FuboTV Inc 10-Q, filed Nov 10, 2021
FuboTV Inc. (FUBO)
About this 10-Q
FuboTV Inc filed this 10-Q on November 10, 2021, covering the quarter ended September 30, 2021.
Headline figures
Quarter ended September 30, 2021, as reported in this filing, compared with the same period a year earlier where the filing states it.
- Revenue
- $156.69M
- up 156.0% from $61.2M a year earlier
- Net loss
- $105.87M
- compared with a net loss of $274.12M a year earlier
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
| QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 or 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For
the quarterly period ended
or
| TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 or 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from _____________ to _____________
Commission
File Number:
fuboTV Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | |
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
| New
York Stock Exchange |
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2)
has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule
405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant
was required to submit such files).
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |
| ☒ | Smaller reporting company | |||
| Emerging growth company |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐
As of October 31, 2021, there were shares of the registrant’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, outstanding.
fuboTV Inc.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
BASIS OF PRESENTATION
As used in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (“Quarterly Report”), unless expressly indicated or the context otherwise requires, references to “fuboTV Inc.,” “fuboTV,” “we,” “us,” “our,” “the Company,” and similar references refer to fuboTV Inc., a Florida corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries, including fuboTV Media Inc., a Delaware corporation (“fuboTV Sub”). “fuboTV Pre-Merger” refers to fuboTV Inc., a Delaware corporation, prior to the Merger (as defined herein) and “FaceBank Pre-Merger” refers to FaceBank Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries prior to the Merger.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Quarterly Report includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). These forward-looking statements, which are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, generally relate to future events or our future financial or operating performance. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “design,” “intend,” “expect,” “could,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “seek,” “should,” “would,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” or the negative version of these words and other comparable terminology that concern our expectations, strategy, plans, intentions, or projections. Forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report include, but are not limited to, statements about:
| ● | market conditions and global economic factors beyond our control, including the potential adverse effects of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic on our business and results of operations, on live sports and entertainment, and on the global economic environment; | |
| ● | our ability to access debt and equity financing; | |
| ● | our efforts to maintain proper and effective internal controls; | |
| ● | factors relating to our business, operations, and financial performance, including: |
| ● | our ability to effectively compete in the live TV streaming and entertainment industries; | ||
| ● | our ability to successfully integrate new operations, including the ability to implement our wagering strategy; | ||
| ● | our ability to maintain and expand our content offerings; | ||
| ● | our ability to expand into the sports wagering market; | ||
| ● | our ability to recognize deferred tax assets and tax loss carryforwards; |
| ● | the impact of management changes and organizational restructuring; | |
| ● | changes in applicable laws or regulations; | |
| ● | litigation and our ability to adequately protect our intellectual property rights; | |
| ● | our ability to operate a sportsbook and other gaming-related products and services, including, without limitation, our ability to gain state market access and to obtain and maintain required state regulatory approvals; | |
| ● | our success in retaining or recruiting officers, key employees, or directors; and | |
| ● | the possibility that we may be adversely affected by other economic, business and/or competitive factors. |
We have based the forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report primarily on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including those described in Part II, Section 1A titled “Risk Factors.” These risks are not exhaustive. Other sections of this Quarterly Report include additional factors that could adversely impact our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment, and new risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this Quarterly Report may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements.
In addition, forward-looking statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this Quarterly Report, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.
The forward-looking statements made in this Quarterly Report relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Quarterly Report or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. You should read this Quarterly Report in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto as of and for the year ended December 31, 2020 included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on March 25, 2021, as amended on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on March 29, 2021 (the “Annual Report”).
PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements
fuboTV Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in thousands, except for share and per share information)
| September 30, | December 31, | |||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| (Unaudited) | ||||||||
| ASSETS | ||||||||
| Current assets | ||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accounts receivable, net | ||||||||
| Prepaid and other current assets | ||||||||
| Total current assets | ||||||||
| Property and equipment, net | ||||||||
| Restricted cash | ||||||||
| Intangible assets, net | ||||||||
| Goodwill | ||||||||
| Right-of-use assets | ||||||||
| Other non-current assets | ||||||||
| Total assets | $ | $ | ||||||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||
| Current liabilities | ||||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accrued expenses | ||||||||
| Notes payable | ||||||||
| Deferred revenue | ||||||||
| Warrant liabilities | ||||||||
| Long-term borrowings - current portion | - | |||||||
| Current portion of lease liabilities | ||||||||
| Total current liabilities | ||||||||
| Convertible notes, net of discount | - | |||||||
| Deferred income taxes | ||||||||
| Lease liabilities | ||||||||
| Other long-term liabilities | - | |||||||
| Total liabilities | ||||||||
| COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Note 13) | ||||||||
| Stockholders’ equity: | ||||||||
| Series AA Convertible Preferred stock, par value $, shares authorized, shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2021 and shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2020 | - | |||||||
| Common stock par value $: shares authorized; and shares issued at September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively; and shares outstanding at September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020 respectively | ||||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | ||||||||
| Treasury stock, at cost, and shares at September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020 | - | - | ||||||
| Accumulated deficit | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Non-controlling interest | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Total stockholders’ equity | ||||||||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
| 1 |
fuboTV Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(Unaudited)
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
For the Three Months Ended September 30, | For the Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
| Revenues | ||||||||||||||||
| Subscription | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Advertising | ||||||||||||||||
| Other | ||||||||||||||||
| Total revenues | ||||||||||||||||
| Operating expenses | ||||||||||||||||
| Subscriber related expenses | ||||||||||||||||
| Broadcasting and transmission | ||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | ||||||||||||||||
| Technology and development | ||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | ||||||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | ||||||||||||||||
| Impairment of intangible assets and goodwill | ||||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | ||||||||||||||||
| Operating loss | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
| Other income (expense) | ||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense and financing costs | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
| Amortization of debt discount | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||
| Loss on issuance of common stock and warrants | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Gain on sale of assets | ||||||||||||||||
| Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||
| Loss on deconsolidation of Nexway | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Change in fair value of warrant liabilities | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Change in fair value of subsidiary warrant liabilities | ||||||||||||||||
| Change in fair value of shares settled liability | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative liability | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Change in fair value of profit share liability | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Unrealized gain on equity method investment | ||||||||||||||||
| Foreign currency exchange loss | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Other income (expense) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||
| Total other income (expense) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
| Income tax benefit | ||||||||||||||||
| Net loss | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
| Less: Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest | ||||||||||||||||
| Net loss attributable to common stockholders | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||||
| Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders | ||||||||||||||||
| Basic and diluted | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||||
| Weighted average shares outstanding: | ||||||||||||||||
| Basic and diluted | ||||||||||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
| 2 |
fuboTV Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Convertible Preferred Stock and Stockholders’ Equity
Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
(Unaudited)
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
| Additional | Accumulated Other | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preferred stock | Common Stock | Paid-In | Treasury Stock | Accumulated | Comprehensive | Noncontrolling | Stockholders’ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Capital | Shares | Amount | Deficit | Loss | Interest | Equity | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2020 | $ | | $ | | $ | ( | ) | $ | - | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock for cash | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock for cash, shares | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock and warrants for cash | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock and warrants for cash, shares | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock to original owners of Facebank AG | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock to original owners of Facebank AG, shares | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock - subsidiary share exchange | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock - subsidiary share exchange, shares | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conversion of Series AA Preferred Stock | ( | ) | ( | ) | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock/At-the-market offering, net of offering costs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock/At-the-market offering, net of offering costs, shares | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercise of warrants | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of treasury stock in connection with acquisition | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recognition of debt discount on 2026 Convertible Notes | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercise of stock options | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Delivery of common stock underlying restricted stock units | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Delivery of common stock underlying restricted stock units , shares | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common stock issued in connection with note payable | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common stock issued in connection with note payable, shares | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reclassification of warrant liabilities | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Right to receive Series AA Preferred Stock in connection with acquisition of fuboTV Pre-Merger | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Right to receive Series AA Preferred Stock in connection with acquisition of fuboTV Pre-Merger, shares | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Settlement of share settled liability | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Settlement of share settled liability, shares | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation, shares | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Redemption of redemption feature of convertible preferred stock | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deemed dividend related to immediate accretion of redemption feature of convertible preferred stock | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accrued Series D Preferred Stock dividends | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deconsolidation of Nexway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other, shares | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Foreign currency translation adjustment | - | - | ( | ) | - | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net loss | - | - | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at March 31, 2021 (Unaudited) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercise of warrants | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recognition of debt discount on 2026 Convertible Notes | - | - | ( | ) | - | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercise of stock options | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | - | ( | ) | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net loss | - | - | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at June 30, 2021 (Unaudited) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock/At-the-market offering, net of offering costs | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercise of warrants | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercise of stock options | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Delivery of common stock underlying restricted stock units | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net loss | - | - | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at September 30, 2021 (Unaudited) | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 |
fuboTV Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Convertible Preferred Stock and Stockholders’ Equity
Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
(Unaudited)
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
| Accumulated | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Additional | Other | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preferred stock | Common Stock | Paid-In | Accumulated | Comprehensive | Noncontrolling | Stockholders’ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Loss | Interest | Equity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2019 | $ | $ | | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | | $ | | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock for cash | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock - subsidiary share exchange | - | - | - | - | - | ( | ) | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common stock issued in connection with note payable | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock based compensation | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deemed dividend related to immediate accretion of redemption feature of convertible preferred stock | - | - | - | - | ( | ) | - | - | - | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accrued Series D Preferred Stock dividends | - | - | - | - | ( | ) | - | - | - | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deconsolidation of Nexway | - | - | - | - | - | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net loss | - | - | - | - | - | ( | ) | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at March 31, 2020 (Unaudited) | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock for cash | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock - subsidiary share exchange | - | - | - | - | - | ( | ) | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common stock issued in connection with note payable | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Right to receive Series AA Preferred Stock in connection with acquisition of fuboTV Pre-Merger | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Settlement of share settled liability | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock based compensation | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deemed dividend related to immediate accretion of redemption feature of convertible preferred stock | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accrued Series D Preferred Stock dividends | - | - | - | - | ( | ) | - | - | - | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net loss | - | - | - | - | - | ( | ) | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at June 30, 2020 (Unaudited) | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock for cash | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock and warrants for cash | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock to original owners of Facebank AG | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercise of stock options | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common stock issued in connection with note payable | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reclassification of warrant liabilities | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Redemption of redemption feature of convertible preferred stock | - | - | - | - | ( | ) | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net loss | - | - | - | - | - | ( | ) | - | - | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at September 30, 2020 (Unaudited) | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
| 4 |
fuboTV Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited)
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
For the Nine Months Ended September 30, | ||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Cash flows from operating activities | ||||||||
| Net loss | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||
| Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | ||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | ||||||||
| Impairment expense intangibles | ||||||||
| Impairment expense goodwill | ||||||||
| Loss on deconsolidation of Nexway, net of cash retained by Nexway | ||||||||
| Loss on issuance of common stock and warrants | ||||||||
| Loss on extinguishment of debt | ||||||||
| Common stock issued in connection with note payable | ||||||||
| Gain on sale of assets | ( | ) | ||||||
| Non-cash expense relating to issuance of warrants and common stock | ||||||||
| Amortization of debt discount | ||||||||
| Deferred income tax benefit | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Change in fair value of derivative liability | ||||||||
| Change in fair value of warrant liabilities | ( | ) | ||||||
| Change in fair value of shares settled liability | ||||||||
| Change in fair value of profit share liability | ||||||||
| Unrealized gain on investment | ( | ) | ||||||
| Amortization of right-of-use assets | ||||||||
| Accrued interest on notes payable | ||||||||
| Foreign currency loss | ||||||||
| Other adjustments | ( | ) | ||||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities of business, net of acquisitions: | ||||||||
| Accounts receivable, net | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Prepaid expenses and other assets | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Accounts payable | ||||||||
| Accrued expenses | ( | ) | ||||||
| Due to related parties | ||||||||
| Deferred revenue | ||||||||
| Lease liabilities | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Cash flows from investing activities | ||||||||
| Advance to fuboTV Pre-Merger | ( | ) | ||||||
| Acquisition of fuboTV’s Pre-Merger cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash | ||||||||
| Sale of Facebank AG | ( | ) | ||||||
| Cash paid for acquisition | ( | ) | ||||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Purchase of intangible assets | ( | ) | ||||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Cash flows from financing activities | ||||||||
| Proceeds from sale of common stock and warrants, net of fees | ||||||||
| Proceeds from the issuance of common stock / At-the-market offering | ||||||||
| Offering costs for the issuance of common stock / At-the-market offering | ( | ) | ||||||
| Proceeds from convertible note, net of issuance costs | ||||||||
| Proceeds from exercise of stock options | ||||||||
| Proceeds from the exercise of warrants | ||||||||
| Repayments of convertible notes | ( | ) | ||||||
| Proceeds from notes payable and long-term borrowings | ||||||||
| Repayments of notes payable and long-term borrowings | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Proceeds from the issuance of Series D Preferred Stock | ||||||||
| Redemption of Series D Preferred Stock | ( | ) | ||||||
| Repayments of note payable related party | ( | ) | ||||||
| Repayments to related parties | ( | ) | ||||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | ||||||||
| Net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | ||||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period | ||||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
| 5 |
fuboTV Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited)
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
| Supplemental disclosure of cash flows information: | ||||||||
| Interest paid | $ | $ | ||||||
| Non cash financing and investing activities: | ||||||||
| Conversion of Series AA preferred stock to common stock | $ | $ | ||||||
| Issuance of convertible preferred stock for Merger | $ | $ | ||||||
| Issuance of common stock to original owners of Facebank AG | $ | $ | ||||||
| Reclass of shares settled liability to additional paid-in capital for issuance of common stock | $ | $ | ||||||
| Reclass of shares settled liability for intangible asset to stock-based compensation | $ | $ | ||||||
| Issuance of treasury stock in connection with acquisition | $ | $ | ||||||
| Cashless exercise of warrants | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accrued expenses - At-the-market offering | $ | $ | ||||||
| Common stock issued in connection with note payable | $ | $ | ||||||
| Issuance of common stock - subsidiary share exchange | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accrued Series D Preferred Stock dividends | $ | $ | ||||||
| Deemed dividend related to immediate accretion of redemption feature of convertible preferred stock | $ | $ |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
| 6 |
fuboTV Inc.
