Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (LYV) FY 2021 MD&A

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

You should read the following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations together with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but rather are based on current expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections about our industry, business and future financial results. Our actual results could differ materially from the results contemplated by these forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including those discussed under Item 1A.—Risk Factors and other sections in this Annual Report.

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations generally discusses 2021 and 2020 items along with year-over-year comparisons between these two years. Discussion of 2019 items and year-over-year comparisons between 2020 and 2019 can be found in Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Executive Overview

In 2021, we saw a meaningful restart of our operations in the second half of the year which is reflected in our financials and key performance indicators. After nearly a year and a half of very limited events and ticket sales, shows restarted in some key markets at scale during the third quarter. In particular, we saw outdoor amphitheater events as well as festivals take place in the United States and United Kingdom with enthusiastic fan response. Despite the operational challenges associated with ramping up our concerts in a compressed timeframe, increased health protocols, and a tighter labor market, we were able to hold most planned concerts, increase overall per fan profitability, and improve our operating income by over $1 billion compared to 2020. Emerging from the pandemic, our organization has streamlined its operations, reduced costs and focused its cash management strategies for future flexibility. Even in the face of new Covid variants and regional surges, our reopening is well underway in the United States and United Kingdom, while other parts of the world catch up as vaccination efforts gain momentum and government responses evolve. A key leading indicator of the future health of our business is transacted ticket sales and we had a record Q4 with the largest number of tickets sold in a quarter and the highest gross ticket value, excluding refunded tickets. Our resale business also hit an historic high for us in Q4.

Our total revenue increased by $4.4 billion for the full year, from $1.9 billion in 2020 to $6.3 billion in 2021. All three of our segments reported revenue growth due to more events, higher ticket sales and increased sponsor fulfillment over the past twelve months. As a result, our operating income improved by $1.2 billion, from a loss of $1.7 billion in 2020 to a loss of $418 million in 2021. The improvement resulted from increased events, ticket sales and sponsor client activation partially offset by higher selling, general and administrative expenses as we brought employees back from furlough and began hiring new roles to execute 2021 events and prepare for 2022. The impact of changes in foreign exchange rates did not materially impact our year-over-year variances.

Our Concerts segment revenue for the full year increased by $3.3 billion, from $1.5 billion in 2020 to $4.7 billion in 2021. The revenue growth was a result of increased shows and fans during the year as well as higher ancillary spend per fan and pricing at our events. The number of events for the full year was more than 17,200 compared to approximately 8,200 events in 2020. The number of fans for the full year was 35.1 million compared to approximately 11.1 million last year. The growth was largely in the United States and United Kingdom. Concerts operating loss for the full year improved by $340 million, from a loss of $959 million in 2020 to $618 million in 2021. The improvement was primarily due to more shows this year, an increase in net ancillary spend per fan at our amphitheater and festival events, and growth in pricing across all venue types. Our amphitheater net ancillary spend per fan grew by double digits compared to 2019 as a result of higher consumption and our transition to cashless transactions. At our major festivals that had over 100 thousand fans, we also saw growth in onsite spend with our ancillary per fan increasing by double-digits over 2019. Compared to 2019, overall pricing on tickets also increased by double digits. And while we have seen some adverse impacts in our operating expenses per show due to labor shortages and supply chain issues, our spend per fan metrics have outpaced the higher costs.

Our Ticketing segment revenue for the full year increased by $946 million, from $188 million in 2020 to $1.1 billion in 2021. The improvement resulted from an increase in ticket sales, stronger pricing, and a reduction in ticket refunds this year. Excluding refunds, we sold 153 million fee-bearing tickets this year compared to 58 million tickets last year. The improvement was almost entirely driven by sales in the United States and the United Kingdom, largely for concert and sporting events. Pricing on our fee-bearing tickets increased by double-digits, reflecting strong consumer demand, particularly for premium seats and VIP experiences. Our resale business bounced back dramatically in the second half of the year and Q4 was our highest resale gross transaction value quarter ever, at over $1 billion. Ticketing operating income for the year improved by $782 million, from a $612 million loss in 2020 to income of $170 million in 2021. The improvement in operating results was largely driven by increased ticket sales, strong ticket pricing and higher ancillary revenue streams.

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Our Sponsorship & Advertising segment revenue for the full year increased by $208 million, from $204 million in 2020 to $412 million in 2021. The improvement was due to higher activations with our marketing partners driven by more events going on sale, venues re-opening and supplying more advertising content to our clients. Even with a compressed sales window, we saw strong sales for many of our larger festivals. Operating income for the year increased by $157 million, from $45 million in 2020 to $202 million in 2021. The improvement was due to more sponsor and online advertising activations resulting from the restart of live events and rapidly increasing ticket sales, particularly in the United States.

As ticket sales and events scale up in key markets, we continue to focus on mitigating the financial impact of the pandemic. We are balancing our ramp-up with the cost-savings initiatives we implemented across the organization and are also protecting our liquidity by managing cash outflows associated with all our major expenditures: operating expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, and advances in both our ticketing and concert businesses. The progress and momentum over the last three quarters has made us even more optimistic about the long-term potential of our company and the unique power of live shows to unite people.

Impact of the Global COVID-19 Pandemic

The unprecedented and rapid spread of COVID-19 and the related government restrictions and social distancing measures implemented throughout the world significantly impacted our business from mid-March through the first half of this year. Late in the second quarter, however, we began to see the positive impacts of successful vaccination rollouts in many of our key markets, mainly the United States and United Kingdom, with social distancing restrictions easing and live events resuming. In the third quarter, we saw a meaningful restart of our operations with outdoor amphitheater events and festivals taking place in both the United States and United Kingdom. The restart of our operations has been executed with careful consideration for the safety and health of our fans, artists and employees through a mix of masking, testing and vaccination protocols at our events, venues and offices around the world.

