaints and timing of refunds and/or reversal of payments on our platform; actual or perceived disruptions or defects in our platform; security incidents; or lack of awareness of our policies or changes to our policies that sellers, buyers or others perceive as overly restrictive, unclear or inconsistent with our values.

If we are unable to maintain a reputable platform that provides valuable solutions and desirable events, then our ability to attract and retain sellers, buyers and distribution partners could be impaired and our reputation, brand and business could be harmed.

Our success depends on the supply and demand of concert, sporting and theater events and if either declines, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A reduction in the number of live concert, sporting and theater events will have an adverse effect on our revenue and operating income. Many of the factors affecting the number and availability of live concert, sporting

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and theater events are beyond our control. For instance, certain sports leagues have experienced labor disputes leading to threatened or actual player lockouts. Any such lockouts that result in shortened or canceled seasons will adversely impact our business both due to the loss of games and ticketing opportunities as well as the possibility of decreased attendance following such a lockout due to adverse fan reaction.

A decline in attendance at live concert, sporting and theater events may also have an adverse effect on our revenue and operating income. Our business depends on discretionary consumer and corporate spending. Many factors related to corporate spending and discretionary consumer spending, including economic conditions affecting disposable consumer income such as unemployment levels, fuel prices, interest rates, changes in tax rates and tax laws that impact companies or individuals, and rising inflation can significantly impact our operating results. Business conditions, as well as various industry conditions, can also significantly impact our operating results as these factors can affect premium seat sales. Negative factors such as challenging economic conditions and public concerns over terrorism and security incidents, particularly when combined, can also impact corporate and consumer spending. During periods of economic slowdown and recession, many consumers have historically reduced their discretionary spending. The risks associated with our business will become more acute in periods of a slowing economy or recession, which may be accompanied by a decrease in attendance at live concert, sporting and theater events.

The impact of economic slowdowns, including the current economic environment due to COVID-19, on our business resulted in reductions in ticket sales and our ability to generate revenue. The reduction in discretionary spending and confidence for consumers resulted in a decline in ticket sales and attendance, which impacted our operating results and growth. There can be no assurance that consumer and corporate spending will not continue to be adversely impacted by current economic conditions, or by any future deterioration in economic conditions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may be adversely affected by the occurrence of extraordinary events, such as terrorist attacks, disease epidemics or pandemics, severe weather events and natural disasters.

The occurrence and threat of extraordinary events, such as terrorist attacks, intentional or unintentional mass-casualty incidents, public health concerns such as contagious disease epidemics or pandemics, public safety incidents such as Astroworld, and natural disasters or similar severe weather events, may deter artists from touring, teams from holding games and/or substantially decrease the use of and demand for our services, which may decrease our revenue or expose us to substantial liability.

Terrorism and security incidents in the past, military actions and wars, periodic elevated terrorism alerts and fears related to contagious disease epidemics and pandemics have raised numerous challenging operating factors, including public concerns regarding air travel, military actions and additional national or local catastrophic incidents, causing a nationwide disruption of commercial and leisure activities.

The occurrence of these events may deter buyers from attending and purchasing tickets to live concerts, sporting or theater events, which will negatively impact our business and financial performance. Moreover, performers, venues, teams or promoters may decide to cancel concert, sporting and theater events due to social distancing requirements, such as those imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, or due to severe weather events or natural disasters.

Attendance at events may decline or events may be cancelled due to these extraordinary, perilous events, which could adversely impact our operating results. Cancellations of such events could adversely affect our financial performance, as we are obligated to issue refunds or credits for tickets purchased for those events that are not rescheduled.

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We may enter into agreements to acquire certain businesses and take actions in connection with such acquisitions that could affect our business and results of operations; if we are unsuccessful in our future acquisitions, our business could be adversely impacted.

Our future growth rate may depend in part on our selective acquisition of additional businesses. A portion of our growth has been attributable to acquisitions, such as the acquisition of Fanxchange Limited in 2019 and Betcha Sports, Inc. (“Betcha”) in 2021. We may be unable to identify other suitable targets for acquisition or make acquisitions at favorable prices. If we identify a suitable acquisition candidate, our ability to successfully complete the acquisition depends on a variety of factors and may include our ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms and requisite government approvals. In addition, our credit facility restricts our ability to make certain acquisitions. In connection with future acquisitions, we could take certain actions that could adversely affect our business, including:

In addition, acquisitions involve inherent risks which, if realized, could adversely affect our business and results of operations, including those associated with:

For example, we acquired Betcha, a real money daily fantasy sports app with social and gamification features that enhance fans’ connection with their favorite live sports, in December 2021. This acquisition involves inherent risks, including those associated with integrating a new line of business and adhering to a new regulatory regime. The success of this acquisition is based, in part, on our ability to overcome these risks.

Our financial performance in certain quarters and years may not be indicative of, or comparable to, our financial performance in subsequent financial quarters or years due to seasonality and other operational factors.

Our financial results and cash needs will vary greatly from quarter to quarter and year to year depending on, among other things, sports teams performance, the timing of tours, tour cancellations, event ticket sales, weather, seasonal and other fluctuations in our operating results, the timing of guaranteed payments, financing activities, competitive dynamics, acquisitions and investments and receivables management. Because our results may vary significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year, our financial results for one quarter or year cannot

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necessarily be compared to another quarter or year and may not be indicative of our future financial performance in subsequent quarters or years. Typically, we experience our lowest financial performance in the first and second quarters of the calendar year due to the timing of large-scale events and concerts on sales and we experience increased activity in the fourth quarter when all major sports leagues are in season and there is an increase in order volume for theater and concert events during the holiday season. In addition, the timing of tours of top grossing acts can impact comparability of quarterly results year over year and potentially annual results. Similarly, the number of games in playoff series and the teams involved can vary year over year and impact our results. The seasonality of our business could create cash flow management risks if we do not adequately anticipate and plan for periods of decreased activity, which could negatively impact our ability to execute on our strategy, which in turn could harm our results of operations. Due to the unprecedented stoppage of concert, sporting and theater events globally in mid-March of 2020, and the gradual reopening of live events, we did not experience our typical seasonality trends in 2020 or 2021.

We rely on the experience and expertise of our senior management team, key technical employees and other highly skilled personnel and the failure to retain, motivate or integrate any of these individuals could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our success depends upon the continued service of our senior management team and key technical employees, as well as our ability to continue to attract and retain additional highly qualified personnel. Our future success depends on our continuing ability to identify, hire, develop, motivate, retain and integrate highly skilled personnel for all areas of our organization. Each of our executive officers, key technical personnel and other employees could terminate his or her relationship with us at any time. The loss of any member of our senior management team or key personnel might significantly delay or prevent the achievement of our business objectives and could harm our business and our relationships. Competition in our industry for qualified employees is intense. In addition, our compensation arrangements, such as our equity award programs, may not always be successful in attracting new employees and retaining and motivating our existing employees.

We face significant competition for personnel, particularly in Chicago, Illinois, Dallas, Texas and Toronto, Ontario. To attract top talent, we have had to offer, and we will need to continue to offer, competitive compensation and benefits packages. We may also need to increase our employee compensation levels in response to competition and rising inflation. In 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we reduced our workforce by approximately 50%. In 2021, as the economy recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made extraordinary efforts to attract and secure top talent, which has resulted in our workforce reaching approximately 85% of our pre-COVID number. However, the market for talent continues to be competitive and it has been challenging to hire new employees quickly enough to meet our needs. If we fail to effectively manage our hiring needs or successfully integrate new hires, our efficiency, ability to meet forecasts and our employee morale, productivity and retention could suffer, which may harm our business.

Impairment of our goodwill could negatively impact our financial results and financial condition.

In accordance with GAAP, we test goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment annually, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the assets might be impaired. If the carrying amount of our goodwill exceeds its implied fair value, an impairment loss equal to the excess is recorded. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized a total non-cash impairment charge of $573.8 million, including an impairment of goodwill of $377.1 million. As of March 31, 2022, we had goodwill of approximately $718.2 million, which constituted approximately 56.4% of our total assets at that date. Due to stock market volatility, economic uncertainty and the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, we cannot provide assurance that remaining goodwill will not be further impaired in future periods. Impairment may result from, among other things, a significant decline in our expected cash flows, an adverse change in the business climate and slower growth rates in our industry. If we are required to record an impairment charge for goodwill in the future, this would adversely impact our financial results.

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Risks Related to Government Regulation and Litigation

The processing, storage, use and disclosure of personal data could give rise to liabilities as a result of governmental regulation, conflicting legal requirements or differing applications of privacy regulations.

We receive, transmit and store a large volume of personal data and other user data. Numerous federal, state and international laws address privacy, data protection and the collection, storage, sharing, usage, disclosure and protection of personal data and other user data. In the United States, numerous states already have, and a number of states are looking to adopt or expand, data protection legislation requiring companies like ours to consider solutions to meet differing rights, needs and expectations of buyers and sellers. For example, California enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), which took effect on January 1, 2020. The CCPA established a new privacy framework for covered businesses such as ours and may require us to further modify our data processing practices and policies and incur additional compliance-related costs and expenses. The CCPA requires companies that process information on California residents to disclose to consumers their data collection, use and sharing practices and grants consumers certain rights, including to opt out of certain data sharing with third parties. The CCPA provides for statutory penalties, and a private right of action for data breaches resulting from a failure to implement reasonable security procedures and practices. In addition, in November 2020, California voters approved the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”) ballot initiative which introduced significant amendments to the CCPA and established and funded a dedicated California privacy regulator, the California Privacy Protection Agency (“CPPA”). The amendments introduced by the CPRA go into effect on January 1, 2023, and new implementing regulations are expected to be introduced by the CPPA, which may require further modifications to our data processing practices and policies and to incur additional compliance-related costs and expenses. Further, in March 2021, Virginia enacted the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, and in July 2021, Colorado enacted the Colorado Privacy Act. Both are comprehensive privacy statutes that share similarities with the CCPA and CPRA, including the effective date. Similar laws have been proposed in other states and at the federal level, reflecting a trend toward more stringent privacy legislation in the United States, which could increase our potential liability. The enactment of such laws could have potentially conflicting requirements that would make compliance challenging and necessitate further modification of our data processing practices and policies. In addition to new regulation, courts around the country continue to evolve their interpretation of applicable data privacy and protection laws, including the CCPA.

Outside the United States, personal data and other user data is increasingly subject to legislation and regulations in numerous jurisdictions around the world in which we operate, the intent of which is to protect the privacy of information that is collected, processed and transmitted in or from the governing jurisdiction. Foreign data protection, privacy, information security, user protection and other laws and regulations are often more restrictive and complex than those in the United States. For example, the Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”) is a comprehensive privacy and security law for organizations collecting, using, or disclosing information about identified individuals for commercial purposes, and may impose obligations upon organizations subject to that law that are greater than what is commonplace in the United States. Certain Canadian provinces have their own data protection regulations as well. Similarly, the United Kingdom (the “UK”), the European Union (the “EU”) and countries in the European Economic Area (the “EEA”) traditionally have taken broader views as to types of data that are subject to privacy and data protection laws and regulations, and have imposed different legal obligations on companies in this regard. For example, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) became effective May 25, 2018. The GDPR applies to any company established in the EEA as well as to those outside the EEA if they collect and use personal data in connection with the offering of goods or services to individuals in the EEA or the monitoring of their behavior. Although we do not currently trigger the application of the GDPR, if we materially alter our operations such that we become established in the EU/UK (e.g., by employing individuals in those locations), begin monitoring individuals in the EU/UK or demonstrate an intention to offer goods and services to individuals in the EU/UK, we may be required to comply with data protection laws in the EEA or the UK, such as the GDPR and the UK GDPR. If we are required to comply with PIPEDA or EEA or UK data privacy laws, this may significantly increase our operational costs and our overall risk exposure. In addition, the Canadian Parliament has debated a new privacy and security law, proposed to replace PIPEDA, which may impose new or additional

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obligations upon companies subject to it. The proposed new privacy and security has not yet been introduced in the current, 44th Parliament. If PIPEDA is replaced with a new privacy and security law in the future, it may require us to further modify our data processing practices and policies and incur additional compliance-related costs and expenses.

The interpretation and application of many privacy and data protection laws are, and will likely remain, uncertain, and it is possible that these laws may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our existing data management practices or product features. If so, in addition to the possibility of fines, lawsuits and other claims and penalties, we could be required to fundamentally change our business activities and practices or modify our products, which could harm our business. In addition to government regulation, privacy advocacy and industry groups may propose new and different self-regulatory standards that legally or contractually apply to us. Any inability to adequately address privacy, data protection and data security concerns or comply with applicable privacy, data protection or data security laws, regulations, policies and other obligations could result in additional cost and liability to us, damage our reputation, inhibit sales and harm our business.

Our failure, and/or the failure by our various service providers and partners, to comply with applicable privacy policies or federal, state or similar international laws and regulations or any other obligations relating to privacy, data protection or information security, or any compromise of security that results in the unauthorized access, acquisition or release of personal data or other user data, or the perception that any such failure or compromise has occurred, could negatively harm our brand and reputation, result in a loss of sellers, buyers or distribution partners, discourage potential sellers or buyers from trying our platform and/or result in fines and/or proceedings by governmental agencies and/or users, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, practices, results of operations and financial condition.

In addition, U.S. and international law may in certain circumstances require businesses to notify affected individuals, governmental entities, and/or credit reporting agencies of certain security incidents affecting personal information. Such laws are inconsistent, and compliance in the event of a widespread security incident is complex and costly and may be difficult to implement. Our existing general liability and cyber liability insurance policies may not cover, or may cover only a portion of, any response costs, remediation, and potential claims related to security breaches to which we are exposed or may not be adequate to indemnify us for all or any portion of liabilities that may be imposed. We also cannot be certain that our existing insurance coverage will continue to be available on acceptable terms or in amounts sufficient to cover the potentially significant losses that may result from a security incident or breach or that the insurer will not deny coverage of any future claim.

Unfavorable outcomes in legal proceedings in which we may be involved may adversely affect our business and operating results.

We may be called on to defend ourselves against lawsuits relating to our business operations. Some of these claims may seek significant damage amounts due to the nature of our business. Due to the inherent uncertainties of litigation, we cannot accurately predict the ultimate outcome of any such proceedings.

Our results may be affected by the outcome of future litigation. Unfavorable rulings in our legal proceedings may have a negative impact on us that may be greater or smaller depending on the nature of the rulings. In addition, we are currently, and from time to time in the future may be, subject to various other claims, investigations, legal and administrative cases and proceedings (whether civil or criminal) or lawsuits by governmental agencies or private parties. If the results of these investigations, proceedings or suits are unfavorable to us or if we are unable to successfully defend against third-party lawsuits, we may be required to pay monetary damages or may be subject to fines, penalties, injunctions or other censure that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Even if we adequately address the issues raised by an investigation or proceeding or successfully defend a third-party lawsuit or counterclaim, we may have to devote significant financial and management resources to address these issues, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Unfavorable legislative outcomes may adversely affect our industry, our business and our operating results.