Notes
to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
Note 1 - Organization and Nature of Business
Incorporation
fuboTV Inc. (“fuboTV” or the “Company”) was incorporated under the laws of the State of Florida in February 2009 under the name York Entertainment, Inc. The Company changed its name to FaceBank Group, Inc. on September 30, 2019. On August 10, 2020, the Company changed its name to fuboTV Inc. and as of May 1, 2020, the Company’s trading symbol was changed from “FBNK” to “FUBO.” The Company’s common stock was approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) in connection with a public offering in October 2020 and commenced trading on the NYSE on October 8, 2020.
Unless the context otherwise requires, “fuboTV,” “we,” “us,” “our,” and the “Company” refers to fuboTV and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis.
Merger with fuboTV Inc.
On April 1, 2020, fuboTV Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation and our wholly-owned subsidiary (“Merger Sub”) merged with and into fuboTV Pre-Merger, whereby fuboTV Pre-Merger continued as the surviving corporation and became our wholly-owned subsidiary pursuant to the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization dated as of March 19, 2020, by and among us, Merger Sub and fuboTV Pre-Merger (the “Merger Agreement” and such transaction, the “Merger”).
Nature of Business
The Company is focused on developing its technology-driven IP in sports, movies, and live performances. The Company is principally focused on offering consumers a leading live TV streaming platform for sports, news, and entertainment through fuboTV. The Company’s revenues are almost entirely derived from the sale of subscription services and the sale of advertisements in the United States.
The Company’s subscription-based streaming services are offered to consumers who can sign-up for accounts through which the Company provides basic plans with the flexibility for consumers to purchase incremental features that include additional content or enhanced functionality (“Attachments”) best suited for them. Besides the website, consumers can also sign-up via some TV-connected devices. The fuboTV platform provides a broad suite of unique features and personalization tools such as multi-channel viewing capabilities, favorites lists and a dynamic recommendation engine, as well as 4K streaming and Cloud DVR offerings.
The
Company launched a business-to-consumer online sports betting business (“Online Sportsbook”) in the state
of Iowa in November 2021. The Company is planning to launch in additional states in the fourth quarter of 2021 and
during 2022. During the nine months ended September 30, 2021 the Company paid $
Note 2 - Liquidity, Going Concern and Management Plans
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern, which contemplates the continuity of operations, realization of assets, and liquidation of liabilities in the normal course of business.
The
Company had cash and cash equivalents of $
| 7 |
fuboTV Inc.
Notes
to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
As
discussed further in Note 10, on February 2, 2021, the Company issued $
The
net proceeds from this offering were approximately $
As
discussed further in Note 12, during the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company received net proceeds of approximately $
The Company’s current cash and cash equivalents provide us with the necessary liquidity to continue as a going concern for at least one year from the date of issuance of these financial statements.
In addition to the foregoing, the Company cannot predict the long-term impact on its development timelines, revenue levels and its liquidity due to the worldwide spread of COVID-19. Based upon the Company’s current assessment, it does not expect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to materially impact the Company’s operations. However, the Company is continuing to assess the impact the spread of COVID-19 may have on its operations.
Note 3 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation
The Company’s consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and the accounts of the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries and non-wholly owned subsidiaries where the Company has a controlling interest. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP” or “U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and pursuant to the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 8 of Regulation S-X of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation of such interim results.
The results for the unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2021 or for any future interim period. The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2020 has been derived from the audited financial statements; however, it does not include all of the information and notes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020 and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Those estimates and assumptions include allocating the fair value of purchase consideration to assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business acquisitions, useful lives of property and equipment and intangible assets, recoverability of goodwill and intangible assets, accruals for contingent liabilities, valuation of warrants, convertible notes, and equity instruments issued in share-based payment arrangements and accounting for income taxes, including the valuation allowance on deferred tax assets.
| 8 |
fuboTV Inc.
Notes
to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
Segment and Reporting Unit Information
Operating segments are defined as components of an entity for which discrete financial information is available that is regularly reviewed by the Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”) in deciding how to allocate resources to an individual segment and in assessing performance. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer is determined to be the CODM. The CODM reviews financial information and makes resource allocation decisions at the consolidated group level.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all highly liquid investments with remaining maturities at the date of purchase of three months or less to be cash equivalents, including balances held in the Company’s money market account. Restricted cash primarily represents cash on deposit with financial institutions in support of a letter of credit outstanding in favor of the Company’s landlord for office space. The restricted cash balance has been excluded from the cash balance and is classified as restricted cash on the condensed consolidated balance sheets.
The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash within the condensed consolidated balance sheets that sum to the total of the same on the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows (in thousands):
Summary of Reconciliation of Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash
| September 30, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | $ | ||||||
| Restricted cash | ||||||||
| Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | $ | $ | ||||||
Certain Risks and Concentrations
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of demand deposits and accounts receivable. The Company maintains cash deposits with financial institutions that at times exceed applicable insurance limits.
No
individual customer accounted for more than
The majority of the Company’s software and computer systems utilize data processing, storage capabilities and other services provided by Amazon Web Services (“AWS”), which cannot be easily switched to another cloud service provider. As such, any disruption of the Company’s interference with AWS would adversely impact the Company’s operations and business.
Treasury Stock
The Company accounts for the treasury stock using the cost method, which treats it as a reduction in stockholders’ equity. In December 2020, the Company repurchased shares of its common stock at par value. In February 2021, the Company issued shares of treasury stock in connection with the acquisition of Vigtory, Inc. See Note 4 for further discussion regarding the acquisition.
Significant Accounting Policies
For a detailed discussion of the Company’s significant accounting policies, see Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020, included in the Company’s Annual Report. Except for the accounting for the 2026 Convertible Notes discussed in Note 10 and sales of common stock through the Sales Agreement discussed in Note 12, there were no significant changes to the Company’s accounting policies during the nine months ended September 30, 2021.
| 9 |
fuboTV Inc.
Notes
to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period.
Summary of Calculation of Basic and Diluted Net Loss Per Share
Three Months Ended September 30, | Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
| Basic loss per share: | ||||||||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||||
| Less: net loss attributable to non-controlling interest | - | |||||||||||||||
| Net loss attributable to common stockholders | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
| Shares used in computation: | ||||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average common shares outstanding | ||||||||||||||||
| Basic and diluted loss per share | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||||
Schedule of Anti-dilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share
| September 30, | ||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Warrants to purchase common stock | ||||||||
| Series AA convertible preferred shares | ||||||||
| Stock options | ||||||||
| Unvested restricted stock units | ||||||||
| Convertible notes variable settlement feature | ||||||||
| Total | ||||||||
Recently Issued Accounting Standards
In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13, “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses”. The ASU sets forth a “current expected credit loss” model which requires the Company to measure all expected credit losses for financial instruments held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable supportable forecasts. This replaces the existing incurred loss model and is applicable to the measurement of credit losses on financial assets measured at amortized cost and applies to some off-balance sheet credit exposures. This ASU was effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. Recently, the FASB issued the final ASU to delay adoption for smaller reporting companies to calendar year 2023. The Company intends to adopt this ASU in January 2022. The adoption of this ASU will not have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, Debt-Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging-Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity, which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. The ASU removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception, and it also simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. This ASU is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2021, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, but no earlier than fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. This update permits the use of either the modified retrospective or fully retrospective method of transition. The Company intends to adopt this ASU in January 2022. The adoption of this ASU will impact the Company’s accounting for the 2026 Convertible Notes and related amortization of debt discount.
| 10 |
fuboTV Inc.
Notes
to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
The Company continually assesses any new accounting pronouncements to determine their applicability. When it is determined that a new accounting pronouncement affects the Company’s financial reporting, the Company undertakes a study to determine the consequences of the change to its financial statements and assures that there are proper controls in place to ascertain that the Company’s condensed financial statements properly reflect the change.
Note 4 – Acquisition
On February 26, 2021, the Company consummated the acquisition of Vigtory, Inc., (“Vigtory”) a sports betting and interactive gaming company, as a result of the merger of fuboBet Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, into Vigtory, whereby Vigtory continued as the surviving corporation (the “Vigtory Acquisition”) and its name was changed to Fubo Gaming Inc.
The
purchase price of the Vigtory Acquisition was determined to be $
The Company accounted for the Vigtory Acquisition as a business combination under the acquisition method of accounting. As such, the purchase price was allocated to the net assets acquired with any excess recorded to goodwill. The net assets and liabilities assumed were immaterial and substantially all of the consideration was allocated to goodwill. Goodwill, which is not deductible for tax purposes, primarily represents the benefits expected to result from the assembled workforce of Vigtory. The results of the Vigtory Acquisition are included in the Company’s operations from February 26, 2021.
Note 5 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers
Disaggregated revenue
The following table presents the Company’s revenues disaggregated into categories based on the nature of such revenues (in thousands):
Schedule of Disaggregated Revenue
| 11 |
fuboTV Inc.
Notes
to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended September 30, | Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
| Subscription | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Advertising | ||||||||||||||||
| Other | ||||||||||||||||
| Total revenues | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
Contract balances
For the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, the Company did not recognize material bad-debt expense and there were no material contract assets recorded on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020.
The
Company’s contract liabilities primarily relate to upfront payments and consideration received from customers for subscription
services. As of September 30, 2021, and December 31, 2020, the Company’s contract liabilities totaled approximately $
Transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations
The Company does not disclose the transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations because subscription and advertising contracts have an original expected term of one year or less.
Note 6 – Property and equipment, net
Property and equipment, net, is comprised of the following (in thousands):
Schedule of Property and Equipment, Net
| Useful
Lives (Years) | September 30, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | ||||||||||
| Buildings | $ | $ | ||||||||||
| Furniture and fixtures | ||||||||||||
| Computer equipment | ||||||||||||
| Leasehold improvements | ||||||||||||
| Construction-in-progress | ||||||||||||
| Less: Accumulated depreciation | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
| Total property and equipment, net | $ | $ | ||||||||||
Depreciation
expense totaled approximately $
Note 7 – Intangible Assets and Goodwill
Intangible Assets
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company capitalized $
| 12 |
fuboTV Inc.