Operating Results

The impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic to our operating results are discussed in Part II —Financial Information —Item 8.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 2—Impact of the Global COVID-19 Pandemic.

Cash and available liquidity

We currently have approximately $569.9 million available for future borrowings under our senior secured credit facility, net of outstanding letters of credit. In January 2021, we issued $500 million principal amount of 3.75% senior secured notes due 2028 and in September 2021, we elected to draw down the $400 million term loan A under the amended senior secured credit facility and completed the public offering of 5,239,259 shares of common stock for $449.6 million of net proceeds. We will continue to evaluate future financing opportunities to further expand liquidity at reasonable costs. Additionally, our senior secured credit facility has reverted back to a net leverage covenant (as defined in the agreement) as of December 31, 2021. We believe these additional debt and equity issuances allow us the flexibility to manage our business through the disruption that we continue to experience into 2022.

As of December 31, 2021, our total cash and cash equivalents balance was $4.9 billion, which included $1.3 billion of ticketing client cash. We believe this cash, net of client cash, together with our available debt capacity of $569.9 million, gives us the liquidity to fund our operations during the pandemic. Our total cash includes event-related deferred revenue for which the amount can fluctuate over the course of the year, but given the shift of shows into 2022, we expect this number to remain above seasonally normal levels throughout the first half of 2022.

Event-related deferred revenue consists of cash held by our Concerts business for future shows, with roughly one-third of the funds associated with upcoming shows in the United States and two-thirds for international shows as of December 31, 2021. In the United States, the funds are largely associated with shows in our owned or operated venues, notably amphitheaters and theaters and clubs, as well as festivals. Internationally, the funds held are from a combination of both shows in our owned or operated venues, as well as shows in third-party venues associated with our promoter share of tickets in allocation markets.

Cost and Cash Management Programs

In response to the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and continues to have, on our business globally, we have implemented a number of initiatives to reduce fixed costs and conserve cash while our business was shut down. As part of these cost reduction efforts in 2020, we implemented salary reductions for most of our employees, with salaries for senior executives reduced by up to 60%. Additional cost reduction efforts that began in 2020 included hiring freezes, reduction in the use of contractors, rent re-negotiations, furloughs, termination of certain employees and reduction or elimination of other discretionary spending, including, among other things, travel and entertainment, repairs and maintenance, and marketing. As of the end of 2021, salaries have been fully restored and furloughed employees have returned to work and, as our business scales back up, we are beginning to reinvest in our growth while continuing to closely monitor our cash flow and liquidity.

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We continue to make use of government support programs globally. In most European and Asia-Pacific markets, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Australia, there were payroll support programs to mitigate a substantial portion of employee costs. Additionally, in the United States, we filed for payroll support under the Employee Retention Credit program established as part of the CARES Act, which ended in the third quarter of 2021. Finally, the CARES Act also provides for deferred payment of the employer portion of social security taxes through the end of 2020, with 50% of the deferred amount due December 31, 2021 and the remaining 50% due December 31, 2022.

Based on these actions and assumptions regarding the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, we believe that we will remain in compliance with our debt covenants throughout 2022 and be able to generate sufficient liquidity and profitability to satisfy our obligations for the next twelve months, prior to giving effect to any additional financings that may occur. Our forecasted expense management and liquidity measures may be modified as we get more clarity on the timing of events. We cannot assure you that our assumptions used to estimate our leverage, liquidity and profitability requirements will be correct because the evolving nature of the pandemic makes its ultimate magnitude and duration unknown, and as a consequence, our ability to be predictive is uncertain.

Health and Safety and Planning and Executing a Return to Business

We are currently implementing steps for the health and safety of our employees as they return to work in our offices in the future, and for our artists and fans as they return to live events. We are returning to work in local markets in appropriate numbers with expanded cleaning and in compliance with any social distancing or other regulations. Similarly, we are resuming concerts when the time is right on a market by market basis. We recognize that as concerts have started back up, the experience at our venues has changed, and are working with medical experts and public health officials to implement safety precautions and protocols necessary for fans to return to enjoy our shows. The reopening of concerts is happening on a market by market basis, and given that we operate in 45 countries globally, the timelines will vary from now to not for several months or beyond and changing conditions may cause reopened markets to again close down in the future.

As the leading global live event and ticketing company, we believe that we are well-positioned to provide the best service to artists, teams, fans and venues as business resumes. More than twenty years of ongoing global growth demonstrates the resilience of fan demand for the live entertainment experience.

Segment Overview

Concerts

Revenue and related costs for events are generally deferred and recognized when the event occurs. All advertising costs incurred during the year for shows in future years are expensed at the end of the year. If a current year event is rescheduled into a future year, all advertising costs incurred to date are expensed in the period when the event is rescheduled.

Concerts direct operating expenses include artist fees, event production costs, show-related marketing and advertising expenses, along with other costs.

To judge the health of our Concerts segment, we primarily monitor the number of confirmed events and fan attendance in our network of owned or operated and third-party venues, talent fees, average paid attendance, market ticket pricing, advance ticket sales and the number of major artist clients under management. In addition, at our owned or operated venues and festivals, we monitor ancillary revenue per fan and premium ticket sales. For business that is conducted in foreign markets, we also compare the operating results from our foreign operations to prior periods without the impact of changes in foreign exchange rates.

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Ticketing

Revenue related to ticketing service charges is recognized when the ticket is sold for our third-party clients. For our own events, where our concert promoters control ticketing, revenue is deferred and recognized when the event occurs. Gross transaction value (“GTV”) represents the total amount of the transaction related to a ticket sale and includes the face value of the ticket as well as the service charge. We use GTV to evaluate changes in ticket fee revenue that are driven by the pricing of our service charges.