The collection, transfer, use, disclosure, security and retention of personal or sensitive information and other user data are governed by existing and evolving federal, state and international laws, as described above. We have expended significant capital and other resources to keep abreast of the evolving privacy landscape. However, due to the changes in the data privacy regulatory environment, we may incur additional costs and challenges to our business that restrict or limit our ability to collect, transfer, use, disclose, secure, or retain personal or sensitive information. These changes in data privacy laws may require us to modify our current or future products, services, programs, practices or policies, which may in turn impact the products and services available to our customers.

Approximately 40 states regulate the secondary ticket market, such as by requiring certain disclosures, refunding practices or other consumer affairs obligations. It is possible that further regulation or unfavorable legislative outcomes imposing additional restrictions on ticket resales, such as maximum resale price caps and transferability, may adversely affect our industry, our business and our operating results.

Various jurisdictions have enacted, and others may enact, rules and regulations, including tax and license requirements for daily fantasy sports operators that may make the entry process cumbersome, expensive, and lengthy. Our growth potential depends on the legal status of real-money daily fantasy sports in various jurisdictions and our ability to obtain licenses to operate in jurisdictions where licenses are required. We currently offer our fantasy sports contests in 24 states that either do not require a license or where we have obtained the required license. Currently, 20 states require fantasy contest operators to obtain a license prior to operating within those jurisdictions, and 2 of those states are not currently accepting applications from new operators. Any change in existing daily fantasy sports rules and regulations or their interpretation related to our daily fantasy sports product, or the regulatory climate applicable to daily fantasy sports, could adversely impact our ability to operate our business as currently conducted or as we seek to operate in the future.

Our business may be subject to sales tax and other indirect taxes in various jurisdictions.

The application of indirect taxes, such as sales and use, amusement, value-added, goods and services, business and gross receipts, to businesses like ours, and to buyers and sellers in our marketplace, is a complex and evolving issue. Significant judgment is required to evaluate applicable tax obligations and as a result, amounts recorded are subject to adjustment. In many cases, the ultimate tax determination is uncertain because it is unclear how new and existing statutes might apply to our business. One or more states, localities, the federal government or other countries may seek to impose additional reporting, record-keeping or indirect tax collection obligations on businesses like ours that facilitate online marketplaces. Imposition of an information reporting or tax collection requirement could decrease seller activity on our platform, which would harm our business. New legislation could require us, or sellers on our marketplace, to incur substantial costs in order to comply, including costs associated with tax calculation, collection and remittance and audit requirements, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

It is possible that we could face sales and use tax and value-added tax audits in the future and that state or international tax authorities could assert that we are obligated to collect additional amounts as taxes on behalf of sellers and remit those taxes to those authorities. We could also be subject to audits and assessments with respect to states and international jurisdictions for which we have not accrued tax liabilities. A successful assertion that we should be collecting additional sales or other taxes in jurisdictions where we have not historically done so, and do not accrue for sales or other taxes, could result in substantial tax liabilities for past sales and otherwise harm our business and results of operations.

Our business is dependent on the ability for sellers to sell tickets on the secondary market unencumbered.

Our business is dependent upon sellers having the ability to list tickets for sale on the secondary ticket market for events put on by artists, teams and promoters. Any actions taken by federal, state or local

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governments, rights holders or companies that issue tickets (i.e., the primary ticketing companies), such as enacting restrictions regarding resale policies, using technology to limit where and how tickets are sold on the secondary market, charging incremental fees for the ability to sell tickets on the secondary market or partnering with other resale marketplaces on an exclusive basis, could result in reduced demand for our services, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to Information Technology, Cybersecurity and Intellectual Property

The success of our operations depends, in part, on the integrity of our systems and infrastructure, as well as affiliate and third-party computer systems, computer networks and other communication systems. System interruption and the lack of integration and redundancy in these systems and infrastructure may have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

System interruption and the lack of integration and redundancy in the information systems and infrastructure, both of our own ticketing systems and other computer systems and of affiliate and third-party software, computer networks and other communications systems service providers on which we rely, may adversely affect our ability to operate websites, process and fulfill transactions, respond to customer inquiries and generally maintain cost-efficient operations. Similarly, due to our reliance on a network of technology systems, many of which are outside of our control, changes to interfaces upon which we rely or a reluctance of our counterparties to continue supporting our systems could lead to technology interruptions. Such interruptions could occur by virtue of natural disaster, malicious actions such as cyber attacks or intrusions, or acts of terrorism or war, or human error. In addition, the loss of some or all of certain key personnel could require us to expend additional resources to continue to maintain our software and systems and could subject us to systems interruptions. The large infrastructure footprint that is required to operate our systems requires an ongoing investment of time, money and effort to maintain or refresh hardware and software and to ensure it remains at a level capable of servicing the demand and volume of business that we receive. Failure to do so may result in system instability, degradation in performance, or unfixable security vulnerabilities that could adversely impact both the business and the consumers utilizing our services.

While we have backup systems for certain aspects of our operations, disaster recovery planning by its nature may not be sufficient for all eventualities. In addition, we may not have adequate insurance coverage to compensate for losses from an extended interruption. If any of these adverse events were to occur, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Cyber security risks, data loss or other breaches of our network security could materially harm our business and results of operations, and the processing, storage, use and disclosure of personal or sensitive information could give rise to liabilities and additional costs as a result of governmental regulation, litigation and conflicting legal requirements, including legal obligations relating to personal privacy rights.

Due to the nature of our business, we process, store, use, transfer and disclose certain personal or sensitive information about our customers and employees. Penetration of our network or other misappropriation or misuse of personal or sensitive information and data, including credit card information and other personally identifiable information, could cause interruptions in our operations and subject us to increased costs, litigation, inquiries and actions from governmental authorities, and financial or other liabilities. In addition, security breaches, incidents or the inability to protect information could lead to increased incidents of ticketing fraud and counterfeit tickets. Security breaches and incidents could also significantly damage our reputation with sellers, buyers, distribution partners and other third parties, and could result in significant costs related to remediation efforts, such as credit or identity theft monitoring. Such incidents may occur in the future, resulting in unauthorized, unlawful, or inappropriate access to, inability to access, disclosure of, or loss of the sensitive, proprietary and confidential information that we handle.

Although we have developed systems and processes that are designed to protect customer and employee information and to prevent security breaches or incidents (which could result in data loss or other harm or loss),

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such measures cannot provide absolute security or certainty. It is possible that advances in computer and threat actor capabilities, new variants of malware, the development of new penetration methods and tools, inadvertent violations of company policies or procedures or other developments could result in a compromise of customer or employee information or a breach of the technology and security processes that are used to protect customer and employee information. The techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems may change frequently and as a result, may be difficult for our business to detect for long periods of time. We have expended significant capital and other resources to protect against and remedy such potential security breaches, incidents and their consequences and will continue to do so in the future. However, despite our efforts, we may be unaware of or unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures.

We also face risks associated with security breaches and incidents affecting third parties with which we are affiliated or with which we otherwise conduct business. In particular, hardware, software or applications we develop or procure from third parties may contain defects in design or manufacture and/or may pose a security risk that could unexpectedly compromise information security. Sellers, buyers and distribution partners are generally concerned with the security and privacy of the internet, and any publicized security problems affecting our businesses and/or third parties may discourage sellers, buyers or distribution partners from doing business with us, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Canadian law and laws in all states and U.S. territories require businesses to notify affected individuals, governmental entities, and/or credit reporting agencies of certain security incidents affecting personal information. Such laws are inconsistent, and compliance in the event of a widespread security incident is complex and costly and may be difficult to implement. Our existing general liability and cyber liability insurance policies may not cover, or may cover only a portion of, any potential claims related to security breaches to which we are exposed or may not be adequate to indemnify us for all or any portion of liabilities that may be imposed. We also cannot be certain that our existing insurance coverage will continue to be available on acceptable terms or in amounts sufficient to cover the potentially significant losses that may result from a security incident or breach or that the insurer will not deny coverage of any future claim.

If we fail to adequately protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, our competitive position and our business could be materially adversely affected.

Our proprietary technologies and information, including our software, informational databases, and other components that make our products and services are critical to our success, and we seek to protect our technologies, products and services through a combination of intellectual property rights, including trademarks, domain names, copyrights and trade secrets, as well as through contractual restrictions with employees, customers, suppliers, affiliates and others. Despite our efforts, it may be possible for a third party to copy or otherwise obtain and use our intellectual property without authorization which, if discovered, might require legal action to correct. In addition, third parties may independently and lawfully develop products or services substantially similar to ours. While we do not currently hold patents over our technology, we do have a few pending patent applications and we may file additional patent applications in the future. We seek to protect our trade secrets and proprietary know-how and technology methods through confidentiality agreements and other access control measures. Failure of such strategies to protect our technology or our inability to protect patents in the future to the extent we obtain them could have a materially adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have been granted trademark registrations with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and/or various foreign authorities for certain of our brands. Our existing or future trademarks may be adjudicated invalid by a court or may not afford us adequate protection against competitors.

We cannot be certain that the measures we implement will prevent infringement, misappropriation or other violations of our intellectual property rights, particularly in foreign countries where the laws may not protect our

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proprietary rights as fully as they do in the United States. Our failure to protect our intellectual property rights in a meaningful manner or challenges to our related contractual rights could result in erosion of our brand names or other intellectual property and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Litigation may be necessary in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights, protect our trade secrets or determine the validity and scope of proprietary rights claimed by others. Any litigation of this nature, regardless of outcome or merit, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management and technical resources, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may face potential liability and expense for legal claims alleging that the operation of our business infringes intellectual property rights of third parties, who may assert claims against us for unauthorized use of such rights.

We cannot be certain that the operation of our business does not, or will not, infringe or otherwise violate the intellectual property rights of third parties. From time to time, we have been and may in the future be, subject to legal proceedings and claims alleging that we infringe or otherwise violate the intellectual property rights of third parties. These claims, whether or not successful, could divert management time and attention away from our business and harm our reputation and financial condition. In addition, the outcome of litigation is uncertain, and third parties asserting claims could secure a judgment awarding substantial damages, as well as injunctive or other equitable relief against us, which could require us to rebrand, redesign, or reengineer our platform, products or services, and/or effectively block our ability to distribute, market or sell our products and services.

Our payments system depends on third-party providers and is subject to risks that may harm our business.

We rely on third-party providers to support our payment system, as our buyers primarily use credit cards to purchase tickets on our marketplace. Nearly all our revenue is associated with payments processed through a single provider, which relies on banks and payment card networks to process transactions. If this provider or any of its vendors do not operate well with our platform, our payments systems and our business could be adversely affected. If this provider does not perform adequately, determines certain types of transactions are prohibited, if this provider’s technology does not interoperate well with our platform, or if our relationships with this provider, the bank or the payment card networks on which it relies were to terminate unexpectedly, buyers may find our platform more difficult to use. Such an outcome could harm the ability of sellers to use our platform, which could cause them to use our platform less.

Our payment processing partner requires us to comply with payment card network operating rules, which are set and interpreted by the payment card networks. The payment card networks could adopt new operating rules or interpret or re-interpret existing rules in ways that might prohibit us from providing certain services to some buyers or sellers, be costly to implement or difficult to follow. We are required to reimburse our payment processor for fines assessed by payment card networks if we, or buyers or sellers using our platform, violate these rules, such as our processing of various types of transactions that may be interpreted as a violation of certain payment card network operating rules. Changes to these rules and requirements, or any change in our designation by payment card networks, could require a change in our business operations and could result in limitations on or loss of our ability to accept payment cards, any of which could negatively impact our business.

We are also subject to the Payment Card Industry (“PCI”) Data Security Standard, which is a standard designed to protect credit card account data as mandated by payment card industry entities. We rely on vendors to handle PCI matters and to ensure PCI compliance. Despite our compliance efforts, we may become subject to claims that we have violated the PCI Data Security Standard based on past, present, and future business practices. Our actual or perceived failure to comply with the PCI Data Security Standard can subject us to fines, termination of banking relationships, and increased transaction fees.

Additionally, while we deploy sophisticated technology to detect fraudulent purchase activity, we may incur losses if we fail to prevent the use of fraudulent credit card information on transactions in the future. Fraud

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schemes are becoming increasingly sophisticated and common, and our ability to detect and combat fraudulent schemes may be negatively impacted by the adoption of new payment methods and new technology platforms. If we or this provider fail to identify fraudulent activity or are unable to effectively combat the use of fraudulent credit cards on our platform or if we otherwise experience increased levels of disputed credit card payments, our results of operations and financial positions could be materially adversely affected.

Finally, payment card networks and our payment processing partner could increase the fees they charge us for their services, which would increase our operating costs and reduce our margins. Any such increase in fees could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Risks Related to Our Indebtedness

We are a party to debt agreements that could restrict our operations and impair our financial condition. The agreements governing our indebtedness will impose restrictions on us that limit the discretion of management in operating our business and that, in turn, could impair our ability to meet our obligations under our debt.

The agreement governing our credit facility includes restrictive covenants that, among other things, restrict our ability to:

Our failure to comply with the terms and covenants of our indebtedness could lead to a default under the terms of the governing documents, which would entitle the lenders to accelerate the indebtedness and declare all amounts owed due and payable.

As of March 31, 2022, our total indebtedness, excluding unamortized debt discounts and debt issuance costs, was $275.0 million.

Our sizeable indebtedness and any future increases in our indebtedness could have adverse consequences, including:

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We depend on the cash flows of our subsidiaries in order to satisfy our obligations.

We rely on distributions and/or loans from our subsidiaries to meet our payment requirements under our obligations. If our subsidiaries are unable to pay dividends or otherwise make payments to us, we may not be able to make debt service payments on our obligations. Subject to certain exceptions, each of our subsidiaries guarantees our indebtedness under our credit facility. We conduct substantially all of our operations through our subsidiaries. Our operating cash flows and consequently our ability to service our debt is therefore principally dependent upon our subsidiaries’ earnings and their distributions of those earnings to us and may also be dependent upon loans or other payments of funds to us by those subsidiaries. In addition, the ability of our subsidiaries to provide funds to us may be subject to restrictions under our credit facility and may be subject to the terms of such subsidiaries’ future indebtedness, as well as the availability of sufficient surplus funds under applicable law.

We may face liquidity constraints if we are unable to generate sufficient cash flows and we may be unable to raise additional capital when necessary or desirable.

