Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Registration Statement No. 333-260839
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(To Prospectus Dated May 12, 2023)
16,000,000 Shares
Vivid Seats Inc.
Class A Common Stock
$8.00 per share
The selling stockholder named in this prospectus supplement is selling 16,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the Class A common stock), issuable upon the exchange of common units (Intermediate Common Units) of Hoya Intermediate, LLC (Hoya Intermediate) and shares of our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the Class B common stock), which exchange will occur prior to the consummation of this offering. See Selling Stockholder and Organizational Structure. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares by the selling stockholder, including any shares of our Class A common stock that the selling stockholder may sell pursuant to the underwriters option to purchase additional shares.
The selling stockholder has granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to 2,400,000 additional shares of our Class A common stock.
Our Class A common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol SEAT. The last reported sale price of our Class A common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on May 15, 2023 was $9.52 per share.
Investing in our Class A common stock involves risks. See Risk Factors beginning on page S-9 of this prospectus supplement and on page 5 of the accompanying prospectus.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Per Share | Total | |||||||
Public Offering Price |
$ | 8.00 | $ | 128,000,000 | ||||
Underwriting Discounts and Commissions(1) |
$ | 0.32 | $ | 5,120,000 | ||||
Proceeds to the selling stockholder (before expenses) |
$ | 7.68 | $ | 122,880,000 |
(1) | See Underwriting for additional disclosure regarding the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. |
We are an emerging growth company as defined under the federal securities laws and, as such, we have elected to comply with certain reduced reporting requirements for this prospectus supplement and may elect to do so in future filings.
The underwriters expect to deliver the shares of our Class A common stock to the purchasers on or about May 22, 2023 through the book-entry facilities of The Depository Trust Company.
Citigroup | Morgan Stanley |
BofA Securities | Deutsche Bank Securities | RBC Capital Markets |
William Blair |
Canaccord Genuity | D.A. Davidson & Co. | Piper Sandler |
Raymond James | |||||||||
Academy Securities | Loop Capital Markets | Penserra Securities LLC |
Tigress Financial Partners |
May 17, 2023
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MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS |
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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which contains the specific terms of this offering of our Class A common stock by the selling stockholder. The second part is the accompanying prospectus, which provides general information about us and securities that certain selling stockholders may offer from time to time. All of the information in this prospectus supplement will apply to this offering, but some of the general information in the accompanying prospectus does not apply to this offering and will be superseded by information in this prospectus supplement, as described below. Generally, when we refer to the prospectus, we are referring to both parts combined.
We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. We, the selling stockholder and the underwriters have not authorized anyone to give you any other information, and we, the selling stockholder and the underwriters take no responsibility for any other information that others may give you. Neither we, the selling stockholder nor the underwriters are making an offer of the Class A common stock in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is only accurate as of the respective dates of such documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
If the information set forth in this prospectus supplement varies in any way from the information set forth in the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on the information contained in this prospectus supplement.
You should not consider any information in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus to be investment, legal or tax advice. You should consult your own counsel, accountants and other advisers for legal, tax, business, financial and related advice regarding the purchase of the Class A common stock offered by this prospectus supplement.
MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus include industry and market data that we obtained from periodic industry publications, third-party studies and surveys, filings of public companies in our industry, third-party analyses and internal company surveys. These sources include government and industry sources. Industry publications and surveys generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Although we believe the industry and market data to be reliable as of the date of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, this information could prove to be inaccurate. Industry and market data could be wrong because of the method by which sources obtained their data and because information cannot always be verified with complete certainty due to the limits on the availability and reliability of raw data, the voluntary nature of the data gathering process and other limitations and uncertainties. In addition, we do not know all of the assumptions regarding general economic conditions or growth that were used in preparing the forecasts from the sources relied upon or cited herein.
The information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus concerning our industry and the market in which we operate, including our general expectations and market position, market opportunity and market size, is based on the information described above and on assumptions that we have made based on that data and similar sources. This information involves a number of assumptions and limitations and is inherently imprecise, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to these estimates. In addition, the industry in which we operate, as well as the projections, assumptions and estimates of our future performance and the future performance of the industry in which we operate, are subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in Risk Factors herein and in the accompanying prospectus. These factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in these publications and other sources.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), with respect to the shares of our Class A common stock being offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement. For further information with respect to the Company and the shares of our Class A common stock, reference is made to the registration statement (including any post-effective amendments thereto) and its exhibits. Statements contained in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus as to the contents of any contract or other document are not necessarily complete.
We are required to file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Such materials may be accessed electronically by means of the SECs website at www.sec.gov. You may request a copy of these filings, at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at the following address:
Vivid Seats Inc.
24 E. Washington Street, Suite 900
Chicago, Illinois 60602
(312) 291-9966
Copies of these filings are also available, without charge, on the SECs website at www.sec.gov and on our website at www.vividseats.com as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed electronically with the SEC. The information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.
TERMS USED IN THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
Unless we have indicated otherwise, or the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus to the terms we, us, our, the Company or Vivid Seats or other similar terms mean Vivid Seats Inc. and its subsidiaries.
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These statements concern future events and future results of the Company and are based on our current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the industries in which we operate and the beliefs and assumptions of our management. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as may, could, expect, intend, plan, seek, anticipate, believe, estimate, predict, potential, continue, likely, will, would and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by us and our management, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to:
| our ability to raise financing in the future; |
| our future financial performance; |
| our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors; |
| our ability to pay dividends on our Class A common stock on the terms currently contemplated or at all; |
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| factors relating to our business, operations and financial performance, including, but not limited to; |
○ | our ability to compete in the ticketing industry; |
○ | our ability to maintain relationships with ticket buyers, sellers and distribution partners; |
○ | our ability to continue to improve our platform and maintain and enhance our brand; |
○ | the impact of extraordinary events or adverse economic conditions, such as inflation, rising interest rates and risks of recession, on discretionary consumer and corporate spending or on the supply and demand of live events; |
○ | our ability to comply with domestic regulatory regimes; |
○ | the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and the industries in which we operate; |
○ | our ability to successfully defend against litigation; |
○ | our ability to maintain the integrity of our information systems and infrastructure, and to mitigate possible cyber security risks; |
○ | our ability to generate sufficient cash flows or raise additional capital necessary to fund our operations; and |
| the risks discussed under the heading Risk Factors in the accompanying prospectus and other documents we filed or will file from time to time with the SEC. |
These factors and the other risk factors described in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are not necessarily all of the important factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by any forward-looking statements. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements set forth above. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we do not undertake or assume, and we hereby disclaim, any obligation to update publicly any of these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, new information, future events, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
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This summary highlights selected information that is presented in greater detail elsewhere in this prospectus supplement. This summary does not contain all of the information you should consider before investing in our Class A common stock. You should carefully read this entire prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the section entitled Risk Factors in this prospectus supplement herein and therein, before deciding whether to invest in our Class A common stock.
Overview
Vivid Seats is 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 lifes 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. Over our history we have sold more than 125 million tickets to over 18 million customers. In 2022, we sold tickets to over 250,000 unique events on our platform.
We are a scaled, growing, and highly profitable secondary ticketing marketplace. During the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019, our revenues were $600.3 million, $443.0 million, $35.1 million and $468.9 million, respectively, and Marketplace Gross Order Value (Marketplace GOV) was $3,184.8 million, $2,399.1 million, $347.3 million and 2,279.8 million, respectively. Adjusted EBITDA during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019 was $113.3 million, $109.9 million, $(80.2) million and $119.2 million, respectively. Our net income was $70.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Our net loss was $19.1 million, $774.2 million and $53.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, our revenues were $161.1 million and our Marketplace GOV was $855.5 million. During the three months ended March 31, 2022, our revenues were $130.8 million and our Marketplace GOV was $742.1 million. Our net income was $30.3 million and $3.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Our Adjusted EBITDA was $42.4 million and $21.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure. See the section titled Non-GAAP Financial Measures for a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to its most directly comparable GAAP measure, net income (loss).
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 end-to-end operations. As a two-sided marketplace, our customer base includes thousands of sellers. SkyBox has been the industry-leading ERP for professional sellers for years with an install base that includes more than 50% of professional sellers. Our broad swath of industry data from Skybox allows sellers to manage ticket inventories, adjust pricing, and fulfill orders across multiple ticket resale marketplaces.
On the buyer side, we continue to add new buyers and drive accretive repeat order activity. We know our buyers better than ever before and offer personalized recommendations and campaigns that are making an impact. To generate ticket sales, drive traffic to our website and mobile applications, and to build brand recognition, we have mutually beneficial partnerships with a number of content rights holders, media partners, product and service partners and distribution partners. As a result of this, we have seen strong growth in the number of marketplace orders placed on our platform, from 7.2 million orders in 2019 to 9.2 million orders in 2022. In addition, Vivid Seats Rewards, our loyalty program, includes a host of benefits ranging from surprise
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upgrades to exclusive game day experiences designed to cultivate brand awareness and lasting affinity for our platform. In tandem with our investments in loyalty and differentiated buyer experience, the portion of repeat orders placed on the Vivid Seats website or mobile applications has consistently increased from 47% in 2018 to 50% in 2019, 51% in 2021 and 56% in 2022.
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.
Our market opportunity is sizeable. According to Infiniti Research (Technavio), the North America secondary ticketing market (excluding sales related to movies) is projected to be $10 billion dollars in 2023. The market is expected to grow at a 12.5% CAGR from $9 billion in 2022 to $16 billion in 2027. We believe we have significant runway to grow both in our core and adjacent markets. Our Marketplace Revenues are diversified across event categories including sports (38% of 2022 Marketplace Revenues), concerts (49% of 2022 Marketplace Revenues) and theater (12% of 2022 Marketplace Revenues). A diversified mix across these three major categories broadens our opportunities and reduces seasonal variation in order volumes.
Emerging Growth Company Status
We are an emerging growth company, as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the JOBS Act). As such, we are eligible, have taken advantage of and intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of 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 Securities Act registration statement 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 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 certain other public companies difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the closing of the our predecessors initial public offering (December 31, 2026), (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common equity that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
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Private Equity Owner
We have a valuable relationship with our Private Equity Owner (as defined herein), which consists of certain investment funds affiliated with GTCR Fund XI/B LP, GTCR Fund XI/C LP and certain other entities affiliated with GTCR LLC (GTCR). Founded in 1980, GTCR is a leading growth-oriented private equity firm focused on investing in growth companies in the Healthcare, Financial Services & Technology, Technology, Media & Telecommunications and Growth Business Services industries. The Chicago-based firm pioneered The Leaders Strategyfinding and partnering with management leaders in core domains to identify, acquire and build market-leading companies through transformational acquisitions and organic growth. Since its inception, our Private Equity Owner has invested over $24.0 billion in more than 270 companies. Our Private Equity Owner purchased its controlling interest in Vivid Seats on June 30, 2017.
Corporate Information
Vivid Seats was incorporated on March 29, 2021 under the laws of the state of Delaware. Our principal executive offices are located at 24 E. Washington Street, Suite 900, Chicago, Illinois 60602, and our telephone number is (312) 291-9966. Our website address is www.vividseats.com. Information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus, and the inclusion of our website address in this prospectus supplement is an inactive textual reference only.
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Selling stockholder |
Hoya Topco, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company controlled by our Private Equity Owner and its affiliates (Hoya Topco). |
Class A common stock offered by the selling stockholder |
16,000,000 shares (or 18,400,000 shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock in full). |
Class A common stock to be outstanding after this offering |
93,610,779 shares (or 96,010,779 shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock in full) (and 195,810,779 shares if all outstanding Intermediate Common Units were redeemed or exchanged for newly issued shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis). |
Class B common stock to be outstanding after this offering |
102,200,000 shares (or 99,800,000 shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock in full). |
Voting power held by holders of Class A common stock after giving effect to this offering |
47.8% (or 49.0% if the underwriters exercise their right to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock in full). |
Voting power held by holders of Class B common stock after giving effect to this offering |
52.2% (or 51.0% if the underwriters exercise their right to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock in full) (or 0.0% if all outstanding Intermediate Common Units were redeemed or exchanged for a corresponding number of newly issued shares of Class A common stock). |
Voting rights |
Each share of Class A common stock and Class B common stock (collectively, our common stock) entitles its holder to one vote per share. |
Holders of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock generally vote together as a single class on all matters requiring a stockholder vote. |
Risk factors |
Before investing in our Class A common stock, you should carefully read and consider the information set forth in Risk Factors beginning on page S-9 of this prospectus supplement and under the same heading in the accompanying prospectus. |
Lock-up |
We, our directors and executive officers, entities affiliated with Eldridge Industries, LLC (collectively Eldridge) and the selling stockholder have entered into lock-up agreements with the |
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underwriters, pursuant to which we and they have agreed that we and they will not, subject to limited exceptions, directly or indirectly, for a period of 60 days after the date of this prospectus supplement and without the prior written consent of the representatives, dispose of or hedge any of our or their shares of Class A common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of Class A common stock. For additional information, see Underwriting. |
Use of proceeds |
We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares of our Class A common stock. |
Redemption rights of the holders of Intermediate Common Units |
Under the Second Amended and Restated LLC Agreement (as defined herein), holders of Intermediate Common Units (other than us) have the right (subject to the terms of the Second Amended and Restated LLC Agreement) to require Hoya Intermediate to redeem all or a portion of their Intermediate Common Units for, at our election, newly issued shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis or a cash payment determined in accordance with the terms of the Second Amended and Restated LLC Agreement, provided the cash payment is funded from the proceeds from a substantially concurrent public offering or private sale of Class A common stock in accordance with the terms of the Second Amended and Restated LLC Agreement. Additionally, in the event of a redemption request from a holder of Intermediate Common Units, we may, at our option, effect a direct exchange of cash or Class A common stock for Intermediate Common Units in lieu of such a redemption. Shares of Class B common stock will be retired on a one-for-one basis if we, following a redemption request from a holder of Intermediate Common Units, redeem or exchange Intermediate Common Units of such holder pursuant to the terms of the Amended LLC Agreement. |
Except for transfers to us pursuant to the Second Amended and Restated LLC Agreement or to certain permitted transferees, holders of Intermediate Common Units are not permitted to sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of any Intermediate Common Units or shares of Class B common stock. |
Nasdaq symbol |
SEAT |
The number of shares of our Class A common stock that will be outstanding after this offering is based on 77,610,779 shares of Class A common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2023 and excludes:
| 118,200,000 shares of Class A common stock reserved for issuance upon the redemption or exchange of the same number of Intermediate Common Units and Class B common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2023; |
| 9,698,759 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding as of March 31, 2023 having a weighted average exercise price of $10.26 per share; |
| 4,524,374 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the vesting and settlement of restricted stock units (RSUs) outstanding as of March 31, 2023 having a weighted average grant date fair value of $8.93 per share; |
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| 47,286,644 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of March 31, 2023 with exercise prices varying from $10.00 to $15.00 per share; |
| 5,291,497 treasury shares available for reissuance; |
| 3,094,658 shares of Class A common stock issuable under our 2021 Incentive Award Plan (the 2021 Plan) as of March 31, 2023; and |
| 3,383,810 shares of Class A common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan as of March 31, 2023. |
The number of shares of our Class B common stock that will be outstanding after this offering is based on 118,200,000 shares of Class B common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2023 and excludes up to 6,000,000 shares of Class B common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants to purchase 6,000,000 shares of Class B common stock.
Unless otherwise indicated, all information in this prospectus supplement assumes the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase up to 2,400,000 additional shares of Class A common stock.
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We present Adjusted EBITDA, which is not a measure defined under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP), because it is a measure frequently used by analysts, investors and other interested parties to evaluate companies in our industry. Further, we believe this measure is helpful in highlighting trends in our operating results because it excludes the impact of items that are outside 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 and provides a useful measure for period-to-period comparisons of our business performance and highlighting trends in our operating results.
Adjusted EBITDA is not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles and should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. Further limitations of Adjusted EBITDA are that it does not reflect all of the amounts associated with our operating results as determined in accordance with GAAP and may exclude costs that are recurring, such as interest expense, equity-based compensation, litigation, settlements and related costs and change in the value of warrants. In addition, other companies may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently than us, thereby limiting its usefulness as a comparative tool. We compensate for these limitations by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from Adjusted EBITDA.
The following is a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to its most directly comparable GAAP measure, net income (in thousands):
FY 2019 | FY 2020 | FY 2021 | FY 2022 | Q1 2022 | Q1 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | (53,848 | ) | $ | (774,185 | ) | $ | (19,129 | ) | $ | 70,779 | $ | 3,138 | $ | 30,272 | |||||||||
Income tax expense (benefit) |
| | 304 | (1,590 | ) | 76 | 285 | |||||||||||||||||
Interest expensenet |
41,497 | 57,482 | 58,179 | 12,858 | 3,942 | 3,280 | ||||||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
93,078 | 48,247 | 2,322 | 7,732 | 1,385 | 2,598 | ||||||||||||||||||
Sales tax liability(1) |
10,045 | 6,772 | 8,956 | 2,814 | 922 | | ||||||||||||||||||
Transaction costs(2) |
8,857 | 359 | 12,852 | 4,840 | 1,402 | 456 | ||||||||||||||||||
Equity-based compensation(3) |
5,174 | 4,287 | 6,047 | 19,053 | 3,597 | 5,530 | ||||||||||||||||||
Senior management transition costs(4) |
2,706 | | | | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Loss on extinguishment of debt(5) |
2,414 | 685 | 35,828 | 4,285 | 4,285 | | ||||||||||||||||||
Litigation, settlements and related costs(6) |
2,256 | 1,347 | 2,835 | 2,477 | (14 | ) | 300 | |||||||||||||||||
Severance related to COVID-19(7) |
| 795 | 286 | | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Change in fair value of warrants(8) |
| | 1,389 | (8,227 | ) | 2,279 | (327 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Change in fair value of contingent consideration(9) |
| | | (2,065 | ) | | 34 | |||||||||||||||||
Loss on asset disposals(10) |
960 | 169 | | 369 | | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
Impairment Charges(11) |
| 573,838 | | | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Change to annual bonus program(12) |
2,810 | | | | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Change to Loyalty program stand-up costs(13) |
3,223 | | | | | | ||||||||||||||||||
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Adjusted EBITDA |
$ | 119,172 | $ | (80,204 | ) | $ | 109,869 | $ | 113,325 | $ | 21,012 | $ | 42,435 | |||||||||||
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(1) | We have historically incurred sales tax expense in jurisdictions where we expected to remit sales tax payments but were not yet collecting from customers. During the second half of 2021, we began collecting sales tax from customers in the required jurisdictions. The sales tax liability presented herein represents the tax liability for sales tax prior to the date we began collecting sales tax from customers reduced by abatements received, inclusive of any penalties and interest assessed by the jurisdictions. The remaining historic sales tax liability payments were made during the year ended December 31, 2022. |
(2) | Transaction costs consist of legal; accounting; tax and other professional fees; personnel-related costs, which consist of retention bonuses; and integration costs. Transaction costs recognized in 2023 were primarily related to legal expenses and retention bonuses related to Betcha Sports, Inc. (Betcha rebranded as Vivid Picks). Transaction costs recognized in 2022 were related to the merger transaction with Horizon (as defined herein) (the Merger Transaction), the acquisition of Betcha, our offering to the holders of our outstanding public warrants to receive shares of Class A common stock in exchange for each outstanding public warrant tendered by the holder and the refinancing of our 2017 $525.0 million term loan (the June 2017 First Lien Loan) with a new $275.0 million term loan. Transaction costs recognized in 2021 were related to the Merger Transaction and the acquisition of Betcha. Transaction costs recognized in 2020 were related to the acquisition of Fanxchange Ltd. in 2019. Transaction costs recognized in 2019 were related to the acquisition of Fanxchange Ltd. and an attempted acquisition that was ultimately abandoned. These transaction-related costs are not representative of normal, recurring, cash operating expenses. |
(3) | We incur equity-based compensation expenses for profits interests issued prior to the Merger Transaction and equity granted according to the 2021 Incentive Award Plan (2021 Plan), which we do not consider to be indicative of our core operating performance. The 2021 Plan was approved and adopted in order to facilitate the grant of equity incentive awards to our employees and directors. The 2021 Plan became effective on October 18, 2021. |
(4) | In 2019, we incurred costs associated with the transition to our current senior management team, including our Chief Executive Officer. These costs include recruiting costs and costs to compensate our Chief Executive Officer for benefits forfeited at his previous employer. |
(5) | Loss on extinguishment of debt incurred in 2022 resulted from the extinguishment of the June 2017 First Lien Loan in February 2022. Loss on extinguishment of debt incurred in 2021 resulted from the retirement of our May 2020 $260.0 million first lien term loan and fees paid related to the early payment of a portion of the principal of the June 2017 First Lien Loan. Loss on extinguishment of debt incurred in 2020 resulted from the retirement of the revolving credit facility. Loss on extinguishment of debt incurred in 2019 resulted from the partial repayment of our June 2017 second lien term loan. |
(6) | These amounts relate to external legal costs, settlement costs and related insurance recoveries, which were unrelated to our core business operations. |
(7) | These charges relate to severance costs resulting from significant reductions in employee headcount due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. |
(8) | This relates to the modification of the terms of our warrants to purchase shares of Class A common stock in connection with the Merger Transaction and revaluation of warrants to purchase Intermediate Common Units held by Hoya Topco following the Merger Transaction. |
(9) | This relates to the revaluation of Vivid Picks cash earnouts. |
(10) | This relates to asset disposals, which are not considered indicative of our core operating performance. |
(11) | We incurred impairment charges triggered by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic during the year ended December 31, 2020. The impairment charges resulted in a reduction in the carrying values of our goodwill, indefinite-lived trademark, definite-lived intangible assets, and other long-lived assets. |
(12) | We restructured our employee incentive compensation plan during 2019. |
(13) | During August 2019, we initiated the Vivid Seats Rewards customer loyalty program. We incurred $3.2 million of initial stand-up costs related to the commencement of the program. These stand-up costs consist primarily of customer incentives and marketing costs, which are not expected to reoccur. |
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Investing in our Class A common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks, uncertainties and other factors described in this prospectus supplement, together with all the other information contained in the accompanying prospectus. You should also consider the risks, uncertainties and other factors described in Risk Factors, Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and our consolidated financial statements and related notes contained in the accompanying prospectus, as supplemented and updated by subsequent reports that we have filed or will file with the SEC, which may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time in any prospectus supplement and by other reports we file with the SEC in the future. See the section titled Where You Can Find More Information.