Ticketing direct operating expenses include call center costs and credit card fees, along with other costs.

To judge the health of our Ticketing segment, we primarily review the GTV and the number of tickets sold through our ticketing operations, the number of clients renewed or added and the average royalty rate paid to clients who use our ticketing services. In addition, we review the number of visits to our websites, cost of customer acquisition, the purchase conversion rate, the overall number of customers in our database, the number and percentage of tickets sold via mobile and the number of app installs. For business that is conducted in foreign markets, we also compare the operating results from our foreign operations to prior periods without the impact of changes in foreign exchange rates.

Sponsorship & Advertising

Revenue related to sponsorship and advertising programs is recognized over the term of the agreement or operating season as the benefits are provided to the sponsor unless the revenue is associated with a specific event, in which case it is recognized when the event occurs.

Sponsorship & Advertising direct operating expenses include fulfillment costs related to our sponsorship programs, along with other costs.

To judge the health of our Sponsorship & Advertising segment, we primarily review the revenue generated through sponsorship arrangements and online advertising, and the percentage of expected revenue under contract. For business that is conducted in foreign markets, we also compare the operating results from our foreign operations to prior periods without the impact of changes in foreign exchange rates.

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Key Operating Metrics

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(1)Events generally represent a single performance by an artist. Fans generally represent the number of people who attend an event. Festivals are counted as one event in the quarter in which the festival begins, but the number of fans is based on the days the fans were present at the festival and thus can be reported across multiple quarters. Events and fan attendance metrics are estimated each quarter.

(2)The fee-bearing tickets estimated above include primary and secondary tickets that are sold using our Ticketmaster systems or that we issue through affiliates. This metric includes primary tickets sold during the year regardless of event timing, except for our own events where our concert promoters control ticketing which are reported when the events occur. The non-fee-bearing tickets estimated above include primary tickets sold using our Ticketmaster systems, through season seat packages and our venue clients’ box offices, along with tickets sold on our “do it yourself” platform. These ticketing metrics are net of any refunds requested and any cancellations that occurred during the period and up to the time of reporting of these consolidated financial statements. Fee-bearing tickets sold above are net of refunds of 21.0 million and 27.3 million tickets for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

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Non-GAAP Measures

The following table sets forth the reconciliation of AOI to operating income (loss):

Adjusted Operating Income (Loss)

AOI is a non-GAAP financial measure that we define as operating income (loss) before certain stock-based compensation expense, loss (gain) on disposal of operating assets, depreciation and amortization (including goodwill impairment), amortization of non-recoupable ticketing contract advances and acquisition expenses (including transaction costs, changes in the fair value of accrued acquisition-related contingent consideration obligations, and acquisition-related severance and compensation). We use AOI to evaluate the performance of our operating segments. We believe that information about AOI assists investors by allowing them to evaluate changes in the operating results of our portfolio of businesses separate from non-operational factors that affect net income (loss), thus providing insights into both operations and the other factors that affect reported results. AOI is not calculated or presented in accordance with GAAP. A limitation of the use of AOI as a performance measure is that it does not reflect the periodic costs of certain amortizing assets used in generating revenue in our business. Accordingly, AOI should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, operating income (loss), net income (loss), and other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with GAAP. Furthermore, this measure may vary among other companies; thus, AOI as presented herein may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

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AOI Margin

AOI margin is a non-GAAP financial measure that we calculate by dividing AOI by revenue. We use AOI margin to evaluate the performance of our operating segments. We believe that information about AOI margin assists investors by allowing them to evaluate changes in the operating results of our portfolio of businesses separate from non-operational factors that affect net income (loss), thus providing insights into both operations and the other factors that affect reported results. AOI margin is not calculated or presented in accordance with GAAP. A limitation of the use of AOI margin as a performance measure is that it does not reflect the periodic costs of certain amortizing assets used in generating revenue in our business. Accordingly, AOI margin should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, operating income (loss) margin, and other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with GAAP. Furthermore, this measure may vary among other companies; thus, AOI margin as presented herein may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

Constant Currency

Constant currency is a non-GAAP financial measure. We calculate currency impacts as the difference between current period activity translated using the current period’s currency exchange rates and the comparable prior period’s currency exchange rates. We present constant currency information to provide a framework for assessing how our underlying businesses performed excluding the effect of foreign currency rate fluctuations.

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Segment Operating Results

Concerts

Our Concerts segment operating results were, and discussions of significant variances are, as follows:

_________________________

Revenue

Concerts revenue increased $3.3 billion during the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the prior year primarily due to the resumption of shows and festivals in major markets including the United States and United Kingdom late in the second quarter of 2021 as compared to revenue generated in January through mid-March of 2020 when our business was fully open prior to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Concerts had incremental revenue of $42.9 million during 2021 from acquisitions, primarily from OCESA.

Operating results

Concerts operating loss decreased $340.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the prior year primarily driven by the resumption of shows and festivals during 2021 discussed above. Included in depreciation and amortization in 2020 are $23.2 million in impairment charges of intangible assets due to the impacts from the global COVID-19 pandemic. Included in depreciation and amortization in 2019 are $21.2 million in impairment charges primarily associated with revenue-generating contract intangible assets. Concerts operating results for the year ended December 31, 2021 include net operating losses of $19.6 million related to acquisitions and new venues.

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Ticketing

Our Ticketing segment operating results were, and discussions of significant variances are, as follows:

__________________________

Revenue

Ticketing revenue increased $945.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the prior year primarily due to an increase in North America primary and secondary ticket fees driven by more events on sale due to the resumption of concerts and sporting events in the second quarter of 2021, strong ticket pricing and lower ticket refunds in 2021.