As of March 31, 2022, we had cash and cash equivalents of $314.1 million, which is available to us to fund our operating, investing and financing activities. Uncertainty remains around the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which could have a significant impact to our future cash flows. Thus, we could exhaust our available financial resources sooner than we expect.

We may need to raise additional funds, and we may not be able to obtain additional debt or equity financing on favorable terms, if at all. Our ability to obtain financing will depend on a number of factors, including:

We cannot assure you that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations, or that we will be able to obtain financing, in an amount sufficient to fund our operations or other liquidity needs. If we raise additional equity financing, our security holders may experience significant dilution of their ownership interests, and any new equity securities we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges superior to those of holders of our common stock.

If we need additional capital and cannot raise it on acceptable terms, if at all, we may not be able to, among other things:

Our inability to do any of the foregoing could reduce our ability to compete successfully and could have an adverse effect on our business.

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Risks Related to Our Organizational Structure

Our Private Equity Owner controls us, and its interests may conflict with ours or yours in the future.

Hoya Topco, which is controlled by our Private Equity Owner and its affiliates, controls approximately 60% of the voting power of our outstanding common stock, which means that, based on its percentage voting power controlled, our Private Equity Owner controls the vote of all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders. Thus, our Private Equity Owner controls the election of the members of our Board of Directors subject to the terms of the Stockholders’ Agreement and all other corporate decisions. Even when our Private Equity Owner ceases to control a majority of the total voting power, for so long as our Private Equity Owner continues to own a significant percentage of our common stock, our Private Equity Owner will be able to significantly influence the composition of our Board of Directors and the approval of actions requiring shareholder approval. Accordingly, for such period of time, our Private Equity Owner has significant influence with respect to our management, business plans and policies, including the appointment and removal of our officers, decisions on whether to raise future capital and amending our charter and bylaws, which govern the rights attached to our common stock. In particular, for so long as our Private Equity Owner continues to own a significant percentage of our common stock, our Private Equity Owner will be able to cause or prevent our change of control or a change in the composition of our Board of Directors and could preclude any unsolicited acquisition of us. The concentration of ownership could deprive you of an opportunity to receive a premium for your shares of our Class A Common Stock as part of a potential sale and ultimately might affect the market price of our Class A Common Stock.

Our Stockholders’ Agreement provides our Private Equity Owner the right to nominate to our Board of Directors (i) five directors, so long as our Private Equity Owner, in the aggregate, beneficially owns at least 24% of the aggregate number of shares of our common stock, of which at least one will qualify as an “independent director” under applicable stock exchange regulations, (ii) four directors, so long as our Private Equity Owner, in the aggregate, beneficially owns at least 18% but less than 24% of our common stock, (iii) three directors, so long as our Private Equity Owner, in the aggregate, beneficially owns at least 12% but less than 18% of our common stock, (iv) two directors, so long as our Private Equity Owner, in the aggregate, beneficially owns at least 6% but less than 12% of our common stock and (v) until the date our Private Equity Owner, in the aggregate, beneficially owns a number of voting shares representing less than 5% of the aggregate number of shares of our common stock held, directly or indirectly, by our Private Equity Owner, one director. Pursuant to the foregoing provisions of the Stockholder’s Agreement, our Private Equity Owner will be able to designate the majority of the members of our Board of Directors and generally have control over our business and affairs.

Our Private Equity Owner and its affiliates engage in a broad spectrum of activities, including investments in our industry generally. In the ordinary course of their business activities, our Private Equity Owner and its affiliates may engage in activities where their interests conflict with our interests or those of our other shareholders, such as investing in or advising businesses that directly or indirectly compete with certain portions of our business or are suppliers or customers of ours. Our charter provides that our Private Equity Owner, any of its affiliates or any director who is not employed by us (including any non-employee director who serves as one of our officers in both his or her director and officer capacities) will not have any duty to refrain from engaging, directly or indirectly, in the same business activities or similar business activities or lines of business in which we operate. Our Private Equity Owner also may pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business, and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us. In addition, our Private Equity Owner may have an interest in pursuing acquisitions, divestitures and other transactions that, in its judgment, could enhance its investment, even though such transactions might involve risks to you or may not prove beneficial.

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We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq listing standards and, as a result, will qualify for, and intend to rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. You will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to such requirements.

We qualify as a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of Nasdaq. Under these rules, a listed company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirement that (i) a majority of our Board of Directors consist of independent directors, (ii) we have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors and (iii) director nominees be selected or recommended to our Board of Directors by independent directors.

We rely on certain of these exemptions. As a result, we do not have a compensation committee consisting entirely of independent directors and our directors are not nominated or selected solely by independent directors. We may also rely on the other exemptions so long as we qualify as a controlled company. To the extent we rely on any of these exemption, holders of our common stock will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq.

Our Tax Receivable Agreement will require us to make cash payments to Hoya Topco (or other parties that become entitled to rights to payment under our Tax Receivable Agreement) in respect of certain tax benefits and such payments may be substantial. In certain cases, payments under our Tax Receivable Agreement may (i) exceed any actual tax benefits or (ii) be accelerated.

Pursuant to our Tax Receivable Agreement, we will generally be required to pay Hoya Topco and the other TRA Holders 85% of the amount of savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state, local, and foreign taxes that are based on, or measured with respect to, our net income or profits and any interest related thereto that our consolidated subsidiaries realizes, or is deemed to realize, as a result of certain tax attributes (the “Tax Attributes”), which include:

Payments under our Tax Receivable Agreement generally will be based on the tax reporting positions that we determine (in consultation with an advisory firm and subject to the TRA Holder Representative’s review and consent), and the IRS or another taxing authority may challenge a position we take, and a court may sustain such a challenge. If any Tax Attributes we initially claimed or utilized are disallowed, the TRA Holders will not be required to reimburse us for any excess payments that we may have previously made pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement, for example, due to adjustments resulting from examinations by taxing authorities. Rather, any excess payments made to such TRA Holders will reduce any future cash payments we are required to make under the Tax Receivable Agreement, after the determination of such excess. However, a challenge to any

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Tax Attributes we initially claimed or utilized may not arise for a number of years after such payment and, even if challenged earlier, such excess cash payment may be greater than the amount of future cash payments that we may be required to make under the terms of the Tax Receivable Agreement. As a result, there might not be future cash payments against which such excess can be applied and we could be required to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement in excess of our actual savings in respect of the Tax Attributes.

Moreover, the Tax Receivable Agreement provides that, in certain early termination events, we are required to make a lump-sum cash payment to all the TRA Holders equal to the present value of all forecasted future payments that would have been made under the Tax Receivable Agreement, which would be based on certain assumptions. The lump-sum payment could be material and could materially exceed any actual tax benefits that we realize subsequent to such payment.

The amount and timing of any payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement will vary depending upon a number of factors, including the timing of exchanges, the market price of our Class A Common Stock at the time of an exchange of Intermediate Common Units by a TRA Holder pursuant to the Second A&R LLCA and the amount and timing of the recognition of our income for applicable tax purposes. While many of these factors are outside of our control, the aggregate payments we will be required to make under the Tax Receivable Agreement could be substantial. There can be no assurance that we will be able to finance our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement in a manner that does not adversely affect our working capital and growth requirements.

Any payments we make under the Tax Receivable Agreement will generally reduce our overall cash flow. If we are unable to make timely payments for any reason, the unpaid amounts will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid. Additionally, nonpayment for a specified period and/or under certain circumstances may constitute a material breach and therefore accelerate payments. Furthermore, our future obligation to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement could make us a less attractive target for an acquisition, particularly in the case of an acquirer that cannot use some or all of the Tax Attributes that may be deemed realized under the Tax Receivable Agreement.

Our only material asset is our direct and indirect interests in Hoya Intermediate, and we are accordingly dependent upon distributions from Hoya Intermediate to pay dividends, taxes and other expenses, including payments we are required to make under the Tax Receivable Agreement.

We are a holding company with no material assets other than our direct and indirect ownership of equity interests in Hoya Intermediate. As such, we do not have any independent means of generating revenue. We intend to cause Hoya Intermediate to make distributions to its members, including us, in an amount at least sufficient to allow us to pay all applicable taxes, to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement, and to pay our corporate and other overhead expenses. To the extent that we need funds, and Hoya Intermediate is restricted from making such distributions under applicable laws or regulations, or is otherwise unable to provide such funds, it could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition.

In certain circumstances, Hoya Intermediate will be required to make distributions to us and Hoya Topco, and the distributions that Hoya Intermediate will be required to make may be substantial.

Hoya Intermediate is treated, and will continue to be treated, as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, generally is not subject to U.S. federal income tax. Instead, its taxable income is generally allocated to its members, including us. Hoya Intermediate will make cash or tax distributions, to the members, including us, calculated using an assumed tax rate, to provide liquidity to members to pay taxes on such member’s allocable share of the taxable income, reduced by taxable losses. Under applicable tax rules, Hoya Intermediate will be required to allocate net taxable income disproportionately to its members in certain circumstances. Because tax distributions may be made on a pro rata basis to all members and such tax distributions may be determined based on the member who is allocated the largest amount of taxable income on a per Intermediate Common Unit basis and an assumed tax rate that is the highest tax rate applicable to any

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member, Hoya Intermediate may be required to make tax distributions that, in the aggregate, exceed the amount of taxes that Hoya Intermediate would have paid if it were taxed on its net income at the assumed rate.

As a result of (i) potential differences in the amount of net taxable income allocable to us and to Hoya Topco, (ii) the lower maximum tax rate applicable to corporations than individuals and (iii) the use of an assumed tax rate in calculating Hoya Intermediate’s distribution obligations, we may receive distributions significantly in excess of our actual tax liabilities and our obligations to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. If we do not distribute such cash balances as dividends on our Class A Common Stock and instead, for example, hold such cash balances or lend them to Hoya Intermediate, Hoya Topco would benefit from any value attributable to such accumulated cash balances as a result of its right to acquire shares of our Class A Common Stock or, at our election, an amount of cash equal to the fair market value thereof, in exchange for its Intermediate Common Units. We will have no obligation to distribute such cash balances to our shareholders, and no adjustments will be made to the consideration provided to an exchanging holder in connection with a direct exchange or redemption of Hoya Intermediate limited liability company interests under the Second A&R LLCA as a result of any retention of cash by us.

Risks Related to Being a Public Company

The market price and trading volume of our securities may be volatile.

Securities markets worldwide experience significant price and volume fluctuations. This market volatility, as well as general economic, market or political conditions, could reduce the market price of our Class A Common Stock and public warrants in spite of our operating performance. We cannot assure you that the market price of our Class A Common Stock and public warrants will not fluctuate widely or decline significantly in the future in response to a number of factors, including, among others, the following:

We may be subject to securities class action litigation, which may harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Securities litigation against us

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could result in substantial legal fees, settlement or judgment costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources that are needed to successfully run our business, which could seriously harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting and may identify additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, which may result in material misstatements of our financial statements or cause us to fail to meet our periodic reporting obligations.

We are required to comply with the SEC rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of SOX, which require management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of controls over financial reporting.

Effective internal control over financial reporting is necessary for us to provide reliable and timely financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to reasonably detect and prevent fraud. We are also required to report any material weaknesses in such internal control. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

In connection with the audit of our financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, we identified deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting, which in the aggregate, constitute a material weakness. We determined that we had deficiencies related to implementation of segregation of duties as part of our control activities, establishment of clearly defined roles within our finance and accounting functions and the number of personnel in our finance and accounting functions with an appropriate level of technical accounting and SEC reporting experience, which in the aggregate, constitute a material weakness. To address this material weakness, we have begun to hire additional qualified personnel and establish more robust processes to support our internal control over financial reporting, including clearly defined roles and responsibilities and appropriate segregation of duties.

While we have begun implementing a plan to remediate this material weakness, we cannot predict the success of such plan or the outcome of our assessment of this plan at this time. If our steps are insufficient to successfully remediate the material weakness and otherwise establish and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, the reliability of our financial reporting, investor confidence in us, and the value of our common stock could be materially and adversely affected. We can give no assurance that this implementation will remediate this deficiency in internal control or that additional material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting will not be identified in the future. Our failure to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could result in errors in our financial statements that could result in a restatement of our financial statements or cause us to fail to meet our periodic reporting obligations.

For as long as we are an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404. We could be an “emerging growth company” until December 31, 2026.

Once we no longer qualify as an “emerging growth company,” we will be required to have our independent registered public accounting firm provide an attestation report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. An independent assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting could detect problems that our management’s assessment might not. Undetected material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting could lead to financial statement restatements and require us to incur the expense of remediation. An adverse report may be issued if our independent registered public accounting firm is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed or operating.

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The obligations associated with being a public company will involve significant expenses and will require significant resources and management attention, which may divert from our business operations.

As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and SOX. The Exchange Act requires the filing of annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to a public company’s business and financial condition. SOX requires, among other things, that a public company establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting. As a result, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. Our management team and many of our other employees will need to devote substantial time to compliance and may not effectively or efficiently manage our transition into a public company.

These rules and regulations will result in us incurring substantial legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, these rules and regulations make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. As a result, it may be difficult for us to attract and retain qualified people to serve on our Board of Directors, our Board of Director committees or as executive officers.

We are an emerging growth company, and any decision on our part to comply only with certain reduced reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to “emerging growth companies” could make our Class A Common Stock less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” and, for as long as we continue to be an “emerging growth company,” we may choose to take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies but not to “emerging growth companies,” including:

We cannot predict if investors will find our securities less attractive if we choose to rely on any of the exemptions afforded to “emerging growth companies.” If some investors find our securities less attractive because we rely on any of these exemptions, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the market price of those securities may be more volatile.

Further, the JOBS Act exempts “emerging growth companies” from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a registration statement under the Securities Act declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act

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provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an “emerging growth company,” can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company, which is neither an “emerging growth company” nor a company that has opted out of using the extended transition period, difficult because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

A significant portion of our total outstanding shares of our Class A Common Stock are restricted from immediate resale but may be sold into the market in the near future. This could cause the market price of our Class A Common Stock to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.

Subject to certain exceptions, pursuant to our Stockholders’ Agreement, Hoya Topco and Sponsor are contractually restricted until October 18, 2022 from transferring any lock-up shares; provided that Hoya Topco and Sponsor may transfer fifty percent of its lock-up shares on April 18, 2022 (six months after October 18, 2021) and the remaining lock-up shares on any date after April 18, 2022 on which (i) the price per lock-up share exceeds $15.00 per share for 20 trading days within a 30 day trading period and (ii) the average daily trading volume exceeds one million shares of our Class A Common Stock during such 30-trading day period.