The occurrence of any of the risks we have identified or additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. In that event, the market price of our Class A common stock could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Please also see the sections titled Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Market and Industry Data in this prospectus supplement.
Risks Related to this Offering and Ownership of Our Class A Common Stock
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 (collectively, Private Equity Owner) control us, and its interests may conflict with ours or yours in the future.
Immediately following this offering, Hoya Topco will control approximately 52.2% of the voting power of our outstanding common stock (or approximately 51.0% if the underwriters option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full), which means that, based on its percentage of voting power controlled, our Private Equity Owner will continue to control the vote of all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders. Thus, our Private Equity Owner will also continue to control the election of the members of our board of directors subject to the terms of the stockholders agreement dated October 18, 2021 we entered into with Hoya Topco (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 still be able to significantly influence the composition of our board of directors and the approval of actions requiring stockholder 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 a change of control (which could affect our obligations under the TRA (as defined herein)) 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.
The 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 (1) 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
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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 Stockholders 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 amended and restated 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.
A portion of our total outstanding shares 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.
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. Following the consummation of this offering, we, our executive officers, directors, Eldridge and the selling stockholder will be subject to a 60-day lock-up period provided under lock-up agreements executed in connection with this offering. See Underwriting. All of these shares will, however, be able to be resold after the expiration of the lock-up period, as well as pursuant to customary exceptions thereto or upon the waiver of the lock-up agreement by the representatives on behalf of the underwriters. In particular, the lock-up agreements executed by Eldridge and the selling stockholder include an exception allowing them to pledge, hypothecate or grant a security interest the Class A common stock that they beneficially own on the date of this prospectus supplement as collateral or security for any loan, advance or extension of credit. Should such stockholders enter into such loans, advances or extensions of credit and there is an event of default, if such stockholders fail to pledge additional cash collateral or repay a portion of such loan, advance or extension of credit when it is required to do so or if such stockholders otherwise fail to comply with the terms of such loan, advance or extension of credit, and the lender accelerates payment of all amounts outstanding under such loan, advance or extension of credit as a result of this non-compliance, then the lender could foreclose on the pledged shares and sell the shares of Class A common stock in the open market, which could cause the market price of our Class A common stock to decline. In addition, certain lenders under such loan, advance or extension of credit may elect at any time to hedge their exposure to the shares of Class A common stock in transactions that could directly or indirectly impact the price of our Class A common stock. Any of these circumstances (or the perception that they could occur), could create volatility in and/or significantly depress the market price of our Class A common stock and could potentially result in a change of control in us from the selling stockholder to a third party or loss of our status as a controlled company. See Underwriting for additional details on this exception to the lock-up agreements for Eldridge and the selling stockholder. In addition, the selling stockholder in this offering and Horizon Sponsor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (Horizon Sponsor), have certain demand registration rights that could require us in the future to file registration statements or conduct offerings in connection with sales of our stock by them. Such sales could be significant. Once we register these shares, they can be freely sold in the public market upon issuance. The market price of our Class A common stock could decline if the holders of currently restricted shares sell them or are perceived by the market as intending to sell them.
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Future offerings of debt or equity securities by us may have a material adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock.
In the future, we may attempt to obtain financing or to further increase our capital resources by issuing additional shares of our Class A common stock or by offering debt or other equity securities. Any future debt financing could involve restrictive covenants relating to our capital-raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which might make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities, including potential acquisitions. Moreover, if we issue debt securities, the debt holders would have rights to make claims on our assets senior to the rights of the holders of our Class A common stock. The issuance of additional shares of our Class A common stock or other equity securities or securities convertible into equity may dilute the economic and voting rights of our existing stockholders or reduce the market price of our Class A common stock or both. Debt securities convertible into equity could be subject to adjustments in the conversion ratio pursuant to which certain events may increase the number of equity securities issuable upon conversion. Preferred shares, if issued, could have a preference with respect to liquidating distributions or a preference with respect to dividend payments that could limit our ability to pay dividends to the holders of our Class A common stock. Our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, which may have a material adverse effect on the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. Thus, holders of our Class A common stock bear the risk that our future offerings may reduce the market price of our Class A common stock and dilute their stockholdings in us.
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 TRA) in respect of certain tax benefits and such payments may be substantial. In certain cases, payments under our TRA may (i) exceed any actual tax benefits or (ii) be accelerated.
We are a party to a tax receivable agreement with Hoya Topco, Hoya Intermediate, GTCR Management XI, LLC (the TRA Holder Representative) and other TRA Holders (as defined in our TRA), dated October 18, 2021 (TRA). Pursuant to our TRA, 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, which include:
| existing tax basis in certain assets of Hoya Intermediate and certain of its subsidiaries, including assets that will be subject to depreciation or amortization, once placed in service; |
| tax basis adjustments resulting from taxable exchanges of Intermediate Common Units for Class A common stock acquired by us from a TRA Holder (as defined in our TRA) pursuant to the terms of Hoya Intermediates Second Amended and Restated Limited Liability Agreement, dated October 18, 2021 (the Second Amended and Restated LLC Agreement); |
| certain tax attributes of Blocker Corporations (as defined in the Second Amended and Restated LLC Agreement) holding Intermediate Common Units that are acquired by us pursuant to a reorganization transaction; |
| certain tax benefits realized by us as a result of certain U.S. federal income tax allocations of taxable income or gain away from us and to other members of Hoya Intermediate and deductions or losses to us and away from other members of Hoya Intermediate, in each case as a result of the Business Combination; and |
| tax deductions in respect of portions of certain payments made under our TRA. |
Payments under our TRA generally will be based on the tax reporting positions that we determine (in consultation with an advisory firm and subject to the TRA Holder Representatives review and consent). The Internal Revenue Service (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 (as defined in our TRA) will not be required to reimburse us for any excess payments that we may have previously made pursuant to our TRA, for example, due to adjustments resulting from examinations by taxing authorities.
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Rather, any excess payments made to such TRA Holders will reduce any future cash payments we are required to make under our TRA, after the determination of such excess. However, a challenge to any tax attributes we initially claimed or utilized may not arise for a number of years after such payment and 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 our TRA. 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 our TRA in excess of our actual savings in respect of the tax attributes.
Moreover, our TRA 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 our TRA, 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 our TRA 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 the Second Amended and Restated LLC Agreement 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 our TRA could be substantial. There can be no assurance that we will be able to finance our obligations under our TRA in a manner that does not adversely affect our working capital and growth requirements.
Any payments we make under our TRA 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 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 our TRA.
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 TRA.
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 quarterly distributions to its members, including us, in an amount at least sufficient to allow us to pay all applicable taxes, to make payments under our TRA, 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 may make cash or tax distributions to the members, including us, as set forth in the Second Amended and Restated LLC Agreement calculated using an assumed tax rate, to provide liquidity to members to pay taxes on such members allocable share of the taxable income. Under applicable tax rules, Hoya Intermediate may be required to allocate net taxable income disproportionately to its members in certain circumstances. Because tax distributions are made pro rata on a per-common unit basis to all members and such tax distributions are determined based on the member with the highest assumed tax liability per common unit, 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.
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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 Intermediates distribution obligations, we may receive distributions significantly in excess of our actual tax liabilities and our obligations to make payments under our TRA. 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 Amended and Restated LLC Agreement as a result of any retention of cash by us.
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 warrants in spite of our operating performance. We cannot assure you that the market price of our Class A common stock and warrants will not fluctuate widely or decline significantly in the future in response to a number of factors, including, among others, the following:
| the realization of any of these risk factors or the risk factors described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K; |
| difficult global market and economic conditions; |
| loss of investor confidence in the global financial markets and investing in general; |
| adverse market reaction to indebtedness we may incur, securities we may grant under our 2021 Plan or otherwise, or any other securities we may issue in the future, including shares of our Class A common stock; |
| adverse market reaction to changes in our ownership or capital structure including a secondary offering for our Class A common stock; |
| unanticipated variations in our quarterly and annual operating results or dividends; |
| failure to meet securities analysts earnings estimates; |
| publication of negative or inaccurate research reports about us or the live events or ticketing industry or the failure of securities analysts to provide adequate coverage of our Class A common stock in the future; |
| changes in market valuations of similar companies; |
| speculation in the press or investment community about our business; |
| the trading activity of our largest stockholders; |
| the number of shares of our common stock that are available for public trading; |
| short sales, hedging and other derivative transactions involving our capital stock; |
| additional or unexpected changes or proposed changes in laws or regulations or differing interpretations thereof affecting our business or enforcement of these laws and regulations, or announcements relating to these matters; and |
| increases in compliance or enforcement inquiries and investigations by regulatory authorities. |
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We may pay dividends to our stockholders, but our ability to do so is subject to the discretion of our board of directors and may be limited by our holding company structure and applicable provisions of Delaware law.
Our board of directors may, in its discretion, pay a cash dividend to our stockholders. In addition, as a holding company, we are dependent upon the ability of Hoya Intermediate to generate earnings and cash flows and distribute them to us so that we may pay our obligations and expenses (including our taxes and payments under the TRA) and pay dividends to our stockholders. However, the ability of Hoya Intermediate to make such distributions is subject to its operating results, cash requirements and financial condition, restrictive covenants in our debt instruments and applicable Delaware law (which may limit the amount of funds available for distribution to its members). Our ability to declare and pay dividends to our stockholders is likewise subject to Delaware law (which may limit the amount of funds available for dividends). We may also enter into credit agreements or other borrowing arrangements in the future that restrict or limit our ability to pay cash dividends on our Class A common stock. If, as a consequence of these various limitations and restrictions, we are unable to generate sufficient distributions from our business, we may not be able to make, or may be required to reduce or eliminate, the payment of dividends on our Class A common stock. As a result, you may not receive any return on an investment in our Class A common stock unless you sell our Class A common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.
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:
| not being required to have our independent registered public accounting firm audit our internal control over financial reporting under Section 404 of SOX; |
| reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements; and |
| exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation or golden parachute payments not previously approved. |
Our status as an emerging growth company will end as soon as any of the following occurs:
| the last day of the fiscal year in which we have more than $1.235 billion in annual revenue; |
| the date we qualify as a large accelerated filer, with at least $700 million of equity securities held by non-affiliates; |
| the date on which we have issued, in any three-year period, more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities; or |
| December 31, 2026. |
We cannot predict if investors will find our securities less attractive if we choose to rely on any of the exemptions afforded 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.
We are a controlled company within the meaning of Nasdaq listing standards and, as a result, qualify for, and 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 requirements 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.
An active trading market for our Class A common stock may not be maintained and an active trading market for our warrants may not develop.
Although our Class A common stock is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol SEAT, an active trading market for our Class A common stock may not be maintained. A public trading market having the desirable characteristics of depth, liquidity and orderliness depends upon the existence of willing buyers and sellers at any given time, such existence being dependent upon the individual decisions of buyers and sellers. Additionally, we can provide no assurance that an active trading market for our warrants will develop 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 are exercisable for our Class A common stock and Intermediate Common Units, which will 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 as of March 31, 2023:
| warrants to purchase 6,519,791 shares at an exercise price of $11.50 per share; |
| warrants to purchase 17,000,000 shares at an exercise price of $10.00 per share; |
| warrants to purchase 17,000,000 shares at an exercise price of $15.00 per share; and |
| public warrants to purchase 6,766,853 shares at an exercise price of $11.50 per share. |
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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.
The following warrants to purchase Intermediate Common Units are outstanding and exercisable and are held by Hoya Topco, LLC (collectively, the Hoya Intermediate Warrants):
| warrants to purchase 3,000,000 shares at an exercise price of $10.00 per share; and |
| warrants to purchase 3,000,000 shares at an exercise price of $15.00 per share. |
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 will be influenced to some extent by the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us and our business. We will 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 current or future 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 amended and restated charter and our amended and restated 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:
| the sole ability of directors to fill a vacancy on our board of directors; |
| advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and director nominations; |
| after we no longer qualify as a controlled company under applicable Nasdaq listing rules, provisions limiting stockholders ability to (i) call special meetings of stockholders, (ii) require extraordinary general meetings of stockholders and (iii) take action by written consent; |
| the ability of our board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock without stockholder approval, which could be used, among other things, to institute a rights plan that would have the effect of significantly diluting the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer, likely preventing acquisitions that have not been approved by our governing body; |
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| the division of our board of directors into three classes, with each class serving staggered three-year terms; and |
| the lack of cumulative voting for the election of directors. |
These provisions of our amended and restated charter and our amended and restated 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 amended and restated 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 our directors and officers.
Our amended and restated 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 amended and restated charter or our amended and restated 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, will 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 amended and restated charter will further provide 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 amended and restated 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 amended and restated charter to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action.
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ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Holding Company Structure
We are a holding company with no material assets other than our direct and indirect ownership of equity interests in Hoya Intermediate, the entity through which we conduct our business. The number of Intermediate Common Units that we own in the aggregate at any time will equal the aggregate number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock. The economic interest represented by each Intermediate Common Unit that we own corresponds to one share of our Class A common stock, and the total number of vested Intermediate Common Units owned by us and the holders of our Class B common stock at any given time equals the sum of the outstanding shares of all classes of our common stock. Subject to the terms of the Second Amended and Restated LLC Agreement, Intermediate Common Units are generally redeemable or exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis. Shares of Class B common stock will be retired on a one-for-one basis if we redeem or exchange Intermediate Common Units pursuant to the terms of the Second Amended and Restated LLC Agreement.
The Reorganization Transactions
On October 18, 2021, we consummated the business combination (the Business Combination) contemplated by that certain transaction agreement, dated as of April 21, 2021, by and among us, Horizon, Horizon Sponsor, Hoya Topco and Hoya Intermediate, pursuant to which, among other transactions, Horizon merged with and into us, upon which the separate corporate existence of Horizon ceased and we became the surviving corporation. At the same time, we became a publicly traded company listed on the Nasdaq.
The Business Combination was effectuated in the following principal steps:
(1) | Horizon merged with and into us, upon which the separate corporate existence of Horizon ceased and we became the surviving corporation; |
(2) | Each Horizon warrant that was outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger became a Vivid Seats warrant exercisable for our Class A common stock in accordance with the terms of the applicable warrant agreement; |
(3) | Certain third-party investors purchased an aggregate of 47,517,173 shares of Class A common stock pursuant to subscription agreements, dated as of April 21, 2021, by and among us, Horizon and certain qualified institutional buyers and accredited investors that purchased shares of Class A common stock in private placements (the PIPE Subscription); |
(4) | We purchased from Crescent Mezzanine Partners VIB, L.P., Crescent Mezzanine Partners VIC, L.P., Crescent Mezzanine Partners VIC, L.P., NPS/Crescent Strategic Partnership II, LP and Crescent Mezzanine Partners VIIB, L.P. all of the outstanding equity interests of CM6B Vivid Equity, Inc., CM6C Vivid Equity, Inc., CM7B VS Equity, LLC and CM7C VS Equity, LLC, each a Delaware corporation in exchange for cash; |
(5) | We contributed cash to Hoya Intermediate in exchange for Intermediate Common Units and warrants to purchase Intermediate Common Units; |
(6) | Hoya Intermediate redeemed 100% of the Intermediate Common Units held by Crescent Mezzanine Partners VI, L.P., Crescent Mezzanine Partners VII, L.P., Crescent Mezzanine Partners VII (LTL), L.P., and CBDC Universal Equity, Inc. in exchange for cash (the Crescent Redemption); |
(7) | Hoya Topco subscribed for newly issued Class B common stock and warrants to purchase Class B common stock; and |
(8) | Hoya Intermediate contributed cash to Hoya Midco, LLC, which Hoya Midco, LLC used to repay its existing debt obligations, resulting in the full repayment of certain of our loan agreements. |
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As a result of the Business Combination and the PIPE Subscription (the Transactions), Hoya Topco holds 60.6% of the issued and outstanding Intermediate Common Units and we hold 39.4% of the Intermediate Common Units and have control over Hoya Intermediate through our voting power, which interests are controlled by our Private Equity Owner for so long as it controls Hoya Topco. Following the consummation of the Transactions, our assets consist of our direct and indirect interests in Hoya Intermediate.
Proceeds from the Transactions, including cash and marketable securities held in the trust account for the benefit of Horizon, certain of its public shareholders and the underwriter of Horizons initial public offering of units, were used for: (i) payment of $13.6 million in deferred underwriting commissions associated with Horizons initial public offering; (ii) the Crescent Redemption; (iii) reduction of long-term debt of Hoya Intermediate and its subsidiaries; and (iv) payment of all advisory fees, transaction fees and expenses of Horizon and Hoya Topco.
Effects of the Transactions
The Transactions created a holding company that facilitates public ownership of, and investment in, us using a structure that is intended to confer certain tax benefits that are subject to the TRA. The following diagram illustrates our current ownership structure. This diagram is provided for illustrative purposes only and does not purport to represent all legal entities within our organizational structure.
S-19
The Tax Receivable Agreement
Upon the consummation of the Business Combination, we entered into our TRA, pursuant to which we are generally 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, net income or profits, and any interest related thereto that we (and applicable consolidated, unitary or combined subsidiaries thereof, if any, and collectively, the Tax Group) realize, or are deemed to realize, as a result of certain tax attributes (the Tax Attributes), including:
| existing tax basis in certain assets of Hoya Intermediate and certain of its direct or indirect subsidiaries, including assets that will eventually be subject to depreciation or amortization, once placed in service; |
| tax basis adjustments resulting from taxable exchanges of Intermediate Common Units (including any such adjustments resulting from certain payments made by us under the TRA) acquired by us from a TRA Holder pursuant to the terms of the Second Amended and Restated LLC Agreement; |
| certain tax attributes of blocker corporations holding Intermediate Common Units that are acquired directly or indirectly by us pursuant to a reorganization transaction; |
| certain tax benefits realized by us as a result of certain U.S. federal income tax allocations of taxable income or gain away from us and to other members of Hoya Intermediate and deductions or losses to us and away from other members of Hoya Intermediate, in each case as a result of the Business Combination; and |
| tax deductions in respect of portions of certain payments made under the TRA. |
Payments under the TRA generally will be based on the tax reporting positions that we determine (with the amount of subject payments determined in consultation with an advisory firm and subject to the TRA Holder Representatives review and consent), and the IRS or another taxing authority may challenge all or any part of a position taken with respect to Tax Attributes or the utilization thereof, as well as other tax positions that we take, and a court may sustain such a challenge. In the event that any Tax Attributes initially claimed or utilized by the Tax Group are disallowed, the TRA Holders will not be required to reimburse us for any excess payments that may previously have been made pursuant to the TRA, for example, due to adjustments resulting from examinations by taxing authorities. Rather, any excess payments made to such TRA Holders will be applied against and reduce any future cash payments otherwise required to be made by us to the applicable TRA Holders under the TRA, after the determination of such excess. However, a challenge to any Tax Attributes initially claimed or utilized by the Tax Group may not arise for a number of years following the initial time of such payment and, even if challenged earlier, such excess cash payment may be greater than the amount of future cash payments that we might otherwise be required to make under the terms of the TRA. 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 TRA in excess of the Tax Groups actual savings in respect of the Tax Attributes. For additional information, see Risk FactorsRisks Related to this Offering and Ownership of Our Class A Common StockOur tax receivable agreement requires us to make cash payments to Hoya Topco (or other parties that become entitled to rights to payment under the TRA) in respect of certain tax benefits and such payments may be substantial. In certain cases, payments under the TRA may (i) exceed any actual tax benefits or (ii) be accelerated.