Notes
to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
The table below summarizes the Company’s intangible assets at September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020 (in thousands):
Schedule of Intangible Assets
| Useful | Weighted Average Remaining | September 30, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||
Lives (Years) | Life (Years) | Intangible Assets | Accumulated Amortization | Net Balance | ||||||||||||||
| Customer relationships | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | |||||||||||||
| fuboTV tradename | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||
| Software and technology | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||
| Gaming licenses and market access fees | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | |||||||||||||
| Useful | Weighted Average Remaining | December 31, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||
Lives (Years) | Life (Years) | Intangible Assets | Accumulated Amortization | Net Balance | ||||||||||||||
| Customer relationships | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | |||||||||||||
| fuboTV tradename | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||
| Software and technology | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | |||||||||||||
The
intangible assets are being amortized over their respective original useful lives, which range from one to twenty years. The Company
recorded amortization expense related to the above intangible assets of approximately $
The
Company performed a valuation of its intangible assets of the Facebank reporting unit as of September 30, 2020. The Company determined
that the carrying value of the intangible assets exceeded their fair value. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020,
the Company recorded an impairment charge of approximately $
The estimated future amortization expense associated with intangible assets (excluding gaming licenses and market access fees) is as follows (in thousands):
Schedule of Intangible Assets Amortization Expense
| Future Amortization | |||||
| 2021 | $ | ||||
| 2022 | |||||
| 2023 | |||||
| 2024 | |||||
| 2025 | |||||
| Thereafter | |||||
| Total | $ | ||||
Goodwill
The following table is a summary of the changes to goodwill for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 (in thousands):
Schedule of Goodwill
| Balance - December 31, 2020 | $ | |||
| Vigtory acquisition | ||||
| Balance - September 30, 2021 | $ |
| 13 |
fuboTV Inc.
Notes
to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
As
of December 31, 2020, goodwill includes an accumulated impairment charge of $
Note 8 – Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses
Accounts payable and accrued expenses are presented below (in thousands):
Schedule of Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses
| September 30, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||||
| Affiliate fees | $ | $ | ||||||
| Broadcasting and transmission | ||||||||
| Selling and marketing | ||||||||
| Accrued compensation | ||||||||
| Legal and professional fees | ||||||||
| Taxes (including value added) | ||||||||
| Interest Payable | - | |||||||
| Subscriber related | ||||||||
| Other | ||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | ||||||
Note 9 – Income Taxes
The
Company recorded income tax benefits primarily associated with the net reduction of the valuation allowance recorded against deferred
tax assets of $
The Company regularly evaluates the realizability of its deferred tax assets and establishes a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that some or all the deferred tax assets will not be realized. In making such a determination, the Company considers all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, loss carrybacks and tax-planning strategies. Generally, more weight is given to objectively verifiable evidence, such as the cumulative losses in recent years, as a significant piece of negative evidence to overcome. At September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the Company continued to maintain that a portion of its deferred tax assets do not meet the more likely than not realization threshold. Therefore, the deferred tax assets have been partially offset by a valuation allowance.
Note 10 – Notes Payable, Long-Term Borrowing, and Convertible Notes
Notes payable and long-term borrowing as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020 consist of the following (in thousands):
Schedule of Notes Payable and Long-Term Borrowings
| September 30, | December 31, | |||||||||||
| Note | Stated Interest Rate | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||
| 2026 Convertible Notes | % | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Senior secured loan | LIBOR
plus | |||||||||||
| Note payable | % | |||||||||||
| Paycheck Protection Program Loan | % | |||||||||||
| Other | % | |||||||||||
| $ | $ | |||||||||||
| 14 |
fuboTV Inc.
Notes
to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
2026 Convertible Notes
As
disclosed in Note 2, the Company issued $
The initial equivalent conversion price of the 2026 Convertible Notes was $ per share of the Company’s common stock. Holders may convert their 2026 Convertible Notes on or after November 15, 2025, until the close of business on the second business day preceding the maturity date or prior to November 15, 2025 under certain circumstances including:
| (i) | ||
| (ii) | during the five-business day period after any five consecutive trading day period in which the trading price for each trading day of such five consecutive trading day period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price of the Company’s common stock and the conversion rate on each such trading day; | |
| (iii) | if the Company calls any or all of the 2026 Convertible Notes for redemption, at any time prior to the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the redemption date; or | |
| (iv) | upon the occurrence of specified corporate events. |
The
Company accounted for the 2026 Convertible Notes using a cash conversion model. In accordance with ASC 470-20, the Company used an effective
interest rate of
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company paid approximately $
Senior Secured Loan
In
April 2018, fuboTV Pre-Merger entered into a senior secured term loan with AMC Networks Ventures, LLC (the “Term Loan”) with
a principal amount of $
Note payable
The
Company has recognized, through the consolidation of its subsidiary Evolution AI Corporation (“EAI”), a $
| 15 |
fuboTV Inc.
Notes
to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
Paycheck Protection Program Loan
On
April 21, 2020, the Company entered into a Promissory Note (the “PPP Note”) with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as the lender
(the “Lender”), pursuant to which the Lender agreed to make a loan to the Company under the Paycheck Protection Program (the
“PPP Loan”) offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration in a principal amount of $
The PPP Loan proceeds were utilized for payroll costs, including salaries, commissions, and similar compensation, group health care benefits, paid leaves, rent, utilities, and interest on certain other outstanding debt.
The
Company repaid the outstanding balance of $
Other
The
Company assumed, through the consolidation of its subsidiary EAI, a $
Note 11 – Fair Value Measurements
Certain of the Company’s warrants are classified as liabilities and measured at fair value on the issuance date, with changes in fair value recognized as other income (expense) in the condensed consolidated statements of operations.
The following table classifies the Company’s liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis into the fair value hierarchy as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020 (in thousands):
Schedule of Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
| Fair valued measured at September 30, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||
Quoted prices in active markets (Level 1) | Significant other observable inputs (Level 2) | Significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) | Total | |||||||||||||
| Financial liabilities at fair value: | ||||||||||||||||
| Warrant liabilities | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Total financial liabilities at fair value | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Fair valued measured at December 31, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||
Quoted prices in active markets (Level 1) | Significant other observable inputs (Level 2) | Significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) | Total | |||||||||||||
| Financial liabilities at fair value: | ||||||||||||||||
| Warrant liabilities | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Total financial liabilities at fair value | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| 16 |
fuboTV Inc.
Notes
to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
Warrant Liabilities
The following table presents changes in Level 3 liabilities measured at fair value (in thousands) for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. Unobservable inputs were used to determine the fair value of positions that the Company has classified within the Level 3 category.
Schedule of Liability for Derivatives and Warrants
| Warrant liabilities | ||||
| Fair value at December 31, 2020 | $ | |||
| Change in fair value | ||||
| Redemption | ( | ) | ||
| Fair value at March 31, 2021 | ||||
| Change in fair value | ||||
| Fair value at June 30, 2021 | ||||
| Redemption | ( | ) | ||
| Change in fair value | ( | ) | ||
| Fair value at September 30, 2021 | $ | |||
The Company used a Black-Scholes model to estimate the fair value of the warrant liabilities at September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020 using the following inputs:
Schedule of Warrant Liabilities, Change in Using Black Scholes to Monte Carlo Simulation Assumptions
September 30, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||||
| Fair value of underlying common shares | $ | $ | ||||||
| Exercise price | $ | $ | ||||||
| Expected dividend yield | % | % | ||||||
| Expected volatility | % | % | ||||||
| Weighted average expected volatility | % | % | ||||||
| Risk free interest rate | % | % | ||||||
| Weighted average risk free interest rate | % | % | ||||||
| Expected term (years) | ||||||||
| Weighted average expected term (years) | ||||||||
Note 12 – Stockholders’ Equity
Conversion of Series AA Preferred Stock
In January and February 2021, shares of Series AA Preferred Stock converted into shares of common stock. On March 1, 2021, we consummated an offer to exchange the remaining outstanding shares of Series AA Preferred Stock for shares of our common stock per share of Series AA Preferred Stock (the “Exchange Offer”). As a result of the Exchange Offer, shares of Series AA Preferred Stock, representing 100% of the outstanding shares of Series AA Preferred Stock, were exchanged for shares of our common stock.
At-the-Market Sales Agreement
As
disclosed in Note 2, on August 13, 2021, the Company entered into the “Sales Agreement” with Evercore Group L.L.C., Needham
& Company, LLC and Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., as sales agents (each, a “manager” and together, the “managers”),
under which the Company may, from time to time, sell shares of its common stock, par value $ per share, having an aggregate offering
price of up to $
Subject
to the terms and conditions of the Sales Agreement, each manager will use commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal
trading and sales practices to sell the shares from time to time, based upon the Company’s instructions
| 17 |
fuboTV Inc.
Notes
to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company received net proceeds of approximately $
Issuance of treasury stock
On February 26, 2021, the Company issued shares of its common stock in connection with the Vigtory Acquisition.
Stock-based compensation
Schedule of Recognized Stock-Based Compensation Expense
Three Months Ended September 30, | Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
| Subscriber related | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | ||||||||||||||||
| Technology and development | ||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | ||||||||||||||||
| $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||
Options
The Company provides stock-based compensation to employees, directors, and consultants under the Company’s 2020 Equity Incentive Plan. The fair value of each stock option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The Company historically has lacked sufficient company-specific historical and implied volatility information. Therefore, it estimates its expected stock volatility based primarily on the historical volatility of a publicly-traded set of peer companies with consideration of the volatility of its own traded stock price. The risk-free interest rate is determined by referencing the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant of the award for time periods approximately equal to the expected term of the award. Expected dividend yield is based on the fact that the Company has never paid cash dividends and does not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. The expected term of options represents the period that the Company’s stock-based awards are expected to be outstanding based on the simplified method, which is the half-life from vesting to the end of its contractual term. The simplified method was used because the Company does not have sufficient historical exercise data to provide a reasonable basis for an estimate of expected term.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Board of Directors approved a modification to stock option grants to two employees who terminated from the Company. The modifications accelerated the vesting of unvested stock options as of the termination date and provided the option holders with an additional three months post-termination to exercise their stock options. The modifications resulted in incremental stock-based compensation expense of $ million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021.
Schedule of Stock Option Activity
| 18 |
fuboTV Inc.
Notes
to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
| Number of Shares | Weighted
Average Exercise Price | Total Intrinsic Value | Weighted
Average Remaining Contractual Life (in years) | |||||||||||||
| Outstanding as of December 31, 2020 | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
| Granted | $ | |||||||||||||||
| Exercised | ( | ) | $ | |||||||||||||
| Forfeited or expired | ( | ) | $ | |||||||||||||
| Outstanding as of September 30, 2021 | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
| Options vested and exercisable as of September 30, 2021 | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
The outstanding stock options as of December 31, 2020 were adjusted from the previously reported amount in the Annual Report to exclude certain option grants subject to discretionary performance conditions, for which a grant date had not occurred as of December 31, 2020.
As of September 30, 2021, the unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to unvested options was approximately $ million to be recognized over a period of years.
Non-employees
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company granted options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock
at an exercise price of $ per share. These options have a fair value of $
As part of the Merger, the Company also assumed options granted to non-employees with a weighted average exercise price of $ (included in table above). Stock-based compensation expense related to unvested non-employee options was immaterial for the nine months ended September 30, 2020.
Other than the options assumed as described above, there were options granted to non-employees during the nine months ended September 30, 2021.
Market and Service Condition Based Stock Options
Schedule of Stock Option Activity
| Number of Shares | Weighted
Average Exercise Price | Total Intrinsic Value | Weighted
Average Remaining Contractual Life (in years) | |||||||||||||
| Outstanding as of December 31, 2020 | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
| Granted | $ | |||||||||||||||
| Outstanding as of September 30, 2021 | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
| Options vested and exercisable as of September 30, 2021 | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
| 19 |
fuboTV Inc.
Notes
to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
Restricted Stock Units
A summary of the Company’s restricted stock unit activity during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 is as follows:
Schedule of Restricted Stock Unit Activity
| Number of Shares | Weighted
Average Grant-Date Fair Value | |||||||
| Unvested at January 1, 2021 | $ | |||||||
| Granted | $ | |||||||
| Vested | ( | ) | $ | |||||
| Unvested at September 30, 2021 | $ | |||||||
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company issued
As of September 30, 2021, the unrecognized stock-based compensation related to restricted stock units totaled $ million, had an aggregate intrinsic value of approximately $ million, and a weighted average remaining contractual term of years.
Warrants
A summary of the Company’s outstanding warrants as of September 30, 2021, are presented below (in thousands, except share and per share amounts):
Summary of Outstanding Warrants Activity
| Number of Warrants | Weighted
Average Exercise Price | Total Intrinsic Value | Weighted
Average Remaining Contractual Life (in years) | |||||||||||||
| Outstanding as of December 31, 2020 | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
| Exercised | ( | ) | $ | $ | - | |||||||||||
| Outstanding as of September 30, 2021 | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
| Warrants exercisable as of September 30, 2021 | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company issued shares of its common stock in connection with the exercise of warrants.