After October 18, 2022, Hoya Topco and Sponsor will not be restricted from selling shares of our Class A Common Stock other than being subject to applicable securities laws. As such, sales of a substantial number of shares of our Class A Common Stock in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our Class A Common Stock. As of the date of this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange, Sponsor and its affiliates, and our PIPE Investors, collectively own approximately 80% of our Class A Common Stock and Hoya Topco owns 100% of our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class B Common Stock”), translating to approximately 60% voting interest.

As restrictions on resale end and registration statements for the sale of shares of our Class A Common Stock, our Class B Common Stock and warrants by the parties to the Registration Rights Agreement dated October 18, 2021 are available for use, the sale or possibility of sale of these shares of our Class A Common Stock, our Class B Common Stock (after conversion to our Class A Common Stock) and warrants could have the effect of increasing the volatility in the market price of our Class A Common Stock or public warrants, or decreasing the market price itself.

An active trading market for our securities may not develop or be maintained.

We can provide no assurance that an active trading market for our Class A Common Stock and public warrants will develop, or, if such a market develops, that we will be able to maintain an active trading market for those securities on Nasdaq or any other exchange in the future. If an active market for our securities does not develop or is not maintained, or if we fail to satisfy the continued listing standards of Nasdaq for any reason and our securities are delisted, it may be difficult for our security holders to sell their securities without depressing the market price for the securities or at all. An inactive trading market may also impair our ability to both raise capital by selling shares of capital stock and acquire other complementary products, technologies or businesses by using our shares of capital stock as consideration.

Warrants will become exercisable for our Class A Common Stock and Intermediate Common Units, which may increase the number of shares eligible for future resale in the public market and result in dilution to our stockholders.

The following warrants to purchase our Class A Common Stock are outstanding and exercisable:

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There are also public warrants to purchase 18,132,766 shares of our Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, which became exercisable on November 17, 2021.

To the extent such warrants are exercised, additional shares of our Class A Common Stock will be issued. This will result in dilution to the holders of our Class A Common Stock and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market. Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market or the fact that such warrants may be exercised could adversely affect the market price of our Class A Common Stock.

There are 3,000,000 Hoya Intermediate Warrants outstanding with an exercise price of $10.00 per unit and 3,000,000 Hoya Intermediate Warrants outstanding with an exercise price of $15.00 per unit, which are exercisable. Upon exercise of a Hoya Intermediate Warrant, one share of our Class B Common Stock will also be issued. Holders of Intermediate Common Units (other than us and our subsidiaries) may exchange them for shares of our Class A Common Stock. Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market or the fact that such warrants may be exercised could adversely affect the market price of our Class A Common Stock.

Our management also holds options to purchase shares of our Class A Common Stock. To the extent such options are exercised, additional shares of our Class A Common Stock will be issued. This will result in dilution to the holders of our Class A Common Stock and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market. Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market or the fact that such options may be exercised could adversely affect the market price of our Class A Common Stock.

Securities analysts may not publish favorable research or reports about our business or may publish no information at all, which could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

The trading market for our securities is influenced to some extent by the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us and our business. We do not control these analysts, and the analysts who publish information about us may have relatively little experience with us or our industry, which could affect their ability to accurately forecast our results and could make it more likely that we fail to meet their estimates. If any of the analysts who cover us provide inaccurate research or issue an adverse opinion regarding our stock price, our stock price could decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports covering us regularly, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

Provisions in our organizational documents and certain rules imposed by regulatory authorities may delay or prevent our acquisition by a third-party.

Our charter and bylaws contain several provisions that may make it more difficult or expensive for a third party to acquire control of us without the approval of our Board of Directors. These provisions, which may delay, prevent or deter a merger, acquisition, tender offer, proxy contest or other transaction that stockholders may consider favorable, include the following:

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These provisions of our charter and bylaws could discourage potential takeover attempts and reduce the price that investors might be willing to pay for shares of our Class A Common Stock in the future, which could reduce the market price of our Class A Common Stock.

The provisions of our charter requiring exclusive forum in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the federal district courts of the United States for certain types of lawsuits may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against its directors and officers.

Our charter provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, and unless we provide consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, in the event that the Chancery Court does not have jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware or other state courts of the State of Delaware) will be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer, employee or stockholder to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporate Laws (“DGCL”), our charter or our bylaws or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, provided that this provision, including for any “derivative action,” does not apply to suits to enforce a duty or liability created by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Our charter further provides that the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. By becoming our stockholder, you will be deemed to have notice of and consented to the exclusive forum provisions of our charter. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such a provision relating to causes of action arising under the Securities Act, and investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

These provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with any applicable action brought against us, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in our charter to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action.

Risks Related to Our Warrants and the Offer to Exchange and Consent Solicitation

The Warrant Amendment, if approved, will allow us to require that all outstanding public warrants be exchanged for Class A Common Stock at a ratio 12.7% lower than the exchange ratio applicable to the Offer.

If we complete the Offer and Consent Solicitation and obtain the requisite approval of the Warrant Amendment by holders of the public warrants, the Company will have the right to require holders of all public warrants that remain outstanding upon the closing of the Offer to exchange each of their public warrants for 0.213 shares of Class A Common Stock. This represents a ratio of shares of Class A Common Stock per public warrant that is 12.7% less than the exchange ratio applicable to the Offer. Although we intend to require an exchange of all remaining outstanding public warrants as a result of the approval of the Warrant Amendment, we would not be required to effect such an exchange and may defer doing so, if ever, until most economically advantageous to us.

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Pursuant to the terms of the Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement, the consent of holders of at least 65% of the outstanding public warrants is required to approve the Warrant Amendment. Therefore, one of the conditions to the adoption of the Warrant Amendment is the receipt of the consent of holders of at least 65% of the outstanding public warrants. Eldridge, which holds approximately 28.5% of the outstanding public warrants, has agreed to tender its public warrants in the Offer and to consent to the Warrant Amendment in the Consent Solicitation, pursuant to the Tender and Support Agreement. Accordingly, if holders of an additional approximately 36.5% of the outstanding public warrants consent to the Warrant Amendment in the Consent Solicitation, and the other conditions described herein are satisfied or waived, then the Warrant Amendment will be adopted.

If adopted, we currently intend to require the conversion of all outstanding public warrants to Class A Common Stock as provided in the Warrant Amendment, which would result in the holders of any remaining outstanding public warrants receiving approximately 12.7% fewer shares than if they had tendered their public warrants in the Offer.

The exchange of public warrants for Class A Common Stock will increase the number of shares eligible for future resale and result in dilution to our stockholders.

Our public warrants may be exchanged for shares of Class A Common Stock pursuant to the Offer, which will increase the number of shares eligible for future resale in the public market and result in dilution to our stockholders, although there can be no assurance that such warrant exchange will be completed or that all of the holders of the public warrants will elect to participate in the Offer. Any public warrants remaining outstanding after the exchange likely will be exercised only if the $11.50 per share exercise price is below the market price of our Class A Common Stock. We also intend to require an exchange of all remaining outstanding public warrants assuming the approval of the Warrant Amendment. To the extent such public warrants are exchanged following the approval of the Warrant Amendment or exercised, additional shares of Class A Common Stock will be issued. These issuances of Class A Common Stock will result in dilution to our stockholders and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market.

We have not obtained a third-party determination that the Offer or the Consent Solicitation is fair to public warrant holders.

None of us, our affiliates, the dealer manager, the exchange agent or the information agent makes any recommendation as to whether you should exchange some or all of your public warrants or consent to the Warrant Amendment. We have not retained, and do not intend to retain, any unaffiliated representative to act on behalf of the public warrant holders for purposes of negotiating the Offer or Consent Solicitation or preparing a report concerning the fairness of the Offer or the Consent Solicitation. You must make your own independent decision regarding your participation in the Offer and the Consent Solicitation.

There is no guarantee that tendering your public warrants in the Offer will put you in a better future economic position.

We can give no assurance as to the market price of our Class A Common Stock in the future. If you choose to tender some or all of your public warrants in the Offer, future events may cause an increase in the market price of our Class A Common Stock and public warrants, which may result in a lower value realized by participating in the Offer than you might have realized if you did not exchange your public warrants. Similarly, if you do not tender your public warrants in the Offer, there can be no assurance that you can sell your public warrants (or exercise them for shares of Class A Common Stock) in the future at a higher value than would have been obtained by participating in the Offer. In addition, if the Warrant Amendment is adopted, you may receive fewer shares than if you had tendered your public warrants in the Offer. You should consult your own individual tax and/or financial advisor for assistance on how this may affect your individual situation.

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The number of shares of Class A Common Stock offered in the Offer is fixed. The market price of our Class A Common Stock may fluctuate, and the market price of our Class A Common Stock when we deliver our Class A Common Stock in exchange for your public warrants could be less than the market price at the time you tender your public warrants.

The number of shares of Class A Common Stock for each public warrant accepted for exchange is fixed at the number of shares specified on the cover of this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange and will fluctuate in value if there is any increase or decrease in the market price of our Class A Common Stock or the public warrants after the date of this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange. Therefore, the market price of our Class A Common Stock when we deliver Class A Common Stock in exchange for your public warrants could be less than the market price of the public warrants at the time you tender your public warrants. The market price of our Class A Common Stock could continue to fluctuate and be subject to volatility during the period of time between when we accept public warrants for exchange in the Offer and when we deliver Class A Common Stock in exchange for public warrants, or during any extension of the Offer Period.

We may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of the public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your public warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of Class A Common Stock purchasable upon exercise of a public warrant could be decreased, all without a public warrant holder’s approval.

The public warrants are issued in registered form under the Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement. The Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement provides that the terms of the public warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the public warrants, convert the public warrants into cash or Class A Common Stock, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of Class A Common Stock purchasable upon exercise of a public warrants.

Registration of the shares of our Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants under the Securities Act may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise public warrants.

Under the terms of the Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement, we are obligated to file and maintain an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of shares of our Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants and thereafter will use our commercially reasonable efforts to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants, until the expiration of the public warrants in accordance with the provisions of the Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we are required to permit holders to exercise their public warrants on a cashless basis. However, no public warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available. If and when the public warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying shares of common stock for sale under all applicable state securities laws.

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We may redeem your unexpired public warrants that are not exchanged prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your public warrants worth less.

We will have the ability to redeem outstanding public warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at $0.01 per public warrant, provided that the last reported sales price (or the closing bid price of our Class A Common Stock in the event the shares of our Class A Common Stock are not traded on any specific trading day) of our Class A Common Stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date we send proper notice of such redemption, provided that on the date we give notice of redemption and during the entire period thereafter until the time it redeems the public warrants, we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants and current prospectus relating to them is available. If and when the public warrants that are not exchanged become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding public warrants could force a public warrant holder: (i) to exercise your public warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your public warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your public warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding public warrants are called for redemption, will be substantially less than the market value of your public warrants.

The liquidity of the public warrants that are not exchanged may be reduced.

If the Warrant Amendment is approved, it is unlikely that any public warrants will remain outstanding following the completion of the Offer and Consent Solicitation. See “—The Warrant Amendment, if approved, will allow us to require that all outstanding public warrants be exchanged for Class A Common Stock at a ratio 12.7% lower than the exchange ratio applicable to the Offer.” However, if any unexchanged public warrants remain outstanding, then the ability to sell such public warrants may become more limited due to the reduction in the number of public warrants outstanding upon completion of the Offer and Consent Solicitation. A more limited trading market might adversely affect the liquidity, market price and price volatility of unexchanged public warrants. If there continues to be a market for our unexchanged public warrants, these securities may trade at a discount to the price at which the securities would trade if the number outstanding were not reduced, depending on the market for similar securities and other factors.

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THE OFFER AND CONSENT SOLICITATION

Participation in the Offer and Consent Solicitation involves a number of risks, including, but not limited to, the risks identified in the section titled “Risk Factors.” Public warrant holders should carefully consider these risks and are urged to speak with their personal legal, financial, investment and/or tax advisor as necessary before deciding whether or not to participate in the Offer and Consent Solicitation. In addition, we strongly encourage you to read this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange in its entirety, the information and documents that have been included herein and the publicly filed information about us before making a decision regarding the Offer and Consent Solicitation.

General Terms

Until the Expiration Date, we are offering to holders of our public warrants the opportunity to receive 0.240 of Class A Common Stock in exchange for each public warrant they hold. Holders of the public warrants tendered for exchange will not have to pay the exercise price for the tendered public warrants in order to receive shares of Class A Common Stock pursuant to the Offer. Our obligation to complete the Offer is not conditioned on the receipt of a minimum number of tendered public warrants.

No fractional shares will be issued pursuant to the Offer. In lieu of issuing fractional shares, any holder of public warrants who would otherwise have been entitled to receive fractional shares pursuant to the Offer will, after aggregating all such fractional shares of such holder, be paid cash (without interest) in an amount equal to such fractional part of a share multiplied by the last sale price of our Class A Common Stock on Nasdaq on the last trading day of the Offer Period.

As part of the Offer, we are also soliciting from the holders of the public warrants their consent to the Warrant Amendment, which, if approved, will permit the Company to require that all public warrants outstanding upon completion of the Offer be converted into shares of Class A Common Stock at a ratio of 0.213 shares of Class A Common Stock per public warrant, which is a ratio 12.7% less than the exchange ratio applicable to the Offer. The Warrant Amendment will permit us to eliminate all of the public warrants that remain outstanding after the Offer is consummated. A copy of the Warrant Amendment is attached hereto as Annex A. We urge that you carefully read the Warrant Amendment in its entirety. Pursuant to the terms of the Warrant Agreement, the consent of holders of at least 65% of the outstanding public warrants is required to approve the Warrant Amendment.

Holders who tender public warrants for exchange in the Offer will automatically be deemed, without any further action, to have given their consent to approval of the Warrant Amendment (effective upon our acceptance of the tendered public warrants). The consent to the Warrant Amendment is a part of the Letter of Transmittal and Consent relating to the public warrants.

You cannot tender any public warrants for exchange in the Offer without giving your consent to the Warrant Amendment. Thus, before deciding whether to tender any public warrants, you should be aware that a tender of public warrants may result in the approval of the Warrant Amendment.

The Offer and Consent Solicitation is subject to the terms and conditions contained in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange and the Letter of Transmittal and Consent.

You may tender some or all of your public warrants in response to the Offer.

If you elect to tender public warrants in the Offer and Consent Solicitation, please follow the instructions in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange and the related documents, including the Letter of Transmittal and Consent.

If you tender public warrants, you may withdraw your tendered public warrants at any time before the Expiration Date and retain them on their current terms or amended terms if the Warrant Amendment is approved,

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by following the instructions herein. In addition, public warrants that are not accepted by us for exchange by July 28, 2022 may thereafter be withdrawn by you until such time as the public warrants are accepted by us for exchange.