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All shares being sold in this offering are being sold by the selling stockholder, and we will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares of our Class A common stock, including from any exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares from the selling stockholder.
We will not be selling any shares of Class A common stock in this offering. Therefore, the offering will not result in any dilution of equity ownership to our existing stockholders, and we expect this offering by the selling stockholder will increase the trading liquidity of our Class A common stock in the public market.
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Subject to funds being legally available, we intend to cause Hoya Intermediate to make quarterly distributions to its members, including us, in an amount at least sufficient to allow us to pay all applicable taxes, make payments under the TRA and pay our corporate and other overhead expenses.
The declaration and payment of any cash dividends on our Class A common stock will be at the sole discretion of our board of directors and will depend on numerous factors, including:
| general economic and business conditions; |
| our financial condition and operating results; |
| our available cash and current and anticipated cash needs; |
| our capital requirements; |
| contractual, legal, tax and regulatory restrictions and implications on the payment of dividends by us to our stockholders or by our subsidiaries (including Hoya Intermediate) to us; and |
| such other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant. |
We are a holding company and have no material assets other than our direct and indirect ownership of equity interests in Hoya Intermediate. As a consequence, our ability to declare and pay dividends to the holders of our Class A common stock is subject to the ability of Hoya Intermediate to provide distributions to us. If Hoya Intermediate makes such distributions in respect of the Intermediate Common Units, all holders of Intermediate Common Units will be entitled to receive equivalent distributions from Hoya Intermediate. However, because we must pay taxes, make payments under the TRA and pay our expenses, amounts ultimately distributed as dividends to holders of our Class A common stock are expected to be less than the amounts distributed by Hoya Intermediate to holders of our Intermediate Common Units on a per share basis.
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The following table sets forth information regarding the selling stockholder and the shares beneficially owned by such stockholder immediately prior to this offering and after giving effect to this offering.
The numbers of shares of common stock beneficially owned, percentages of beneficial ownership and percentages of combined voting power before this offering that are set forth below are based on 77,605,722 shares of Class A common stock and 118,200,000 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding as of April 11, 2023. The numbers of shares of common stock beneficially owned, percentages of beneficial ownership and percentages of combined voting power after this offering that are set forth below are based on the number of shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering.
As of April 11, 2023, the selling stockholder held 100% of our Class B common stock. Shares of Class B common stock will be retired on a one-for-one basis if we, following a redemption request from a holder of Intermediate Common Units, redeem or exchange Intermediate Common Units pursuant to the terms of the Second Amended and Restated LLC Agreement. As a result, the number of shares of Class B common stock set forth in the table below correlates to the number of vested Intermediate Common Units beneficially owned by Hoya Topco.
In accordance with the rules of the SEC, beneficial ownership includes voting or investment power with respect to securities and includes the shares issuable pursuant to stock options and RSUs that are exercisable within 60 days of April 11, 2023. To our knowledge, except as indicated in the footnotes to this table and pursuant to applicable community property laws, the persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock.
The following table assumes the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock.
Class A Common Stock Owned(1) |
Class B Common Stock Owned |
Class A Common Stock(2) |
Combined Voting Power(3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Before This Offering |
After This Offering |
Before This Offering |
After This Offering |
To Be Sold In This Offering |
Before This Offering |
After This Offering |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number | Number | % | Number | Number | % | Number | Number | % | Number | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Selling Stockholder: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hoya Topco, LLC(4) |
| | | 124,200,000 | 108,200,000 | 100 | 16,000,000 | 124,200,000 | 61.5 | 108,200,000 | 53.6 |
(1) | Subject to the terms of the Second Amended and Restated LLC Agreement, Intermediate Common Units are generally redeemable or exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis. Shares of Class B common stock will be retired on a one-for-one basis if we redeem or exchange Intermediate Common Units pursuant to the terms of the Second Amended and Restated LLC Agreement. Beneficial ownership of shares of our Class A common stock reflected in this table does not include beneficial ownership of shares of our Class A common stock for which such Intermediate Common Units may be redeemed or exchanged. |
(2) | Percentage of Class A common stock to be sold in this offering is based on Class A common stock outstanding as of April 11, 2023. Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will issue to the selling stockholder 16,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock in exchange for an equivalent number of outstanding Intermediate Common Units and shares of Class B common stock, all of which will be sold by the selling stockholder in this offering. |
(3) | Represents the percentage of voting power of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock held by such person voting together as a single class. Each holder of Class A common stock and Class B common stock is entitled to one vote per share on all matters submitted to our stockholders for a vote. |
(4) | Shares offered under this prospectus supplement include 16,000,000 shares of the 124,200,000 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exchange of Intermediate Common Units held by Hoya Topco, including 6,000,000 Intermediate Common Units issuable in the future pursuant to the exercise of warrants held by Hoya Topco. GTCR Fund XI/B LP (GTCR Fund XI/B), GTCR Fund XI/C LP (GTCR Fund XI/C) and certain other entities affiliated with GTCR have the right to appoint a majority of the members of the board of managers of Hoya Topco, LLC. GTCR Partners XI/B LP (GTCR Partners XI/B) is the general partner of GTCR Fund XI/B. GTCR Partners XI/A&C LP (GTCR Partners XI/A&C) is the general partner of GTCR Fund XI/C LP. GTCR Investment XI LLC (GTCR Investment XI) is the general partner of each of GTCR Partners XI/B and GTCR Partners XI/A&C. GTCR Investment XI is managed |
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by a board of managers consisting of Mark M. Anderson, Craig A. Bondy, Aaron D. Cohen, Sean L. Cunningham, Benjamin J. Daverman, David A. Donnini, Constantine S. Mihas and Collin E. Roche, and no single person has voting or dispositive authority over the securities reported herein. As such, each of the foregoing entities and individuals may be deemed to share beneficial ownership of the securities reported herein. Each of them disclaims any such beneficial ownership. The address for each of the entities and individuals listed in this footnote is 300 North LaSalle Street, Suite 5600, Chicago, Illinois, 60654. |
The following table assumes the underwriters option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock is exercised in full.
Class A Common Stock Owned(1) |
Class B Common Stock Owned |
Class A Common Stock(2) |
Combined Voting Power(3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Before This Offering |
After This Offering |
Before This Offering |
After This Offering |
To Be Sold In This Offering |
Before This Offering |
After This Offering |
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Number | Number | % | Number | Number | % | Number | Number | % | Number | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Selling Stockholder: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hoya Topco, LLC(4) |
| | | 124,200,000 | 105,800,000 | 100 | 18,400,000 | 124,200,000 | 61.5 | 105,800,000 | 52.4 |
(1) | Subject to the terms of the Second Amended and Restated LLC Agreement, Intermediate Common Units are generally redeemable or exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis. Shares of Class B common stock will be retired on a one-for-one basis if we redeem or exchange Intermediate Common Units pursuant to the terms of the Second Amended and Restated LLC Agreement. Beneficial ownership of shares of our Class A common stock reflected in this table does not include beneficial ownership of shares of our Class A common stock for which such Intermediate Common Units may be redeemed or exchanged. |
(2) | Percentage of Class A common stock to be sold in this offering is based on Class A common stock outstanding as of April 11, 2023. Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will issue to the selling stockholder 18,400,000 shares of our Class A common stock in exchange for an equivalent number of outstanding Intermediate Common Units and shares of Class B common stock, all of which will be sold by the selling stockholder in this offering. |
(3) | Represents the percentage of voting power of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock held by such person voting together as a single class. Each holder of Class A common stock and Class B common stock is entitled to one vote per share on all matters submitted to our stockholders for a vote. |
(4) | Shares offered under this prospectus supplement include 18,400,000 shares of the 124,200,000 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exchange of Intermediate Common Units held by Hoya Topco, including 6,000,000 Intermediate Common Units issuable in the future pursuant to the exercise of warrants held by Hoya Topco. GTCR Fund XI/B, GTCR Fund XI/C and certain other entities affiliated with GTCR have the right to appoint a majority of the members of the board of managers of Hoya Topco, LLC. GTCR Partners XI/B is the general partner of GTCR Fund XI/B. GTCR Partners XI/A&C is the general partner of GTCR Fund XI/C LP. GTCR Investment XI is the general partner of each of GTCR Partners XI/B and GTCR Partners XI/A&C. GTCR Investment XI is managed by a board of managers consisting of Mark M. Anderson, Craig A. Bondy, Aaron D. Cohen, Sean L. Cunningham, Benjamin J. Daverman, David A. Donnini, Constantine S. Mihas and Collin E. Roche, and no single person has voting or dispositive authority over the securities reported herein. As such, each of the foregoing entities and individuals may be deemed to share beneficial ownership of the securities reported herein. Each of them disclaims any such beneficial ownership. The address for each of the entities and individuals listed in this footnote is 300 North LaSalle Street, Suite 5600, Chicago, Illinois, 60654. |
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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES TO NON-U.S. HOLDERS
The following discussion is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences to Non-U.S. Holders (as defined below) of the purchase, ownership, and disposition of our Class A common stock acquired pursuant to this offering, but does not purport to be a complete analysis of all potential tax effects. The effects of other U.S. federal tax laws, such as estate and gift tax laws, and any applicable state, local, or non-U.S. tax laws are not discussed. This discussion is based on the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, judicial decisions, and published rulings and administrative pronouncements of the IRS, in each case in effect as of the date hereof. These authorities may change or be subject to differing interpretations. Any such change or differing interpretation may be applied retroactively in a manner that could adversely affect a Non-U.S. Holder. We have not sought and will not seek any rulings from the IRS regarding the matters discussed below. There can be no assurance the IRS or a court will not take a contrary position to that discussed below regarding the tax consequences of the purchase, ownership, and disposition of our Class A common stock.
This discussion is limited to Non-U.S. Holders that hold our Class A common stock as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment). This discussion does not address the U.S. federal income tax consequences to the selling stockholder. This discussion also does not address all U.S. federal income tax consequences relevant to a Non-U.S. Holders particular circumstances, including the impact of the Medicare contribution tax on net investment income and any alternative minimum tax. In addition, it does not address consequences relevant to Non-U.S. Holders subject to special rules, including, without limitation:
| U.S. expatriates and former citizens or long-term residents of the United States; |
| persons holding our Class A common stock as part of a hedge, straddle, or other risk reduction strategy or as part of a conversion transaction or other integrated investment; |
| banks, insurance companies, and other financial institutions; |
| brokers, dealers, or traders in securities; |
| controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies, and corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax; |
| partnerships or other entities or arrangements treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes (and investors therein); |
| tax-exempt organizations or governmental organizations; |
| persons deemed to sell our Class A common stock under the constructive sale provisions of the Code; |
| persons who hold or receive our Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of any employee stock option or otherwise as compensation; |
| tax-qualified retirement plans; |
| persons that own, or have owned, actually or constructively, more than 5% of our Class A common stock; and |
| qualified foreign pension funds as defined in Section 897(l)(2) of the Code and entities all of the interests of which are held by qualified foreign pension funds. |
If an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our Class A common stock, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will depend on the status of the partner, the activities of the partnership, and certain determinations made at the partner level. Accordingly, partnerships holding our Class A common stock and the partners in such partnerships should consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences to them.
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THIS DISCUSSION IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TAX ADVICE. INVESTORS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE APPLICATION OF THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAWS TO THEIR PARTICULAR SITUATIONS AS WELL AS ANY TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP, AND DISPOSITION OF OUR CLASS A COMMON STOCK ARISING UNDER THE U.S. FEDERAL ESTATE OR GIFT TAX LAWS OR UNDER THE LAWS OF ANY STATE, LOCAL, OR NON-U.S. TAXING JURISDICTION OR UNDER ANY APPLICABLE INCOME TAX TREATY.
Definition of a Non-U.S. Holder
For purposes of this discussion, a Non-U.S. Holder is any beneficial owner of our Class A common stock that is neither a U.S. person nor an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A U.S. person is any person that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is or is treated as any of the following:
| an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States; |
| a corporation created or organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof, or the District of Columbia; |
| an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or |
| a trust that (1) is subject to the primary supervision of a U.S. court and the control of one or more United States persons (within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code), or (2) has a valid election in effect to be treated as a United States person for U.S. federal income tax purposes. |
Taxation of Distributions on our Class A Common Stock
In general, any distributions made to a Non-U.S. Holder with respect to our Class A common stock, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Provided such dividends are not effectively connected with such Non-U.S. Holders conduct of a trade or business within the United States, such dividends will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax on the gross amount of the dividend at a rate of 30%, unless such Non-U.S. Holder is eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and provides to the applicable withholding agent proper certification of its eligibility for such reduced rate (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, as applicable). Any distribution not constituting a dividend will be treated first as reducing (but not below zero) the Non-U.S. Holders adjusted tax basis in our Class A common stock and then any remaining amount will be treated as gain realized from the sale or other disposition of our Class A common stock, which will be treated as described under Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of our Class A Common Stock.
Dividends paid to a Non-U.S. Holder that are effectively connected with such Non-U.S. Holders conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the Non-U.S. Holder) will generally not be subject to U.S. withholding tax, provided such Non-U.S. Holder complies with certain certification requirements (usually by providing an IRS Form W-8ECI to the applicable withholding agent). Instead, such dividends will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis at the same individual or corporate rates applicable to U.S. Holders. A Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation also may be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on its effectively connected earnings and profits (as adjusted for certain items), which will include such effectively connected dividends. Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding any applicable tax treaties that may provide for different rules.
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Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of our Class A Common Stock
Subject to the discussion below on backup withholding and the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, a Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any gain realized on a sale or other disposition of our Class A common stock unless:
| the Non-U.S. Holder is an individual that was present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year of such disposition and certain other requirements are met, in which case any gain realized will generally be subject to a flat 30% U.S. federal income tax; |
| the gain is effectively connected with a trade or business of such Non-U.S. Holder in the United States (and if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by such Non-U.S. Holder), in which case such gain will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis at the same individual or corporate rates applicable to U.S. Holders, and, if the Non-U.S. Holder is a corporation, an additional branch profits tax may also apply; or |
| we are or have been a United States real property holding corporation (USRPHC) for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year period preceding such disposition and such Non-U.S. Holders holding period. |
If the third bullet above applies, subject to certain exceptions in the case of interests that are regularly traded on an established securities market, gain recognized by such Non-U.S. Holder on the sale, exchange or other disposition of shares of our Class A common stock will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. In addition, a buyer of such Class A common stock from a Non-U.S. Holder may be required to withhold U.S. income tax at a rate of 15% of the amount realized upon such disposition. We will be classified as a USRPHC if the fair market value of our United States real property interests equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of our worldwide real property interests and other assets used or held for use in a trade or business, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We do not believe that we have been, nor do we expect to be classified following this offering as, a USRPHC. However, such determination is factual in nature and subject to change and no assurance can be provided as to whether we will be a USRPHC at any future time.
Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding potentially applicable income tax treaties that may provide for different rules.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Payments of dividends on our Class A common stock will not be subject to backup withholding, provided the applicable withholding agent does not have actual knowledge or reason to know the holder is a United States person and the holder either certifies its non-U.S. status, such as by furnishing a valid IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E, or W-8ECI, or otherwise establishes an exemption. However, information returns are required to be filed with the IRS in connection with any distributions on our Class A common stock paid to the Non-U.S. Holder, regardless of whether such distributions constitute dividends or whether any tax was actually withheld. In addition, proceeds of the sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A common stock within the United States or conducted through certain U.S.-related brokers generally will not be subject to backup withholding or information reporting if the applicable withholding agent receives the certification described above and does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that such holder is a United States person or the holder otherwise establishes an exemption. Proceeds of a disposition of our Class A common stock conducted through a non-U.S. office of a non-U.S. broker generally will not be subject to backup withholding or information reporting.
Copies of information returns that are filed with the IRS may also be made available under the provisions of an applicable treaty or agreement to the tax authorities of the country in which the Non-U.S. Holder resides or is established.
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Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against a Non-U.S. Holders U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Additional Withholding Tax on Payments Made to Foreign Accounts
Withholding taxes may be imposed under Sections 1471 to 1474 of the Code (such Sections commonly referred to as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA) on certain types of payments made to non-U.S. financial institutions and certain other non-U.S. entities. Specifically, a 30% withholding tax may be imposed on dividends on, or (subject to the proposed Treasury Regulations discussed below) gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of, our Class A common stock paid to a foreign financial institution or a non-financial foreign entity (each as defined in the Code), unless (1) the foreign financial institution undertakes certain diligence and reporting obligations, (2) the non-financial foreign entity either certifies it does not have any substantial United States owners (as defined in the Code) or furnishes identifying information regarding each substantial United States owner, or (3) the foreign financial institution or non-financial foreign entity otherwise qualifies for an exemption from these rules. If the payee is a foreign financial institution and is subject to the diligence and reporting requirements in (1) above, it must enter into an agreement with the U.S. Department of the Treasury requiring, among other things, that it undertake to identify accounts held by certain specified United States persons or United States owned foreign entities (each as defined in the Code), annually report certain information about such accounts, and withhold 30% on certain payments to non-compliant foreign financial institutions and certain other account holders. Foreign financial institutions located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental agreement with the United States governing FATCA may be subject to different rules.
Under the applicable Treasury Regulations and administrative guidance, withholding under FATCA generally applies to payments of dividends on our Class A common stock. While withholding under FATCA would have applied also to payments of gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of stock, proposed Treasury Regulations eliminate FATCA withholding on payments of gross proceeds entirely. Taxpayers generally may rely on these proposed Treasury Regulations until final Treasury Regulations are issued.
Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the potential application of withholding under FATCA to their investment in our Class A common stock.
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Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC are acting as joint book-running managers of the offering and as representatives of the underwriters named below. Subject to the terms and conditions stated in the underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus supplement, each underwriter named below has severally agreed to purchase, and the selling stockholder has agreed to sell to that underwriter, the number of shares of Class A common stock set forth opposite the underwriters name.
Underwriter |
Number of Shares |
|||
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. |
5,280,000 | |||
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC |
5,280,000 | |||
BofA Securities, Inc. |
840,000 | |||
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. |
840,000 | |||
RBC Capital Markets, LLC |
840,000 | |||
William Blair & Company, L.L.C. |
840,000 | |||
Canaccord Genuity LLC |
480,000 | |||
D.A. Davidson & Co. |
480,000 | |||
Piper Sandler & Co. |
480,000 | |||
Raymond James & Associates, Inc. |
480,000 | |||
Academy Securities, Inc. |
40,000 | |||
Loop Capital Markets LLC |
40,000 | |||
Penserra Securities LLC |
40,000 | |||
Tigress Financial Partners, LLC |
40,000 | |||
|
|
|||
Total |
16,000,000 | |||
|
|
The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the shares included in this offering are subject to approval of legal matters by counsel and to other conditions. The underwriters are obligated to purchase all the shares (other than those covered by the underwriters option to purchase additional shares described below) if they purchase any of the shares.
Shares sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus supplement. Any shares sold by the underwriters to securities dealers may be sold at a discount from the initial public offering price not to exceed $0.192 per share. If all the shares are not sold at the initial offering price, the underwriters may change the offering price and the other selling terms.