Note 13 – Commitments and Contingencies
Leases
The components of lease expense were as follows:
Schedule of Operating Leases
Three Months Ended September 30, | Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
| Operating leases | ||||||||||||||||
| Operating lease cost | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Other lease cost | ||||||||||||||||
| Operating lease expense | ||||||||||||||||
| Short-term lease rent expense | ||||||||||||||||
| Total rent expense | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| 20 |
fuboTV Inc.
Notes
to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
Supplemental cash flow information related to leases were as follows:
Schedule of Supplemental Cash Flow Information
Three Months Ended September 30, | Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
| Operating cash flows from operating leases | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Right of use assets exchanged for operating lease liabilities | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Weighted average remaining lease term - operating leases | ||||||||||||||||
| Weighted average remaining discount rate - operating leases | % | % | % | % | ||||||||||||
As of September 30, 2021, future minimum payments for the operating leases are as follows:
Schedule of Future Minimum Payments for Operating Leases
| Three Months Ended December 31, 2021 | $ | |||
| Year Ended December 31, 2022 | ||||
| Year Ended December 31, 2023 | ||||
| Year Ended December 31, 2024 | ||||
| Thereafter | ||||
| Total | ||||
| Less present value discount | ( | ) | ||
| Operating lease liabilities | $ |
On
February 23, 2021, the Company entered into a lease agreement (the “Lease”) for approximately
| ● | $ | |
| ● | $ | |
| ● | $ |
The
Company has an option to extend the term of the Lease for an additional
On
March 19, 2021, the Company entered into a sublease agreement for approximately
Contingencies
The Company may be involved in certain legal proceedings that arise from time to time in the ordinary course of its business. When the Company determines that a loss is both probable and reasonably estimable, a liability is recorded and disclosed if the amount is material to the financial statements taken as a whole. When a material loss contingency is only reasonably possible, the Company does not record a liability, but instead discloses the nature and the amount of the claim, and an estimate of the loss or range of loss, if such an estimate can reasonably be made. Legal expenses associated with any contingency are expensed as incurred.
Legal Proceedings
The Company is and may in the future be involved in various legal proceedings arising from the normal course of business activities. Although the results of litigation and claims cannot be predicted with certainty, currently, the Company believes that the likelihood of any material adverse impact on the Company’s consolidated results of operations, cash flows or our financial position for any such litigation or claims is remote. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on the Company because of the costs to defend lawsuits, diversion of management resources and other factors.
| 21 |
fuboTV Inc.
Notes
to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
Said-Ibrahim v. fuboTV Inc., David Gandler, Edgar M. Bronfman Jr., & Simone Nardi, Case No. 21-cv-01412 (S.D.N.Y) & Lee v. fuboTV, Inc., David Gandler, Edgar M. Bronfman Jr., & Simone Nardi, Case No. 21-cv-01641 (S.D.N.Y.) (consolidated as In re fuboTV Inc. Securities Litigation, No. 21-cv-01412 (S.D.N.Y.))
On February 17, 2021, putative shareholders Wafa Said-Ibrahim and Adhid Ibrahim filed a class action lawsuit against the Company, co-founder and CEO David Gandler, Executive Chairman Edgar M. Bronfman Jr., and CFO Simone Nardi (collectively, the “Class Action Defendants”). Plaintiffs allege that Class Action Defendants violated federal securities laws by disseminating false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s financial health and operating condition, including the Company’s ability to grow subscription levels, prospects, future profitability, seasonality factors, cost escalations, ability to generate advertising revenue, valuation, and entering the online sports wagering market. The Plaintiffs allege that Class Action Defendants violated Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, as well as Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act, and seek damages and other relief.
On February 24, 2021, putative shareholder Steven Lee filed a nearly identical class action lawsuit against the same Defendants.
On April 29, 2021, the court consolidated Said-Ibrahim v. fuboTV Inc., David Gandler, Edgar M. Bronfman Jr., & Simone Nardi, Case No. 21-cv-01412 (S.D.N.Y) and Lee v. fuboTV, Inc., David Gandler, Edgar M. Bronfman Jr., & Simone Nardi, Case No. 21-cv-01641 (S.D.N.Y.) under In re FuboTV Inc. Securities Litigation, No. 1:21-cv-01412 (S.D.N.Y.). The court also appointed putative shareholder Nordine Aamchoune as lead plaintiff.
On July 12, 2021, Lead Plaintiff filed an Amended Class Action Complaint. Lead Plaintiff seeks to pursue this claim on behalf of himself as well as all other persons who purchased or otherwise acquired Company securities publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) between March 23, 2020 and January 4, 2021, inclusive, and who were allegedly damaged thereby.
The Class Action Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the Amended Class Action Complaint on September 10, 2021. Lead Plaintiff filed an opposition on November 9, 2021. Class Action Defendant’s reply is due on December 9, 2021.
The Company believes the claims alleged in both lawsuits are without merit and intends to vigorously defend these litigations.
Rosenfeld v. Edgar Bronfman Jr., Henry Ahn, Ignacio Figueras, Daniel Leff, Laura Onopchenko, David Gandler, Par-Jorgen Parson, & Simone Nardi, Case No. 21-cv-01953 (S.D.N.Y.)
On March 5, 2021, putative shareholder Robert Rosenfeld filed a derivative lawsuit against the Company and certain Company directors and officers, including Edgar Bronfman Jr., Henry Ahn, Ignacio Figueras, Daniel Leff, Laura Onopchenko, David Gandler, Par-Jorgen Parson, and Simone Nardi (collectively, the “Derivative Defendants”). Plaintiff’s complaint closely tracks the allegations in the Securities Class Action and alleges that the Derivative Defendants violated Sections 10(b) and 21D of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, breached their fiduciary duties, and committed corporate waste.
Plaintiff seeks to prosecute the action on behalf of the Company, and seeks, among other relief, an order directing Derivative Defendants to take all necessary actions to reform and improve the Company’s corporate governance, risk management, and internal operating procedures to comply with applicable laws, and an award of damages to the Company for the harm suffered as a result of the alleged wrongful conduct.
On April 21, 2021, Derivative Defendants filed a Motion to Dismiss the Original Complaint. In light of the arguments made in Derivative Defendants’ Motion, Plaintiff filed his Amended Verified Shareholder Derivative Complaint on May 12, 2021. Derivative Defendants filed a Motion to Dismiss the Amended Complaint on June 2, 2021. On June 23, 2021, after thoroughly considering Derivative Defendants’ arguments in their Motion, Plaintiff concluded that Derivative Defendants’ arguments were well founded and he jointly, with Derivative Defendants, asked the Court to voluntarily dismiss the derivative action with prejudice, following a proposed Notice of the dismissal to current shareholders. On June 25, 2021, the court entered an order approving the form of the proposed Notice of dismissal to current shareholders and ordering fuboTV to file a Form 8-K with the SEC attaching the Notice and to post the Form 8-K with the Notice to the investor relations section of fuboTV’s corporate website. On June 28, 2021, fuboTV filed a Form 8-K with the SEC attaching the Notice and posted the Form 8-K with the Notice to the investor relations section of fuboTV’s corporate website. On July 28, 2021, the court entered an order dismissing with prejudice the derivative lawsuit filed by Robert Rosenfeld.
Andrew Kriss and Eric Lerner vs. FaceBank Group, Inc. et. al. (Index No. 605474/20 Supreme Court of the State of New York.
On
June 8, 2020, Andrew Kriss and Eric Lerner filed a Summons with Notice in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Nassau County naming
as defendants the Company, PEC, John Textor and Frank Patterson, among others. On November 12, 2020, plaintiffs filed a Complaint, which
asserts claims for breach of express contract and implied duties, fraud in the inducement, unjust enrichment, conversion, declaratory
relief, fraud, and fraudulent conveyance. The claims arise from an alleged relationship between Plaintiffs and defendant PEC. Plaintiffs
seek monetary damages in an amount to be proven at trial, but not less than six million dollars ($
Note 14 – Subsequent Events
On November 4, 2021, the Company entered into
an agreement to acquire Edisn Inc., an AI-powered computer vision platform with
patent-pending video recognition technologies based in Bangalore, India, for $
On November 9, 2021, the Company entered into
an agreement to acquire Molotov SAS, a television streaming platform located in France, for €
| 22 |
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis by our management of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the accompanying related notes included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included in our Annual Report. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. You should review the sections titled “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” for a discussion of forward-looking statements and important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any period in the future.
The results of our operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 are not readily comparable against the results of our operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 as a result of our acquisitions of fuboTV Pre-Merger (as defined below) and Facebank AG, and our acquisition of and then deconsolidation of Nexway AG and its subsidiaries.
Overview
Our business motto is “come for the sports, stay for the entertainment.”
First, we leverage sporting events to acquire subscribers at lower acquisition costs, given the built-in demand for sports. We then leverage our technology and data to drive higher engagement and induce retentive behaviors such as favoriting channels, recording shows, and increasing discovery through our proprietary machine learning recommendations engine. Next, we look to monetize our growing base of highly engaged subscribers by driving higher average revenue per user (“ARPU”).
We believe our expected expansion into wagering and interactivity is core to this model. We believe free-to-play predictive games enhance the sports streaming experience - while also providing a bridge between video and our contemplated sportsbook. We expect the integration of gaming with our expansive live sports coverage will create a flywheel that lifts engagement and retention, expands advertising revenue through increased viewership, and creates additional opportunities for Attachment sales.
We drive our business model with three core strategies:
| ● | Grow our paid subscriber base | |
| ● | Optimize engagement and retention | |
| ● | Increase monetization. |
COVID-19 Update
The widespread global impact from the outbreak and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic continued throughout 2020. We took precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of our employees and slow down the spread of the virus by transitioning our workforce to remote working as we closed our offices.
The global spread of COVID-19 and the various attempts to contain it created significant volatility, uncertainty, and economic disruption in 2020. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations began towards the end of the first quarter of 2020, impacting advertising markets and the availability of live sport events, as numerous professional and college sports leagues cancelled or altered seasons and events.
During 2020, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continued to accelerate the shift of TV viewing away from traditional pay TV to streaming TV and the on-going shift of advertising budgets away from traditional linear TV into streaming offering. While in 2020 we experienced an increase in TV streaming and our overall business was largely unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic there can be no assurance that these positive trends will continue during the remainder of 2021 and beyond.
| 23 |
Incorporation
Unless the context otherwise requires, “fuboTV,” “we,” “us,” “our,” and the “Company” refers to fuboTV and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, and “fuboTV Pre-Merger” refers to fuboTV Inc., a Delaware corporation, prior to the Merger, and “fuboTV Sub” refers to fuboTV Inc., a Delaware corporation, and the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary following the Merger. “FaceBank Pre-Merger” refers to FaceBank Group, Inc. prior to the Merger and its subsidiaries prior to the closing of the Merger.
Merger with fuboTV Pre-Merger
On April 1, 2020, fuboTV Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation and our wholly-owned subsidiary (“Merger Sub”) merged with and into fuboTV Sub, whereby fuboTV Sub continued as the surviving corporation and became our wholly-owned subsidiary pursuant to the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization dated as of March 19, 2020, by and among us, Merger Sub and fuboTV Sub (the “Merger Agreement”). Following the Merger, we changed our name from “FaceBank Group, Inc.” to “fuboTV Inc.,” and we changed the name of fuboTV Sub to “fuboTV Media, Inc.” The combined company operates under the name “fuboTV,” and our trading symbol is “FUBO.”
In accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Merger, all of the capital stock of fuboTV Sub was converted into the right to receive shares of our newly created class of Series AA convertible preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Series AA Preferred Stock”). Each share of Series AA Preferred Stock was entitled to 0.8 votes per share and was convertible into two (2) shares of our common stock following the sale of such share of Series AA Preferred Stock on an arms’-length basis either pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act or pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act. In January and February 2021, 9,807,367 shares of Series AA Preferred Stock converted into 19,614,734 shares of common stock. On March 1, 2021, we consummated an offer to exchange the remaining outstanding shares of Series AA Preferred Stock for two shares of our common stock per share of Series AA Preferred Stock (the “Exchange Offer”). As a result of the Exchange Offer, 13,412,246 shares of Series AA Preferred Stock, representing 100% of the outstanding shares of Series AA Preferred Stock, were exchanged for 26,824,492 shares of our common stock.