Corporate Information

We are headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Our business was founded in 2001. In March 2021, we incorporated an entity in Delaware for the purpose of completing the Business Combination. In October 2021, as contemplated by the Transaction Agreement, Horizon merged with us, upon which the separate corporate existence of Horizon ended and we remained as the surviving entity. At the same time, we became a publicly traded company listed on Nasdaq.

Our principal executive offices are located at 111 N. Canal Street, Suite 800, Chicago, Illinois 60606, and our telephone number is (312) 291-9966. We maintain a website at www.vividseats.com where general information about us is available. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, our website is not part of, and is not incorporated into, this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange or the registration statement of which it forms a part.

Our Class A Common Stock and public warrants are listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “SEAT” and “SEATW,” respectively.

Warrants Subject to the Offer

The public warrants subject to the Offer were issued in connection with the Business Combination. Each public warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of our Class A Common Stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. The public warrants are quoted on Nasdaq under the symbol “SEATW.” As of June 24, 2022, a total of 18,132,766 public warrants were outstanding. Pursuant to the Offer, we are offering up to an aggregate of 4,351,864 shares of our Class A Common Stock in exchange for the public warrants.

Offer Period

The Offer and Consent Solicitation will expire on the Expiration Date, which is 11:59 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time, on June 29, 2022, or such later time and date to which we may extend. We expressly reserve the right, in our sole discretion, at any time or from time to time, to extend the period of time during which the Offer and Consent Solicitation is open. There can be no assurance that we will exercise our right to extend the Offer Period. During any extension, all public warrant holders who previously tendered public warrants will have a right to withdraw such previously tendered public warrants until the Expiration Date, as extended. If we extend the Offer Period, we will make a public announcement of such extension by no later than 9:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time, on the next business day following the Expiration Date as in effect immediately prior to such extension.

We may withdraw the Offer and Consent Solicitation only if the conditions to the Offer and Consent Solicitation are not satisfied or waived prior to the Expiration Date. Upon any such withdrawal, we are required by Rule 13e-4(f)(5) under the Exchange Act to promptly return the tendered public warrants. We will announce our decision to withdraw the Offer and Consent Solicitation by disseminating notice by public announcement or otherwise as permitted by applicable law.

At the expiration of the Offer Period, the current terms of the public warrants will continue to apply to any unexchanged public warrants, or the amended terms if the Warrant Amendment is approved, until the public warrants expire on October 18, 2026, subject to certain terms and conditions.

Amendments to the Offer and Consent Solicitation

We reserve the right at any time or from time to time, to amend the Offer and Consent Solicitation, including by increasing or (if the conditions to the Offer are not satisfied) decreasing the exchange ratio of Class A Common Stock issued for every public warrant exchanged or by changing the terms of the Warrant Amendment.

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If we make a material change in the terms of the Offer and Consent Solicitation or the information concerning the Offer and Consent Solicitation, or if we waive a material condition of the Offer and Consent Solicitation, we will extend the Offer and Consent Solicitation to the extent required by Rules 13e-4(d)(2) and 13e-4(e)(3) under the Exchange Act. These rules require that the minimum period during which an offer must remain open after material changes in the terms of the offer or information concerning the offer, other than a change in price or a change in percentage of securities sought, will depend upon the facts and circumstances, including the relative materiality of the changed terms or information.

If we increase or decrease the exchange ratio of our Class A Common Stock issuable in exchange for a public warrant, the amount of public warrants sought for tender or the dealer manager’s soliciting fee, and the Offer and Consent Solicitation is scheduled to expire at any time earlier than the end of the tenth business day from the date that we first publish, send or give notice of such an increase or decrease, then we will extend the Offer and Consent Solicitation until the expiration of that ten business day period.

Other material amendments to the Offer and Consent Solicitation may require us to extend the Offer and Consent Solicitation for a minimum of five business days.

Partial Exchange Permitted

Our obligation to complete the Offer is not conditioned on the receipt of a minimum number of tendered public warrants. If you choose to participate in the Offer, you may tender less than all of your public warrants pursuant to the terms of the Offer. No fractional shares will be issued pursuant to the Offer. In lieu of issuing fractional shares, any holder of public warrants who would otherwise have been entitled to receive fractional shares pursuant to the Offer will, after aggregating all such fractional shares of such holder, be paid cash (without interest) in an amount equal to such fractional part of a share multiplied by the last sale price of our Class A Common Stock on Nasdaq on the last trading day of the Offer Period.

Conditions to the Offer and Consent Solicitation

The Offer and Consent Solicitation are conditioned upon the following:

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The Consent Solicitation is conditioned on our receiving the consent of holders of at least 65% of the outstanding public warrants to approve the Warrant Amendment (which is the minimum number required to amend the Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement).

We will not complete the Offer and Consent Solicitation unless and until the registration statement described above is effective. If the registration statement is not effective at the Expiration Date, we may, in our discretion, extend, suspend or cancel the Offer and Consent Solicitation, and will inform public warrant holders of such event. If we extend the Offer Period, we will make a public announcement of such extension and the new Expiration Date by no later than 9:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time, on the next business day following the Expiration Date as in effect immediately prior to such extension.

In addition, as to any public warrant holder, the Offer and Consent Solicitation is conditioned upon such public warrant holder desiring to tender public warrants in the Offer delivering to the exchange agent in a timely manner the holder’s public warrants to be tendered and any other required paperwork, all in accordance with the applicable procedures described in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange and set forth in the Letter of Transmittal and Consent.

The foregoing conditions are solely for our benefit, and we may assert one or more of the conditions regardless of the circumstances giving rise to any such conditions. We may also, in our sole and absolute discretion, waive these conditions in whole or in part, subject to the potential requirement to disseminate additional information and extend the Offer Period. The determination by us as to whether any condition has been satisfied shall be conclusive and binding on all parties. The failure by us at any time to exercise any of the foregoing rights shall not be deemed a waiver of any such right, and each such right shall be deemed a continuing right which may be asserted at any time and from time to time prior to the Expiration Date.

We may withdraw the Offer and Consent Solicitation only if the conditions of the Offer and Consent Solicitation are not satisfied or waived prior to the Expiration Date. Promptly upon any such withdrawal, we will return the tendered public warrants (and the related consent to the Warrant Amendment will be revoked). We will announce our decision to withdraw the Offer and Consent Solicitation by disseminating notice by public announcement or otherwise as permitted by applicable law.

No Recommendation; Warrant Holder’s Own Decision

Neither we nor any of our affiliates, directors, officers or employees, or the information agent, the exchange agent or the dealer manager for the Offer and Consent Solicitation is making any recommendations to any public warrant holder as to whether to exchange their public warrants and deliver their consent to the Warrant Amendment. Each public warrant holder must make its own decision as to whether to tender public warrants for exchange pursuant to the Offer and consent to the amendment of the Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement pursuant to the Consent Solicitation.

Procedure for Tendering Warrants for Exchange and Consenting to the Warrant Amendment

Issuance of Class A Common Stock upon exchange of public warrants pursuant to the Offer and acceptance by us of public warrants for exchange pursuant to the Offer and providing your consent to the Warrant

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Amendment will be made only if public warrants are properly tendered pursuant to the procedures described below and set forth in the Letter of Transmittal and Consent. A tender of public warrants pursuant to such procedures, if and when accepted by us, will constitute a binding agreement between the tendering holder of public warrants and us upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer and Consent Solicitation. The proper tender of your public warrants will constitute a consent to the Warrant Amendment with respect to each warrant tendered.

A tender of public warrants made pursuant to any method of delivery set forth herein will also constitute an agreement and acknowledgement by the tendering public warrant holder that, among other things: (i) the public warrant holder agrees to exchange the tendered public warrants on the terms and conditions set forth in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange and Letter of Transmittal and Consent, in each case as may be amended or supplemented prior to the Expiration Date; (ii) the public warrant holder consents to the Warrant Agreement; (iii) the Offer is discretionary and may be extended, modified, suspended or terminated by us as provided herein; (iv) such public warrant holder is voluntarily participating in the Offer; (v) the future value of our public warrants is unknown and cannot be predicted with certainty; and (vi) such public warrant holder has read this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange, Letter of Transmittal and Consent and Warrant Amendment.

Registered Holders of Warrants; Beneficial Owners of Warrants

For purposes of the tender procedures set forth below, the term “registered holder” means any person in whose name public warrants are registered on our books or who is listed as a participant in a clearing agency’s security position listing with respect to the public warrants.

Persons whose public warrants are held through a direct or indirect participant of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), such as a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other financial intermediary, are not considered registered holders of those public warrants but are “beneficial owners.” Beneficial owners cannot directly tender public warrants for exchange pursuant to the Offer. Instead, a beneficial owner must instruct its broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other financial intermediary to tender public warrants for exchange on behalf of the beneficial owner. See “—Required Communications by Beneficial Owners.”

Tendering Warrants Using Letter of Transmittal and Consent

A registered holder of public warrants may tender their public warrants for exchange using a Letter of Transmittal and Consent in the form provided by us with this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange. A Letter of Transmittal and Consent is to be used only if delivery of public warrants is to be made by book-entry transfer to the exchange agent’s account at DTC pursuant to the procedures set forth in “—Tendering Warrants Using Book-Entry Transfer”; provided, however, that it is not necessary to execute and deliver a Letter of Transmittal and Consent if instructions with respect to the tender of such public warrants are transmitted through DTC’s Automated Tender Offer Program (“ATOP”). If you are a registered holder of public warrants, unless you intend to tender those public warrants through ATOP, you should complete, execute and deliver a Letter of Transmittal and Consent to indicate the action you desire to take with respect to the Offer and Consent Solicitation.

In order for public warrants to be properly tendered for exchange pursuant to the Offer using a Letter of Transmittal and Consent, the registered holder of the public warrants being tendered must ensure that the exchange agent receives the following: (i) a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal and Consent, in accordance with the instructions of the Letter of Transmittal and Consent (including any required signature guarantees); (ii) delivery of the public warrants by book-entry transfer to the exchange agent’s account at DTC; and (iii) any other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal and Consent.

In the Letter of Transmittal and Consent, the tendering registered public warrant holder must set forth: (i) its name and address; (ii) the number of public warrants being tendered by the holder for exchange; and (iii) certain other information specified in the form of Letter of Transmittal and Consent.

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In certain cases, all signatures on the Letter of Transmittal and Consent must be guaranteed by an “Eligible Institution.” See “—Signature Guarantees.”

If the Letter of Transmittal and Consent is signed by someone other than the registered holder of the tendered public warrants (for example, if the registered holder has assigned the public warrants to a third-party), or if our shares of Class A Common Stock to be issued upon exchange of the tendered public warrants are to be issued in a name other than that of the registered holder of the tendered public warrants, the tendered public warrants must be properly accompanied by appropriate assignment documents, in either case signed exactly as the name(s) of the registered holder(s) appear on the public warrants, with the signature(s) on the public warrants or assignment documents guaranteed by an Eligible Institution (as defined herein).

Any public warrants duly tendered and delivered as described above shall be automatically cancelled upon the issuance of Class A Common Stock in exchange for such public warrants as part of the completion of the Offer.

Signature Guarantees

In certain cases, signatures on the Letter of Transmittal and Consent must be guaranteed by an “Eligible Institution.” An “Eligible Institution” is a bank, broker dealer, credit union, savings association or other entity that is a member in good standing of the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program or a bank, broker, dealer, credit union, savings association or other entity which is an “eligible guarantor institution,” as that term is defined in Rule 17Ad-15 under the Exchange Act.

Signatures on the Letter of Transmittal and Consent need not be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution if (i) the Letter of Transmittal and Consent is signed by the registered holder of the public warrants tendered therewith exactly as the name of the registered holder appears on such public warrants and such holder has not completed the box entitled “Special Issuance Instructions” or the box entitled “Special Delivery Instructions” in the Letter of Transmittal and Consent; or (ii) such public warrants are tendered for the account of an Eligible Institution. In all other cases, an Eligible Institution must guarantee all signatures on the Letter of Transmittal and Consent by completing and signing the table in the Letter of Transmittal and Consent entitled “Guarantee of Signature(s).”

Required Communications by Beneficial Owners

Persons whose public warrants are held through a direct or indirect DTC participant, such as a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other financial intermediary, are not considered registered holders of those public warrants, but are “beneficial owners,” and must instruct the broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other financial intermediary to tender public warrants on their behalf. Your broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other financial intermediary should have provided you with an “Instructions Form” with this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange. The Instructions Form is also filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange forms a part. The Instructions Form may be used by you to instruct your broker or other custodian to tender and deliver public warrants on your behalf.

Tendering Warrants Using Book-Entry Transfer

The exchange agent has established an account for the public warrants at DTC for purposes of the Offer and Consent Solicitation. Any financial institution that is a participant in DTC’s system may make book-entry delivery of public warrants by causing DTC to transfer such public warrants into the exchange agent’s account in accordance with ATOP. However, even though delivery of public warrants may be effected through book-entry transfer into the exchange agent’s account at DTC, a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal and Consent (with any required signature guarantees), or an “Agent’s Message” as described in the next paragraph, and any other required documentation, must in any case also be transmitted to and received by the

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exchange agent at its address set forth in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange prior to the Expiration Date, or the guaranteed delivery procedures described under “—Guaranteed Delivery Procedures” must be followed.

DTC participants desiring to tender public warrants for exchange pursuant to the Offer may do so through ATOP, and in that case the participant need not complete, execute and deliver a Letter of Transmittal and Consent. DTC will verify the acceptance and execute a book-entry delivery of the tendered public warrants to the exchange agent’s account at DTC. DTC will then send an “Agent’s Message” to the exchange agent for acceptance. Delivery of the Agent’s Message by DTC will satisfy the terms of the Offer and Consent Solicitation as to execution and delivery of a Letter of Transmittal and Consent by the DTC participant identified in the Agent’s Message. The term “Agent’s Message” means a message, transmitted by DTC to, and received by, the exchange agent and forming a part of a Book-Entry Confirmation, which states that DTC has received an express acknowledgment from the participant in DTC tendering the public warrants for exchange that such participant has received and agrees to be bound by the terms of the Letter of Transmittal and Consent and that we may enforce such agreement against the participant. Any DTC participant tendering by book-entry transfer must expressly acknowledge that it has received and agrees to be bound by the Letter of Transmittal and Consent and that the Letter of Transmittal and Consent may be enforced against it.

Any public warrants duly tendered and delivered as described above shall be automatically cancelled upon the issuance of Class A Common Stock in exchange for such public warrants as part of the completion of the Offer.