If the underwriters sell more shares than the total number set forth in the table above, the selling stockholder has granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 30 days from the date of this prospectus supplement, to purchase up to 2,400,000 additional shares at the public offering price less the underwriting discount. To the extent the option is exercised, each underwriter must purchase a number of additional shares approximately proportionate to that underwriters initial purchase commitment. Any shares issued or sold under the option will be issued and sold on the same terms and conditions as the other shares that are the subject of this offering.
We, our directors and executive officers, certain significant stockholders and the selling stockholder have agreed that, for a period of 60 days from the date of this prospectus supplement, we and they will not (and they will cause their controlled affiliates not to), without the prior written consent of the representatives, dispose of or hedge any shares or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock. The representatives, in their sole discretion, may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice.
The foregoing restrictions shall not apply to us with respect to (A) any shares of Class A common stock issued by us upon the exercise of an option or warrant or the conversion of a security outstanding on the date
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hereof and described in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, (B) any shares of Class A common stock issued and options to purchase Class A common stock or other equity incentive awards granted in the ordinary course of business pursuant to any of our employee benefit, equity incentive or employee stock purchase plans (i) described in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus or (ii) created as successor plans to any such plans or similar plans described in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, (C) the filing of any registration statement on Form S-8 or any successor form thereto with respect to the registration of securities to be offered under any plan referred to in clause (B) of this paragraph, (D) any shares of Class A common stock issued pursuant to any non-employee director stock plan or dividend reinvestment plan described in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, (E) any shares of Class A common stock issued in exchange for an equivalent number of shares of Class B common stock, (F) the issuance of shares of Class A common stock in connection with the acquisition by us or any of our subsidiaries of the securities, business, property or other assets of another person or business entity or pursuant to any employee benefit plan assumed by us in connection with any such acquisition, or (G) the issuance of shares of Class A common stock, of restricted stock awards or of options to purchase shares of Class A common stock, in each case, in connection with joint ventures, commercial relationships or other strategic transactions, provided, however, that in the case of any issuance described in (F) or (G) above, (i) the aggregate number of shares of Class A common stock issued in connection with, or issuable pursuant to the exercise of any options or equity incentive awards issued in connection with, all such acquisitions and other transactions does not exceed 5% of the aggregate number of shares of common stock outstanding immediately following the consummation of this offering and (ii) it shall be a condition to such issuance that the representatives shall have received a lock-up agreement signed by each recipient.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, and subject to the conditions below, our officers and directors may transfer securities subject to the lock-up agreements (the Lock-Up Securities) without the prior written consent of the representatives in connection with:
(a) | transactions relating to shares of Class A common stock acquired in open market transactions after the completion of this offering; |
(b) | transfers of Lock-Up Securities: |
(i) | as a bona fide gift or gifts, including, without limitation, gifts to a charitable trust; |
(ii) | by will, other testamentary document or intestate succession; |
(iii) | to any immediate family member of such individual, or any of such individuals affiliates, or any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of such individual, or any of such individuals affiliates (for the purposes of this agreement, immediate family shall mean any relationship by blood, marriage or adoption, not more remote than first cousin); |
(iv) | to a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or other business entity that is an affiliate (as defined in Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended) of such individual, or to such individuals affiliates or to an investment fund or other entity controlling, controlled by, managing or managed by or under common control with such individual or its affiliates (including, for the avoidance of doubt, where such individual is a partnership, to its general partner, a successor partnership or fund, or other fund managed by such partnership), or to a trust of which such individual and/or the immediate family of such individual are the legal and beneficial owner of all of the outstanding equity securities or similar interests; or |
(v) | to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a disposition or transfer would be permissible under clauses (i) through (iv) above; |
(c) | distributions of Lock-Up Securities to partners, members, stockholders or beneficiaries, as the case may be, of such individual if such individual is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or other business entity; |
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(d) | the establishment of a trading plan on behalf of such individual pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of shares of Class A common stock, provided that (i) such plan does not provide for the transfer of Class A common stock during the lock-up period and (ii) to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act, if any, is required of or voluntarily made by or on behalf of such individual or us regarding the establishment of such plan, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that no transfer of Class A common stock may be made under such plan during the lock-up period; |
(e) | a transfer of Lock-Up Securities pursuant to a bona fide third party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction or transactions made to all or substantially all holders of Class A common stock and approved by our board of directors the result of which is that any person or group (within the meaning of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act), shall or would become, after giving effect to such transaction or transactions, the beneficial owner (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 of the Exchange Act) of more than 50% of the total voting power of our voting securities, provided that in the event that such tender offer, merger, consolidation or other such transaction or transactions shall not be completed, such individuals Lock-Up Securities shall remain subject to the provisions of this agreement during the lock-up period; |
(f) | as a result of the operation of law, or pursuant to an order of a court (including a domestic order, divorce settlement, divorce decree or separation agreement) or regulatory agency; |
(g) | the repurchase of Lock-Up Securities by us pursuant to equity award agreements or other contractual arrangements providing for the right of said repurchase in connection with the termination of such individuals employment or service with us; |
(h) | to us pursuant to the exercise or settlement of (i) options or restricted stock units to purchase Lock-Up Securities granted by us pursuant to stock option or equity incentive plans or (ii) warrants to purchase Lock-Up Securities, in each case, that will expire during the lock-up period and as described in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, on a cashless or net exercise basis, or for the purpose of satisfying any withholding taxes (including estimated taxes) due as a result of such exercise or settlement, provided that any Lock-Up Securities received upon such exercise or settlement shall be subject to the terms of this agreement for the remainder of the lock-up period; |
(i) | in any conversion or exchange of (i) common units of Hoya and a corresponding number of shares of Class B common stock, into or for shares of Class A common stock (or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Class A common stock) or (ii) shares of Class B Common Stock into shares of Class A common stock, in each case in a manner consistent with the provisions therefor set forth in described in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus (an Exchange); provided that, other than as set forth in paragraph (j) hereof, any shares of Class A common stock or other securities received upon such Exchange shall remain subject to the terms of this agreement for the remainder of the lock-up period; |
(j) | the sale of any shares of Class A common stock to the underwriters pursuant to this offering and any Exchange associated therewith; and |
(k) | other than with respect to our directors and executive officers, any pledge, hypothecation or other grant of a security interest in any Lock-Up Securities to one or more lending institutions as collateral or security for any loan, advance or extension of credit and the transfer of such Lock-Up Securities to such lending institution upon foreclosure of such Lock-Up Securities; provided that no subsequent transfer or sale of Lock-Up Securities by such lending institution shall be made during the lock-up period; |
provided that (1) in the case of any transfer pursuant to clauses (b), (c) and (k), each donee or transferee shall sign and deliver to the representatives a lock-up agreement substantially in the form of this agreement or the balance of the lock-up period; (2) in the case of any transfer pursuant to clauses (b), (c), (i) and (k), such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value; (3) in the case of any transfer pursuant to clauses (a), (b), (h) and (i),
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such transfer is not required to be reported with the SEC on Form 4 in accordance with Section 16 of the Exchange Act reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership; (4) in the case of any transfer pursuant to clauses (b), (c), (f), (g), (h) and (i), any such required Form 4 in accordance with Section 16 of the Exchange Act shall state the reason for such transfer; and (5) such individual shall not otherwise voluntarily effect any public filing or report regarding such transfer (other than a report on Form 5 in accordance with Section 16 of the Exchange Act or a filing on Schedule 13D, 13F or 13G of the Exchange Act that is required to be filed during the lock-up period, provided that any such required Form 5 shall state the reason for such transfer).
The shares of Class A common stock are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol SEAT.
The following table shows the underwriting discounts and commissions the selling stockholder is to pay to the underwriters in connection with this offering. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters option to purchase additional shares.
Paid by the Selling Stockholder |
||||||||
No Exercise | Full Exercise | |||||||
Per share |
$ | 0.32 | $ | 0.32 | ||||
Total |
$ | 5,120,000 | $ | 5,888,000 |
We estimate that our portion of the total expenses of this offering will be $1,060,000. We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for expenses relating to clearance of this offering with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority up to $25,000. In addition, the underwriters have agreed to reimburse us for certain documented expenses incurred in connection with this offering.
In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell shares in the open market. Purchases and sales in the open market may include short sales, purchases to cover short positions, which may include purchases pursuant to the underwriters option to purchase additional shares, and stabilizing purchases.
| Short sales involve secondary market sales by the underwriters of a greater number of shares than they are required to purchase in the offering. |
| Covered short sales are sales of shares in an amount up to the number of shares represented by the underwriters option to purchase additional shares. |
| Naked short sales are sales of shares in an amount in excess of the number of shares represented by the underwriters option to purchase additional shares. |
| Covering transactions involve purchases of shares either pursuant to the underwriters option to purchase additional shares or in the open market in order to cover short positions. |
| To close a naked short position, the underwriters must purchase shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the shares in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering. |
| To close a covered short position, the underwriters must purchase shares in the open market or must exercise the option to purchase additional shares. In determining the source of shares to close the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase shares through the underwriters option to purchase additional shares. |
| Stabilizing transactions involve bids to purchase shares so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. |
Purchases to cover short positions and stabilizing purchases, as well as other purchases by the underwriters for their own accounts, may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the shares.
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They may also cause the price of the shares to be higher than the price that would otherwise exist in the open market in the absence of these transactions. The underwriters may conduct these transactions on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. If the underwriters commence any of these transactions, they may discontinue them at any time.
Conflicts of Interest
The underwriters are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. The underwriters and their respective affiliates have in the past performed commercial banking, investment banking and advisory services for us from time to time for which they have received customary fees and reimbursement of expenses and may, from time to time, engage in transactions with and perform services for us in the ordinary course of their business for which they may receive customary fees and reimbursement of expenses. In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (which may include bank loans and/or credit default swaps) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers and may at any time hold long and short positions in such securities and instruments. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. In addition, affiliates of some of the underwriters are lenders, and in some cases agents or managers for the lenders, under our credit facility. Certain of the underwriters or their affiliates that have a lending relationship with us routinely hedge their credit exposure to us consistent with their customary risk management policies. A typical such hedging strategy would include these underwriters or their affiliates hedging such exposure by entering into transactions which consist of either the purchase of credit default swaps or the creation of short positions in our securities. The underwriters and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments. In addition, one of the underwriters served as an advisor in connection with the Business Combination.
We and the selling stockholder have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make because of any of those liabilities.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area (each a Relevant Member State), no shares have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offering to the public in that Relevant Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the shares which has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that the shares may be offered to the public in that Relevant Member State at any time:
(a) | to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation; |
(b) | to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representatives for any such offer; or |
(c) | in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation, |
provided that no such offer of the shares shall require us or any of the underwriters or any of their respective affiliates to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.
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For the purposes of this provision, the expression an offer to the public in relation to the shares in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase for any shares, and the expression Prospectus Regulation means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
Each person in a Relevant Member State who receives any communication in respect of, or who acquires any shares under, the offering contemplated hereby will be deemed to have represented warranted and agreed to and with each of the underwriters and their respective affiliates and us that:
(a) | it is a qualified investor within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation; and |
(b) | in the case of any shares acquired by it as a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5 of the Prospectus Regulation, (i) the shares acquired by it in the offering have not been acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in any Relevant Member State other than qualified investors, as that term is defined in the Prospectus Regulation, or have been acquired in other circumstances falling within the points (a) to (d) of Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation and the prior consent of the representatives has been given to the offer or resale; or (ii) where the shares have been acquired by it on behalf of persons in any Relevant Member State other than qualified investors, the offer of those shares to it is not treated under the Prospectus Regulation as having been made to such persons. |
We, the underwriters and their respective affiliates, and others will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representation, acknowledgement and agreement. Notwithstanding the above, a person who is not a qualified investor and who has notified the representatives of such fact in writing may, with the prior consent of the representatives, be permitted to acquire shares in the offering.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom
This prospectus supplement and any other material in relation to the shares described herein is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, and any investment or investment activity to which this prospectus supplement relates is available only to, and will be engaged in only with persons who are (i) persons having professional experience in matters relating to investments who fall within the definition of investment professionals in Article 19(5) of the FPO; or (ii) high net worth entities falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the FPO; (iii) outside the United Kingdom; or (iv) persons to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the FSMA) in connection with the issue or sale of any shares may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated, all such persons together being referred to as Relevant Persons. The shares are only available in the United Kingdom to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to purchase or otherwise acquire the shares will be engaged in only with, the Relevant Persons. This prospectus supplement and its contents are confidential and should not be distributed, published or reproduced (in whole or in part) or disclosed by recipients to any other person in the United Kingdom. Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this prospectus supplement or any of its contents.
No shares have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offering to the public in the United Kingdom prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the shares which has been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority, except that the shares may be offered to the public in the United Kingdom at any time:
(a) | to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation; |
(b) | to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representatives for any such offer; or |
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(c) | in any other circumstances falling within Section 86 of the FSMA, |
provided that no such offer of the shares shall require us or any underwriter or any of their respective affiliates to publish a prospectus pursuant to Section 85 of the FSMA or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an offer to the public in relation to the shares in the United Kingdom means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any shares and the expression UK Prospectus Regulation means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
Each person in the United Kingdom who acquires any shares in the offering or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with us, the underwriters and their respective affiliates that it meets the criteria outlined in this section.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Canada
The shares may be sold only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the shares must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.
Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus supplement (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchasers province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchasers province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.
Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.
Notice to Prospective Investors in France
Neither this prospectus supplement nor any other offering material relating to the shares described in this prospectus supplement has been submitted to the clearance procedures of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers or of the competent authority of another member state of the European Economic Area and notified to the Autorité des Marchés Financiers. The shares have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in France. Neither this prospectus supplement nor any other offering material relating to the shares has been or will be:
| released, issued, distributed or caused to be released, issued or distributed to the public in France; or |
| used in connection with any offer for subscription or sale of the shares to the public in France. |
Such offers, sales and distributions will be made in France only:
| to qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) and/or to a restricted circle of investors (cercle restreint dinvestisseurs), in each case investing for their own account, all as defined in, and in accordance with articles L.411-2, D.411-1, D.411-2, D.734-1, D.744-1, D.754-1 and D.764-1 of the French Code monétaire et financier; |
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| to investment services providers authorized to engage in portfolio management on behalf of third parties; or |
| in a transaction that, in accordance with article L.411-2-II-1°-or-2°-or 3° of the French Code monétaire et financier and article 211-2 of the General Regulations (Règlement Général) of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, does not constitute a public offer (appel public à lépargne). |
The shares may be resold directly or indirectly, only in compliance with articles L.411-1, L.411-2, L.412-1 and L.621-8 through L.621-8-3 of the French Code monétaire et financier.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong
The shares may not be offered or sold in Hong Kong by means of any document other than (i) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong), or (ii) to professional investors within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a prospectus within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong) and no advertisement, invitation or document relating to the shares may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to shares which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to professional investors within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Japan
The shares offered in this prospectus supplement have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan. The shares have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to or for the account of any resident of Japan (including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), except (i) pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law and (ii) in compliance with any other applicable requirements of Japanese law.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore
This prospectus supplement has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus supplement and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the shares may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the shares be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the SFA), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA, in each case subject to compliance with conditions set forth in the SFA.
Where the shares are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:
| a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or |
| a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor, |
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shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or the beneficiaries rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the shares pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:
| to an institutional investor (for corporations, under Section 274 of the SFA) or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person pursuant to an offer that is made on terms that such shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or such rights and interest in that trust are acquired at a consideration of not less than S$200,000 (or its equivalent in a foreign currency) for each transaction, whether such amount is to be paid for in cash or by exchange of securities or other assets, and further for corporations, in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA; |
| where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer; or |
| where the transfer is by operation of law. |
Solely for the purposes of its obligations pursuant to section 309B(1)(a) and 309B(1)(c) of the SFA and the Securities and Futures (Capital Markets Products) Regulations 2018 of Singapore (the CMP Regulations 2018), the issuer has determined, and hereby notifies all relevant persons (as defined in Section 309A(1) of the SFA), that the shares are prescribed capital markets products (as defined in the CMP Regulations 2018) and Excluded Investment Products (as defined in MAS Notice SFA 04-N12: Notice on the Sale of Investment Products; and MAS notice FAA-N16: Notice on Recommendations on Investment Products).
Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland
We have not and will not register with the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) as a foreign collective investment scheme pursuant to Article 119 of the Federal Act on Collective Investment Scheme of 23 June 2006, as amended (CISA), and accordingly the shares being offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement have not and will not be approved, and may not be licenseable, with FINMA. Therefore, the shares have not been authorized for distribution by FINMA as a foreign collective investment scheme pursuant to Article 119 CISA and the shares offered hereby may not be offered to the public (as this term is defined in Article 3 CISA) in or from Switzerland. The shares may solely be offered to qualified investors, as this term is defined in Article 10 CISA, and in the circumstances set out in Article 3 of the Ordinance on Collective Investment Scheme of 22 November 2006, as amended (CISO), such that there is no public offer. Investors, however, do not benefit from protection under CISA or CISO or supervision by FINMA. This prospectus supplement and any other materials relating to the shares are strictly personal and confidential to each offeree and do not constitute an offer to any other person. This prospectus supplement may only be used by those qualified investors to whom it has been handed out in connection with the offer described in this prospectus supplement and may neither directly or indirectly be distributed or made available to any person or entity other than its recipients. It may not be used in connection with any other offer and shall in particular not be copied and/or distributed to the public in Switzerland or from Switzerland. This prospectus supplement does not constitute an issue prospectus as that term is understood pursuant to Article 652a and/or 1156 of the Swiss Federal Code of Obligations. We have not applied for a listing of the shares on the SIX Swiss Exchange or any other regulated securities market in Switzerland, and consequently, the information presented in this prospectus supplement does not necessarily comply with the information standards set out in the listing rules of the SIX Swiss Exchange and corresponding prospectus schemes annexed to the listing rules of the SIX Swiss Exchange.
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Latham & Watkins LLP, Chicago, Illinois, will pass upon the validity of the shares of Class A common stock offered by this prospectus supplement for us. Cooley LLP, Chicago, Illinois, will pass upon certain matters for the underwriters in connection with this offering.
The financial statements of Vivid Seats Inc. as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, included in this prospectus supplement, have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report. Such financial statements are included in reliance upon the report of such firm given their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
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PROSPECTUS
VIVID SEATS INC.
187,267,173 SHARES OF CLASS A COMMON STOCK
45,686,457 WARRANTS TO PURCHASE SHARES OF CLASS A COMMON STOCK AND
58,652,569 SHARES OF CLASS A COMMON STOCK UNDERLYING WARRANTS
This prospectus relates to the resale from time to time of (i) an aggregate of 63,067,173 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the Class A common stock), of Vivid Seats Inc., a Delaware corporation (Vivid Seats PubCo, Vivid Seats, we, us or our), including (a) 47,517,173 shares of Class A common stock issued to certain qualified institutional buyers and accredited investors that purchased shares of Class A common stock in private placements consummated in connection with the Business Combination (as defined below) and (b) 15,550,000 shares of Class A common stock held by Horizon Sponsor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (Sponsor), and (ii) 45,686,457 warrants to purchase Class A common stock, including (a) 6,519,791 Vivid Seats Private Placement IPO Warrants (as defined below) to purchase Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, (b) 5,166,666 Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants (as defined below) to purchase Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, held by the Sponsor, (c) 17,000,000 Vivid Seats PubCo $10.00 Exercise Warrants (as defined below) to purchase Class A common stock at an exercise price of $10.00 per share and (d) 17,000,000 Vivid Seats PubCo $15.00 Exercise Warrants (as defined below) to purchase Class A common stock at an exercise price of $15.00 per share (collectively, the warrants) by the registered holders named in this prospectus (each a Registered Holder and, collectively, the Registered Holders). This prospectus also relates to (x) the issuance by us and resale by the Registered Holders from time to time of (i) up to 45,686,457 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of these warrants and (ii) up to 124,200,000 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exchange of common units (Intermediate Common Units) of Hoya Intermediate, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company held by Hoya Topco, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (Hoya Topco), including 6,000,000 Intermediate Common Units issuable in the future pursuant to the exercise of warrants held by Hoya Topco, and (y) the issuance by us of up to 12,966,112 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants held by shareholders other than the Sponsor.
On October 18, 2021, we consummated the business combination (the Business Combination) contemplated by that certain transaction agreement, dated as of April 21, 2021 (as may be amended from time to time, the Transaction Agreement), by and among Horizon Acquisition Corporation (Horizon), Sponsor, Hoya Topco, Hoya Intermediate and Vivid Seats PubCo, pursuant to which, among other transactions, Horizon merged with and into us, upon which the separate corporate existence of Horizon ceased and we became the surviving corporation.