Unless otherwise stated, 2020 financial statements and metrics include FaceBank Pre-Merger from January 1, 2020 through March 31, 2020.
Nature of Business
The Company is a leading live TV streaming platform for sports, news, and entertainment. The Company’s revenues are almost entirely derived from the sale of subscription services and the sale of advertisements in the United States, though the Company has started to assess expansion opportunities into international markets, with operations in Canada and Spain.
Our subscription-based services are offered to consumers who can sign-up for accounts at https://fubo.tv, through which we provide basic plans with the flexibility for consumers to purchase the add-ons and features best suited for them. Besides the website, consumers can also sign-up via some TV-connected devices. Our platform provides, what we believe to be, a superior viewer experience, with a broad suite of unique features and personalization capabilities such as multi-channel viewing capabilities, favorites lists and a dynamic recommendation engine as well as 4K streaming and Cloud DVR offerings.
We launched a business-to-consumer online sports betting business (“Online Sportsbook”) in the state of Iowa in November 2021. We are planning to launch in additional states in the fourth quarter of 2021 and during 2022. During the quarter ended September 30, 2021, we entered into market access agreements with third parties in various states and paid $29.7 million under those market access agreements (See Note 7).
Restatement of Financial Statements
In connection with the preparation of the Company’s condensed consolidated interim financial statements as of and for the quarter ended March 31, 2020, the Company identified an error in the accounting for goodwill relating to the Company’s acquisitions of Nexway AG and Facebank AG. In connection with these acquisitions, goodwill was impaired. Upon further evaluation, the Company determined that goodwill amounting to $79.7 million should not have been impaired. Accordingly, the Company should have allocated $51.2 million towards the loss on deconsolidation of Nexway AG during the three months ended March 31, 2020, which would have resulted in a loss on deconsolidation of Nexway AG of $11.9 million. The financial statement misstatements did not impact cash flows from operations, investing, or financing activities in the Company’s consolidated statements of cash flows for any period previously presented.
| 24 |
As a result, we were required to restate certain financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2020.
Between May 11, 2020 and June 8, 2020, the Company entered into Purchase Agreements with investors (“Investors”), pursuant to which the Company sold an aggregate of 3,735,922 shares of the Company’s common stock at a purchase price of $7.00 per share and issued warrants to the Investors covering a total of 3,735,922 shares of the Company’s common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $26.2 million.
The Company determined that the fair value of the warrants totaled $26.8 million. The Company originally recorded a loss on issuance of common stock and warrants totaling $26.8 million. The Company should have allocated the purchase price of $26.2 million to warrant liability with the residual amount of the $0.6 million to the loss on issuance of common stock and warrants, resulting in an overstatement of the loss by $26.2 million (“the Warrant Error”).
The Warrant Error resulted in the following:
On the condensed consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2020, there was no net effect of the Warrant Error to total assets, total liabilities, and total stockholders’ equity. The only line items on the condensed consolidated balance sheet that the Warrant Error affected were additional paid in capital and accumulated deficit, both of which were overstated by $26.2 million.
On the statement of condensed consolidated operations for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2020, the Warrant Error caused a $26.2 million overstatement of loss on issuance of common stock, notes, bonds and warrants.
On the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows for the six months ended June 30, 2020, there was no net effect of the Warrant Error on cash used in operating activities, cash used in investing activities and cash provided by financing activities.
As a result, we were required to restate certain financial statements in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020
Seasonality
We generate significantly higher levels of revenue and subscriber additions in the third and fourth quarters of the year. This seasonality is driven primarily by sports leagues, specifically the National Football League, which has a shorter partial-year season.
Components of Results of Operations
Revenues
Subscription
Subscription revenue consists primarily of subscription plans sold through the Company’s website and third-party app stores.
Advertising
Advertising revenue consists primarily of fees charged to advertisers who want to display ads (“impressions”) within the streamed content.
Other
Other revenue consists of a contract to sub-license rights to broadcast certain international sporting events to a third party. In 2020, software license revenue consists of revenue generated from the sale of software licenses at one of our subsidiaries, Nexway eCommerce Solutions. As a result of the sale of Nexway AG in July 2020, the Company no longer generates revenue from software licenses.
Subscriber Related Expenses
Subscriber related expenses consist primarily of affiliate distribution rights and other distribution costs related to content streaming.
Broadcasting and Transmission
Broadcasting and transmission expenses consist primarily of the cost to acquire a signal, transcode, store, and retransmit it to the subscribers.
| 25 |
Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of payroll and related costs, benefits, rent and utilities, stock-based compensation, agency costs, advertising campaigns and branding initiatives.
Technology and Development
Technology and development expenses consist primarily of payroll and related costs, benefits, rent and utilities, stock-based compensation, technical services, software expenses, and hosting expenses.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of payroll and related costs, benefits, rent and utilities, stock-based compensation, corporate insurance, office expenses, professional fees, as well as travel, meals, and entertainment costs.
Depreciation and amortization
Depreciation and amortization expense includes depreciation of fixed assets and amortization of finite-lived intangible assets.
Other income (expense)
Other income (expense) primarily consists of issuance gains/losses and the change in fair value of financial instruments, interest expense and financing costs on our outstanding borrowings and the loss recorded on the deconsolidation of a subsidiary.
Income tax benefit
The income tax benefit is driven by the change in deferred tax assets and liabilities and resulting change in valuation allowance.
| 26 |
Results of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 (in thousands):
On August 15, 2019 and September 16, 2019, the Company acquired Facebank AG and Nexway, respectively and on April 1, 2020 the Company acquired fuboTV Pre-Merger. The results of our operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 include the results of operations of Facebank AG and Nexway, which were disposed of in July 2020. Because of this, certain of our results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 are not comparable to the results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2020.
For the Three Months Ended September 30, | For the Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
| Revenues | ||||||||||||||||
| Subscriptions | $ | 138,119 | $ | 53,433 | $ | 359,601 | $ | 92,945 | ||||||||
| Advertising | 18,570 | 7,520 | 47,642 | 11,843 | ||||||||||||
| Other | 1 | 249 | 51 | 7,881 | ||||||||||||
| Total revenues | $ | 156,690 | $ | 61,202 | $ | 407,294 | $ | 112,669 | ||||||||
| Operating expenses | ||||||||||||||||
| Subscriber related expenses | $ | 143,370 | $ | 61,228 | $ | 377,177 | $ | 114,315 | ||||||||
| Broadcasting and transmission | 14,320 | 9,778 | 37,266 | 19,270 | ||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 50,381 | 22,269 | 94,038 | 33,526 | ||||||||||||
| Technology and development | 15,257 | 10,727 | 46,696 | 20,277 | ||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 27,288 | 8,270 | 73,735 | 42,130 | ||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 9,332 | 14,413 | 27,788 | 34,050 | ||||||||||||
| Impairment of intangible assets and goodwill | - | 236,681 | - | 236,681 | ||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 259,948 | 363,366 | 656,700 | 500,249 | ||||||||||||
| Operating loss | $ | (103,258 | ) | $ | (302,164 | ) | $ | (249,406 | ) | $ | (387,580 | ) | ||||
| Other income (expense) | ||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense and financing costs | $ | (3,402 | ) | $ | (2,203 | ) | $ | (10,031 | ) | $ | (18,109 | ) | ||||
| Amortization of debt discount | (4,138 | ) | - | (10,693 | ) | - | ||||||||||
| Loss on issuance of common stock and warrants | - | - | - | (13,507 | ) | |||||||||||
| Gain on sale of assets | - | 7,631 | - | 7,631 | ||||||||||||
| Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt | - | 1,321 | (380 | ) | (9,827 | ) | ||||||||||
| Loss on deconsolidation of Nexway | - | - | - | (11,919 | ) | |||||||||||
| Change in fair value of warrant liabilities | 4,490 | 4,543 | (2,114 | ) | 9,143 | |||||||||||
| Change in fair value of subsidiary warrant liabilities | - | - | - | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Change in fair value of shares settled liability | - | - | - | (1,665 | ) | |||||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative liability | - | 101 | - | (426 | ) | |||||||||||
| Change in fair value of profit share liability | - | - | - | (148 | ) | |||||||||||
| Unrealized gain on equity method investment | - | - | - | 2,614 | ||||||||||||
| Foreign currency exchange loss | - | - | - | (1,010 | ) | |||||||||||
| Other income | (72 | ) | 583 | (90 | ) | 147 | ||||||||||
| Total other expense | $ | (3,122 | ) | $ | 11,976 | $ | (23,308 | ) | $ | (37,073 | ) | |||||
| Loss before income taxes | $ | (106,380 | ) | $ | (290,188 | ) | $ | (272,714 | ) | $ | (424,653 | ) | ||||
| Income tax benefit | 515 | 16,071 | 1,733 | 20,589 | ||||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (105,865 | ) | $ | (274,117 | ) | $ | (270,981 | ) | $ | (404,064 | ) | ||||
| 27 |
Revenue
Three Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
During the three months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized revenues of $156.7 million compared to $61.2 million during the three months ended September 30, 2020. The increase of $95.5 million is primarily due to an increase in subscription revenue of $84.7 million resulting from increases in our subscriber base and subscription package prices and an increase in advertising revenue of $11.1 million resulting from an increase in the number of impressions sold.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized revenues of $407.3 million compared to $112.7 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The increase of $294.6 million was primarily due to a full nine months of revenue in 2021 of fuboTV compared to six months in the prior year period, higher subscription revenue due to increases in our subscriber base and subscription package prices and an increase in advertising revenue resulting from an increase in the number of impressions sold.
Subscriber related expenses
Three Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
During the three months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized subscriber related expenses of $143.4 million compared to $61.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2020. The increase of $82.1 million is primarily due to an increase in affiliate distribution rights and other distribution costs resulting from an increase in subscribers.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized subscriber related expenses of $377.2 million compared to $114.3 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The increase of $262.9 million was primarily due to a full nine months of expenses in 2021 of fuboTV compared to six months in the prior year period and an increase in affiliate distribution rights and other distribution costs resulting from an increase in subscribers.
Broadcasting and transmission
Three Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
During the three months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized broadcasting and transmission expenses of $14.3 million compared to $9.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2020. The increase of $4.5 million is primarily related to a higher number of linear feeds due to additional channel launches.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized broadcasting and transmission expenses of $37.3 million compared to $19.3 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The increase of $18.0 million was primarily due to a full nine months of expenses in 2021 of fuboTV compared to six months in the prior year period and higher number of linear feeds due to additional channel launches.
Sales and marketing
Three Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
During the three months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized sales and marketing expenses of $50.4 million compared to $22.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2020. The increase of $28.1 million is primarily related to marketing and other expenses incurred to acquire new customers to our streaming platform.
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Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized sales and marketing expenses of $94.0 million compared to $33.5 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The increase of $60.5 million was primarily due to a full nine months of expenses in 2021 of fuboTV compared to six months in the prior year period and increased marketing expenses incurred to acquire new customers to our streaming platform.
Technology and development
Three Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
During the three months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized technology and development expenses of $15.3 million compared to $10.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2020. The increase of $4.6 million is primarily related to an increase of $2.8 million in salaries expense due to an increase in employee headcount and an increase of $1.8 million in costs related to the launch of our online wagering operations.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized technology and development expenses of $46.7 million compared to $20.3 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The increase of $26.4 million was primarily due to a full nine months of expenses in 2021 of fuboTV compared to six months in the prior year period, an increase of $12.4 million in salaries due to an increase in employee headcount, $8.6 million in stock-based compensation, $2.5 million in software and contractor expenses, and $2.6 million in costs related to the launch of our online wagering operations.
General and Administrative
Three Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
During the three months ended September 30, 2021, general and administrative expenses totaled $27.3 million compared to $8.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2020. The increase of $19.0 million was primarily related to increases of $7.3 million in stock-based compensation, $2.4 million in sales tax reserve, $3.3 million related to the launch of our online wagering operations, $1.0 million of business insurance, and a $1.3 million increase in salaries due to an increase in employee headcount.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, general and administrative expenses totaled $73.7 million compared to $42.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The increase of $31.6 million was primarily due to a full nine months of expenses in 2021 of fuboTV compared to six months in the prior year period, a $7.6 million increase in sales tax reserves, a $10.8 million increase in stock-based compensation, $5.8 million related to the launch of our online wagering operations, a $4.4 million increase in salaries due to an increase in employee headcount and a $3.1 million increase related to business insurance.