Delivery of a Letter of Transmittal and Consent or any other required documentation to DTC does not constitute delivery to the Exchange Agent. See “—Timing and Manner of Deliveries.”

Guaranteed Delivery Procedures

If a registered holder of public warrants desires to tender its public warrants for exchange pursuant to the Offer, but (i) the procedure for book-entry transfer cannot be completed on a timely basis, or (ii) time will not permit all required documents to reach the exchange agent prior to the Expiration Date, the holder can still tender its public warrants if all the following conditions are met:

In any case where the guaranteed delivery procedure is utilized for the tender of public warrants pursuant to the Offer, the issuance of Class A Common Stock for those public warrants tendered for exchange pursuant to the Offer and accepted pursuant to the Offer will be made only if the exchange agent has timely received the applicable foregoing items.

Timing and Manner of Deliveries

UNLESS THE GUARANTEED DELIVERY PROCEDURES DESCRIBED ABOVE ARE FOLLOWED, WARRANTS WILL BE PROPERLY TENDERED ONLY IF, BY THE EXPIRATION DATE, THE

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EXCHANGE AGENT RECEIVES SUCH WARRANTS BY BOOK-ENTRY TRANSFER, TOGETHER WITH A PROPERLY COMPLETED AND DULY EXECUTED LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL AND CONSENT OR AN AGENT’S MESSAGE.

ALL DELIVERIES IN CONNECTION WITH THE OFFER AND CONSENT SOLICITATION, INCLUDING ANY LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL AND CONSENT AND THE TENDERED WARRANTS, MUST BE MADE TO THE EXCHANGE AGENT. NO DELIVERIES SHOULD BE MADE TO US. ANY DOCUMENTS DELIVERED TO US WILL NOT BE FORWARDED TO THE EXCHANGE AGENT AND THEREFORE WILL NOT BE DEEMED TO BE PROPERLY TENDERED. THE METHOD OF DELIVERY OF ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS IS AT THE OPTION AND RISK OF THE TENDERING WARRANT HOLDERS. IF DELIVERY IS BY MAIL, WE RECOMMEND REGISTERED MAIL WITH RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED (PROPERLY INSURED). IN ALL CASES, SUFFICIENT TIME SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO ENSURE TIMELY DELIVERY.

Determination of Validity

All questions as to the form of documents and the validity, eligibility (including time of receipt) and acceptance for exchange of any tender of public warrants will be determined by us, in our sole discretion, and our determination will be final and binding. We reserve the absolute right to reject any or all tenders of public warrants that we determine are not in proper form or reject tenders of public warrants that may, in the opinion of our counsel, be unlawful. We also reserve the absolute right to waive any defect or irregularity in any tender of any particular public warrant, whether or not similar defects or irregularities are waived in the case of other tendered public warrants. Neither we nor any other person will be under any duty to give notice of any defect or irregularity in tenders, nor shall any of us or them incur any liability for failure to give any such notice.

Fees and Commissions

Tendering public warrant holders who tender public warrants directly to the exchange agent will not be obligated to pay any charges or expenses of the exchange agent, the dealer manager or any brokerage commissions. Beneficial owners who hold public warrants through a broker or bank should consult that institution as to whether or not such institution will charge the owner any service fees in connection with tendering public warrants on behalf of the owner pursuant to the Offer and Consent Solicitation.

Transfer Taxes

We will pay all transfer taxes, if any, applicable to the transfer of public warrants to us in the Offer. If transfer taxes are imposed for any other reason, the amount of those transfer taxes, whether imposed on the registered holder or any other persons, will be payable by the tendering holder. Other reasons transfer taxes could be imposed include (i) if our Class A Common Stock is to be registered or issued in the name of any person other than the person signing the Letter of Transmittal and Consent, or (ii) if tendered public warrants are registered in the name of any person other than the person signing the Letter of Transmittal and Consent. If satisfactory evidence of payment of or exemption from those transfer taxes is not submitted with the Letter of Transmittal and Consent, the amount of those transfer taxes will be billed directly to the tendering holder and/or withheld from any payment due with respect to the public warrants tendered by such holder.

Withdrawal Rights

By tendering public warrants for exchange, a holder will be deemed to have validly delivered its consent to the Warrant Amendment. Tenders of public warrants made pursuant to the Offer may be withdrawn at any time prior to the Expiration Date. Consents to the Warrant Amendment in connection with the Consent Solicitation may be revoked at any time before the Expiration Date by withdrawing the tender of your public warrants. A valid withdrawal of tendered public warrants before the Expiration Date will be deemed to be a concurrent

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revocation of the related consent to the Warrant Amendment. Tenders of public warrants and consent to the Warrant Amendment may not be withdrawn after the Expiration Date. If the Offer Period is extended, you may withdraw your tendered public warrants at any time until the expiration of such extended Offer Period. After the Offer Period expires, such tenders are irrevocable, provided, however, that public warrants that are not accepted by us for exchange by July 28, 2022 may thereafter be withdrawn by you until such time as the public warrants are accepted by us for exchange.

To be effective, a written notice of withdrawal must be timely received by the exchange agent at its address identified in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange. Any notice of withdrawal must specify the name of the person who tendered the public warrants for which tenders are to be withdrawn and the number of public warrants to be withdrawn. If the public warrants to be withdrawn have been delivered to the exchange agent, a signed notice of withdrawal must be submitted prior to release of such public warrants. In addition, such notice must specify the name of the registered holder (if different from that of the tendering public warrant holder). A withdrawal may not be cancelled, and public warrants for which tenders are withdrawn will thereafter be deemed not validly tendered for purposes of the Offer and Consent Solicitation. However, public warrants for which tenders are withdrawn may be tendered again by following one of the procedures described above in the section titled “—Procedure for Tendering Warrants for Exchange” at any time prior to the Expiration Date.

A beneficial owner of public warrants desiring to withdraw tendered public warrants previously delivered through DTC should contact the DTC participant through which such owner holds its public warrants. In order to withdraw public warrants previously tendered, a DTC participant may, prior to the Expiration Date, withdraw its instruction by (i) withdrawing its acceptance through DTC’s Participant Tender Offer Program (“PTOP”) function, or (ii) delivering to the exchange agent by mail, hand delivery or facsimile transmission, notice of withdrawal of such instruction. The notice of withdrawal must contain the name and number of the DTC participant. A withdrawal of an instruction must be executed by a DTC participant as such DTC participant’s name appears on its transmission through the PTOP function to which such withdrawal relates. If the tender being withdrawn was made through ATOP, it may only be withdrawn through PTOP, and not by hard copy delivery of withdrawal instructions. A DTC participant may withdraw a tendered public warrant only if such withdrawal complies with the provisions described in this paragraph.

A holder who tendered its public warrants other than through DTC should send written notice of withdrawal to the exchange agent specifying the name of the public warrant holder who tendered the public warrants being withdrawn. All signatures on a notice of withdrawal must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution, as described above in the section titled “—Procedure for Tendering Warrants for Exchange—Signature Guarantees”; provided, however, that signatures on the notice of withdrawal need not be guaranteed if the public warrants being withdrawn are held for the account of an Eligible Institution. Withdrawal of a prior public warrant tender will be effective upon receipt of the notice of withdrawal by the exchange agent. Selection of the method of notification is at the risk of the public warrant holder, and notice of withdrawal must be timely received by the exchange agent.

All questions as to the form and validity (including time of receipt) of any notice of withdrawal will be determined by us, in our sole discretion, which determination shall be final and binding. Neither we nor any other person will be under any duty to give notification of any defect or irregularity in any notice of withdrawal or incur any liability for failure to give any such notification.

Acceptance for Issuance of Shares

Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer and Consent Solicitation, we will accept for exchange public warrants validly tendered until the Expiration Date, which is 11:59 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time, on June 29, 2022, or such later time and date to which we may extend. Our Class A Common Stock to be issued upon exchange of public warrants pursuant to the Offer, along with written notice from Exchange Agent confirming the balance of any public warrants not exchanged, will be delivered promptly following the

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Expiration Date. In all cases, public warrants will only be accepted for exchange pursuant to the Offer after timely receipt by the exchange agent of (i) book-entry delivery of the tendered public warrants, (ii) a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal and Consent, or compliance with ATOP where applicable, (iii) any other documentation required by the Letter of Transmittal and Consent, and (iv) any required signature guarantees.

For purposes of the Offer and Consent Solicitation, we will be deemed to have accepted for exchange public warrants that are validly tendered and for which tenders are not withdrawn, unless we give written notice to the public warrant holder of our non-acceptance.

Announcement of Results of the Offer and Consent Solicitation

We will announce the final results of the Offer and Consent Solicitation, including whether all of the conditions to the Offer and Consent Solicitation have been satisfied or waived and whether we will accept the tendered public warrants for exchange, as promptly as practicable following the end of the Offer Period. The announcement will be made by a press release and by amendment to the Schedule TO we will file with the SEC in connection with the Offer and Consent Solicitation.

Background and Purpose of the Offer and Consent Solicitation

Our Board of Directors approved the Offer and Consent Solicitation on May 25, 2022. The purpose of the Offer and Consent Solicitation is to attempt to simplify our capital structure and reduce the potential dilutive impact of the public warrants, thereby providing us with more flexibility for financing our operations in the future. The public warrants that are tendered for exchange pursuant to the Offer will be retired and cancelled automatically upon the issuance of Class A Common Stock in exchange for such public warrants pursuant to the Offer.

Agreements, Regulatory Requirements and Legal Proceedings

Except for the Tender and Support Agreement, there are no present or proposed agreements, arrangements, understandings or relationships between us, and any of our directors, executive officers, affiliates or any other person relating, directly or indirectly, to the Offer and Consent Solicitation or to our securities that are the subject of the Offer and Consent Solicitation.

Pursuant to the Tender and Support Agreement, Eldridge, which holds in the aggregate approximately 28.5% of the outstanding public warrants, has agreed to tender its public warrants in the Offer and consent to the Warrant Amendment in the Consent Solicitation. Therefore, if holders of an additional approximately 36.5% of the outstanding public warrants consent to the Warrant Amendment in the Consent Solicitation, and the other conditions described herein are satisfied or waived, then the Warrant Amendment will be adopted.

Except for the requirements of applicable federal and state securities laws, we know of no federal or state regulatory requirements to be complied with or federal or state regulatory approvals to be obtained by us in connection with the Offer and Consent Solicitation. There are no antitrust laws applicable to the Offer and Consent Solicitation. The margin requirements under Section 7 of the Exchange Act, and the related regulations thereunder, are inapplicable to the Offer and Consent Solicitation.

There are no pending legal proceedings relating to the Offer and Consent Solicitation.

Interests of Directors, Executive Officers and Others

Except for Eldridge and Mr. Boehly, Eldridge’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, neither we nor any of our directors, executive officers or affiliates beneficially own any of the public warrants.

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BUSINESS

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 are relentless about finding ways to make event discovery and ticket purchasing easy, fun, exciting and stress-free. Our platform provides ticket buyers and sellers with an easy-to-use, trusted marketplace experience, ensuring fans can attend live events and create new memories.

We operate a technology platform and marketplace that enables ticket buyers to easily discover and purchase tickets from ticket sellers while enabling ticket sellers to seamlessly manage their operations. To generate ticket sales, drive traffic to our website and mobile applications and build brand recognition, we have mutually beneficial partnerships with a number of content rights holders, media partners, product and service partners and distribution partners.

Our platform is built on years of customer transactional and engagement data that provides us with deep insights into how to best connect ticket buyers with the experiences they seek. We understand the feeling of anticipation as the start of an event approaches and work diligently to enable fans to experience as many of these moments as possible. We seek to provide enriching customer engagement opportunities with personalized recommendations, engaging discovery options, a streamlined shopping experience and our Vivid Seats Rewards program, which allows ticket buyers to earn Reward Credits to spend on future orders and experience even more of their favorite events.

In December 2021, we acquired Betcha, a real money daily fantasy sports app with social and gamification features. Betcha provides an adjacent opportunity for us to extend our marketplace technology into the daily fantasy sports gaming sector, in which we believe many of our buyers will increasingly engage. Betcha’s intuitive and simple-to-use interface allows both casual and super fans multiple ways to enjoy the action of their favorite sports. Betcha also brings unique social elements that allow fans and friends to play and win together.

Our Business Model

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

Marketplace

Through our Marketplace segment, we act as an intermediary between event ticket buyers and ticket sellers. We earn revenue from processing ticket sales on our website and mobile applications and sales initiated through our numerous distribution partners. Using our online platform, we process customer payments, coordinate ticket deliveries, and provide customer service to both our ticket buyers and sellers.

A key component of our platform is Skybox, a proprietary enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) tool used by many of our 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.

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. We do not hold ticket inventory in the Marketplace segment. We incur costs for developing and maintaining our platform, providing back-office and customer support to ticket buyers and sellers, processing payments, and shipping tickets. We also incur substantial marketing costs, primarily related to online advertising, which we expect to increase over time as we grow and scale the business.

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The tickets we sell through our Marketplace segment are diversified across sports, concerts and theater. A diversified mix across these three major categories broadens our opportunities, limits exposure to any particular category, and reduces seasonal variation in volumes.

Within each of these categories, there are a broad range of productions that provide further diversification:

Resale

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

Our Growth Strategies

Increase Our Brand Awareness and Affinity

We want Vivid Seats to be the destination ticketing marketplace buyers and sellers consider when searching for, purchasing and selling event tickets. We seek to offer the best value to ticket buyers and sellers in the secondary ticketing market and want to amplify our message to maximize awareness of what differentiates our offerings. We believe we differentiate from competitors by offering extensive breadth and depth of ticket listings at a competitive value. Our Vivid Seats Rewards program allows ticket buyers to earn Reward Credits to spend on future orders.

We provide a reliable and secure experience for ticket buyers through our award-winning customer service and our 100% Buyer Guarantee designed to give our ticket buyers peace of mind. Our customer service provides full-service customer care, safe and secure transactions, and valid tickets delivered before the event while our Buyer Guarantee provides compensation for cancelled events. Live event tickets are often a significant purchase and the more customers understand our value proposition, appreciate that we are a trusted marketplace, develop an affinity for our brand, and interact with our technology, the more transactions we expect to complete.

Increase Customer Engagement

We want to connect with our customers and we want our customers to connect with us. We aim to close the awareness gap to ensure that fans know when their favorite artists or sports teams are performing or playing near them. Accordingly, we strive to improve the discovery process to help fans attend more of their favorite events.

We provide customized content to our customers to enhance their experience while driving continued engagement. We provide a broad selection of competitively priced tickets and we provide access to live stream performances, blog content, and industry news. We also provide personalized recommendations to our ticket buyers. In December 2021, we acquired Betcha, a real money daily fantasy sports app, with social and gamification features. We completed this acquisition to enhance our connection with our customers by providing adjacent features and unique experiences alongside our ticketing marketplace that will enable more frequent engagement.