Operating results

Ticketing operating income for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $170.3 million as compared to an operating loss of $612.0 million for the prior year primarily driven by the increased ticketing activity discussed above along with cost reduction measures implemented in the second quarter of 2020 continuing into 2021, including salary reductions, hiring freezes, furloughs, and reduction or elimination of other discretionary spending along with participation in government support programs globally.

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Sponsorship & Advertising

Our Sponsorship & Advertising segment operating results were, and discussions of significant variances are, as follows:

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Revenue

Sponsorship & Advertising revenue increased $208.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the prior year primarily due to increased activity in national sponsorship programs, festival sponsorships and online advertising in North America due to the resumption of concert events and festivals in the second quarter of 2021.

Operating results

Sponsorship & Advertising operating income increased $157.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the prior year primarily driven by the higher sponsorship activity discussed above.

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Consolidated Results of Operations

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Corporate

Corporate expenses increased $58.3 million, or 57%, during the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the prior year primarily due to increased compensation expense driven by headcount growth and incentive compensation as a result of the increased operating results during 2021. During 2020, cost reduction efforts due to the COVID-19 pandemic included salary reductions, hiring freezes, reduction in the use of contractors, furloughs, and reduction or elimination of other discretionary spending, including, among other things, travel and entertainment and repairs and maintenance.

Interest expense

Interest expense increased $55.6 million, or 25%, during the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the prior year due to additional interest costs from the issuance of our 2.0% convertible senior notes in February 2020, the issuance of our 6.5% senior secured notes in May 2020, the issuance of our 3.75% senior secured notes in January 2021 and the draw down of our term loan A under the amended senior secured credit facility.

Our debt balances, excluding unamortized debt discounts and issuance costs, were $5.8 billion and $5.0 billion as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Loss (Gain) from sale of investments in nonconsolidated affiliates

Gain from sale of investments in nonconsolidated affiliates was $83.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to a loss of $1.7 million in the prior year primarily due to the sale of certain cost basis investments during 2021.

Other expense (income), net

Other expense (income), net was a net loss of $3.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 and includes net foreign exchange rate losses of $20.6 million offset by $15.4 million in mark to market adjustments for certain investments. Other expense (income), net was a net income of $18.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 and includes net foreign exchange rate gains of $9.0 million. The net foreign exchange rate gains and losses result primarily from revaluation of certain foreign currency denominated net assets held internationally.

Income taxes

For the year ended December 31, 2021, we had a net tax benefit of $2.5 million on losses before income taxes of $611.3 million compared to a net tax benefit of $28.9 million on losses before income taxes of $1.9 billion for 2020. In 2021, the net income tax benefit consisted of $7.5 million tax expense related to United States federal income taxes, offset by $8.8 million tax benefit related to foreign entities and $1.2 million tax benefit related to state and local income taxes. The net increase in tax expense of $26.4 million is due primarily to higher pre-tax income or lower pre-tax losses in taxable jurisdictions.

Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests

Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests was an income of $42.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to loss of $103.3 million in the prior year primarily due to higher operating results from certain concert and festival promotion businesses in North America during 2021 due to the resumption of events in 2021.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

In response to the impact that the global COVID-19 pandemic has had on our business, and the uncertainty of the duration of current conditions globally, we have taken certain actions to strengthen our liquidity position and preserve our capital resources.

In April 2020, we amended our senior secured credit facility to provide an incremental $130 million revolving credit facility. We further amended our senior secured credit facility in July 2020, which, among other things, substitutes our net leverage covenant with a $500 million liquidity covenant (as defined in the agreement) until the earlier of (a) December 31, 2021 and (b) at our election, any fiscal quarter prior to December 31, 2021. In February 2020, we issued $400 million principal amount of 2.0% convertible senior notes due 2025 and in May 2020 we issued $1.2 billion principal amount of 6.5% senior secured notes due 2027. In January 2021, we issued $500 million principal amount of 3.75% senior secured notes due 2028 and in September 2021, we elected to draw down the $400 million term loan A under the amended senior secured credit facility and completed the public offering of 5,239,259 shares of common stock for $449.6 million of net proceeds. As a result, we believe these amendments and additional debt and equity issuances will allow us the flexibility to manage our business through the disruption we continue to experience into 2022.

Our cash is centrally managed on a worldwide basis. Our primary short-term liquidity needs are to fund general working capital requirements, capital expenditures and debt service requirements while our long-term liquidity needs are primarily related to acquisitions and debt repayment. Our primary sources of funds for our short-term liquidity needs will be cash flows from operations and borrowings under our amended senior secured credit facility, while our long-term sources of funds will be

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from cash flows from operations, long-term bank borrowings and other debt or equity financings. We may from time to time engage in open market purchases of our outstanding debt securities or redeem or otherwise repay such debt.

Our balance sheet reflects cash and cash equivalents of $4.9 billion at December 31, 2021 and $2.5 billion at December 31, 2020. Included in the December 31, 2021 and 2020 cash and cash equivalents balances are $1.3 billion and $673.5 million, respectively, of cash received that includes the face value of tickets sold on behalf of our ticketing clients and their share of service charges, which we refer to as client cash. We generally do not utilize client cash for our own financing or investing activities as the amounts are payable to clients on a regular basis. Our foreign subsidiaries held approximately $1.5 billion in cash and cash equivalents, excluding client cash, at December 31, 2021.

We generally do not repatriate these funds, but if we did, we would need to accrue and pay United States state income taxes as well as any applicable foreign withholding or transaction taxes on future repatriations. We may from time to time enter into borrowings under our revolving credit facility. If the original maturity of these borrowings is 90 days or less, we present the borrowings and subsequent repayments on a net basis in the statement of cash flows to better represent our financing activities. Our balance sheet reflects total net debt of $5.7 billion and $4.9 billion at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Our weighted-average cost of debt, excluding unamortized debt discounts and debt issuance costs on our term loans and notes, was 4.2% at December 31, 2021.