Depreciation and amortization
Three Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
During the three months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized depreciation and amortization expenses of $9.3 million compared to $14.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2020. The decrease of $5.1 million is primarily related to a reduction of amortization expense related to intangible assets of FaceBank Pre-Merger that were subject to impairment charges in the third and fourth quarters of 2020.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized depreciation and amortization expenses of $27.8 million compared to $34.0 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The decrease of $6.3 million is primarily related to a reduction of $15.2 million of amortization expense related to intangible assets of FaceBank Pre-Merger that were subject to impairment charges in the third and fourth quarters of 2020, offset in part by a full nine months of expenses in 2021 compared to six months in the prior year period.
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Other Income (Expense)
Three Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
During the three months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized $3.1 million of other expense (net) compared to $12.0 million of other income (net) during the three months ended September 30, 2020. The change of $15.1 million was primarily related to a $4.1 million increase in amortization of debt discount and an increase of $1.2 million in interest expense, $7.6 million gain on the sale of Facebank AG and Nexway recognized in 2020 and $1.3 million gain on the extinguishment of debt recognized in 2020.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized $23.3 million of other expense (net), compared to $37.1 million of other expense (net) during the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The decrease of $13.8 million was primarily related to a $13.5 million loss on issuance of stock and warrants in 2020, an $11.9 million loss on the deconsolidation of Nexway (which was sold in July 2020), an $8.1 million reduction in interest expense, a decrease in loss on extinguishment of debt of $9.4 million and a reduction of a $7.6 million gain on the sale of Facebank AG and Nexway, partially offset by a $11.3 million change in fair value of warrant liabilities and an increase in amortization of debt discount of $10.7 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2021.
Income tax benefit
Three Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
During the three months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized an income tax benefit of $0.5 million compared to an income tax provision of $16.1 million during the three months ended September 30, 2020. The decrease of $15.6 million is primarily due to our inability to fully recognize the future tax benefits on current year losses.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021 and 2020
During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized an income tax benefit of $1.7 million compared to $20.6 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The decrease of $18.9 million in the income tax benefit is primarily due to our inability to fully recognize the future tax benefits on current year losses.
Key Metrics & Non-GAAP Measures
Certain measures used in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including Average Revenue Per User (“ARPU”), Average Cost Per User (“ACPU”) and Adjusted Contribution Margin (“ACM”) are non-GAAP financial measures. We believe ARPU, ACPU and Adjusted Contribution Margin are useful financial measures for investors as they are supplemental measures used by management in evaluating our core operating performance. Our non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider them in isolation or as a substitute for an analysis of our results under GAAP. There are a number of limitations related to the use of these non-GAAP financial measures versus their nearest GAAP equivalents. First, these non-GAAP financial measures are not a substitute for GAAP revenue. Second, these non-GAAP financial measures may not provide information directly comparable to measures provided by other companies in our industry, as those other companies may calculate their non-GAAP financial measures differently.
The following tables reconcile the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure to the non-GAAP financial measure.
Note that unless otherwise stated, 2020 metrics below represent fuboTV Pre-Merger plus FaceBank pre-merger less Facebank AG and Nexway, businesses sold in July 2020 (“Pro-forma fuboTV Pre-Merger”)
Paid Subscribers
We believe the number of paid subscribers is a relevant measure to gauge the size of our user base. Paid subscribers are total subscribers that have completed registration with fuboTV, have activated a payment method (only reflects one paying user per plan), from which fuboTV has collected payment in the month ending the relevant period. Users who are on a free (trial) period are not included in this metric.
Content Hours
We believe the number of Content Hours streamed on our platform is a relevant measure to gauge user engagement. Content Hours is defined as the sum of total hours of content watched on the fuboTV platform for a given period.
Non-GAAP Monthly Average Revenue Per User (“ARPU”)
We believe Non-GAAP Monthly Average Revenue Per User (“ARPU”) is a relevant measure to gauge the revenue received per subscriber on a monthly basis. ARPU is defined as total subscriber revenue collected in the period, also known as Platform Bookings (subscriber and advertising revenues excluding other revenues) divided by the average daily paid subscribers in such period divided by the number of months in the period.
Non-GAAP Monthly Average Cost Per User (“ACPU”)
We believe Non-GAAP Monthly Average Cost Per User (“ACPU”) is a relevant measure to gauge our variable expenses per subscriber. ACPU reflects Variable COGS per user, defined as subscriber related expenses less minimum guarantees expensed, payment processing for deferred revenue, In-App-Billing fees for deferred revenue and other subscriber related expenses in a given period, divided by the average daily subscribers in the period, divided by the number of months in the period.
Non-GAAP Adjusted Contribution Margin (“ACM”)
We believe Non-GAAP Adjusted Contribution Margin (“ACM”) is a relevant metric to gauge our per-subscriber profitability. ACM is calculated by subtracting ACPU from ARPU and dividing the result by ARPU.
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Reconciliation of Certain GAAP to Non-GAAP Metrics
Reconciliation of Revenue to Non-GAAP Platform Bookings and Reconciliation of Subscriber Related Expenses to Non-GAAP Variable COGS and Adjusted Contribution Margin (in thousands except average subscriber and average per user amounts)
Three Months Ended September 30, | Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
| As-Reported | As-Reported | As-Reported | fubo Pre-Merger | |||||||||||||
| Revenue (GAAP) | $ | 156,690 | $ | 61,202 | $ | 407,294 | $ | 156,421 | ||||||||
| Add (Subtract): | ||||||||||||||||
| Software licenses, net | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||
| Other Revenue | (1 | ) | (249 | ) | (51 | ) | (1,123 | ) | ||||||||
| Prior period subscriber deferred revenue | (24,419 | ) | (8,332 | ) | (61,882 | ) | (25,775 | ) | ||||||||
| Current period subscriber deferred revenue | 35,824 | 15,119 | 80,361 | 31,517 | ||||||||||||
| Non-GAAP Platform Bookings | 168,094 | 67,740 | 425,722 | 161,040 | ||||||||||||
| Divide: | ||||||||||||||||
| Average Subscribers | 751,679 | 333,549 | 657,755 | 301,545 | ||||||||||||
| Months in Period | 3 | 3 | 9 | 9 | ||||||||||||
| Non-GAAP Monthly Average Revenue per User (Monthly ARPU) | $ | 74.54 | $ | 67.70 | $ | 71.92 | $ | 59.34 | ||||||||
| Subscriber Related Expenses (GAAP) | 143,370 | 61,228 | 377,177 | 172,315 | ||||||||||||
| Add (Subtract): | ||||||||||||||||
| Payment Processing for Deferred Revenue (current period) | 193 | 258 | 159 | 621 | ||||||||||||
| In-App Billing Fees for Deferred Revenue (current period) | 72 | 156 | 81 | 239 | ||||||||||||
| Minimum Guarantees and Content Credits | 5,687 | (3,548 | ) | 14,838 | (23,337 | ) | ||||||||||
| Payment Processing for Deferred Revenue (prior period) | 25 | (202 | ) | 108 | (569 | ) | ||||||||||
| In-App Billing Fees for Deferred Revenue (prior period) | 3 | (42 | ) | 21 | (136 | ) | ||||||||||
| Other Subscriber Related Expenses | (2,078 | ) | (1,031 | ) | (5,082 | ) | (2,715 | ) | ||||||||
| Non-GAAP Variable COGS | 147,272 | 56,819 | 387,302 | 146,418 | ||||||||||||
| Divide: | ||||||||||||||||
| Average Subscribers | 751,679 | 333,549 | 657,755 | 301,545 | ||||||||||||
| Months in Period | 3 | 3 | 9 | 9 | ||||||||||||
| Non-GAAP Monthly Average Cost per User (Monthly ACPU) | $ | 65.31 | $ | 56.78 | $ | 65.42 | $ | 53.95 | ||||||||
| Non-GAAP Monthly Average Revenue per User (Monthly ARPU) | $ | 74.54 | $ | 67.70 | $ | 71.92 | $ | 59.34 | ||||||||
| Subtract: | ||||||||||||||||
| Non-GAAP Monthly Average Cost per User (Monthly ACPU) | $ | 65.31 | $ | 56.78 | $ | 65.42 | $ | 53.95 | ||||||||
| Divide: | ||||||||||||||||
| Non-GAAP Monthly Average Revenue per User (Monthly ARPU) | $ | 74.54 | $ | 67.70 | $ | 71.92 | $ | 59.34 | ||||||||
| Non-GAAP Adjusted Contribution Margin | 12.4 | % | 16.1 | % | 9.0 | % | 9.1 | % | ||||||||
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern, which contemplates the continuity of operations, realization of assets, and liquidation of liabilities in the normal course of business.
Our primary sources of cash are receipts from subscribers and advertising revenue as well as proceeds from equity and debt financings. Our primary uses of cash are content and programming license fees, operating expenses, including payroll-related, marketing, technology and professional fees, and expenses related to the launch and operations of our wagering business. We successfully raised $389.4 million, net of offering expenses, through the sale of 3.25% senior convertible notes in February 2021. We currently have an effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-258428) initially filed with the SEC on August 4, 2021, as amended (the “Form S-3”) under which we may offer from time to time in one or more offerings any combination of common and preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, purchase contracts and units of up to $750.0 million in the aggregate. As of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, we sold 2,412,968 shares of our common stock in at-the-market offerings pursuant to our shelf registration statement, resulting in net proceeds of approximately $70.0 million, after deducting agent commissions and issuance costs. As of September 30, 2021, we had cash and cash equivalents of $398.5 million.
We may be required to seek additional capital, including in the event we engage in repurchases of our debt or equity securities in the future. In the future, we expect to obtain financing or to further increase our capital resources by issuing additional shares of our capital stock or offering additional debt or other equity securities, including senior or subordinated notes, debt securities convertible into equity, or shares of preferred stock. Issuing additional shares of our capital stock, other equity securities, or additional securities convertible into equity may dilute the economic and voting rights of our existing stockholders, reduce the market price of our 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 stock, 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 common stock. Our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, which may adversely affect the amount, timing, or nature of our future offerings. As a result, holders of our common stock bear the risk that our future offerings may reduce the market price of our common stock and dilute their percentage ownership. If we are unable to raise additional capital or generate cash flows necessary to expand our operations and invest in continued innovation, we may not be able to compete successfully, which would harm our business, operations, and financial condition.
Our future capital requirements and the adequacy of our available funds will depend on many factors, including our ability to successfully attract and retain subscribers, develop new technologies that can compete in a rapidly changing market with many competitors and the need to enter into collaborations with other companies or acquire other companies or technologies to enhance or complement our product and service offerings. We believe our existing cash will provide us with the necessary liquidity to continue as a going concern for at least the next twelve months.
In addition to the foregoing, based on our current assessment, we do not expect any material impact on our long-term development timeline and our liquidity due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic (“COVID-19”). However, we are continuing to assess the effect on its operations by monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and the actions implemented to combat the pandemic throughout the world. Given the daily evolution of the COVID-19 outbreak, including the spread of variants, and the global response to curb its spread, COVID-19 may affect our results of operations, financial condition, or liquidity. See Note 10 in the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements for further discussion regarding our outstanding indebtedness.
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Cash Flows (in thousands)
| Nine Months Ended September 30, | ||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | (143,030 | ) | (72,450 | ) | ||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (35,673 | ) | (1,349 | ) | ||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 441,014 | 106,314 | ||||||
| Net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | 262,311 | 32,515 | ||||||
Operating Activities
For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, net cash used in operating activities was $143.0 million, which consisted of our net loss of $271.0 million, adjusted for non-cash movements of $87.1 million. The non-cash movements consisted primarily of $27.8 million of depreciation and amortization expenses primarily related to intangible assets, $46.5 million of stock-based compensation, $10.7 million of amortization of debt discount and $2.1 million of change in fair value warrant liabilities. Changes in operating assets and liabilities resulted in cash inflows of approximately $40.8 million, primarily due to an increase in accounts receivable and prepaid expenses and other current and long-term assets of $19.2 million, a net increase in accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current and long-term liabilities of $41.6 million due to timing of payments and an increase in deferred revenue of $18.5 million.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, net cash used in operating activities was $72.5 million, which consisted of our net loss of $404.1 million, adjusted for non-cash movements of $305.1 million. The non-cash movements included $236.7 impairment of Facebank Pre-Merger intangible assets and goodwill, $34.0 million of depreciation and amortization expenses primarily related to intangible assets, $24.1 million of stock-based compensation, $13.5 million of loss on issuance of common stock and warrants, $12.3 million of amortization of debt discounts, $9.8 million loss on extinguishment of debt, $8.6 million loss on deconsolidation of Nexway, $1.7 million of change in fair value of shares settled liability and $1.0 million of loss on foreign currency exchange, partially offset by $20.6 million of deferred income tax benefit, $9.1 million of change in fair value of warrant liability, $7.6 million gain on the sale of assets and $2.6 million of unrealized gain on investments. Changes in operating assets and liabilities resulted in cash inflows of approximately $52.6 million, primarily due to a net increase in accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities of $32.9 million due to timing of payments, a net decrease in prepaid expenses and other current assets of $10.6 million and a net increase in deferred revenue of $6.6 million.