We are registering the issuance and resale of certain shares of Class A common stock and the resale of certain warrants as required by (i) an amended and restated registration rights agreement, dated as of October 18, 2021 (the Registration Rights Agreement), entered into by and among us, Sponsor and Hoya Topco, and (ii) the subscription agreements, dated as of April 21, 2021 (the Subscription Agreements), by and among us, Horizon and certain qualified institutional buyers and accredited investors that purchased shares of Class A common stock in private placements consummated in connection with the Business Combination.
We will receive the proceeds from any exercise of the warrants for cash, but not from the resale of the shares of Class A common stock or warrants by the Registered Holders.
We will bear all costs, expenses and fees in connection with the registration of the shares of Class A common stock and warrants. The Registered Holders will bear all commissions and discounts, if any, attributable to their respective sales of the shares of Class A common stock and warrants.
Our shares of Class A Common stock are listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol SEAT. On May 11, 2023, the closing sale price of shares of our Class A common stock was $9.60. Our Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants are listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol SEATW. On May 11, 2023, the closing sale price of our Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants was $2.78.
Investing in shares of our Class A common stock or warrants involves risks that are described in the Risk Factors section beginning on page 5 of this prospectus.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the securities to be issued under this prospectus or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is May 12, 2023.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS |
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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL TAX CONSIDERATIONS FOR HOLDERS OF CLASS A COMMON STOCK AND WARRANTS |
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You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. No one has been authorized to provide you with information that is different from that contained in this prospectus. This prospectus is dated as of the date set forth on the cover hereof. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than that date.
TRADEMARKS
This document contains references to trademarks and service marks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ® or symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that the applicable licensor will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, its rights to these trademarks and trade names. Horizon and Vivid Seats do not intend their use or display of other companies trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of Horizon or Vivid Seats by, any other companies.
Notwithstanding references thereto in this prospectus, the website of Vivid Seats is not part of and is not incorporated in the prospectus, and you should not consider information found on Vivid Seats website to be part of this prospectus.
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CERTAIN DEFINED TERMS
Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus to:
| 2021 ESPP are to the Vivid Seats Inc. 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan; |
| 2021 Plan are to the Vivid Seats Inc. 2021 Incentive Award Plan; |
| Amended and Restated Bylaws are to the amended and restated bylaws of Vivid Seats Inc.; |
| Amended and Restated Charter are to the amended and restated certificate of incorporation of Vivid Seats Inc.; |
| 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; |
| Blocker Corporations are to the Blocker Corporations as defined in the Tax Receivable Agreement; |
| Blocker Sellers are to Crescent Mezzanine Partners VIB, L.P., Crescent Mezzanine Partners VIC, L.P., NPS/Crescent Strategic Partnership II, LP and Crescent Mezzanine Partners VIIB, L.P.; |
| Business Combination are to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Agreement; |
| Class A common stock are to Vivid Seats PubCos Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share; |
| Class B common stock are to Vivid Seats PubCos Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share; |
| Closing are to the consummation of the Business Combination; |
| Closing Date are to October 18, 2021; |
| Code are to the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended; |
| DGCL are to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware; |
| Effective Time are to the time at which the Merger becomes effective pursuant to the Transaction Agreement; |
| Exchange are to the irrevocable tender by Sponsor to Horizon all of its Horizon Class B ordinary shares 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 pursuant to the Exchange Agreement; |
| Exchange Agreement are to that certain exchange Agreement, dated as of April 21, 2021, by and between Sponsor and Horizon; |
| 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 PubCo $10.00 Exercise Warrants and Vivid Seats PubCo $15.00 Exercise Warrants were issued; |
| founder shares are to Horizon Class B ordinary shares initially purchased by Sponsor in a private placement prior to the IPO, and the Horizon Class A ordinary shares issued upon the conversion thereof; |
| Horizon are to Horizon Acquisition Corporation; |
| Horizon $10.00 Exercise Warrants are to warrants for Horizon Class A ordinary shares with an exercise price of $10.00, issued in connection with the Exchange; |
| Horizon $15.00 Exercise Warrants are to warrants for Horizon Class A ordinary shares with an exercise price of $15.00, issued in connection with the Exchange; |
| Horizon Class A ordinary shares are to Horizons Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share; |
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| Horizon Class B ordinary shares are to Horizons Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share; |
| Horizon Equityholders are to Sponsor and any investment vehicles or funds managed or controlled, directly or indirectly, by any of Sponsors affiliates; |
| Horizon IPO Private Placement Warrants are to the warrants sold by Horizon as part of the private placement in connection with the IPO; |
| Horizon IPO Public Warrants are to the warrants sold by Horizon as part of the units in the IPO; |
| Horizon Warrants are to the Horizon IPO Public Warrants, Horizon IPO Private Placement Warrants, the Horizon $10.00 Exercise Warrants and the Horizon $15.00 Exercise Warrants; |
| Hoya Intermediate are to Hoya Intermediate, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company; |
| Hoya Intermediate Warrants are warrants issued by Hoya Intermediate to Vivid Seats Inc. and Hoya Topco; |
| Intermediate Common Units means Common Units of Hoya Intermediate; |
| IPO are to Horizons initial public offering of units, the base offering of which closed on August 25, 2020; |
| IRS are to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service; |
| Lock-up Period are to the period beginning on the Closing Date and ending on the date that is twelve (12) months following the Closing Date; |
| lock-up shares are to (a) with respect to Sponsor, the shares of Vivid Seats common stock and warrants exercisable for shares of Vivid Seats common stock held by Sponsor and its affiliates (other than any such shares acquired in connection with the PIPE Subscription) and (b) with respect to Hoya Topco, any Vivid Seats common stock and any warrants exercisable for shares of Vivid Seats common stock held by Hoya Topco and its affiliates; |
| 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; |
| Merger are to the merging of Horizon with and into Vivid Seats Inc., upon which the separate corporate existence of Horizon ceased and Vivid Seats Inc. became the surviving entity; |
| Nasdaq are, with respect to the Class A common stock, to The Nasdaq Global Select Market and, with respect to the Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants, to The Nasdaq Capital Market; |
| 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 Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and Horizon; |
| 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 shareholders are to the holders of Horizons public shares prior to the Closing; |
| public shares are to Horizon Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in the IPO (whether they were purchased in the IPO or thereafter in the open market); |
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| Registration Rights Agreement are to that certain Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of October 18, 2021, by and among Vivid Seats PubCo, Sponsor, Hoya Topco and the other holders party thereto; |
| Reorganization Transaction are to a Reorganization Transaction as defined in the Tax Receivable Agreement; |
| special dividend are to the special dividend, in an amount of $0.23 per share as described herein, paid by Vivid Seats on November 2, 2021 to holders of shares of our Class A common stock as of the record date for such special dividend, which holders included, among others, Sponsor, as a shareholder, and the PIPE Investors, but not holders of shares of our Class B common stock; |
| 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 Industries, LLC, Sponsor, Horizon and Hoya Topco; |
| Stockholders Agreement are to that certain Stockholders Agreement, dated as of October 18, 2021, by and among Vivid Seats PubCo, Sponsor and Hoya Topco; |
| Tax Receivable Agreement are to that certain Tax Receivable Agreement, dated as of October 18, 2021, by and among Vivid Seats Inc., Hoya Intermediate, the TRA Holder Representative, Hoya Topco and the other TRA Holders; |
| 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 Vivid Seats Inc. held by Hoya Topco on the Closing Date, (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; |
| Transactions means the PIPE Subscription and the Business Combination; |
| Transaction Agreement are to the Transaction Agreement, dated as of April 21, 2021, by and among Horizon, Sponsor, Hoya Topco, Hoya Intermediate and Vivid Seats Inc.; |
| Trust Account are to the trust account for the benefit of Horizon, certain of its public shareholders and the underwriter of the IPO; |
| Vivid Seats are to, prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, Hoya Intermediate and its consolidated subsidiaries; |
| Vivid Seats PubCo are to Vivid Seats Inc., a Delaware corporation; |
| Vivid Seats $10.00 Exercise Warrants or Vivid Seats PubCo $10.00 Exercise Warrants are to warrants for 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 or Vivid Seats PubCo $15.00 Exercise Warrants are to warrants for 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; |
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| Vivid Seats Class B Warrants are to warrants for our Class B common stock exercisable upon the exercise of Hoya Intermediate Warrants held by Hoya Topco; |
| Vivid Seats common stock are to our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock, collectively; |
| Vivid Seats Warrants are to the warrants for our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock; |
| Vivid Seats Private Placement IPO Warrants are to warrants for our Class A common stock, with terms identical to the Horizon IPO Private Placement Warrants; and |
| Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants are to warrants for our Class A common stock, with terms identical to Horizon IPO Public Warrants. |
Additionally, unless the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus to the Company, we, us or our refer to the business of Vivid Seats Inc. and its subsidiaries. Further, in this prospectus, we refer to our Class A common stock and warrants to purchase shares of Class A common stock, collectively, as securities.
BASIS OF PRESENTATION
Vivid Seats Inc. was incorporated on March 29, 2021 under the laws of the state of Delaware as a wholly owned subsidiary of Hoya Intermediate for the purpose of consummating the Business Combination. On October 18, 2021, Horizon merged with and into Vivid Seats with Vivid Seats continuing as the surviving entity, following which Vivid Seats owns 39.4% of the Intermediate Common Units of Hoya Intermediate. Unless otherwise indicated, the financial information included herein is that of Vivid Seats Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this prospectus may constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the federal securities laws. 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:
| our ability to raise financing in the future; |
| our future financial performance; |
| our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors; |
| our ability to pay dividends on our Class A common stock on the terms currently contemplated or at all; |
| factors relating to our business, operations and financial performance, including, but not limited to: |
| our ability to compete in the ticketing industry; |
| our ability to maintain relationships with ticket buyers, sellers and distribution partners; |
| our ability to continue to improve our platform and maintain and enhance our brand; |
| the impact of extraordinary events or adverse economic conditions, such as inflation, rising interest rates and risks of recession, on discretionary consumer and corporate spending or on the supply and demand of live events; |
| our ability to comply with domestic regulatory regimes; |
| the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and the industries in which we operate; |
| our ability to successfully defend against litigation; |
| our ability to maintain the integrity of our information systems and infrastructure, and to mitigate possible cyber security risks; |
| our ability to generate sufficient cash flows or raise additional capital necessary to fund our operations; and |
| other factors detailed under the section titled Risk Factors. |
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 document, or in the case of statements incorporated by reference, on the date of the document incorporated by reference. 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.
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Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in this prospectus, under the sections titled Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Risk Factors, in our press releases, and other financial filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus, 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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This summary highlights selected information from this prospectus and may not contain all of the information that is important to you in making an investment decision. Before investing in our securities, you should carefully read this entire prospectus, including our financial statements and the related notes included in this prospectus and the information set forth under the headings Risk Factors and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. See also the section titled Where You Can Find Additional Information.
At the closing of the Business Combination, Horizon merged with and into us, upon which the separate corporate existence of Horizon ceased and we became the surviving corporation. Unless the context otherwise requires, all references in this prospectus to the Company, we, us or our refer to the business of Vivid Seats Pubco and its subsidiaries, including Hoya Intermediate.
Our Company
Vivid Seats is 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 lifes 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. During the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020, our revenues were $600.3 million, $443.0 million, and $35.1 million, respectively, and Marketplace Gross Order Value (Marketplace GOV) was $3,184.8 million, $2,399.1 million, and $347.3 million, respectively. Our net income was $70.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Our net loss was $19.1 million and $774.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, our revenues were $161.1 million and our Marketplace GOV was $855.5 million. During the three months ended March 31, 2022, our revenues were $130.8 million and our Marketplace GOV was $742.1 million. Our net income was $30.3 million and $3.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
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 end-to-end operations. To generate ticket sales, drive traffic to our website and mobile applications, and to 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 Sports, Inc. (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
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engage. Betchas 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.
Private Equity Owner
We have a valuable relationship with our Private Equity Owner, which consists of certain investment funds affiliated with GTCR LLC (GTCR). Founded in 1980, GTCR is a leading growth-oriented private equity firm focused on investing in growth companies in the Healthcare, Financial Services & Technology, Technology, Media & Telecommunications and Growth Business Services industries. The Chicago-based firm pioneered The Leaders Strategyfinding and partnering with management leaders in core domains to identify, acquire and build market-leading companies through transformational acquisitions and organic growth. Since its inception, our Private Equity Owner has invested more than $24.0 billion in more than 270 companies. Our Private Equity Owner purchased its controlling interest in Vivid Seats on June 30, 2017.
Risk Factors
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in the section titled Risk Factors immediately following this prospectus summary, that represent challenges that we face in connection with the successful implementation of our strategy and the growth of our business. In particular, the following considerations, among others, may offset our competitive strengths or have a negative effect on our business strategy, which could cause a decline in the price of shares of our Class A common stock or warrants and result in a loss of all or a portion of your investment:
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 on relationships with ticket buyers, sellers and distribution partners and any change in such occurrence or relationships could adversely affect our business. |
| Changes in internet search engine algorithms or changes in marketplace rules could have a negative impact on traffic for our sites and ultimately, our business and results of operations. |
| We face intense competition in the ticketing industry. |
| If we do not continue to maintain and improve our platform or develop successful new solutions and enhancements or improve existing ones, our business will suffer. |
| We may be adversely affected by the occurrence of extraordinary events or the effects of inflation. |
| We may be unsuccessful in potential future acquisitions. |
| Due to our businesss seasonality, our financial performance in particular financial periods may not be indicative of, or comparable to, our financial performance in subsequent financial periods. |
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 applications of privacy regulations. |
| Unfavorable legislative outcomes, or outcomes in legal proceedings in which we may be involved, may adversely affect our business and operating results. |
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Risks related to information technology, cybersecurity and intellectual property
| System interruption and the lack of integration and redundancy in our systems and infrastructure may have an adverse impact on 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. |
| Our payments system depends on third-party providers. |
Risks related to our indebtedness
| The agreements governing our indebtedness impose restrictions on us that limit the discretion of management in operating our business. |
| We depend on the cash flows of our subsidiaries in order to satisfy our obligations, and we may face liquidity constraints if we are unable to generate sufficient cash flows and we may be unable to raise the additional capital necessary or desirable. |
Risks related to our organizational structure
| Our Private Equity Owner controls us, and its interest may conflict with ours in the future. |
| We are a controlled company within the meaning of Nasdaq listing standards. |
| The Tax Receivable Agreement requires us to make cash payments to Hoya Topco. |
| Our only material asset is our direct and indirect interests in Hoya Intermediate. |
Risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic
| The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and may continue to have, a material negative impact on our business and operating results. |
Risks related to being a public company
| We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. |
| We are an emerging growth company. |
| Warrants will become exercisable for our Class A common stock, which may increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the market and result in dilution to our stockholders. |
Corporate Information
Vivid Seats Inc. was incorporated on March 29, 2021 under the laws of the state of Delaware as a wholly owned subsidiary of Hoya Intermediate for the purpose of consummating the Business Combination and merging with Horizon, a blank check company incorporated on June 12, 2020 as a Cayman Islands exempted company, with Vivid Seats Inc. continuing as the surviving entity. Following the Business Combination, Vivid Seats Pubco owns 39.4% of the Intermediate Common Units of Hoya Intermediate.
Our principal executive offices are located at 24 E. Washington St., Suite 900, Chicago, Illinois 60602, and our telephone number is (312) 291-9966. Our website address is www.vividseats.com. Information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus, and the inclusion of our website address in this prospectus is an inactive textual reference only.
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Emerging Growth Company
We are an emerging growth company, as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the JOBS Act), and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOXA), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of 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 Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act)) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act 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 certain other public companies difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the closing of the Business Combination, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common equity that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
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An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below before making an investment decision. Our business, prospects, financial condition, or operating results could be harmed by any of these risks, as well as other risks not currently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial. The trading price of our securities could decline due to any of these risks, and, as a result, you may lose all or part of your investment.
In the course of conducting our business operations, we are exposed to a variety of risks. Any of the risk factors we describe below have affected or could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The market price of shares of our Class A common stock could decline, possibly significantly or permanently, if one or more of these risks and uncertainties occurs. Certain statements in Risk Factors are forward-looking statements. See Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.
Risks Relating to Our Business and the Live Events and Ticketing Industries
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 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 cancelled seasons will adversely impact our business due to fewer events and increased event cancellations 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 could result in reductions in ticket sales and could have an adverse effect on our ability to generate revenue. We have limited operating history during economic slowdowns as our marketplace developed subsequent to the last significant financial crisis (starting in 2008 and 2009). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic starting in 2020 and related economic slowdown impacted our business through event cancellations and restrictions but may not be representative of an economic slowdown or recession not induced by a pandemic. Despite slowing economic activity in 2022, demand for live events remained strong. However, there can be no assurance that consumer and corporate spending will not subsequently be adversely impacted by any future deterioration in economic conditions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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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 artists, entertainers and teams 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 ticket 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, sellers, and distribution partners. 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 users 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 Apples App Store and Googles 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 choose 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 ticket buyers, sellers, and distribution partners on a
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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 orders, ticket prices, fees and/or profit margins that could adversely affect our financial performance include:
| competitors offerings that may include more favorable terms or pricing; |
| competitors increase in marketing spending; |
| technological changes and innovations that we are unable to adopt or are late in adopting that offer more attractive alternatives; |
| other entertainment options or ticket inventory selection and variety that we do not offer; |
| increased pricing in the primary ticket marketplace, which could result in reduced profits for secondary ticket sellers; |
| primary ticket marketplaces trying to restrict ticket sales by secondary marketplaces; and |
| increased search engine marketing costs as competitors increase bid prices. |
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.
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 ticket buyers, sellers, 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 ticket buyers, sellers, 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, ticket buyers, sellers, 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 ticket buyers, sellers and distribution partners is critical in retaining our relationships with our existing ticket buyers, sellers and distribution partners and to our ability to attract new ticket 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
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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 ticket buyers, sellers or distribution partners or fail to attract potential new ticket 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.
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 and 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, military actions and wars, periodic elevated terrorism alerts and fears related to contagious disease epidemics and pandemics have, among other things, resulted in public concerns regarding air travel and regional or nationwide disruptions of commercial and leisure activities. The occurrence of any such 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 as a result decide to cancel concert, sporting and theater events, including due to security concerns or security-related disruptions, social distancing requirements, such as those imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, or severe weather events or natural disasters. Attendance at events may decline or events may be cancelled due to these extraordinary 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.
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 strategy involves, and our future growth rate may depend in part on our selective acquisition of additional businesses. For example, we acquired Fanxchange Limited in 2019 and Betcha in 2021. However, we may be unable to identify other suitable targets for acquisition or make acquisitions at favorable prices. Even 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 Term Loan Facility (as defined in the section titled Managements Discussion and
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Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations) restricts our ability to make certain acquisitions. In connection with future acquisitions, we could take certain actions that could adversely affect our business, including:
| using a significant portion of our available cash; |
| issuing equity securities, which would dilute current stockholders percentage ownership; |
| incurring substantial debt; |
| incurring or assuming contingent liabilities, known or unknown; and |
| incurring large accounting write-offs, impairments or amortization expenses. |
In addition, acquisitions involve inherent risks which, if realized, could adversely affect our business and results of operations, including those associated with:
| integrating the operations, financial reporting, technologies and personnel of acquired companies; |
| scaling of operations, system and infrastructure and achieving synergies to meet the needs of the combined or acquired company; |
| managing geographically dispersed operations; |
| the diversion of managements attention from other business concerns; |
| the inherent risks in entering markets or lines of business in which we have either limited or no direct experience; |
| the potential loss of key employees, customers and strategic partners of acquired companies; and |
| the impact of laws and regulations at the state, federal and international levels when entering new markets or business, which could significantly affect our ability to complete acquisitions and expand our business. |
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 performances, 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 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 lower financial performance in the first, second and third quarters of the calendar year due to the timing of large-scale events and concert onsales 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 events during the holiday season and concert on-sales for the following year. 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
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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 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 made extraordinary efforts to attract and secure top talent, which resulted in our workforce reaching approximately 85% of our pre-COVID number. In 2022, we surpassed our pre-COVID headcount by approximately 10%. However, the market for talent continues to be competitive. 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 accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (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 December 31, 2021, we had goodwill of approximately $718.2 million, which constituted approximately 51% of our total assets at that date. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we had goodwill of approximately $715.3 million and $715.3 million, respectively, which constituted approximately 58% and 62%, respectively, of our total assets at those dates. 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.