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Increase Customer Retention

Once customers transact with Vivid Seats, many return and complete additional transactions. We seek to increase both the number and frequency of these repeat customer visits and transactions by having ticket buyers view us as their ticketing platform of choice. We believe the combination of our Vivid Seats Rewards program, increasing brand awareness and ongoing product improvements will drive a more personalized and engaging experience and will result in greater affinity towards our marketplace. As ticket buyers gain a full appreciation of our value proposition relative to other ticketing marketplaces, we anticipate they will increasingly visit our website and mobile applications to complete more transactions with us.

Develop Additional Seller Tools and Services

We enable our ticket sellers to thrive by offering products and services that support their business needs. Our proprietary Skybox platform helps ticket sellers manage their inventory, set pricing, fulfill orders, and track sales. We have a proud history of innovating to support our ticket sellers and continue to develop additional tools and service offerings that address existing problems or add efficiency to the sales and fulfillment process. As we increase the quality and depth of our seller tools, we will attract additional sellers and listings to our platform, reinforce our existing seller relationships and reduce friction. We anticipate this will result in more transactions in our marketplace.

Expand our Partnerships

Partnerships are an important and additive part of our ecosystem. They help generate ticket sales, drive traffic to our website and mobile applications and build brand recognition. Our partner ecosystem includes:

We will continue to seek out mutually beneficial partnerships in our existing ecosystem and other categories that improve the experience for our customers while leveraging our existing brand, traffic and reputation.

Our Platform

Modern Technology that Delivers a Seamless Experience

Our “built in the cloud” technology platform supports all elements of the fan experience. Customers can search for an event, buy or sell a ticket, engage with curated content, and contact customer support. Our technology mission is to continually innovate and deliver market-leading products and services that support the evolving needs of our ticket buyers and sellers. Our scalable, reliable and performant systems power a consumer and partner-facing platform that supports ticket buyers while our tools power inventory management and ticket fulfillment for ticket sellers.

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Buyers Technology and Products

Our consumer systems are designed to respond to the dynamic, fast-paced landscape of the live events industry. Our marketplace, supported by proprietary digital marketing technology, is adept at capitalizing on demand opportunities by bringing ticket buyers to our platform for their desired event and seamlessly supporting their shopping and checkout experience. We continually invest in optimizing our consumer-facing technology across our website and mobile applications. We see opportunities to create engaging and delightful experiences through enticing listings, relevant content, curated recommendations and a seamless checkout process. We power that experience through a host of technology systems that consider historical transactional and engagement behavior, proximity and ticket buyer preferences. We leverage the latest technologies in search, customer relationship management and data analytics and incorporate these capabilities into our advanced and flexible infrastructure.

Seller Technology and Products

Our premier enterprise resource planning tool, Skybox, enables ticket sellers to manage, price and fulfill their inventory. Utilizing a cloud-based technology infrastructure and a web-based application interface, Skybox serves as an asset to the entire ticket seller ecosystem. We invest in building capabilities that serve the needs of small, medium and large ticket sellers alike, including offering free integrations to other inventory distribution channels and third-party tools. Skybox allows ticket sellers to more effectively move their inventory, which in turn could help increase the number of orders transacted in our marketplace.

Partner Technology and Products

Our platform allows distribution partners to bring additional ticket buyer demand into our ecosystem. Distribution partners can integrate our event feeds and ticket listings into their online properties through application programming interfaces (“APIs”) or fully managed web sites. We also provide turn-key checkout, customer service and fulfillment. This offering increases the number of ticket buyers and sellers accessing our platform, allowing us to leverage our scale to drive operational and marketplace efficiencies while enabling our partners to offer additional products to their customers.

Technology Infrastructure

Our platform is extensible and flexible. We can integrate with new partners, target new customer channels, access new supply bases, and connect with complementary technologies.

We have scalable and reliable systems. We continue to build and modernize our technology infrastructure to support the growth of our marketplace. We can handle increases from unpredictable surges in site traffic across our ticket buyer, seller and partner platform. We utilize a host of technology availability, monitoring and scaling solutions to respond to rapid changes for a business that operates around the clock.

Our technology architecture is service-oriented, cloud-based, and modular. Each individual component of our architecture is independent. We can innovate quickly, increase development velocity and leverage new development technologies available in the market. We can also scale our platform to meet changing levels of ticket buyer demand and evolving ticket seller needs.

Third-Party Developers

Our APIs allow a broad ecosystem of third-party tools and systems to integrate with our platform. Third-party tools integrate with our marketplace ticket broker API and ticket broker portal to streamline and automate the sales and fulfillment process. Our Skybox ERP integrates with numerous third-party automation and workflow management solutions. Thus, ticket sellers can leverage other applications and functions to support the specific needs of their business.

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Our Values

Our passion and excitement for live events drives us to provide memorable experiences and services to our customers and partners.

Our values ground us in all that we do:

Employees and Human Capital

We aim to hire talented, dedicated and diverse team members. The main objectives of our human capital resources are identifying, recruiting, developing, incentivizing and retaining our existing and new employees. Our talent management team identifies key positions based on current and future business strategies and creates robust programs for talent development. Our succession planning includes identifying key roles, evaluating bench strength, building redundancy, and identifying potential successors. As of March 31, 2022, we had 531 full-time employees.

Competition

Our business faces significant competition from other primary and secondary ticketing service providers to acquire new and retain existing ticket buyers and sellers. The main competitive factors are:

We believe we have several competitive advantages that enable us to maintain and grow our position as a leading secondary ticket provider:

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Our key competitors are StubHub, Ticketmaster, SeatGeek and TicketNetwork.

With our real money daily fantasy sports gaming offering on our Betcha app, we face a highly competitive gaming market, including other free-to-play and real money online gaming and daily fantasy sports providers. We believe we provide a differentiated product and experience to users with an easy-to-use app with simple player props. The app is enhanced by social and gamification features and the opportunity to play and win real money.

We also face competition from other avenues for entertainment. Consumers have a wide array of entertainment options including restaurants, movies and television and we compete for the discretionary spend of our ticket buyers and users.

Properties

As of March 31, 2022, we leased approximately 37,000 square feet of space in Chicago, Illinois for our headquarters under a lease agreement that will terminate November 2022. In December 2021, we entered into a lease agreement for our new corporate headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. The lease commenced in the first quarter of 2022, when we obtained control of the premises, and runs through December 31, 2033 with a 5-year renewal option. The aggregate lease payments for the initial term are approximately $16.2 million with no rent due until March 2024. We also lease facilities in Coppell, Texas and Toronto, Ontario.

Legal Proceedings

We are currently involved in, as we are from time to time, legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business. The results of any current or future litigation cannot be predicted with certainty; however, we believe there are no currently pending lawsuits or claims against us that, individually or in the aggregate, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

Government Regulation

Government regulation impacts key aspects of our business. These laws and regulations involve:

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For example, we are required to comply with federal, state and international laws regarding privacy and the storing, sharing, use, disclosure and protection of personally identifiable information and user data, an area that is increasingly subject to legislation and regulations in numerous jurisdictions, including the California Consumer Protection Act.

From time to time, federal, state, local and international authorities and/or consumers commence investigations, inquiries or litigation with respect to our compliance with applicable consumer protection, advertising, unfair business practice, antitrust (and similar or related laws) and other laws, particularly as related to ticket resale services. Some jurisdictions prohibit the resale of event tickets at prices above the face value of the tickets or at all, or highly regulate the resale of tickets. New laws and regulations or changes to existing laws and regulations imposing these or other restrictions could limit or inhibit our ability to operate, or our ticket buyers’ and sellers’ ability to continue to use, our ticket marketplace.

In addition, state ticketing laws vary from state to state, and it is unclear how such laws will be applied to our business as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced a high volume of event reschedules, postponements, and cancellations and made certain changes to our refund practices. Although we have restored our refund policies to be consistent with our policies pre-pandemic, such changes to our refund practices have drawn the attention of, and inquiry from, various attorneys general and other regulators.

We are subject to laws and regulations that affect companies conducting business on the Internet in many jurisdictions where we operate. With the continued state adoption of Internet sales tax laws and marketplace facilitator laws, more buyers across the United States will encounter sales tax for the first time on our platform in the future. Tax collection responsibility and the additional costs associated with complex sales and use tax collection, remittance and audit requirements could create additional burdens for ticket buyers and sellers on our website and mobile applications.

Many of the laws and regulations to which we are subject are still evolving and being tested in courts and could be interpreted in ways that could harm our business. In addition, the application and interpretation of these laws and regulations often are uncertain, particularly in the rapidly evolving industry in which we operate. Compliance with these laws, regulations, and similar requirements may be onerous and expensive, and variances and inconsistencies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction may further increase the cost of compliance and doing business.

Intellectual Property

Our business relies substantially on the creation, use and protection of intellectual property related to our platform and services. We protect our intellectual property through a combination of trademarks, domain names, copyrights and trade secrets, and we are currently pursuing patent protection in connection with certain technology developments. We further protect our intellectual property through contractual provisions with employees, customers, suppliers, partners, affiliates and others, including, but not limited to, employee confidentiality and intellectual property assignment agreements, and commercial contracts that protect our intellectual property and other confidential information.

Seasonality

Our financial results can be impacted by seasonality, with increased activity in the fourth quarter when all major sports leagues are in season and we experience an increase in order volume for theater and concert events during the holiday season.

About the Company

Vivid Seats was founded in 2001, and in 2004, we launched our website www.vividseats.com. We initially focused on developing and refining our proprietary systems to enable us to best serve our customers who are both

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ticket buyers and ticket sellers. We launched Skybox in 2014, a free-to-use cloud-based enterprise resource planning tool for sellers to manage their business, and first deployed our mobile application in 2015 to capture the increasing volume of tickets purchased through mobile channels. We have continued to innovate with ongoing updates and upgrades of our systems and products.

In March 2021, we incorporated an entity in Delaware for the purpose of completing the Business Combination. In October 2021, as contemplated by the Transaction Agreement, we consummated our merger with Horizon, upon which the separate corporate existence of Horizon ended and we remained as the surviving entity. At the same time, we became a publicly traded company listed on Nasdaq with our Class A Common Stock trading under the symbol “SEAT” and public warrants trading under the symbol “SEATW.”

Our internet address is www.vividseats.com. At our Investor Relations website, investors.vividseats.com, we make available free of charge a variety of information for investors, including our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file that material with or furnish it to the SEC. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, our website is not part of, and is not incorporated into, this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange or the registration statement of which it forms a part.

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UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Introduction

The following unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information is provided to assist you in your analysis of our financial information, after giving effect to the Business Combination and PIPE Subscription (collectively, the “Transactions”), in addition to the refinancing of our existing term loan (the “February 2022 Refinancing”) and the proposed exchange of public warrants for Class A Common Stock (“proposed warrant exchange”) as if they occurred on January 1, 2021. The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information has been prepared in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation S-X and should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes. The adjustments presented in the unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information have been identified and presented to provide relevant information necessary for an understanding of the Company after consummation of the Transactions, the February 2022 Refinancing, and the proposed warrant exchange.

The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the three months ended March 31, 2022 reflect the historical consolidated statements of operations of Vivid Seats Inc. and give effect to the Transactions and the February 2022 Refinancing, including the resulting debt repayments related to both the Transactions, and the proposed warrant exchange, as if they had occurred on January 1, 2021. The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 does not include the historical statement of operations of Horizon for the period of time prior to the Business Combination, as those amounts are not indicative of the ongoing operations of Vivid Seats Inc.

The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information does not include a balance sheet because the Transactions under the February 2022 Refinancing are reflected in the historical consolidated balance sheet of the Company as of March 31, 2022 presented elsewhere in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange. In addition, the accounting treatment for the exchange of public warrants for Class A Common Stock, should it be approved, would be primarily recorded as a reclassification within additional paid-in capital, with an adjustment to Class A Common Stock for any shares issued in the exchange and a reduction to cash and cash equivalents for any fractional shares included in the exchange. We do not expect the adjustments recorded to Class A Common Stock or cash and cash equivalents to be material. The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statements of operations reflect pro forma earnings per share assuming two scenarios, consisting of i) the exchange of no outstanding public warrants and ii) the exchange of all outstanding public warrants for Class A Common Stock.

The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information was derived from, and should be read in conjunction with, the historical consolidated financial statements of Vivid Seats Inc. as of and for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the three months ended March 31, 2022, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP.

The unaudited transaction accounting adjustments reflected in the unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information represent management’s estimates based on information available as of the date of preparation and are subject to change as additional information becomes available and further analyses are performed. The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information is presented for illustrative purposes only and does not necessarily reflect what the financial condition or results of operations would have been for Vivid Seats Inc. had the Transactions, the February 2022 Refinancing, or the proposed warrant exchange occurred on the dates indicated. Further, the unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information may not be useful in predicting the future financial condition and results of operations of Vivid Seats Inc. The actual results of operations may differ significantly from the pro forma amounts reflected herein due to a variety of factors. The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information should be read together with the historical consolidated financial statements of Vivid Seats Inc., “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and other financial information included elsewhere in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange.

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Basis of Pro Forma Presentation

The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information has been adjusted to give effect to accounting adjustments related to the Transactions, the February 2022 Refinancing, and the proposed warrant exchange linking their effects to the historical financial information. The adjustments in the unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated consolidated financial information have been identified and presented to provide relevant information necessary for an accurate understanding of the Company after consummation of the Transactions, the February 2022 Refinancing, and the proposed warrant exchange.

The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information is for illustrative purposes only. The financial results may have been different had the companies always been combined. You should not rely on the unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information as being indicative of the historical results that would have been achieved had the Transactions and the February 2022 Refinancing occurred on the dates indicated or the future results that we will experience.

The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information does not give effect to any anticipated synergies, operating efficiencies, tax savings, or cost savings that may be associated with the Transactions.

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Vivid Seats Inc.

Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations

For the Year Ended December 31, 2021

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

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Vivid Seats Inc.

Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations

For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

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NOTES TO UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

1.    Basis of Presentation

The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information represents management’s estimates based on information available as of the date of this filing. Management considers this basis of presentation to be reasonable under the circumstances.

The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the three months ended March 31, 2022 reflect the historical consolidated statements of operations of Vivid Seats Inc. and give effect to the Transactions, the February 2022 Refinancing, including the resulting debt repayments, and the proposed warrant exchange as if they had occurred on January 1, 2021. The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 does not include the historical statement of operations of Horizon for the period during 2021 prior to the Business Combination, as those amounts are not indicative of the ongoing operations of Vivid Seats Inc.