Investing Activities
For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, net cash used in investing activities was $35.7 million, which primarily consisted of $3.9 million of capital expenditures, $1.7 million for acquisitions and $29.7 million for gaming licenses and market access fees related to the launch of our online wagering operations, and $0.4 million for software and technology application.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, net cash used in investing activities was $1.3 million, which consisted of a $10.0 million advance to fuboTV Pre-Merger, $0.6 million cash paid as part of the disposition of Facebank AG and $0.1 million of capital expenditures, offset by $9.4 million of net cash acquired in the acquisition of fuboTV Pre-Merger.
Financing Activities
For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, net cash provided by financing activities was $441.0 million. The net cash provided is primarily related to approximately $389.4 million of proceeds received from the issuance of senior convertible notes, $70.0 million from proceeds received from the “at-the market” offering and $6.3 million of proceeds received from the exercise of stock options and warrants. These proceeds were offset by repayments of $24.7 million of outstanding debt.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, net cash provided by financing activities was $106.3 million. The net cash provided is primarily related to $97.1 million of proceeds received from the sale of our common stock, $33.6 million of proceeds received in connection with short-term and long-term borrowings and $3.0 million of proceeds received from the issuance of convertible notes. These proceeds were partially offset by repayments of $11.6 million in connection with a note purchase agreement, $8.4 million of notes payable, $3.9 million in connection with convertible notes, $2.5 million in connection with our loan with AMC Networks Ventures, LLC, and $0.9 million in connection with the redemption of Series D preferred stock.
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Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of September 30, 2021, there were no off-balance sheet arrangements.
Critical Accounting Policies
Our discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based upon our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP” or “U.S. GAAP”). The preparation of these condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Those estimates and assumptions include, but are not limited to, allocating the fair value of purchase consideration issued in business acquisitions, recoverability of goodwill and intangible assets, valuation of warrants, convertible notes, and equity instruments and accounting for income taxes, including the valuation allowance on deferred tax assets.
There have been no material changes to our critical accounting policies from those disclosed in Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of the Annual Report.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 3, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for a discussion of recently issued accounting policies.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Not required for smaller reporting companies.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Under the supervision of and with the participation of our management, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of September 30, 2021. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of September 30, 2021, because of the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting described below and in our amended Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 29, 2021, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective.
Material Weaknesses
During 2019, we identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting relating to the inappropriate application of U.S. GAAP. During 2020, management took steps to address the internal control deficiencies that contributed to the material weaknesses, including:
| ● | Transitioned responsibility over the accounting function to the finance personnel of fuboTV Pre-Merger, including individuals with prior experience working for finance departments of public companies; | |
| ● | Hired additional experienced finance and accounting personnel with technical accounting experience, supplemented by third-party resources; | |
| ● | Documented and formally assessed our accounting and financial reporting policies and procedures, and implemented segregation of duties in key functions; |
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| ● | Assessed significant accounting transactions and other technical accounting and financial reporting issues, prepared accounting memoranda addressing these issues and maintain these memoranda in our corporate records timely; | |
| ● | Improved the compilation processes, documentation, and monitoring of our critical accounting estimates; and | |
| ● | Implemented processes for creating an effective and timely close process. | |
| ● | Engaged a third-party provider to perform internal audit services, including assessing and improving our internal controls for compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. |
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, we have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting with respect to the accounting for non-routine transactions, including business combinations as described below:
| ● | The Company did not have appropriately designed internal controls in place at the time the Merger was consummated on April 1, 2020 with respect to the accounting for the business combination and the allocation of consideration to the acquired assets and assumed liabilities, including deferred income taxes. | |
| ● | The Company’s internal controls over the review of accounting considerations for non-routine transactions and events was not appropriately designed with respect to the timing and consistency of performance. |
Notwithstanding such material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting, our management concluded that our consolidated financial statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q present fairly, in all material respects, the company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows as of the dates, and for the periods presented, in conformity with U.S. GAAP.
Management’s Remediation Plan
In February 2021, the Company consummated the acquisition of a sports betting and interactive gaming company. Management took steps to address the internal control deficiencies that contributed to the aforementioned material weakness relating to non-routine transactions, including:
| ● | Extensive financial and legal due diligence performed by various members of the Company and outside legal counsel. Board of Directors reviewed the strategic business case and formally approved the transaction; | |
| ● | Key model assumptions were supported by detailed documentation of the reasonableness of the assumptions used; | |
| ● | Evaluated the competency of the valuation specialist engaged to determine the fair value of specific accounts on the opening balance sheet; | |
| ● | Existence and completeness of assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of the closing date were determined through specific procedures; | |
| ● | Comprehensive technical accounting memo was prepared that documents the applicable accounting for business combinations; and | |
| ● | The income tax impact of the acquisition was assessed and documented. |
During 2021, we have also implemented the following for the aforementioned material weakness relating to internal controls over financial reporting, including:
| ● | Hired additional accounting personnel with appropriate GAAP technical accounting expertise; | |
| ● | Designed additional controls around identification, documentation, and application of technical accounting guidance with particular emphasis on complex and non-routine transactions. These controls include the implementation of additional supervision and review activities by qualified personnel, and the adoption of additional policies and procedures related to accounting and financial reporting; | |
| ● | Hired an experienced tax specialist and implemented specific procedures in the review of tax accounting, designed to enhance our income tax controls; and | |
| ● | Continue to work with the third-party provider to strengthen our internal controls for compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. |
We are committed to making further progress in our remediation efforts during 2021; however, if our remedial measures are insufficient to address the material weaknesses, or if one or more additional material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting are discovered, we may be required to take additional remedial measures from our plan as disclosed above.
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Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Except as described above, there have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by Rules 13a-15(d) and 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act that occurred during the quarter ended September 30, 2021 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
PART II - OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
We are, and may in the future, be involved in various legal proceedings arising from the normal course of business activities. Although the results of litigation and claims cannot be predicted with certainty, currently, the Company believes that the likelihood of any material adverse impact on the Company’s consolidated results of operations, cash flows or our financial position for any such litigation or claims is remote. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on the Company because of the costs to defend lawsuits, diversion of management resources and other factors.
Said-Ibrahim v. fuboTV Inc., David Gandler, Edgar M. Bronfman Jr., & Simone Nardi, Case No. 21-cv-01412 (S.D.N.Y) & Lee v. fuboTV, Inc., David Gandler, Edgar M. Bronfman Jr., & Simone Nardi, Case No. 21-cv-01641 (S.D.N.Y.) (consolidated as In re fuboTV Inc. Securities Litigation, No. 21-cv-01412 (S.D.N.Y.))
On February 17, 2021, putative shareholders Wafa Said-Ibrahim and Adhid Ibrahim filed a class action lawsuit against the Company, co-founder and CEO David Gandler, Executive Chairman Edgar M. Bronfman Jr., and CFO Simone Nardi (collectively, the “Class Action Defendants”). Plaintiffs allege that Class Action Defendants violated federal securities laws by disseminating false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s financial health and operating condition, including the Company’s ability to grow subscription levels, prospects, future profitability, seasonality factors, cost escalations, ability to generate advertising revenue, valuation, and entering the online sports wagering market. The Plaintiffs allege that Class Action Defendants violated Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, as well as Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act, and seek damages and other relief.
On February 24, 2021, putative shareholder Steven Lee filed a nearly identical class action lawsuit against the same Defendants.
On April 29, 2021, the court consolidated Said-Ibrahim v. fuboTV Inc., David Gandler, Edgar M. Bronfman Jr., & Simone Nardi, Case No. 21-cv-01412 (S.D.N.Y) and Lee v. fuboTV, Inc., David Gandler, Edgar M. Bronfman Jr., & Simone Nardi, Case No. 21-cv-01641 (S.D.N.Y.) under In re FuboTV Inc. Securities Litigation, No. 1:21-cv-01412 (S.D.N.Y.). The court also appointed putative shareholder Nordine Aamchoune as lead plaintiff.
On July 12, 2021, Lead Plaintiff filed an Amended Class Action Complaint. Lead Plaintiff seeks to pursue this claim on behalf of himself as well as all other persons who purchased or otherwise acquired Company securities publicly traded on the NYSE between March 23, 2020 and January 4, 2021, inclusive, and who were allegedly damaged thereby.
The Class Action Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the Amended Class Action Complaint on September 10, 2021. Lead Plaintiff filed an opposition on November 9, 2021. Class Action Defendants’ reply is due on December 9, 2021.
The Company believes the claims alleged in both lawsuits are without merit and intends to vigorously defend these litigations.
Rosenfeld v. Edgar Bronfman Jr., Henry Ahn, Ignacio Figueras, Daniel Leff, Laura Onopchenko, David Gandler, Par-Jorgen Parson, & Simone Nardi, Case No. 21-cv-01953 (S.D.N.Y.)
On March 5, 2021, putative shareholder Robert Rosenfeld filed a derivative lawsuit against the Company and certain Company directors and officers, including Edgar Bronfman Jr., Henry Ahn, Ignacio Figueras, Daniel Leff, Laura Onopchenko, David Gandler, Par-Jorgen Parson, and Simone Nardi (collectively, the “Derivative Defendants”). Plaintiff’s complaint closely tracks the allegations in the Securities Class Action and alleges that the Derivative Defendants violated Sections 10(b) and 21D of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, breached their fiduciary duties, and committed corporate waste.
Plaintiff seeks to prosecute the action on behalf of the Company, and seeks, among other relief, an order directing Derivative Defendants to take all necessary actions to reform and improve the Company’s corporate governance, risk management, and internal operating procedures to comply with applicable laws, and an award of damages to the Company for the harm suffered as a result of the alleged wrongful conduct.
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On April 21, 2021, Derivative Defendants filed a Motion to Dismiss the Original Complaint. In light of the arguments made in Derivative Defendants’ Motion, Plaintiff filed his Amended Verified Shareholder Derivative Complaint on May 12, 2021. Derivative Defendants filed a Motion to Dismiss the Amended Complaint on June 2, 2021. On June 23, 2021, after thoroughly considering Derivative Defendants’ arguments in their Motion, Plaintiff concluded that Derivative Defendants’ arguments were well founded and he jointly, with Derivative Defendants, asked the Court to voluntarily dismiss the derivative action with prejudice, following a proposed Notice of the dismissal to current shareholders. On June 25, 2021, the court entered an order approving the form of the proposed Notice of dismissal to current shareholders and ordering fuboTV to file a Form 8-K with the SEC attaching the Notice and to post the Form 8-K with the Notice to the investor relations section of fuboTV’s corporate website. On June 28, 2021, fuboTV filed a Form 8-K with the SEC attaching the Notice and posted the Form 8-K with the Notice to the investor relations section of fuboTV’s corporate website. On July 28, 2021, the court entered an order dismissing with prejudice the derivative lawsuit filed by Robert Rosenfeld.
Andrew Kriss and Eric Lerner vs. FaceBank Group, Inc. et. al. (Index No. 605474/20 Supreme Court of the State of New York.
On June 8, 2020, Andrew Kriss and Eric Lerner filed a Summons with Notice in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Nassau County naming as defendants the Company, PEC, John Textor and Frank Patterson, among others. On November 12, 2020, plaintiffs filed a Complaint, which asserts claims for breach of express contract and implied duties, fraud in the inducement, unjust enrichment, conversion, declaratory relief, fraud, and fraudulent conveyance. The claims arise from an alleged relationship between Plaintiffs and defendant PEC. Plaintiffs seek monetary damages in an amount to be proven at trial, but not less than six million dollars ($6,000,000). The Company believes the claims are without merit and intends to vigorously defend this litigation and on January 19, 2021, the Company filed a motion to dismiss all claims asserted against it. That motion has been fully submitted and is pending resolution by the court.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
In this Item 1A, unless the context otherwise requires, “we,” “us,” “our,” and the “Company” refers to the combined company post-Merger - fuboTV Inc., or fuboTV, and its subsidiaries, including fuboTV Sub. “FaceBank Pre-Merger” refers to FaceBank Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries prior to the Merger and “fuboTV Pre-Merger” refers to fuboTV Inc., a Florida corporation and its subsidiaries prior to the Merger.