Our cash and cash equivalents are held in accounts managed by third-party financial institutions and consist of cash in our operating accounts and invested cash. Cash held in non-interest-bearing and interest-bearing operating accounts in many cases exceeds the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limits. The invested cash is in interest-bearing funds consisting primarily of bank deposits and money market funds. While we monitor cash and cash equivalents balances in our operating accounts on a regular basis and adjust the balances as appropriate, these balances could be impacted if the underlying financial institutions fail. To date, we have experienced no loss or lack of access to our cash and cash equivalents; however, we can provide no assurances that access to our cash and cash equivalents will not be impacted by adverse conditions in the financial markets, including those resulting from the global COVID-19 pandemic.

For our Concerts segment, we often receive cash related to ticket revenue in advance of the event, which is recorded in deferred revenue until the event occurs. In the United States, this cash is largely associated with events in our owned or operated venues, notably amphitheaters, festivals, theaters and clubs. Internationally, this cash is from a combination of both events in our owned or operated venues, as well as events in third-party venues associated with our promoter’s share of tickets in allocation markets. With the exception of some upfront costs and artist advances, which are recorded in prepaid expenses until the event occurs, we pay the majority of event-related expenses at or after the event. Artists are paid when the event occurs under one of several different formulas, which may include fixed guarantees and/or a percentage of ticket sales or event profits, net of any advance they have received. When an event is cancelled, any cash held in deferred revenue is reclassified to accrued expenses as those funds are typically refunded to the fan within 30 days of event cancellation. In certain markets, we are offering fans an incentive to receive a voucher for a future ticket purchase to one of our events in lieu of receiving a refund for a cancelled event. Where a fan has elected to receive the incentive voucher, the cash from the original ticket purchase remains in deferred revenue. When a show is rescheduled, fans have the ability to request a refund if they do not want to attend the event on the new date, although historically we have had low levels of refund requests for rescheduled events.

We view our available cash as cash and cash equivalents, less ticketing-related client cash, less event-related deferred revenue, less accrued expenses due to artists and cash collected on behalf of others, plus event-related prepaid expenses. This is essentially our cash available to, among other things, repay debt balances, make acquisitions, pay artist advances and finance capital expenditures.

Our intra-year cash fluctuations are impacted by the seasonality of our various businesses. Examples of seasonal effects include our Concerts segment, which reports the majority of its revenue in the second and third quarters. Cash inflows and outflows depend on the timing of event-related payments but the majority of the inflows generally occur prior to the event. See “—Seasonality” below. We believe that we have sufficient financial flexibility to fund these fluctuations and to access the global capital markets on satisfactory terms and in adequate amounts, although there can be no assurance that this will be the case, and capital could be less accessible and/or more costly given current economic conditions, including those resulting from the global COVID-19 pandemic. We expect cash flows from operations and borrowings under our amended senior secured credit facility, along with other financing alternatives, to satisfy working capital requirements, capital expenditures and debt service requirements for at least the succeeding year.

We may need to incur additional debt or issue equity to make other strategic acquisitions or investments. There can be no assurance that such financing will be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. We may make significant acquisitions in the near term, subject to limitations imposed by our financing agreements and market conditions.

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The lenders under our revolving loans and counterparty to our interest rate hedge agreement consists of banks and other third-party financial institutions. While we currently have no indications or expectations that such lenders will be unable to fund their commitments as required, we can provide no assurances that future funding availability will not be impacted by adverse conditions in the financial markets, including those resulting from the global COVID-19 pandemic. Should an individual lender default on its obligations, the remaining lenders would not be required to fund the shortfall, resulting in a reduction in the total amount available to us for future borrowings, but would remain obligated to fund their own commitments. Should the counterparty to our interest rate hedge agreement default on its obligation, we could experience higher interest rate volatility during the period of any such default.

Fourth Quarter Results of Operations (Unaudited)

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Sources of Cash

During 2020, we amended our senior secured credit facility, issued $1.2 billion principal amount of 6.5% senior secured notes due 2027 and issued $400 million principal amount of 2.0% convertible senior notes due 2025. A portion of the proceeds were used to pay transaction fees of approximately $35.5 million, leaving approximately $1.6 billion for general corporate purposes.

In January 2021, we issued $500 million principal amount of 3.75% senior secured notes due 2028. The proceeds were used to pay fees of $7.7 million and repay $75.0 million aggregate principal amount of our senior secured term loan B facility, leaving approximately $417.3 million for general corporate purposes, including acquisitions and organic investment opportunities.

In September 2021, we elected to draw down the $400 million term loan A under the amended senior secured credit facility prior to expiration of the drawdown period on October 17, 2021. We intend to use the proceeds from the drawdown for general corporate purposes. We also completed the public offering of 5,239,259 shares of common stock. A portion of the gross proceeds of $455.3 million were used to pay fees of $5.7 million, leaving $449.6 million of net proceeds. We used the net proceeds to fund the acquisition of 51% of the capital stock of OCESA and any remaining proceeds for general corporate purposes.

Amended Senior Secured Credit Facility

Information regarding our amended senior secured credit facility can be found in Part II —Financial Information —Item 8.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 6 —Long-Term Debt.

6.5% Senior Secured Notes Due 2027

Information regarding our 6.5% senior secured notes due 2027 can be found in Part II —Financial Information —Item 8.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 6 —Long-Term Debt.

3.75% Senior Secured Notes Due 2028

Information regarding our 3.75% senior secured notes due 2028 can be found in Part II —Financial Information —Item 8.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 6—Long-Term Debt.

4.75% Senior Notes Due 2027

Information regarding our 4.75% senior notes due 2027 can be found in Part II —Financial Information —Item 8.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 6—Long-Term Debt.

4.875% Senior Notes Due 2024

Information regarding our 4.875% senior notes due 2024 can be found in Part II —Financial Information —Item 8.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 6—Long-Term Debt.