We may be adversely affected by the effects of inflation.
Inflation has the potential to adversely affect our liquidity, business, financial condition and results of operations by increasing our overall cost structure, particularly if we are unable to achieve commensurate increases in the revenues we earn from our customers. The existence of inflation in the economy has resulted in, and may continue to result in, higher interest rates and capital costs, increased costs of labor, weakening exchange rates and other similar effects. As a result of inflation, we have experienced and may continue to
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experience cost increases. Although we may take measures to mitigate the impact of inflation, these measures may not be effective and our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity could be materially adversely affected. Even if such measures are effective, there could be a difference in timing between the impact of inflation and effects of the mitigating actions we take.
Risks Relating 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 share 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 (the VCDPA), and in July 2021, Colorado enacted the Colorado Privacy Act. In addition, Connecticut has passed the Personal Data Privacy and Online Monitoring Act, which is effective on July 1, 2023 and Utah has passed the Utah Consumer Privacy Act, which is effective on December 31, 2023. These are all comprehensive privacy statutes that share similarities with the CCPA and CPRA. 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 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 (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
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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 the 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 obligations upon companies subject to it. The proposed new privacy and security bill was introduced on June 18, 2022 and is subject to further debate and amendment. 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
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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.
Unfavorable legislative outcomes may adversely affect our industry, our business and our operating results.
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 bans on 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 the District of Columbia and 24 states that either do not require a license or where we have obtained the required license. 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 ticket 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 Relating 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 a major 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 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 12 pending patent applications in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, 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, dilution or other violations of our intellectual property rights, particularly in foreign countries where the laws may not
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protect our 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 managements 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 methods, as our ticket buyers primarily use credit or debit 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 or suffer any failures, our payments systems and our business could be adversely affected. If this provider does not perform adequately or determines certain types of transactions are prohibited, if this providers 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 or be suspended unexpectedly, ticket 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 ticket 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 ticket 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.
Under current credit, debit and payment card practices and network rules, we are liable for fraudulent activity on the majority of our credit and debit card transactions. We are also exposed to financial crime risk, and
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do not currently carry insurance against this risk. Additionally, while we deploy sophisticated technology to detect fraudulent purchase activity, we may incur losses if we fail to prevent the use of fraudulent payment information on transactions in the future. Fraud 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 payments on our platform or if we otherwise experience increased levels of disputed credit card payments or transactions, our results of operations and financial positions could be materially adversely affected. In addition, our failure to adequately mitigate this risk could damage our reputation and brand and substantially harm our business, results of operations, financial condition, prospects and our ability to accept payments.
Payment card networks and our payment processing partner could increase the fees or interchange they charge us for their services or to accept or process transactions, 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.
Finally, applicable laws and regulations that govern payment methods and processing are complex and subject to change; and we may be required to expend considerable time and effort to determine if such laws and regulations apply to our business. There can be no assurance that we will be able to meet all compliance obligations, including obtaining any required licenses in the jurisdictions we service, and, even if we were able to do so, there could be substantial costs and potential product changes involved in complying with such laws, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business. Any noncompliance by us in relation to existing or new laws and regulations, or any alleged noncompliance, could result in reputational damage, litigation, increased costs or liabilities, damages, or require us to stop offering payment services in certain markets. Failure to predict how a law or regulation from any jurisdiction in which we operate with respect to money transmission, prepaid access or similar requirements will be applied to us could result in licensure or registration requirements, administrative enforcement actions, and/or could materially interfere with our ability to offer certain payment methods or to conduct our business in particular jurisdictions. We cannot predict what actions the United States or other governments may take, or what restrictions these governments may impose, that will affect our ability to process payments or to conduct our business in particular jurisdictions. Further, we may become subject to changing payment regulations and requirements that could potentially affect the compliance of our current payment processes and increase the operational costs we incur to support payments. The factors identified here could impose substantial additional costs, involve considerable delay to the development or provision of our solutions, require significant and costly operational changes, or prevent us from providing our solutions in any given market.
Risks Relating 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 Term Loan Facility includes restrictive covenants that, among other things, restrict our ability to:
| incur additional debt; |
| pay dividends and make distributions; |
| make certain investments; |
| prepay certain indebtedness; |
| create liens; |
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| enter into transactions with affiliates; |
| modify the nature of our business; |
| transfer and sell assets, including material intellectual property; |
| amend or modify the terms of any junior financing arrangements; |
| amend our organizational documents; and |
| merge or consolidate. |
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, 2023 and December 31, 2022, our total indebtedness, excluding unamortized debt discounts and debt issuance costs, was $272.3 million and $272.9 million, respectively.
A substantial portion of our debt is variable-rate debt. We incur higher interest costs if interest rates increase. Interest rates were at historic lows during 2020 and 2021 when the United States Federal Reserve took several steps to protect the economy from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States Federal Reserve raised interest rates by more than 400 basis points in 2022, 25 basis points already in 2023, and may continue to increase interest rates further during the remainder of 2023. Any such increase in interest costs could have a material adverse impact on the levels of cash we maintain for working capital.
Our current level of indebtedness and any future increases in our indebtedness could have adverse consequences, including:
| making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations; |
| increasing our vulnerability to adverse economic, regulatory and industry conditions; |
| limiting our ability to obtain additional financing for future working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other purposes; |
| requiring us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to fund payments on our debt, thereby reducing funds available for operations and other purposes; |
| limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate; |
| making us more vulnerable to increases in interest rates; and |
| placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt. |
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 Term Loan 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 Term Loan 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.
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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, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we had cash and cash equivalents of $303.3 million and $251.5 million, respectively, which is available to us to fund our operating, investing and financing activities. 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.
In the future, 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:
| general economic and capital market conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation; |
| the availability of credit from banks or other lenders; |
| investor confidence in us; and |
| our results of operations. |
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:
| further develop and enhance our platform and solutions; |
| continue to invest in our technology and marketing efforts; |
| hire, train and retain employees; |
| respond to competitive pressures or unanticipated working capital requirements; or |
| pursue acquisition opportunities. |
Our inability to do any of the foregoing could reduce our ability to compete successfully and could have an adverse effect on our business.
Risks Related to 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 of 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 (the Board), 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 still be able to significantly influence the composition of our Board 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
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of our common stock, our Private Equity Owner will be able to cause or prevent a change of control or a change in the composition of our Board 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 (i) five (5) 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 (1) will qualify as an independent director under applicable stock exchange regulations, (ii) four (4) 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 (3) 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 (2) 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 five percent (5%) of the aggregate number of shares of our common stock held, directly or indirectly, by our Private Equity Owner, one (1) director. Pursuant to the foregoing provisions of the Stockholders Agreement, our Private Equity Owner will be able to designate the majority of the directors of our Board 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 Amended and Restated 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.
We are a controlled company within the meaning of 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 requirements that (i) a majority of our Board 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 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
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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.
We are party to a Tax Receivable Agreement with Hoya Topco, Hoya Intermediate, the TRA Holder Representative and the other TRA Holders, dated October 18, 2021. Pursuant to the 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:
| existing tax basis in certain assets of Hoya Intermediate and certain of its subsidiaries, including assets that will be subject to depreciation or amortization, once placed in service; |
| tax basis adjustments resulting from taxable exchanges of Intermediate Common Units for Class A common stock acquired by us from a TRA Holder pursuant to the terms of the Second Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Hoya Intermediate (the Second A&R LLCA); |
| certain tax attributes of Blocker Corporations holding Intermediate Common Units that are acquired by us pursuant to a Reorganization Transaction; |
| certain tax benefits realized by us as a result of the Merger; and |
| tax deductions in respect of portions of certain payments made under the Tax Receivable Agreement. |
Payments under the 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 Representatives 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 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
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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 our 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 quarterly distributions to its members, including us, in an amount at least sufficient to allow us to pay all applicable taxes, to make payments under our 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 may make cash or tax distributions to the members, including us, as set forth in its LLC Agreement calculated using an assumed tax rate, to provide liquidity to members to pay taxes on such members allocable share of the taxable income. Under applicable tax rules, Hoya Intermediate may be required to allocate net taxable income disproportionately to its members in certain circumstances. Because tax distributions are made pro rata on a per-common unit basis to all members and such tax distributions are determined based on the member with the highest assumed tax liability per common unit, 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 Intermediates distribution obligations, we may receive distributions significantly in excess of our actual tax liabilities and our obligations to make payments under our TRA. 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 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 our LLC Agreement as a result of any retention of cash by us.
Risks Relating 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. Beginning in the second quarter of 2021, and continuing through the fourth quarter of 2022, we have seen a recovery in ticket orders as mitigation measures ease. However, given the emergence of new variants and continued infectious cases, uncertainty remains.
The global spread and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been complex, unpredictable, and evolving. It resulted in significant disruption and additional risks to our business, the entertainment industry, and the global
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economy particularly in 2020 and 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic led governments and other authorities around the world to impose measures intended to control its spread, including travel bans, border closings and restrictions, business closures, quarantines 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 lifted restrictions on gatherings of people at different times and may continue to have different rules in place in the future. While events are now, by and large, held at pre-pandemic scope and scale, it is difficult to predict whether restrictions could be put into place again in the future if a worsening variant emerges.
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. During the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer concert, sporting and theater events as well as lower fan attendance had a negative impact on our revenue. Since the COVID-19 pandemic remains a public health concern as of March 31, 2023, it is possible these circumstances could re-emerge and once again threaten the live events industry and have a negative impact on our revenue.
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, may also precipitate or aggravate other risk factors, which have had, and may continue to have, a 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 impact of any lingering economic downturn or recession including, without limitation, any reduction in discretionary spending or confidence for both buyers and sellers, that would result in a decline in ticket sales and attendance; |
| a reduction in the profitability of our operations due to governmental restrictions or safety precautions and protocols voluntarily undertaken, such as venues running under capacity due to spacing and social distancing limitations, which could limit the number of tickets sold; |
| increase in performer cancellations because of illness; |
| loss of ticketing sales due to the economic impact whereby certain venue operators are no longer in operation, reducing the number of events our marketplace can serve; |
| the inability to pursue expansion opportunities or acquisitions due to capital constraints; |
| increase in the prevalence of electronic tickets which could be rendered nontransferable; |
| the future availability or increased cost of insurance coverage; and |
| the incurrence of additional expenses related to compliance, precautions and management. |
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 restrictions being put into place again. The longer the duration of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the greater the ancillary and lingering effects, and related negative impact on us and our results of operations.
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
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common stock and warrants in spite of our operating performance. We cannot assure you that the market price of our Class A common stock and warrants will not fluctuate widely or decline significantly in the future in response to a number of factors, including, among others, the following:
| the realization of any of the risk factors presented in this prospectus; |
| difficult global market and economic conditions; |
| loss of investor confidence in the global financial markets and investing in general; |
| adverse market reaction to indebtedness we may incur, securities we may grant under our 2021 Plan or otherwise, or any other securities we may issue in the future, including shares of our Class A common stock; |
| adverse market reaction to changes in our ownership or capital structure including a secondary offering for our Class A common stock; |
| unanticipated variations in our quarterly and annual operating results or dividends; |
| failure to meet securities analysts earnings estimates; |
| publication of negative or inaccurate research reports about us or the live events or ticketing industry or the failure of securities analysts to provide adequate coverage of our Class A common stock in the future; |
| changes in market valuations of similar companies; |
| speculation in the press or investment community about our business; |
| the trading activity of our largest stockholders; |
| the number of shares of our common stock that are available for public trading; |
| short sales, hedging and other derivative transactions involving our capital stock; |
| additional or unexpected changes or proposed changes in laws or regulations or differing interpretations thereof affecting our business or enforcement of these laws and regulations, or announcements relating to these matters; and |
| increases in compliance or enforcement inquiries and investigations by regulatory authorities. |
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 could result in substantial legal fees, settlement or judgment costs and a diversion of managements attention and resources that are needed to successfully run our business, which could seriously harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We continue to have 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.
Subject to applicable reporting requirement exemptions we take advantage of as an emerging growth company, we are required to comply with the SEC rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of SOXA, 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.
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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, 2020, we identified deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting, which in the aggregate, constituted a material weakness. We made the same determination in connection with the audits of our financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2021 and 2022. We determined in all three years 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.
As part of our plan to address this material weakness, we are performing a full review of our internal control procedures. We have implemented, and plan to continue to implement, new controls and processes. We have hired, and plan to continue 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 managements 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.
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 SOXA. The Exchange Act requires the filing of annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to a public companys business and financial condition. SOXA 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
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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, our board 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:
| not being required to have our independent registered public accounting firm audit our internal control over financial reporting under Section 404 of SOXA; |
| reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements; and |
| exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation or golden parachute payments not previously approved. |
Our status as an emerging growth company will end as soon as any of the following occurs:
| the last day of the fiscal year in which we have more than $1.235 billion in annual revenue; |
| the date we qualify as a large accelerated filer, with at least $700 million of equity securities held by non-affiliates; |
| the date on which we have issued, in any three-year period, more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities; or |
| December 31, 2026 |
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 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.
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An active trading market for our Class A common stock may not be maintained and an active trading market for our warrants may not develop.
Although our Class A common stock is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol SEAT, an active trading market for our Class A common stock may not be maintained. A public trading market having the desirable characteristics of depth, liquidity and orderliness depends upon the existence of willing buyers and sellers at any given time, such existence being dependent upon the individual decisions of buyers and sellers. Additionally, we can provide no assurance that an active trading market for our Class A common stock and 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 are exercisable for our Class A common stock and Intermediate Common Units, which will 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:
| private warrants to purchase 6,519,791 shares at an exercise price of $11.50 per share; |
| warrants to purchase 17,000,000 shares at an exercise price of $10.00 per share; |
| warrants to purchase 17,000,000 shares at an exercise price of $15.00 per share; and |
| public warrants to purchase 6,766,853 shares at an exercise price of $11.50 per share. |
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.
The following Hoya Intermediate Warrants are outstanding and exercisable and are held by Hoya Topco:
| warrants to purchase 3,000,000 shares at an exercise price of $10.00 per share; and |
| warrants to purchase 3,000,000 shares at an exercise price of $15.00 per share. |
Upon exercise of a Hoya Intermediate Warrant, one share of our Class B common stock will also be issued. Holders of Intermediate 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 will be influenced to some extent by the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us and our business. We will not control these analysts, and the
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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 current or future 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.
We may amend the terms of the Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your Vivid Seats Public IPO 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 Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrant could be decreased, all without a Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrant holders approval.
Our Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants are issued in registered form under the Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent. The Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement provides that the terms of the Vivid Seats Public IPO 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 Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants with the consent of at least 65% of the then outstanding Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants, convert the Vivid Seats Public IPO 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 Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrant.
Registration of the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants under the Securities Act may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise Vivid Seats Public IPO 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 Vivid Seats Public IPO 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 Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants, until the expiration of the Vivid Seats Public IPO 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 Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we are required to permit holders to exercise their Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants on a cashless basis. However, no Vivid Seats Public IPO 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 Vivid Seats Public IPO 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 Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to holders of such warrants, thereby making their Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock 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 on which we give proper notice of such redemption and provided certain other conditions are met. If and when the Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares of our Class A common stock upon exercise of the Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify such shares of Class A common stock under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants were offered by us in Horizons initial public offering. Redemption of the outstanding Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants could force you to: (i) exercise your Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) sell your Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants.
None of the Vivid Seats Private Placement IPO Warrants issued to Sponsor in a private placement that occurred concurrently with Horizons initial public offering will be redeemable by us.
Provisions in our organizational documents and certain rules imposed by regulatory authorities may delay or prevent our acquisition by a third-party.
Our Amended and Restated Charter and our Amended and Restated 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. 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:
| the sole ability of directors to fill a vacancy on the Board; |
| advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and director nominations; |
| after we no longer qualify as a controlled company under applicable Nasdaq listing rules, provisions limiting stockholders ability to (i) call special meetings of stockholders, (ii) require extraordinary general meetings of stockholders and (iii) take action by written consent; |
| the ability of the Board to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock without stockholder approval, which could be used, among other things, to institute a rights plan that would have the effect of significantly diluting the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer, likely preventing acquisitions that have not been approved by our governing body; |
| the division of the Board into three classes, with each class serving staggered three-year terms; and |
| the lack of cumulative voting for the election of directors. |
These provisions of the Amended and Restated Charter and Amended and Restated 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.
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The provisions of our Amended and Restated 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 our directors and officers.
Our Amended and Restated 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 DGCL, our Amended and Restated Charter or our Amended and Restated 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, will 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 Amended and Restated Charter will further provide 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 Amended and Restated 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 Amended and Restated Charter to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action.
All of the shares of Class A common stock and warrants offered by the Registered Holders pursuant to this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement will be sold by the Registered Holders for their respective accounts. We will not receive any of the proceeds from these sales.
The Registered Holders will pay any underwriting fees, discounts, selling commissions, stock transfer taxes and certain legal expenses incurred by such Registered Holders in disposing of their shares of Class A common stock and warrants, and we will bear all other costs, fees and expenses incurred in effecting the registration of such securities covered by this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, including, without limitation, all registration and filing fees, Nasdaq listing fees and fees and expenses of our counsel and our independent registered public accountants.
We will receive any proceeds from the exercise of the warrants for cash, but not from the sale of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon such exercise. We expect to use the net proceeds from the exercise of the warrants, if any, for general corporate purposes.
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MARKET PRICE OF OUR CLASS A COMMON STOCK AND DIVIDENDS
Our Class A common stock and our Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants are listed on Nasdaq under the symbols SEAT and SEATW, respectively.
As of March 31, 2023, there were 77,610,779 shares of our Class A common stock outstanding, net of treasury shares, held of record by 79 holders and 6,766,853 of our Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants, held of record by 1 record holder. The number of record holders of our Class A common stock and our Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants does not include The Depository Trust Company participants or beneficial owners holding shares through nominee names.
On May 11, 2023, the closing sale price of shares of our Class A common stock was $9.60. On May 11, 2023, the closing sale price of our Vivid Seats Public IPO Warrants was $2.78.
There is no established public trading market for our Class B common stock. As of March 31, 2023, our Class B common stock was held by one shareholder and there were 118,200,000 shares of Class B common stock outstanding.
Vivid Seats Pubco was incorporated on March 29, 2021 for the purpose of consummating the Business Combination. On November 2, 2021, Vivid Seats Pubco paid a special dividend of $0.23 per share of Class A common stock.
Vivid Seats Pubco is a holding company with no material assets other than its direct and indirect ownership of equity interests in Hoya Intermediate. As such, we do not have any independent means of generating revenue. However, our management expects 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.
Although we may pay cash dividends in the future, the payment of cash dividends on shares of our Class A common stock will be within the discretion of our Board at such time, and will depend on numerous factors, including:
| general economic and business conditions; |
| our strategic plans and prospects; |
| our business and investment opportunities; |
| our financial condition and operating results, including our cash position, net income and realizations on investments made by its investment funds; |
| working capital requirements and anticipated cash needs; |
| contractual restrictions and obligations, including payment obligations pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement and restrictions pursuant to any credit facility; and |
| legal, tax and regulatory restrictions. |
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MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
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 consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Agreement, dated as of April 21, 2021, by and among the Company, Horizon Acquisition Corporation, the Companys predecessor (Horizon), Horizon Sponsor, LLC, Hoya Topco, LLC (Hoya Topco) and Hoya Intermediate, LLC (Hoya Intermediate).
Our discussion and analysis is intended to help the reader understand our results of operations and financial condition and is provided as an addition to, and should be read in connection with, our audited consolidated financial statements, our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under the sections titled Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors or in other parts of this prospectus. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any period in the future.
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 lifes most exciting moments. 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. We differentiate from competitors by offering an extensive breadth and depth of ticket listings at a competitive value. During the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020, our revenues were $600.3 million, $443.0 million, and $35.1 million, respectively, and Marketplace Gross Order Value (Marketplace GOV) was $3,184.8 million, $2,399.1 million, and $347.3 million, respectively. Our net income was $70.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Our net loss was $19.1 million and $774.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, our revenues were $161.1 million and our Marketplace GOV was $855.5 million. During the three months ended March 31, 2022, our revenues were $130.8 million and our Marketplace GOV was $742.1 million. Our net income was $30.3 million and $3.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Our Business Model
We operate our business in two segments, Marketplace and Resale.