The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information presented here does not include a balance sheet because the Transactions and the February 2022 Refinancing are reflected in the historical consolidated balance sheet of the Company as of March 31, 2022 presented elsewhere in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange. The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statements of operations reflect pro forma earnings per share assuming two scenarios, consisting of i) the exchange of no outstanding public warrants and ii) the exchange of all outstanding public warrants for Class A Common Stock.

In connection with the Transactions, Vivid Seats Inc. incurred $31.7 million in offering costs, of which $20.2 million were recorded as a reduction of the gross proceeds from the Business Combination and the PIPE Subscription. The remaining offering costs of $11.5 million are reflected within general and administrative expenses in the historical statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021.

The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the three months ended March 31, 2022 reflect the following adjustments:

(a)    Hoya Intermediate Warrants were issued to Hoya Topco, which are classified as liabilities due to the redemption feature of the Intermediate Common Units. The decrease in fair value associated with the Hoya Intermediate Warrants is $5.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, assuming an original issuance date of January 1, 2021. The decrease in fair value is reflected as income in the unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021.

As the Hoya Intermediate Warrants were outstanding for the entire period, no pro forma adjustment is required in the unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statement of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2022

(b)    Reflects a decrease to interest expense resulting from payments towards the debt of Vivid Seats Inc. in connection with the Transactions and the February 2022 Refinancing as if they occurred on January 1, 2021 based on the interest rate in effect under the February 2022 First Lien Loan (as defined in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”). In connection with the Transactions and the February 2022 Refinancing, Vivid Seats Inc. completely repaid the May 2020 First Lien Loan (as defined in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”) and reduced the outstanding principal balance on the Amended June 2017 First Lien Loan to $275.0 million. The reduced debt balance results in a reduction to interest expense of $47.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 and $1.2 million during the three months ended March 31, 2022.

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Assuming the debt repayments related to the Transactions and the February 2022 Refinancing occurred on January 1, 2021, the loss on extinguishment of debt would increase to $55.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase of $19.9 million results primarily from a $12.4 million increase in prepayment penalties associated with an earlier repayment of the May 2020 First Lien Loan and debt extinguishment and offering costs of $3.8 million related to the February 2022 Refinancing, which is not reflected in the historical financial information of Vivid Seats Inc.

As the February 2022 Refinancing is reflected as if it occurred on January 1, 2021, no loss on extinguishment of debt is reflected during the three months ended March 31, 2022

(c)    Represents estimated transaction costs incurred in relation to the proposed warrant exchange, which are reflected entirely in 2021.

(d)    The pro forma condensed consolidated statement of operations does not reflect incremental income tax expense related to the pro forma adjustments, because management expects any income tax expense incurred to be offset by utilization of the Company’s deferred tax assets, which are fully reserved.

(e)    Represents the pro forma adjustment to adjust the net (loss) income attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interests. Profits and losses are allocated to redeemable noncontrolling interests in proportion to their relative ownership interests. Net loss attributable to Hoya Intermediate, LLC shareholders prior to reverse recapitalization is reduced to zero, as the unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information gives effect to the Transactions as if they occurred on January 1, 2021. Assuming all public warrants are exchanged for shares of Class A Common Stock, the effect on net (loss) income attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interests would be immaterial.

(f)    Reflects pro forma basic and diluted earnings per share assuming i) the exchange of no outstanding public warrants, and ii) the exchange of all outstanding public warrants for Class A Common Stock.

Pro forma basic earnings per share is calculated using the weighted average shares of Class A Common Stock outstanding, assuming that shares issued in connection with the Transactions were outstanding since January 1, 2021. Shares of Class B Common Stock are not participating securities and therefore are excluded from the calculation of pro forma basic earnings per share. When assuming the exchange of all public warrants, pro forma basic earnings per share gives further effect to the issuance of Class A Common Stock and the reduction in net income attributable to Class A Common Stockholders related to the excess in fair value of the Class A Common Stock exchanged for public warrants, which is treated as a dividend. This scenario assumes the public warrant exchange occurred on January 1, 2021.

Pro forma diluted earnings per share is computed by adjusting pro forma net income attributable to Vivid Seats Inc. and the weighted average shares of Class A Common Stock outstanding to give effect to potentially dilutive securities using the treasury stock method or if-converted method, as applicable.

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Intermediate Common Units, together with an equal number of shares of Class B Common Stock, may be exchanged, for shares of Class A Common Stock or for cash. After evaluating the potential dilutive effect under the if-converted method, the outstanding Intermediate Common Units for the assumed exchange of non-controlling interests were determined to be antidilutive on a pro forma basis and thus were excluded in the computation of diluted earnings per share. The diluted weighted average share calculation assumes that certain equity instruments were issued and outstanding at the beginning of the period. The following table sets forth a reconciliation of the numerators and denominators used to compute pro forma basic and diluted earnings per share.

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations should be read together with the financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange. Such discussion and analysis reflect the historical results of operations and financial position of Vivid Seats Inc. and its subsidiaries. This discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements” and elsewhere in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange.

Certain monetary amounts, percentages and other figures included below have been subject to rounding adjustments. Percentage amounts included in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange have not in all cases been calculated on the basis of such rounded figures, but on the basis of such amounts prior to rounding. For this reason, percentage amounts in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange may vary from those obtained by performing the same calculations using the figures in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange. Certain other amounts that appear in this Prospectus/Offer to Exchange may not sum due to rounding.

Unless the context otherwise requires, all references in this section to the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” refer to the business of Vivid Seats (collectively, “Vivid Seats”) prior to the Closing.

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 live events deliver some of life’s most exciting moments. Our platform provides ticket buyers and sellers with an easy-to-use and trusted marketplace experience that enables fans to purchase tickets to live events and create new memories. We believe we differentiate from competitors by offering extensive breadth and depth of ticket listings at a competitive value.

During the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, our revenues were $130.8 million and $24.1 million, respectively, and our Marketplace GOV was $742.1 million and $116.5 million, respectively. Our net income was $3.1 million and net loss was $20.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. During the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, our revenues were $443.0 million. $35.1 million and $468.9 million, respectively, and our Marketplace GOV was $2,399.1 million, $347.3 million and $2,279.8 million, respectively. Our net loss was $19.1 million, $774.2 million and $53.8 million, respectively.

Our Business Model

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

Marketplace

Through our Marketplace segment, we act as an intermediary between ticket buyers and ticket sellers. We earn revenue processing ticket sales from our Owned Properties, consisting of the Vivid Seats website and mobile applications, and from our Private Label offering, which comprises numerous distribution partners. Using our online platform, we process customer payments, coordinate ticket deliveries, and provide customer service to ticket buyers.

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A key component of our platform is Skybox, a proprietary enterprise resource planning tool used by many of our ticket sellers. Skybox is a free-to-use system that helps ticket sellers manage ticket inventories, adjust pricing and fulfill orders across multiple secondary ticket marketplaces.

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. We do not hold ticket inventory in the Marketplace segment. We incur costs for developing and maintaining our platform, providing back-office and customer support to ticket buyers and ticket sellers, processing payments, and shipping tickets. We also incur substantial marketing costs, primarily related to online advertising.

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 best-in-class seller software and tools.

Key Business Metrics and Non-GAAP Financial Measures

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 measures for the periods indicated (in thousands):

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Marketplace GOV

Marketplace GOV is a key driver of our Marketplace segment’s 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 is impacted by seasonality, and typically sees increased activity in the fourth quarter when all major sports leagues are in season and we experience increases in order volume for theater and concert events during the holiday season. Quarterly fluctuations in our Marketplace GOV result from the number of cancellations, the popularity and demand of performers, tours, teams, and events, and the length and team composition of sports playoff series and championship games.

Our Marketplace GOV increased during the three months ended March 31, 2022 as a result of higher orders processed. Our Marketplace GOV increased during the year ended December 31, 2021 as a result of higher sales volume and fewer event cancellations following an overall reduction in mitigation measures enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Total Marketplace Orders

Total Marketplace orders represents the volume of Marketplace segment orders placed on our platform in a period, net of event cancellations. An order can include one or more tickets and/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 three months ended March 31, 2022 as a result of higher orders processed. Total Marketplace orders increased during the year ended December 31, 2021 as a result of higher sales volume and fewer event cancellations following an overall reduction in mitigation measures enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Total Resale Orders

Total Resale orders represents the volume of Resale segment orders sold in a period, net of event cancellations. 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.

Adjusted EBITDA

We present Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP 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

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measure is helpful in highlighting trends in our operating results, because it excludes the impact of items that are outside the control of management or not reflective of ongoing performance related directly to the operation of our business segments.

Adjusted EBITDA is a key measurement 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 period-to-period comparisons of our business performance and highlighting trends in our operating results.

The following is a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to its most directly comparable GAAP measure, net income (loss), for the periods indicated (in thousands).

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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 Prospectus/Offer to Exchange, particularly in “Risk Factors.” The key factors discussed below impacted our 2021 results or are anticipated to impact our 2022 results.

Growth and retention of customers and sellers

Our revenue growth primarily depends on acquiring and retaining customers. We seek to have ticket buyers and sellers view us as their destination ticketing marketplace when searching for, purchasing and selling event tickets. We believe we differentiate from competitors by offering 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 marketing, 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 customers by offering an optimal customer experience, providing additional avenues for engagement and outreach such as customized emails, and providing value to our customers such as with our Vivid Seats Rewards program. Likewise, we must preserve our longstanding relationships with ticket sellers to maintain extensive

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ticket listing options at competitive prices. We recognize the importance of seller and other distribution relationships in the ticketing ecosystem and offer products and services designed to support the needs of our sellers and distribution partners.

During 2021, we experienced a dramatic increase in new orders processed starting in the second quarter alongside the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccination programs across the United States and supported by our investments in revamped branding and product enhancements to attract new and reattract prior customers. We also experienced a significant reduction in event cancellations in 2021 as compared to 2020. Our expenses increased on a similar trajectory over the course of the year as we increased our marketing spend and efforts, hired additional personnel, and had additional outsourced customer service provider costs to capitalize on the increase in live event attendance and handle the increased order demand.

Supply of Concert, Sporting, and Theatre Events

A reduction in the number of live concert, sporting and theater events will have an adverse effect on our revenue and operating income. Many of the factors affecting the number and availability of live concert, sporting and theater events are beyond our control. During the year ended December 31, 2021, our Marketplace segment experienced 257,109 event cancellations and our Resale segment experienced 6,165 event cancellations.

Attracting and retaining talent

We rely on the ability to attract and retain employees. Our future success depends on our continuing ability to identify, hire, develop, motivate and retain highly skilled personnel for all areas of our organization. As a company, we share the dedication to our mission to Experience It Live. We believe offering employees an engaging and positive work environment contributes to both their success and our success. We are committed to fostering an environment that is inclusive and welcome to diversity in backgrounds, experiences and thoughts as a means toward achieving employee engagement, empowerment, innovation and good decision-making. As of March 31, 2022, we had 535 full-time employees.

COVID-19 pandemic

Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and it may continue to have, a significant negative impact on our business, operational and financial results. While we have seen recovery in the demand for live events with an increase in ticket orders, as well as an increasing number of live events held in 2021 as compared to 2020, we could be adversely affected if new variants emerge and if COVID-19 case counts increase. Beginning in the second quarter of 2021, and continuing into the first quarter of 2022, we have seen a recovery in ticket orders as mitigation measures ease. As of March 31, 2022, most jurisdictions permit full capacity and many events are taking place as planned. Some events, however, continue to be cancelled, rescheduled, or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic is evolving, and the ultimate pace and timing of recovery is uncertain. If economic conditions caused by the pandemic do not continue to recover, including as a result of potential developments with variants of the virus or other market-disrupting events, our financial condition, cash flow and results of operations may be further impacted.

Ticketing Industry Competition

Our business faces significant competition from other national, regional and local primary and secondary ticketing service providers. We also face competition in the resale of tickets from other professional ticket resellers. We must continue to innovate and offer our buyers, sellers and partners an attractive value proposition.

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Seasonality

Our operational and financial results can be impacted by seasonality, with increased activity in the fourth quarter when all major sports leagues are in season and we experience an increase in order volume for theater and concert events during the holiday season. In addition to typical seasonality impacts to our business, our quarterly results and quarterly year-over-year growth rates can be impacted by:

In 2021, the impacts of COVID-19 resulted in unique impacts to our business beyond normal course seasonality. In particular, we experienced a dramatic increase in new orders processed starting in the second quarter alongside the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccination programs across the United States. We expect the continued return of live events as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, subject to potential developments with variants of the virus or other market-disrupting events, to continue to be most impactful in the near term.

Results of Operations

Discussions of the year ended December 31, 2019 and comparison between the year ended December 31, 2020 and the year ended December 31, 2019 can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation of Vivid Seats” in our registration statement on Form S-4/A, filed with the SEC on September 23, 2021.

Comparison of the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 and 2021

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

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Revenues

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

Total revenues increased $106.7 million, or 442% for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2021. The increase, which occurred in both our Marketplace and Resale segments, resulted from an increase in new orders processed resulting from the resumption of live events. The pandemic and resulting mitigation measures had a significant adverse effect on order volume and event cancellations during the three months ended March 31, 2021. In the second quarter of 2021, most local governments began to lift large scale restrictions on live events such that there was a significant increase in live events held in the first quarter of 2022 as compared to the first quarter of 2021.

Marketplace

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

Marketplace revenues increased $88.5 million, or 403% during the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2021. The increase in Marketplace revenues resulted primarily from an overall increase in new orders processed on our Marketplace platform.

Total Marketplace orders increased 1.7 million, or 589%, during the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2021. The increase in orders resulted from the increase in events held after restrictions on fan attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic were reduced or lifted. These increases occurred across all event categories.

Cancellation charges, which are recognized as a reduction to revenues, were $16.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022, compared to $1.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021. Cancellation charges for the three months ended March 31, 2022 were higher than the three months ended March 31, 2021 due to an overall increase in volume, MLB cancellations due to the now settled labor dispute, and other large concert tour cancellations.

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

The increases in revenue from both Owned Properties and Private Label during the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2021 resulted primarily from the increase in order volume as COVID-19 restrictions were lifted and more events occurred with larger audiences.

Resale

Revenue for our Resale segment increased $18.1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2021. The increase resulted primarily from higher order volume. Total Resale orders increased 0.1 million, or 423%, during the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2021. Cancellation charges, classified as a reduction of revenue, negatively impacted Resale revenue by $0.2 million and $1.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021.

Cost of Revenues (exclusive of Depreciation and Amortization)

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

Total cost of revenues increased $28.2 million, or 719%, for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2021. The increase to total cost of revenues resulted from higher order volume in both our Marketplace and Resale segments.