5.625% Senior Notes Due 2026

Information regarding our 5.625% senior notes due 2026 can be found in Part II —Financial Information —Item 8.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 6—Long-Term Debt.

3.75% Senior Secured Notes Due 2028

Information regarding our 3.75% senior secured notes due 2028 can be found in Part II —Financial Information —Item 8.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 6—Long-Term Debt.

2.5% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2023

Information regarding our 2.5% convertible senior notes due 2023 can be found in Part II —Financial Information —Item 8.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 6—Long-Term Debt.

2.0% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2025

Information regarding our 2.0% convertible senior notes due 2025 can be found in Part II —Financial Information —Item 8.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 6—Long-Term Debt.

Extinguishment of Debt

Information regarding extinguishment of our debt in October 2019 can be found in Part II —Financial Information —Item 8.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 6—Long-Term Debt.

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Debt Covenants

Information regarding our debt covenants can be found in Part II —Financial Information —Item 8.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 6—Long-Term Debt.

Uses of Cash

Acquisitions

When we make acquisitions, the acquired entity may have cash on its balance sheet at the time of acquisition. All amounts related to the use of cash for acquisitions discussed in this section are presented net of any cash acquired. During 2021, we used $384.3 million of cash primarily for the acquisition of OCESA. Information regarding our acquisitions can be found in Part II —Financial Information —Item 8.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 3—Business Acquisitions.

During 2020, we used $41.1 million of cash primarily for the acquisitions of a festival promotion business and a venue management business, both located in the United States. As of the date of acquisition, the acquired businesses had a total of $77.4 million of cash on their balance sheets, primarily related to deferred revenue for future events.

Purchases and Sales of Noncontrolling Interests, net

In 2020, we used $106.2 million of cash primarily for the acquisitions of the remaining or additional interest in festival promotion businesses located in the United States and Brazil.

Capital Expenditures

Venue and ticketing operations are capital intensive businesses, requiring investment in our existing venues and ticketing systems in order to address fan and artist expectations, technological industry advances and various federal, state and/or local regulations.

We categorize capital outlays between maintenance capital expenditures and revenue generating capital expenditures. Maintenance capital expenditures are associated with the renewal and improvement of existing venues and technology systems, web development and administrative offices. Revenue generating capital expenditures generally relate to the construction of new venues, major renovations to existing buildings or buildings that are being added to our venue network, the development of new ticketing tools and technology enhancements. Revenue generating capital expenditures can also include smaller projects whose purpose is to increase revenue and/or improve operating income. Capital expenditures typically increase during periods when our venues are not in operation since that is the time that such improvements can be completed.

Our capital expenditures, including accruals for amounts incurred but not yet paid for but net of expenditures funded by outside parties such as landlords and noncontrolling interest partners or replacements funded by insurance proceeds, consisted of the following:

Maintenance capital expenditures for 2021 increased from the same period of the prior year primarily due to leasehold improvements of certain venue-related projects.

Revenue generating capital expenditures for 2021 decreased from the prior year primarily due to lower spending in our amphitheater venues and a reduction in technology-related projects as part of our cash savings initiatives implemented in connection with the global COVID-19 pandemic.

For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, $5.9 million, $17.9 million and $22.0 million, respectively, of insurance proceeds and landlord or noncontrolling interest partner reimbursements have been excluded from capital expenditures in the table above.

We currently expect capital expenditures to be approximately $375 million for the year ending December 31, 2022.

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Contractual Obligations and Commitments

Firm Commitments

We have future cash obligations for our debt obligations and operating lease liabilities. We lease office space, certain equipment and many of the venues used in our concert operations under long-term operating leases. Some of our lease agreements contain renewal options and annual rental escalation clauses (generally tied to the consumer price index), as well as provisions for our payment of utilities and maintenance. Information regarding our scheduled maturities of our outstanding debt obligations (excluding unamortized debt discounts and issuance costs) and operating lease liabilities can be found in Part II—Financial Information—Item 8.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 6—Long-Term Debt and —Note 5—Leases, respectively.

We also have minimum payments associated with non-cancelable contracts related to our operations, such as artist guarantees and client ticketing agreements. As part of our ongoing capital projects, we will enter into construction-related commitments for future capital expenditure work. Information regarding our minimum payments for non-cancelable contracts and capital expenditures commitments can be found in Part II—Financial Information—Item 8.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 9—Commitments and Contingent Liabilities as of December 31, 2021 and thus do not represent all expected expenditures for those periods.

The estimated interest payments, expected payments of contingent and deferred consideration liabilities as of December 31, 2021 are as follows:

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Guarantees of Third-Party Obligations

As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, we guaranteed the debt of third parties of approximately $20.8 million and $12.1 million, respectively, primarily related to maximum credit limits on employee and tour-related credit cards, obligations of a nonconsolidated affiliate and obligations under a venue management agreement.

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Cash Flows

Operating Activities

Cash provided by operating activities was $1.8 billion for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to cash used in operating activities of $1.1 billion for the prior year primarily due to increases in accounts payable, client accounts and accrued expenses resulting from the resumption of events in certain markets late in the second quarter of 2021 along with a reduction of net loss year over year partially offset by increases in accounts receivable.

Investing Activities

Cash used in investing activities increased $342.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the prior year primarily due to the OCESA acquisition. See “—Uses of Cash” above for further discussion.

Financing Activities

Cash provided by financing activities decreased $178.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the prior year primarily due to higher net proceeds in 2020 from debt issuances partially offset by proceeds from the sale of common stock and lower purchases of noncontrolling interests in 2021. See “—Sources of Cash” above for further discussion.

Seasonality

Information regarding the seasonality of our business can be found in Part II—Financial Information—Item 8.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 1—The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.