Marketplace
In our Marketplace segment, we act as an intermediary between ticket buyers and sellers through which we earn revenue from processing ticket sales on our website and mobile applications and sales initiated through our numerous distribution partners. Our Marketplace segment also includes our daily fantasy sports offering, where users partake in contests by making picks from a variety of sport and player matchups. Using our online platform, we facilitate customer payments, deposits and withdrawals, coordinate ticket deliveries, and provide customer service to our ticket buyers and sellers and daily fantasy sports users. We do not hold ticket inventory in our Marketplace segment.
We primarily earn revenue from service and delivery fees charged to ticket buyers. We also earn referral fee revenue by offering event ticket insurance to ticket buyers, using a third-party insurance provider. The revenue
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we earn from our daily fantasy sports offering is the difference between cash entry fees collected and cash amounts paid out to users for winning picks, less customer promotions and incentives in a period.
We incur costs for developing and maintaining our platform, providing back-office and customer support to ticket buyers, sellers and daily fantasy sports users, facilitating payments and deposits, and shipping non-electronic tickets. We also incur substantial marketing costs, primarily related to online advertising.
A key component of our platform is Skybox, a proprietary enterprise resource planning (ERP) tool used by the majority 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. Professional ticket sellers use an ERP to manage their operations and Skybox is their most widely adopted ERP.
Resale
In our Resale segment, we acquire tickets to resell on secondary ticketing marketplaces, including our own. Our Resale segment also provides internal research and development support for Skybox and our ongoing efforts to deliver industry-leading seller software and tools.
Key Business Metrics and Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We use the following metrics to evaluate our performance, identify trends, formulate financial projections, and make strategic decisions. We believe that these metrics provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our results of operations in the same manner as our management team.
The following table summarizes our key business metrics and non-GAAP financial measure (in thousands) for the periods indicated:
Three Months Ended March 31, |
||||||||
2023 | 2022 | |||||||
Marketplace GOV(1) |
$ | 855,528 | $ | 742,138 | ||||
Total Marketplace orders(2) |
2,275 | 2,019 | ||||||
Total Resale orders(3) |
87 | 68 | ||||||
Adjusted EBITDA(4) |
$ | 42,435 | $ | 21,012 | ||||
|
|
|
|
(1) | Marketplace GOV represents the total transactional amount of Marketplace segment orders placed on our platform in a period, inclusive of fees, exclusive of taxes, and net of event cancellations that occurred during that period. Marketplace GOV was negatively impacted by event cancellations in the amount of $12.1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2023, and $34.8 million during the three months ended March 31, 2022. |
(2) | Total Marketplace orders represent the volume of Marketplace segment orders placed on our platform during a period, net of event cancellations that occurred during that period. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, our Marketplace segment experienced 20,480 event cancellations, compared to 91,400 event cancellations during the three months ended March 31, 2022. |
(3) | Total Resale orders represent the volume of Resale segment orders sold by our Resale team in a period, net of event cancellations that occurred during that period. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, our Resale segment experienced 685 event cancellations, compared to 2,559 event cancellations during the three months ended March 31, 2022. |
(4) | Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure defined under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP). 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. Refer to the Adjusted EBITDA section below for a reconciliation to its most directly comparable GAAP measure. |
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The following table summarizes our key business metrics and non-GAAP financial measure (in thousands) for the fiscal years indicated:
2022 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||||
Marketplace GOV(1) |
$ | 3,184,754 | $ | 2,399,092 | $ | 347,259 | ||||||
Total Marketplace orders(2) |
9,183 | 6,637 | 1,066 | |||||||||
Total Resale orders(3) |
313 | 199 | 49 | |||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA(4) |
$ | 113,325 | $ | 109,869 | $ | (80,204 | ) |
(1) | Marketplace GOV represents the total transactional amount of Marketplace segment orders placed on our platform in a period, inclusive of fees, exclusive of taxes, and net of event cancellations that occurred during that period. During the year ended December 31, 2022, Marketplace GOV was negatively impacted by event cancellations in the amount of $80.3 million, compared to $108.0 million and $216.0 million during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. |
(2) | Total Marketplace orders represents the volume of Marketplace segment orders placed on our platform during a period, net of event cancellations that occurred during that period. During the year ended December 31, 2022, our Marketplace segment experienced 199,595 event cancellations, compared to 257,109 and 549,085 event cancellations during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. |
(3) | Total Resale orders represents the volume of Resale segment orders in a period, net of event cancellations that occurred during that period. During the year ended December 31, 2022, our Resale segment experienced 5,205 event cancellations, compared to 6,165 and 20,644 event cancellations during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. |
(4) | Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure defined under GAAP. 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. Refer to the Adjusted EBITDA section below for a reconciliation to its most directly comparable GAAP measure. |
Marketplace GOV
Marketplace GOV is a key driver of our Marketplace segment revenue. Marketplace GOV represents the total transactional amount of Marketplace orders in a period, inclusive of fees, exclusive of taxes, and net of event cancellations that occurred during that period. Marketplace GOV reflects our ability to attract and retain customers, as well as the overall health of the industry.
Our Marketplace GOV 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 during the holiday season and concert on-sales for the subsequent year. 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 year ended December 31, 2022 as a result of a higher number of orders processed, driven by the resumption and increasing number of live events and fewer event cancellations.
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 year ended December 31, 2022 as a result of a higher number of orders processed, driven by the resumption and increasing number of live events and fewer event cancellations.
34
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 and/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 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. It also provides a useful measure for period-to-period comparisons of our business performance and highlights trends in our operating results.
The following is a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to its most directly comparable GAAP measure, net income (in thousands) for the periods indicated:
Three Months Ended March 31, |
||||||||
2023 | 2022 | |||||||
Net income |
$ | 30,272 | $ | 3,138 | ||||
Income tax expense |
285 | 76 | ||||||
Interest expensenet |
3,280 | 3,942 | ||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
2,598 | 1,385 | ||||||
Sales tax liability(1) |
| 922 | ||||||
Transaction costs(2) |
456 | 1,402 | ||||||
Equity-based compensation(3) |
5,530 | 3,597 | ||||||
Loss on extinguishment of debt(4) |
| 4,285 | ||||||
Litigation, settlements and related costs(5) |
300 | (14 | ) | |||||
Change in fair value of warrants(6) |
(327 | ) | 2,279 | |||||
Change in fair value of contingent consideration(7) |
34 | | ||||||
Loss on asset disposals(8) |
7 | | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Adjusted EBITDA |
$ | 42,435 | $ | 21,012 | ||||
|
|
|
|
(1) | We have historically incurred sales tax expense in jurisdictions where we expected to remit sales tax payments but were not yet collecting from customers. During the second half of 2021, we began collecting sales tax from customers in the required jurisdictions. The sales tax liability presented herein represents the tax liability for sales tax prior to the date we began collecting sales tax from customers reduced by abatements received, inclusive of any penalties and interest assessed by the jurisdictions. The remaining historic sales tax liability payments were made during the year ended December 31, 2022. |
(2) | Transaction costs consist of legal; accounting; tax and other professional fees; personnel-related costs, which consist of retention bonuses; and integration costs. Transaction costs recognized in 2023 were primarily related to legal expenses and retention bonuses related to Betcha Sports, Inc. (rebranded as Vivid Picks). Transaction costs recognized in 2022 were related to the merger transaction with Horizon (the Merger Transaction), the acquisition of Betcha and the refinancing of the remaining June 2017 First Lien Loan (as defined herein) with a new $275.0 million term loan (the February 2022 First Lien Loan). |
35
(3) | We incur equity-based compensation expenses for profits interests issued prior to the Merger Transaction and equity granted according to the 2021 Incentive Award Plan (2021 Plan), which we do not consider to be indicative of our core operating performance. The 2021 Plan was approved and adopted in order to facilitate the grant of equity incentive awards to our employees and directors. The 2021 Plan became effective on October 18, 2021. |
(4) | Losses incurred resulted from the extinguishment of the June 2017 First Lien Loan in February 2022. |
(5) | These amounts relate to external legal costs, settlement costs and insurance recoveries, which were unrelated to our core business operations. |
(6) | This relates to the revaluation of warrants to purchase common units of Hoya Intermediate (Intermediate Units) held by Hoya Topco following the Merger Transaction. |
(7) | This relates to the revaluation of Vivid Picks cash earnouts. |
(8) | This relates to asset disposals, which are not considered indicative of our core operating performance. |
The following is a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to its most directly comparable GAAP measure, net income (loss) (in thousands) for the fiscal years indicated:
2022 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | 70,779 | $ | (19,129 | ) | $ | (774,185 | ) | ||||
Income tax expense (benefit) |
(1,590 | ) | 304 | | ||||||||
Interest expensenet |
12,858 | 58,179 | 57,482 | |||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
7,732 | 2,322 | 48,247 | |||||||||
Sales tax liability(1) |
2,814 | 8,956 | 6,772 | |||||||||
Transaction costs(2) |
4,840 | 12,852 | 359 | |||||||||
Equity-based compensation(3) |
19,053 | 6,047 | 4,287 | |||||||||
Loss on extinguishment of debt(4) |
4,285 | 35,828 | 685 | |||||||||
Litigation, settlements and related costs(5) |
2,477 | 2,835 | 1,347 | |||||||||
Severance related to COVID-19(6) |
| 286 | 795 | |||||||||
Change in fair value of warrants(7) |
(8,227 | ) | 1,389 | | ||||||||
Change in fair value of contingent consideration(8) |
(2,065 | ) | | | ||||||||
Loss on asset disposals(9) |
369 | | 169 | |||||||||
Impairment charges(10) |
| | 573,838 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Adjusted EBITDA |
$ | 113,325 | $ | 109,869 | $ | (80,204 | ) | |||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) | We have historically incurred sales tax expense in jurisdictions where we expected to remit sales tax payments but were not yet collecting from customers. During the second half of 2021, we began collecting sales tax from customers in the required jurisdictions. The sales tax liability presented herein represents the tax liability for sales tax prior to the date we began collecting sales tax from customers reduced by abatements received, inclusive of any penalties and interest assessed by the jurisdictions. The aforementioned liability was fully paid in 2022. |
(2) | Transaction costs consist of legal; accounting; tax and other professional fees; personnel-related costs, which consist of retention bonuses; and integration costs. Transaction costs recognized in 2022 were related to the Merger Transaction, the acquisition of Betcha, refinancing of the remaining June 2017 First Lien Loan with the February 2022 First Lien Loan and our offering to the holders of our outstanding public warrants to receive shares of Class A common stock of the Company in exchange for each outstanding public warrant tendered by the holder. Transaction costs recognized in 2021 were related to the Merger Transaction, to the extent they were not eligible for capitalization, and the acquisition of Vivid Picks. Transaction costs recognized in 2020 were related to the acquisition of Fanxchange Ltd. in 2019. |
(3) | We incur equity-based compensation expenses for profits interests issued prior to the Merger Transaction and equity granted according to the 2021 Incentive Award Plan (2021 Plan), which we do not consider to be indicative of our core operating performance. The 2021 Plan was approved and adopted in order to facilitate the grant of equity incentive awards to our employees and directors. The 2021 Plan became effective on October 18, 2021. |
36
(4) | Loss on extinguishment of debt incurred in 2022 resulted from the extinguishment of the June 2017 First Lien Loan in February 2022. Loss on extinguishment of debt incurred in 2021 and 2020 resulted from the retirement of the May 2020 First Lien Loan (as defined herein), fees paid related to the early payment of a portion of the principal of the June 2017 First Lien Loan in October 2021, and the retirement of the revolving credit facility in May 2020. |
(5) | These expenses relate to external legal costs and settlement costs, which were unrelated to our core business operations. |
(6) | These charges relate to severance costs resulting from significant reductions in employee headcount due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. |
(7) | This relates to the revaluation of warrants to purchase common units of Intermediate Units held by Hoya Topco following the Merger Transaction. |
(8) | This relates to the revaluation of Vivid Picks cash earnouts. |
(9) | This relates to asset disposals, which are not considered indicative of our core operating performance. |
(10) | We incurred impairment charges triggered by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic during the year ended December 31, 2020. The impairment charges resulted in a reduction in the carrying values of our goodwill, indefinite-lived trademark, definite-lived intangible assets, and other long-lived assets. |
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. The key factors discussed below impacted our 2022 results or are anticipated to impact our 2023 results.
Growth and Retention of Buyers, Sellers and Distribution Partners
Our revenue growth primarily depends on acquiring and retaining customers. We seek to have ticket buyers and sellers view us as the go-to ticketing marketplace when searching for, purchasing and selling event tickets. We differentiate from competitors by offering an extensive breadth and depth of ticket listings at a competitive value, and by providing a reliable and secure experience for ticket buyers. We acquire new ticket buyers through various marketing channels, partnerships, brand advertisement and word-of-mouth. Performance marketing channels are highly competitive, and we must continue to be effective in these acquisition channels. We seek to retain buyers by cultivating brand awareness and affinity for our differentiated offering. We provide an optimal customer experience, additional avenues for engagement and outreach such as through customized emails and Vivid Picks, and most importantly, exceptional value with our Vivid Seats Rewards program. Likewise, we must preserve our longstanding relationships with ticket sellers to maintain extensive ticket listing options at competitive prices. We recognize the importance of seller and other distribution relationships in the ticketing ecosystem and offer products and services designed to support the needs of our sellers and distribution partners.
Macroenvironment and Resulting Consumer Demand for Live Events
Consumer demand for live events could be impacted by economic conditions affecting disposable consumer income, including unemployment levels, fuel prices, interest rates, changes in tax rates and tax laws that impact individuals and rising inflation, that affect disposable consumer income. These economic conditions could affect overall demand for live event tickets, ticket prices and/or price sensitivity, which in turn could have a negative impact on our business and financial results.
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. Forms of competition can include, but are not limited to, increasing performance marketing spend,
37
increasing brand advertisement spend, pricing changes, exclusive partnerships, and new product offerings and enhancements. To combat such competitive dynamics, we continue to refine our marketing strategies to attract and retain customers and innovate to offer our customers an attractive value proposition.
Supply of Concert, Sporting and Theater Events
The number of live concert, sporting, and theater events will have a significant effect on our revenue and operating income. Many of the factors affecting the number of live events are beyond our control.
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. We share the dedication to our mission to Experience It Live. 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 welcoming to diversity in backgrounds, experiences and thoughts as a means toward achieving employee engagement, empowerment, innovation and good decision-making.
Seasonality
Our operational and financial results can be impacted by seasonality, 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 events during the holiday season and concert on-sales for the subsequent year. In addition, our quarterly results and quarterly year-over-year growth rates can be impacted by:
| sports teams performance, the number of playoff games in a series and teams involved; |
| the timing of tours of top grossing acts; |
| tour, game, and other event cancellations due to weather, illness or other factors; and |
| popularity and demand for certain performers and events. |
COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and may continue to have, a significant negative impact on our business, operational and financial results. Beginning in the second quarter of 2021, and continuing throughout the first quarter of 2023, we have seen a recovery in ticket orders as mitigation measures eased. While we have experienced recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, given the emergence of new variants and continued infectious cases, uncertainty remains. If economic conditions caused by the pandemic were to worsen, our financial condition, cash flows, and results of operations may be further materially impacted.
38
Results of Operations
Comparison of the Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 and 2022
The following table sets forth our results of operations (in thousands, except percentages):
Three Months Ended March 31, |
||||||||||||||||
2023 | 2022 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
Revenues |
$ | 161,063 | $ | 130,772 | $ | 30,291 | 23 | % | ||||||||
Costs and expenses: |
||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenues (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below) |
37,760 | 32,164 | 5,596 | 17 | % | |||||||||||
Marketing and selling |
54,772 | 54,228 | 544 | 1 | % | |||||||||||
General and administrative |
32,389 | 29,275 | 3,114 | 11 | % | |||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
2,598 | 1,385 | 1,213 | 88 | % | |||||||||||
Change in fair value of contingent consideration |
34 | | 34 | 100 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Income from operations |
33,510 | 13,720 | 19,790 | 144 | % | |||||||||||
Other (income) expense: |
||||||||||||||||
Interest expensenet |
3,280 | 3,942 | (662 | ) | (17 | )% | ||||||||||
Loss on extinguishment of debt |
| 4,285 | (4,285 | ) | (100 | )% | ||||||||||
Other (income) expense |
(327 | ) | 2,279 | (2,606 | ) | (114 | )% | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Income before income taxes |
30,557 | 3,214 | 27,343 | 851 | % | |||||||||||
Income tax expense |
285 | 76 | 209 | 275 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Net income |
30,272 | 3,138 | 27,134 | 865 | % | |||||||||||
Net income attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interests |
18,090 | 1,879 | 16,211 | 863 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Net income attributable to Class A Common Stockholders |
$ | 12,182 | $ | 1,259 | $ | 10,923 | 868 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenues
The following table presents revenues by segment (in thousands, except percentages):
Three Months Ended March 31, |
||||||||||||||||
2023 | 2022 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
Revenues: |
||||||||||||||||
Marketplace |
$ | 136,581 | $ | 110,516 | $ | 26,065 | 24 | % | ||||||||
Resale |
24,482 | 20,256 | 4,226 | 21 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total revenues |
$ | 161,063 | $ | 130,772 | $ | 30,291 | 23 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total revenues increased $30.3 million, or 23%, during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increase, which occurred in both our Marketplace and Resale segments, resulted from an increase in new orders processed resulting from an increased number of live events sold and fewer event cancellations. The three months ended March 31, 2022 were negatively impacted by the Omicron variant in addition to abnormally high cancellations that were unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic.
39
Marketplace
The following table presents Marketplace revenues by event category (in thousands, except percentages):
Three Months Ended March 31, |
||||||||||||||||
2023 | 2022 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
Revenues: |
||||||||||||||||
Concerts |
$ | 74,879 | $ | 58,673 | $ | 16,206 | 28 | % | ||||||||
Sports |
45,600 | 38,915 | 6,685 | 17 | % | |||||||||||
Theater |
15,390 | 12,615 | 2,775 | 22 | % | |||||||||||
Other |
712 | 313 | 399 | 127 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total Marketplace revenues |
$ | 136,581 | $ | 110,516 | $ | 26,065 | 24 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Marketplace revenues increased $26.1 million, or 24%, during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increase in Marketplace revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2023 resulted from an increase in new orders processed due to an increased number of live events sold, fewer event cancellations and a reduction in Vivid Seats Rewards contra revenue based on updated trends following changes to our loyalty program in Q4 2022.
Total Marketplace orders increased $0.3 million, or 13%, during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022.
Cancellation charges, which are recognized as a reduction to revenues, were $3.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to $16.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. Cancellation charges for the three months ended March 31, 2023 were lower than the three months ended March 31, 2022 due to significantly fewer event cancellations.
Marketplace revenues by business model consisted of the following (in thousands, except percentages):
Three Months Ended March 31, |
||||||||||||||||
2023 | 2022 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
Revenues: |
||||||||||||||||
Owned Properties |
$ | 102,815 | $ | 83,666 | $ | 19,149 | 23 | % | ||||||||
Private Label |
33,766 | 26,850 | 6,916 | 26 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total Marketplace revenues |
$ | 136,581 | $ | 110,516 | $ | 26,065 | 24 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The increase in revenue from Owned Properties during the three months ended March 31, 2023 resulted from an increase in new orders processed across each event category driven by more events sold and fewer event cancellations.
Within the Marketplace segment, we also earn referral fee revenue by offering event ticket insurance to ticket buyers, using a third-party insurance provider. Our referral fee revenue was $7.2 million and $9.5 million during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Referral fees were lower for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 as insurance attachment rate to orders declined.
40
Resale
Resale revenues increased $4.2 million, or 21%, during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increase resulted primarily from higher order volume. Total Resale orders increased less than 0.1 million, or 28%, during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022. Cancellation charges, classified as a reduction of revenue, negatively impacted Resale revenue by $0.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, and $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 due to an increase in the reserve for future cancellations.
Cost of Revenues (exclusive of Depreciation and Amortization)
The following table presents cost of revenues by segment (in thousands, except percentages):
Three Months Ended March 31, |
||||||||||||||||
2023 | 2022 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
Cost of revenues: |
||||||||||||||||
Marketplace |
$ | 20,060 | $ | 16,409 | $ | 3,651 | 22 | % | ||||||||
Resale |
17,700 | 15,755 | 1,945 | 12 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total cost of revenues |
$ | 37,760 | $ | 32,164 | $ | 5,596 | 17 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total cost of revenues increased $5.6 million, or 17%, for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increase to total cost of revenues resulted primarily from higher revenues in both our Marketplace and Resale segments.