Market Risk

We are exposed to market risks arising from changes in market rates and prices, including movements in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates.

Foreign Currency Risk

We have operations in countries throughout the world. The financial results of our foreign operations are measured in their local currencies. Our foreign subsidiaries also carry certain net assets or liabilities that are denominated in a currency other than that subsidiary’s functional currency. As a result, our financial results could be affected by factors such as changes in foreign currency exchange rates or weak economic conditions in the foreign markets in which we have operations. Currently, we do not have significant operations in any hyper-inflationary countries. Our foreign operations reported an operating loss of    $176.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. We estimate that a 10% change in the value of the United States dollar relative to foreign currencies would change our operating income for the year ended December 31, 2021 by $17.7 million. As of December 31, 2021, our most significant foreign exchange exposure included the Euro, British Pound, Australian Dollar, Canadian Dollar and Mexican Peso. This analysis does not consider the implication such currency fluctuations could have on the overall economic conditions of the United States or other foreign countries in which we operate or on the results of operations of our foreign entities. In addition, the reported carrying value of our assets and liabilities, including the total cash and cash equivalents held by our foreign operations, will also be affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates.

We primarily use forward currency contracts, in addition to options, to reduce our exposure to foreign currency risk associated with short-term artist fee commitments. We also may enter into forward currency contracts to minimize the risks and/or costs associated with changes in foreign currency rates on forecasted operating income. At December 31, 2021, we had forward currency contracts outstanding with a notional amount of $100.4 million.

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Interest Rate Risk

Our market risk is also affected by changes in interest rates. We had $5.8 billion of total debt, excluding unamortized debt discounts and issuance costs, outstanding as of December 31, 2021. Of the total amount, we had $5.0 billion of fixed-rate debt and $0.8 billion of floating-rate debt.

Based on the amount of our floating-rate debt as of December 31, 2021, each 25-basis point increase or decrease in interest rates would increase or decrease our annual interest expense and cash outlay by approximately $1.9 million. This potential increase or decrease is based on the simplified assumption that the level of floating-rate debt remains constant with an immediate across-the-board increase or decrease as of December 31, 2021 with no subsequent change in rates for the remainder of the period.

In January 2020, we entered into an interest rate swap agreement that is designated as a cash flow hedge for accounting purposes to effectively convert a portion of our floating-rate debt to a fixed-rate basis. The swap agreement expires in October 2026, has a notional amount of $500.0 million and ensures that a portion of our floating-rate debt does not exceed 3.397%.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Information regarding recently issued and adopted accounting pronouncements can be found in Item 8.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 1—The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amount of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates that are based on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The result of these evaluations forms the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities and the reported amount of revenue and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. Because future events and their effects cannot be determined with certainty, actual results could differ from our assumptions and estimates, and such difference could be material. Management believes that the following accounting estimates are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our reported financial results, and they require management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, resulting from the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. The following narrative describes these critical accounting estimates, the judgments and assumptions and the effect if actual results differ from these assumptions where applicable.

Consolidation

Typically we consolidate entities in which we own more than 50% of the voting common stock and control operations and also VIEs for which we are the primary beneficiary. Investments in nonconsolidated affiliates in which we own more than 20% of the voting common stock or otherwise exercise significant influence over operating and financial policies, but not control of the nonconsolidated affiliate, are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Investments in nonconsolidated affiliates in which we own less than 20% of the voting common stock and do not exercise significant influence over operating and financial policies are accounted for at fair value unless the investment does not have a readily determinable fair value in which case the investment is accounted for at cost less any impairment. Intercompany accounts among the consolidated businesses have been eliminated in consolidation. Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests is reflected in the statements of operations for consolidated affiliates.

Business Combinations

We account for our business combinations under the acquisition method of accounting. Identifiable assets acquired, liabilities assumed and any noncontrolling interest in the acquiree are recognized and measured as of the acquisition date at fair value. Additionally, contingent consideration is recorded at fair value on the acquisition date and classified as a liability. Goodwill is recognized to the extent by which the aggregate of the acquisition-date fair value of the consideration transferred and any noncontrolling interest in the acquiree exceeds the recognized basis of the identifiable assets acquired, net of assumed liabilities. Determining the fair value of assets acquired, liabilities assumed and noncontrolling interest requires management’s judgment and often involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions, including assumptions with respect to future cash flows, discount rates and asset lives among other items.

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Intangibles

We test for possible impairment of definite-lived intangible assets whenever events or circumstances change, such as a current period operating cash flow loss combined with a history of, or projections of, operating cash flow losses or a significant adverse change in the manner in which the asset is intended to be used, which could indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable.

We test for possible impairment of indefinite-lived intangible assets on at least an annual basis. Based on facts and circumstances, we perform either a qualitative or a quantitative assessment for impairment. If a qualitative assessment is performed, and the existence of events and circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired, we perform the quantitative impairment test by comparing the fair value with the carrying amount.

When performing quantitative assessments for impairment of our definite-lived and indefinite-lived intangible assets, we compare the estimated undiscounted future cash flows related to the asset or asset group to the carrying amount of those assets or asset group. If the carrying value is greater than the estimated undiscounted future cash flows, the cost basis of the asset or asset group is reduced to reflect the current fair value. We use various assumptions in determining the current fair value of these definite-lived and indefinite-lived intangible assets, including future expected cash flows, discount rates and royalty rates as well as other fair value measures. Our impairment loss calculations require us to apply judgment in estimating future cash flows, including forecasting useful lives of the assets and selecting the discount rate that reflects the risk inherent in future cash flows.

If actual results are not consistent with our assumptions and judgments used in estimating future cash flows and asset fair values, we may be exposed to future impairment losses that could be material to our results of operations.