Marketplace
Marketplace cost of revenues increased $3.7 million, or 22%, for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increase in cost of revenues is relatively consistent with the increase in total Marketplace revenues, which increased by 24%, for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022.
Resale
Resale cost of revenues increased $1.9 million, or 12%, for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increase in Resale cost of revenues is not consistent with the increase in Resale revenues due to higher margins for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022, resulting from particular inventory positions taken that were in high demand.
Marketing and Selling
The following table presents marketing and selling expenses (in thousands, except percentages):
Three Months Ended March 31, |
||||||||||||||||
2023 | 2022 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
Marketing and selling: |
||||||||||||||||
Online |
$ | 49,108 | $ | 49,850 | $ | (742 | ) | (1 | )% | |||||||
Offline |
5,664 | 4,378 | 1,286 | 29 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total marketing and selling |
$ | 54,772 | $ | 54,228 | $ | 544 | 1 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
41
Marketing and selling expenses, which are entirely attributable to our Marketplace segment, increased $0.5 million, or 1%, during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increase in expenses primarily resulted from greater spending on offline advertising. Our spending on offline advertising increased by $1.3 million, or 29%, during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 due to increased brand awareness marketing efforts. Despite increased revenues, our online advertising spending decreased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022, as we continued to test and pursue incremental efficiencies.
General and Administrative
The following table presents general and administrative expenses (in thousands, except percentages):
Three Months Ended March 31, |
||||||||||||||||
2023 | 2022 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
General and administrative: |
||||||||||||||||
Personnel expenses |
$ | 24,691 | $ | 19,737 | $ | 4,954 | 25 | % | ||||||||
Non-income tax expenses |
456 | 1,239 | (783 | ) | (63 | )% | ||||||||||
Other |
7,242 | 8,299 | (1,057 | ) | (13 | )% | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total general and administrative |
$ | 32,389 | $ | 29,275 | $ | 3,114 | 11 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total general and administrative expenses increased $3.1 million, or 11%, for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 primarily due to higher personnel expenses from higher employee headcount, partially offset by a decrease in other expenses primarily due to lower professional services fees.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization expenses increased $1.2 million, or 88%, during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increase is primarily related to an increase in development activities related to our platform and the intangibles acquired as part of the Vivid Picks acquisition.
Change in Fair Value of Contingent Consideration
Change in fair value of contingent consideration was less than $0.1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2023 due to the fair value remeasurement of cash earnouts.
Other (Income) Expense
Interest expensenet
Interest expense decreased $0.7 million, or 17%, for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022. We reduced our outstanding debt balance and effective interest rate on February 3, 2022 when we refinanced the June 2017 First Lien Loan with the February 2022 First Lien Loan.
Loss on extinguishment of debt
Loss on extinguishment of debt was $4.3 million during the three months ended March 31, 2022 due to the refinancing of the June 2017 First Lien Loan with the February 2022 First Lien Loan. There was no loss on extinguishment of debt for the three months ended March 31, 2023.
42
Other (income) expense
Other (income) expense decreased $2.6 million, or 114%, for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 primarily due to the fair value remeasurement of the warrants issued by Hoya Intermediate to Vivid Seats and Hoya Topco (the Hoya Intermediate Warrants).
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
The following table sets forth our results of operations (in thousands, except percentages):
2022 | 2021 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
Revenues |
$ | 600,274 | $ | 443,038 | $ | 157,236 | 35 | % | ||||||||
Costs and expenses: |
||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenues (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below) |
140,508 | 90,617 | 49,891 | 55 | % | |||||||||||
Marketing and selling |
248,375 | 181,358 | 67,017 | 37 | % | |||||||||||
General and administrative |
127,619 | 92,170 | 35,449 | 38 | % | |||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
7,732 | 2,322 | 5,410 | 233 | % | |||||||||||
Change in fair value of contingent consideration |
(2,065 | ) | | (2,065 | ) | 100 | % | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Income from operations |
78,105 | 76,571 | 1,534 | 2 | % | |||||||||||
Other (income) expense: |
||||||||||||||||
Interest expense net |
12,858 | 58,179 | (45,321 | ) | (78 | )% | ||||||||||
Loss on extinguishment of debt |
4,285 | 35,828 | (31,543 | ) | (88 | )% | ||||||||||
Other (income) expense |
(8,227 | ) | 1,389 | (9,616 | ) | (692 | )% | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Income (loss) before income taxes |
69,189 | (18,825 | ) | 88,014 | 468 | % | ||||||||||
Income tax expense (benefit) |
(1,590 | ) | 304 | (1,894 | ) | (623 | )% | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Net income (loss) |
70,779 | (19,129 | ) | 89,908 | 470 | % | ||||||||||
Net loss attributable to Hoya Intermediate, LLC shareholders prior to reverse recapitalization |
| (12,836 | ) | 12,836 | 100 | % | ||||||||||
Net income (loss) attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interests |
42,117 | (3,010 | ) | 45,127 | 1,499 | % | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Net income (loss) attributable to Class A Common Stockholders |
$ | 28,662 | $ | (3,283 | ) | $ | 31,945 | 973 | % | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenues
The following table presents revenues by segment (in thousands, except percentages):
2022 | 2021 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
Revenues: |
||||||||||||||||
Marketplace |
$ | 511,094 | $ | 389,668 | $ | 121,426 | 31 | % | ||||||||
Resale |
89,180 | 53,370 | 35,810 | 67 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total revenues |
$ | 600,274 | $ | 443,038 | $ | 157,236 | 35 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total revenues increased $157.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 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 and increasing number of live events and fewer event cancellations. The pandemic and resulting mitigation measures had a significant adverse effect on order volume and event cancellations during the year ended December 31, 2021. In the second quarter of 2021,
43
most local governments began to lift large scale restrictions on live events such that there was a significant increase in live events held for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021.
Marketplace
The following table presents revenues in our Marketplace segment by event category (in thousands, except percentages):
2022 | 2021 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
Revenues: |
||||||||||||||||
Concerts |
$ | 251,423 | $ | 171,149 | $ | 80,274 | 47 | % | ||||||||
Sports |
196,467 | 175,471 | 20,996 | 12 | % | |||||||||||
Theater |
61,483 | 41,745 | 19,738 | 47 | % | |||||||||||
Other |
1,721 | 1,303 | 418 | 32 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total Marketplace revenues |
$ | 511,094 | $ | 389,668 | $ | 121,426 | 31 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Marketplace revenues increased $121.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in Marketplace revenues for the year ended December 31, 2022 resulted primarily from an overall increase in new orders processed, driven by the resumption and increasing number of live events, and fewer event cancellations compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in Marketplace revenues was primarily driven by the concert category and resulted from an increase in new orders processed, driven by the resumption and overall increasing number of events, rescheduling of postponed events and reduced event cancellations.
Total Marketplace orders increased 2.5 million, or 38%, during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021.
Cancellation charges, which are recognized as a reduction to revenues, were $27.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $34.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Cancellation charges for the year ended December 31, 2022 were lower than the year ended December 31, 2021 due to lower event cancellations in all event categories and higher recorded breakage on customer credits, partially offset by higher customer refunds that increase as order volume increases.
Marketplace revenues by business model consisted of the following (in thousands, except percentages):
2022 | 2021 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
Revenues: |
||||||||||||||||
Owned Properties |
$ | 400,413 | $ | 308,226 | $ | 92,187 | 30 | % | ||||||||
Private Label |
110,681 | 81,442 | 29,239 | 36 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total Marketplace revenues |
$ | 511,094 | $ | 389,668 | $ | 121,426 | 31 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The increases in revenue from both Owned Properties and Private Label during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 resulted from an increase in new orders processed, particularly in the concert category, and fewer event cancellations.
Within the Marketplace segment, we also earn referral fee revenue by offering event ticket insurance to ticket buyers, using a third-party insurance provider. Our referral fee revenue was $33.4 million and $33.5 million during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Referral fees were flat compared to 2021 as insurance attachment rate to orders declined.
44
Resale
Revenue for our Resale segment increased $35.8 million, or 67%, during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase resulted primarily from higher order volume in the concert category. Total Resale orders increased 0.1 million, or 57%, during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. Cancellation charges, classified as a reduction of revenue, negatively impacted Resale revenue by less than $0.1 million and $2.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Cost of Revenues (exclusive of Depreciation and Amortization)
The following table presents cost of revenues by segment (in thousands, except percentages):
2022 | 2021 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
Cost of revenues: |
||||||||||||||||
Marketplace |
$ | 73,126 | $ | 51,702 | $ | 21,424 | 41 | % | ||||||||
Resale |
67,382 | 38,915 | 28,467 | 73 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total cost of revenues |
$ | 140,508 | $ | 90,617 | $ | 49,891 | 55 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total cost of revenues increased $49.9 million, or 55%, for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase to total cost of revenues resulted primarily from higher order volume in both our Marketplace and Resale segments and a higher proportion of revenue from our Resale segment.
Marketplace
Marketplace cost of revenues increased $21.4 million, or 41%, for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in cost of revenues is fairly consistent with the increase in total Marketplace orders, which increased by 2.5 million orders, or 38%, for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021.
Resale
Resale cost of revenues increased $28.5 million, or 73%, for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase resulted from an increase in total Resale orders of 0.1 million orders, or 57%, during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in Resale cost of revenues is not consistent with the increase in Resale revenues for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. This was driven by strong post-COVID recovery demand in 2021 that resulted in abnormally high margins. Cancellation charges resulted in a reduction to Resale cost of revenues of $0.5 million and $1.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Marketing and Selling
The following table presents marketing and selling expenses (in thousands, except percentages):
2022 | 2021 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
Marketing and selling: |
||||||||||||||||
Online |
$ | 224,872 | $ | 160,420 | $ | 64,452 | 40 | % | ||||||||
Offline |
23,503 | 20,938 | 2,565 | 12 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total marketing and selling |
$ | 248,375 | $ | 181,358 | $ | 67,017 | 37 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
45
Marketing and selling expenses, which are entirely attributable to our Marketplace segment, increased $67.0 million, or 37%, during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in expenses primarily resulted from greater spending on online advertising. Our spending on online advertising increased by $64.5 million, or 40%, during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 as we scaled to capture an increase in live event demand and experienced increased competition in performance marketing channels. The increase in our offline advertising expense was driven by our revamped brand awareness marketing efforts, which began with a large campaign in the fourth quarter of 2021.
General and Administrative
The following table presents general and administrative expenses (in thousands, except percentages):
2022 | 2021 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
General and administrative: |
||||||||||||||||
Personnel expenses |
$ | 88,037 | $ | 47,546 | $ | 40,491 | 85 | % | ||||||||
Non-income tax expenses |
4,380 | 10,016 | (5,636 | ) | (56 | )% | ||||||||||
Other |
35,202 | 34,608 | 594 | 2 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total general and administrative |
$ | 127,619 | $ | 92,170 | $ | 35,449 | 38 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total general and administrative expenses increased $35.4 million, or 38%, for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily due to a higher personnel expenses attributable to higher employee headcount, an increase in costs for our outsourced customer service provider and an increase in stock compensation expense from awards granted pursuant to the 2021 Plan, which became effective on October 18, 2021. This increase was partially offset by a decrease in non-income tax expense as we began collecting sales tax from customers in the required jurisdictions in the second half of 2021. The majority of the non-income tax expense in the prior periods represents the exposure for sales tax prior to the date we began collecting sales tax from customers, reduced by abatements received, and inclusive of any penalties and interest assessed by the jurisdictions.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization expenses increased $5.4 million, or 233%, during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 primarily as a result of an increase in development activities related to our platform and the intangibles acquired as part of the Vivid Picks acquisition.
Change in fair value of contingent consideration
Change in fair value of contingent consideration was $2.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2022 due to the fair value remeasurement of cash earnouts.
Other (Income) Expense
Interest expensenet
Interest expense decreased $45.3 million, or 78%, for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. We paid off the May 2020 First Lien Loan and made a partial payment of the outstanding principal on the June 2017 First Lien Loan in the fourth quarter of 2021. In addition, we further reduced our outstanding debt balance and effective interest rate on February 3, 2022 when we refinanced the June 2017 First Lien Loan with the February 2022 First Lien Loan.
46
Loss on extinguishment of debt
Loss on extinguishment of debt decreased $31.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. For the year ended December 31, 2022, loss on extinguishment of debt was due to the refinancing of the June 2017 First Lien Loan with the February 2022 First Lien Loan in the first quarter of 2022. For the year ended December 31, 2021, loss on extinguishment of debt was due to our full repayment of the May 2020 First Lien Loan and a partial repayment of the outstanding principal on the June 2017 First Lien Loan. The loss includes $28.0 million for a prepayment penalty, $6.1 million for the amortization of the remaining balance of the original issuance discount and issuance costs related to the repayment of the May 2020 First Lien Loan in full and $1.7 million for the amortization of the balance of the original issuance discount and issuance costs related to the partial repayment of the outstanding principal on the June 2017 First Lien Loan.
Other (income) expense
Other (income) expense decreased $9.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. For the year ended December 31, 2022, other (income) expense was related to the fair value remeasurement of the Hoya Intermediate Warrants. For the year ended December 31, 2021, other (income) expense was primarily related to our modification of the terms of warrants to purchase shares of Class A common stock to former warrant holders of Horizon in connection with the Merger Transaction.
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
The following table sets forth our results of operations (in thousands, except percentages):
2021 | 2020 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
Revenues |
$ | 443,038 | $ | 35,077 | $ | 407,961 | 1163 | % | ||||||||
Costs and expenses: |
||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenues (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below) |
90,617 | 24,690 | 65,927 | 267 | % | |||||||||||
Marketing and selling |
181,358 | 38,121 | 143,237 | 376 | % | |||||||||||
General and administrative |
92,170 | 66,199 | 25,971 | 39 | % | |||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
2,322 | 48,247 | (45,925 | ) | (95 | )% | ||||||||||
Impairment charges |
| 573,838 | (573,838 | ) | (100 | )% | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Income (loss) from operations |
76,571 | (716,018 | ) | 792,589 | 111 | % | ||||||||||
Other expenses: |
||||||||||||||||
Interest expensenet |
58,179 | 57,482 | 697 | 1 | % | |||||||||||
Loss on extinguishment of debt |
35,828 | 685 | 35,143 | 5,130 | % | |||||||||||
Other expenses |
1,389 | | 1,389 | 100 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Loss before income taxes |
(18,825 | ) | (774,185 | ) | 755,360 | 98 | % | |||||||||
Income tax expense |
304 | | 304 | 100 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Net loss |
(19,129 | ) | (774,185 | ) | 755,056 | 98 | % | |||||||||
Net loss attributable to Hoya Intermediate, LLC shareholders prior to reverse recapitalization |
(12,836 | ) | (774,185 | ) | 761,349 | 98 | % | |||||||||
Net loss attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interests |
(3,010 | ) | | (3,010 | ) | 100 | % | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Net loss attributable to Class A Common Stockholders |
$ | (3,283 | ) | $ | | $ | (3,283 | ) | 100 | % | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
47
Revenues
The following table presents revenues by segment (in thousands, except percentages):
2021 | 2020 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
Revenues: |
||||||||||||||||
Marketplace |
$ | 389,668 | $ | 23,281 | $ | 366,387 | 1,574 | % | ||||||||
Resale |
53,370 | 11,796 | 41,574 | 352 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total revenues |
$ | 443,038 | $ | 35,077 | $ | 407,961 | 1,163 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total revenues increased $408.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. 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 and a reduction in event cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic and resulting mitigation measures had a significant adverse effect on order volume and event cancellations during 2020. By the third quarter of 2021, most local governments had lifted large scale restrictions on live events. For the second half of 2021, our annualized order volume exceeded 2019 levels.
Marketplace
The following table presents revenues in our Marketplace segment by event category (in thousands, except percentages):
2021 | 2020 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
Revenues: |
||||||||||||||||
Concerts |
$ | 171,149 | $ | 15,775 | $ | 155,374 | 985 | % | ||||||||
Sports |
175,471 | 3,484 | 171,987 | 4,936 | % | |||||||||||
Theater |
41,745 | 3,759 | 37,986 | 1,011 | % | |||||||||||
Other |
1,303 | 263 | 1,040 | 395 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total Marketplace revenues |
$ | 389,668 | $ | 23,281 | $ | 366,387 | 1,574 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Marketplace revenues increased $366.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase in Marketplace revenues resulted primarily from an overall increase in new orders processed on our Marketplace platform combined with fewer event cancellation charges.
Total Marketplace orders increased 5.6 million, or 523%, during the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. 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 with the greatest increase in sports.
Cancellation charges, which are recognized as a reduction to revenues, were $34.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $76.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Due to the mass cancellations of live events during the initial phases of the pandemic in 2020, cancellation charges were higher in 2020 compared to 2021. For the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, we recognized an increase in revenue of $5.1 million and a decrease of $15.3 million, respectively, due to the impact of cancellation charges for cancelled events where the performance obligations were satisfied in prior periods.
48
Marketplace revenues by business model consisted of the following (in thousands, except percentages):
2021 | 2020 | Change | % Change | |||||||||||||
Revenues: |
||||||||||||||||
Owned Properties |
$ | 308,226 | $ | 24,188 | $ | 284,038 | 1,174 | % | ||||||||
Private Label |
81,442 | (907 | ) | 82,349 | 9,079 | % | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total Marketplace revenues |
$ | 389,668 | $ | 23,281 | $ | 366,387 | 1,574 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The increases in revenue from both Owned Properties and Private Label during the year ended December 31, 2021 resulted primarily from the increase in order volume resulting from the loosening of restrictions on live events and fewer event cancellations than the year ended December 31, 2020.
Resale
Revenue for our Resale segment increased $41.6 million, or 352%, during the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase resulted primarily from higher order volume. Total Resale orders increased 0.1 million, or 305%, during the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. Cancellation charges, classified as a reduction of revenue, negatively impacted Resale revenue by $2.8 million and $6.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Cost of Revenues (exclusive of Depreciation and Amortization)
The following table presents cost of revenues by segment (in thousands, except percentages):
2021 | 2020 | Change | % Change | |||||||||||||
Cost of revenues: |
||||||||||||||||
Marketplace |
$ | 51,702 | $ | 13,741 | $ | 37,961 | 276 | % | ||||||||
Resale |
38,915 | 10,949 | 27,966 | 255 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total cost of revenues |
$ | 90,617 | $ | 24,690 | $ | 65,927 | 267 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total cost of revenues increased $65.9 million, or 267%, for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase to total cost of revenues resulted from higher order volume in both our Marketplace and Resale segments.
Marketplace
Marketplace cost of revenues increased $38.0 million, or 276%, for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase in cost of revenues is consistent with the increase in total Marketplace orders, which increased by 5.6 million orders, or 523%, for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020.
Resale
Resale cost of revenues increased $28.0 million, or 255%, for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase resulted from an increase in total Resale orders of 0.1 million orders, or 305%, during the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase in Resale cost of revenues is not consistent with the increase in Resale revenues due to higher ticket prices and margins in 2021 compared to 2020. Cancellation charges resulted in a reduction to Resale cost of revenues of $1.4 million and $4.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
49
Marketing and Selling
The following table presents marketing and selling expenses (in thousands, except percentages):
2021 | 2020 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
Marketing and selling: |
||||||||||||||||
Online |
$ | 160,420 | $ | 34,213 | $ | 126,207 | 369 | % | ||||||||
Offline |
20,938 | 3,908 | 17,030 | 436 | % | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total marketing and selling |
$ | 181,358 | $ | 38,121 | $ | 143,237 | 376 | % | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Marketing and selling expenses, which are entirely attributable to our Marketplace segment, increased $143.2 million, or 376%, during the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase in expenses primarily resulted from greater spending on online advertising during the second half of 2021. Our spending on online advertising increased by $126.2 million, or 369%, during the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to 2020. As restrictions on the attendance of live events were reduced or lifted, we increased our spending on marketing to capitalize on the increase in live event attendance. In addition, starting in the fourth quarter of 2021, we increased our marketing efforts in additional offline channels including broadcast TV and radio as part of our brand awareness efforts.
General and Administrative
The following table presents general and administrative expenses (in thousands, except percentages):
2021 | 2020 | Change | % Change |
|||||||||||||
General and administrative: |