Goodwill

We currently have six reporting units with goodwill balances: International Concerts, North America Concerts, Artist Management and Artist Services (non-management) within the Concerts segment; Sponsorship & Advertising; and Global Ticketing.

We test goodwill for impairment in any period when an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount or when we change our reporting units. We review goodwill for impairment annually, as of October 1, using a two-step process. The first step of the process is a qualitative evaluation as to whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of any of our reporting units is less than its carrying value using an assessment of relevant events and circumstances. Examples of such events and circumstances include historical financial performance, industry and market conditions, macroeconomic conditions, reporting unit-specific events, historical results of goodwill impairment testing, and the timing of the last performance of a quantitative assessment. We also considered changes in discount rates, market multiples, carrying value and forecast since the last quantitative test.

If any reporting units are concluded to be more likely than not impaired, or if that conclusion cannot be determined qualitatively, a second step is performed for that reporting unit. Regardless, it is our policy that all reporting units undergo a second step at least once every five years to support our annual qualitative first step. This second step, used to quantitatively screen for potential impairment and measure the impairment, if any, compares the fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. Inherent in such fair value determinations are certain judgments and estimates relating to future cash flows, including our interpretation of current economic indicators and market valuations, and assumptions about our strategic plans with regard to our operations. Due to the uncertainties associated with such estimates, actual results could differ from such estimates. If the reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, the excess of the carrying value over the fair value is recorded as an impairment to goodwill. If a reporting unit’s carrying value is negative, the reporting unit passes the impairment test. In this case, we will disclose the amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit and disclose which reportable segment the reporting unit is included in.

In both steps, discount rates, market multiples and sensitivity tests are derived and/or computed with the assistance of external valuation consultants. Generally, we test for sensitivity to changes in discount rates, revenue and terminal growth rates, and market multiples.

In developing fair values for our reporting units, we may employ a discounted cash flow or a market multiple methodology, or a combination thereof. The discounted cash flow methodology establishes fair value by estimating the present value of the projected future cash flows to be generated from the reporting unit. The discount rate applied to the projected future cash flows to arrive at the present value is intended to reflect all risks of ownership and the associated risks of realizing the stream of projected future cash flows. The discounted cash flow methodology uses our estimates of future financial performance. The most significant assumptions used in the discounted cash flow methodology are the discount rate and expected future revenue, which vary among reporting units.

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The market multiple methodology compares us to similar companies on the basis of risk characteristics to determine our risk profile relative to those companies as a group. This analysis generally focuses on both quantitative considerations, which include financial performance and other quantifiable data, and qualitative considerations, which include any factors which are expected to impact future financial performance. The most significant assumptions affecting the market multiple methodology are the market multiples used on projected future cash flows and market participant acquisition premium. A market participant acquisition premium represents the additional value a buyer would pay to obtain control of the respective reporting unit because having control would lead to higher cash flows, lower cost of capital or both. In 2021, as part of the October 1 annual review, market multiples were not incorporated into our assessments for some reporting units where its current financial metrics do not support use of the market approach as a corroborating approach. When these businesses stabilize, we will reincorporate the market approach into their fair value methodology.

In 2021 as part of our annual impairment test, all of our reporting units with goodwill were assessed under the initial qualitative evaluation and did not advance to the second step. Considerations included (a) excess of fair values over carrying values in the most recent quantitative analysis performed, (b) discount rates, (c) financial results and (d) sensitivity analyses. We also considered changes in discount rates, market multiples if applicable, carrying value and forecasts since the last time a quantitative test was performed.

Given the results of the tests performed, although we cannot predict future performance or market conditions, we do not currently believe any of our reporting units are at risk of failing the second step in the near future.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue from the promotion or production of an event is recognized when the show occurs. Revenue collected in advance of the event is recorded as deferred revenue until the event occurs. Revenue collected from sponsorship agreements, which is not related to a single event, is classified as deferred revenue and recognized over the term of the agreement or operating season as the benefits are provided to the sponsor.

Revenue from our ticketing operations primarily consists of our share of convenience and order processing fees charged at the time a ticket for an event is sold in either the primary or secondary markets. We act as an agent on behalf of our clients and therefore do not record the face value of the tickets as revenue. For tickets sold for our concert and festival events, where our concert promoters control ticketing, revenue is recognized when the show occurs. Revenue for these ticket service charges collected in advance of the event is recorded as deferred revenue until the event occurs and these service charges are shared between our Ticketing and Concerts segments. For tickets sold for events of our third-party clients and secondary market sales, this revenue is recognized at the time of the sale and is recorded by our Ticketing segment.

We account for taxes that are externally imposed on revenue producing transactions on a net basis, as a reduction of revenue.

Litigation Accruals

We are currently involved in certain legal proceedings and, as required, have accrued our estimate of the probable costs for the resolution of these claims. Management’s estimates used have been developed in consultation with counsel and are based upon an analysis of potential results, assuming a combination of litigation and settlement strategies. It is possible, however, that future results of operations for any particular period could be materially affected by changes in our assumptions or the effectiveness of our strategies related to these proceedings.

Income Taxes

We account for income taxes using the liability method in accordance with the FASB guidance for income taxes. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting bases and tax bases of assets and liabilities and are measured using the enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the periods in which the deferred tax asset or liability is expected to be realized or settled. Deferred tax assets are reduced by valuation allowances if we believe it is more likely than not that some portion or the entire asset will not be realized. As almost all earnings from our continuing foreign operations are permanently reinvested and not distributed, our income tax provision does not include additional United States state taxes and foreign withholding or transaction taxes on those foreign earnings that would be incurred if they were distributed. It is not practicable to determine the amount of state and foreign income taxes, if any, that might become due in the event that any remaining available cash associated with these earnings were distributed.

The FASB guidance for income taxes prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The amount recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is more likely than not to be realized upon ultimate settlement.

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