You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes and the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Our business, financial condition, results of operations, or prospects could also be harmed by risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently do not believe are material. If any of the risks actually occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects could be adversely affected. In that event, the market price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose part or all of your investment.
This Quarterly Report also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. See “Forward-Looking Statements.” Our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including those set forth below.
Risk Factors Summary
Material risks that may affect our business, operating results and financial condition include, but are not limited to, the following:
| ● | Our actual operating results may differ significantly from our guidance. | |
| ● | We may require additional capital to meet our financial obligations and support planned business growth, and this capital might not be available on acceptable terms or at all. | |
| ● | We have incurred operating losses in the past, expect to incur operating losses in the future and may never achieve or maintain profitability. | |
| ● | Our revenue and gross profit are subject to seasonality, and if subscriber behavior during certain seasons falls below our expectations, our business may be harmed. | |
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| ● | Our operating results may fluctuate, which makes our results difficult to predict. | |
| ● | If our efforts to attract and retain subscribers are not successful, our business will be adversely affected. Our agreements with distribution partners contain parity obligations which limit our ability to pursue unique partnerships. | |
| ● | If content providers refuse to license streaming content or other rights upon terms acceptable to us, our business could be adversely affected. | |
| ● | Our content providers impose a number of restrictions on how we distribute and market our products and services, which can adversely affect our business. | |
| ● | We rely upon Google Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services to operate certain aspects of our service, and any disruption of or interference with our use of Google Cloud Platform and/or Amazon Web Services would impact our operations and our business would be adversely impacted. | |
| ● | If we fail to comply with the reporting obligations of the Exchange Act, our business, financial condition, and results of operations, and investors’ confidence in us, could be materially and adversely affected. |
| ● | Our key metrics and other estimates are subject to inherent challenges in measurement, and real or perceived inaccuracies in those metrics may seriously harm and negatively affect our reputation and our business. | |
| ● | TV streaming is highly competitive and many companies, including large technology and entertainment companies, TV brands, and service operators, are actively focusing on this industry. If we fail to differentiate ourselves and compete successfully with these companies, it will be difficult for us to attract or retain subscribers and our business will be harmed. | |
| ● | The gaming industry is heavily regulated and our failure to obtain or maintain applicable licensure or approvals, or otherwise comply with applicable requirements, could be disruptive to our business and could adversely affect our operations. | |
| ● | Our products and services related to sports betting will cause our business to become subject to a variety of related U.S. and foreign laws, many of which are unsettled and still developing, and which could subject us to claims or otherwise harm our business. The violation of any such laws, any adverse change in any such laws or their interpretation, or the regulatory climate applicable to these contemplated products and services, or changes in tax rules and regulations or interpretation thereof related to these contemplated products and services, could adversely impact our ability to operate our business as we seek to operate in the future, and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. | |
| ● | Our participation in the sports betting industry may expose us to risks to which we have not previously been exposed, including risks related to trading, liability management, pricing risk, payment processing, palpable errors, and reliance on third-party sports data providers for real-time and accurate data for sporting events, among others. We may experience lower than expected profitability and potentially significant losses as a result of a failure to determine accurately the odds in relation to any particular event and/or any failure of its sports risk management processes. | |
| ● | If the technology we use in operating our business fails, is unavailable, or does not operate to expectations, our business and results of operation could be adversely impacted. | |
| ● | Our shareholders will be subject to extensive governmental oversight, and if a shareholder is found unsuitable by a gaming authority, that shareholder may not be able to beneficially own, directly or indirectly, certain of our securities. | |
| ● | If government regulations relating to the Internet or other areas of our business change, we may need to alter the manner in which we conduct our business and we may incur greater operating expenses. | |
| ● | We are subject to a number of legal requirements and other obligations regarding privacy, security, and data protection, and any actual or perceived failure to comply with these requirements or obligations could have an adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition and operating results. Any significant interruptions, delays or discontinuations in service or disruptions in or unauthorized access to our computer systems or those of third parties that we utilize in our operations, including those relating to cybersecurity or arising from cyber-attacks, could result in a loss or degradation of service, unauthorized disclosure of data, including subscriber and corporate information, or theft of intellectual property, including digital content assets, which could adversely impact our business. | |
| ● | We are subject to taxation-related risks in multiple jurisdictions. | |
| ● | We could be subject to claims or have liability based on defects with respect to certain historical corporate transactions that were not properly authorized or documented. | |
| ● | Legal proceedings could cause us to incur unforeseen expenses and could occupy a significant amount of our management’s time and attention. | |
| ● | The impact of worldwide economic conditions may adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition. |
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Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Capital Needs
We have incurred operating losses in the past, expect to incur operating losses in the future and may never achieve or maintain profitability.
We have incurred losses since inception. Our net loss for the three months ended September 30, 2021 was $105.9 million. If our revenue and gross profit do not grow at a greater rate than our operating expenses, we will not be able to achieve and maintain profitability. A number of our operating expenses, including expenses related to streaming content obligations, are fixed. If we are not able to either reduce these fixed obligations or other expenses or maintain or grow our revenue, our near-term operating losses may increase. Additionally, we may encounter unforeseen operating or legal expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other factors that may result in losses in future periods. If our expenses exceed our revenue, we may never achieve or maintain profitability and our business may be harmed.
We may require additional capital to meet our financial obligations and support planned business growth, and this capital might not be available on acceptable terms or at all.
We intend to continue to make significant investments to support planned business growth and may require additional funds to respond to business challenges, including the need to enhance our platform, improve our operating infrastructure or acquire complementary businesses, personnel and technologies. Accordingly, we may need to secure additional funds. If we raise additional funds through future issuances of equity or convertible debt securities, including pursuant to our shelf registration statement on Form S-3, our then existing shareholders could suffer significant dilution, and any new equity securities we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges superior to those of holders of our common stock. Any debt financing we secure could involve restrictive covenants relating to our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities, including potential acquisitions. If we were to violate the restrictive covenants, we could incur penalties, increased expenses and an acceleration of the payment terms of our outstanding debt, which could in turn harm our business.
We may not be able to obtain additional financing on terms favorable to us, if at all. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us when we require it, our ability to continue to support our business growth and to respond to business challenges could be significantly impaired, and our business may be harmed.
Our revenue and gross profit are subject to seasonality, and if subscriber behavior during certain seasons falls below our expectations, our business may be harmed.
Seasonal variations in subscriber and marketing behavior significantly affect our business. We have previously experienced, and expect to continue to experience, effects of seasonal trends in subscriber behavior due to the seasonal nature of sports. Additionally, increased internet usage and sales of streaming service subscriptions during the fourth quarter of each calendar year affect our business. We also may experience higher advertising sales during the fourth quarter of each calendar year due to greater advertiser demand during the holiday season, but also incur greater marketing expenses as we attempt to attract new subscribers to our platform. In addition, expenditures by advertisers tend to be cyclical and are often discretionary in nature, reflecting overall economic conditions, the economic prospects of specific advertisers or industries, budgeting constraints and buying patterns, and a variety of other factors, many of which are outside our control.
Given the seasonal nature of our subscriptions, accurate forecasting is critical to our operations. We anticipate that this seasonal impact on revenue and gross profit is likely to continue, and any shortfall in expected revenue due to macroeconomic conditions, a decline in the effectiveness of our promotional activities, actions by our competitors, or for any other reason, would cause our results of operations to suffer significantly. A substantial portion of our expenses are personnel-related and include salaries, stock-based compensation and benefits that are not seasonal in nature. Accordingly, in the event of a revenue shortfall, we would be unable to mitigate the negative impact on margins, at least in the short term, and our business would be harmed.
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We might not be able to utilize a significant portion of our net operating loss carryforwards.
As of December 31, 2019, fuboTV Pre-Merger had federal net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $375.8 million, a portion of which will expire at various dates if not used prior to such dates. Under legislation enacted in 2017, informally titled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as modified by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, federal net operating losses incurred in 2018 and in future years may be carried forward indefinitely, but the deductibility of such federal net operating losses in tax years beginning after December 31, 2020 is limited. Other limitations may apply for state tax purposes.
In addition, under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and corresponding provisions of state law, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” which is generally defined as a greater than 50% change, by value, in its equity ownership over a three-year period, the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change net operating loss carryforwards to offset its post-change income may be limited. We have experienced ownership changes in the past, and therefore a portion of our net operating loss carryforwards are subject to an annual limitation under Section 382 of the Code. In addition, we may experience ownership changes in the future as a result of subsequent changes in our stock ownership, including as a result of conversions of the 2026 Convertible Notes, some of which may be outside of our control. A past or future ownership change that materially limits our ability to use our historical net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards may harm our future operating results by effectively increasing our future tax obligations.
Our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected if we do not effectively manage our current or future debt.
As of September 30, 2021, we had $407.5 million of outstanding indebtedness on a consolidated basis which included $402.5 million of convertible notes and other notes outstanding with an aggregate principal of approximately $5.0 million.
Our obligations related to our outstanding indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to take advantage of corporate opportunities, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
For example:
| ● | our ability to obtain any necessary financing in the future for working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements, or other purposes may be limited, or financing may be unavailable; | |
| ● | a substantial portion of our cash flows must be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on our indebtedness and other obligations and will not be available for use in our business; |
| ● | lack of liquidity could limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the markets in which we operate; | |
| ● | our debt obligations will make us more vulnerable to changes in general economic conditions and/or a downturn in our business, thereby making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations; and | |
| ● | if we fail to make required debt payments or to comply with other covenants in our debt agreements, we would be in default under the terms of these agreements, which could permit our creditors to accelerate repayment of the debt and could cause cross-defaults under other debt agreements. |
If we incur any additional debt, the related risks that we and our subsidiaries face could intensify.
Finally, we may in the future be in non-compliance with the terms of certain of our other debt instruments. To the extent we are in non-compliance with the terms of such debt instruments, we may be required to make payments to the holders of such instruments, those holders may be entitled to the issuance of stock by us, and the holders of such stock may be entitled to registration or other investor rights.
Servicing our indebtedness will require a significant amount of cash, and we may not have sufficient cash flow from our business to pay our substantial indebtedness.
Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal and interest when due, or to refinance our borrowings under our debt agreements, will depend on our future performance and our ability to raise further equity financing, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. Our business may not continue to generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to both (i) satisfy our existing and future obligations to our creditors and (ii) allow us to make necessary capital expenditures. If we are unable to generate such cash flow or raise further equity financing, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as reducing or delaying investments or capital expenditures, selling assets, refinancing or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. We may need or desire to refinance our existing indebtedness, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to refinance any of our indebtedness on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. Our ability to refinance the term loans or existing or future indebtedness will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could result in a default on our current or future debt agreements.
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Our operating results may fluctuate, which makes our results difficult to predict.
Our revenue and operating results could vary significantly from quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year because of a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control. As a result, comparing our operating results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful. In addition to other risk factors discussed herein, factors that may contribute to the variability of our quarterly and annual results include:
| ● | our ability to retain our current subscriber base and increase our number of subscribers; | |
| ● | our ability to enter into new content deals or negotiate renewals with our content providers on terms that are favorable to us, or at all; | |
| ● | our ability to effectively manage our growth; | |
| ● | our ability to attract and retain existing advertisers; | |
| ● | the effects of increased competition in our business; | |
| ● | our ability to keep pace with changes in technology and our competitors; | |
| ● | interruptions in service, whether or not we are responsible for such interruptions, and any related impact on our reputation; | |
| ● | our ability to pursue and appropriately time our entry into new geographic or content markets and, if pursued, our management of this expansion; | |
| ● | costs associated with defending any litigation, including intellectual property infringement litigation; | |
| ● | the impact of general economic conditions on our revenue and expenses; and | |
| ● | changes in regulations affecting our business. |
This variability makes it difficult to forecast our future results with precision and to assess accurately whether increases or decreases are likely to cause quarterly or annual results to exceed or fall short of previously issued guidance. While we assess our quarterly and annual guidance and update such guidance when we think it is appropriate, unanticipated future volatility can cause actual results to vary significantly from our guidance, even where that guidance reflects a range of possible results.
Risks Related to Our Relationships with Content Providers, Customers and Other Third Parties
The long-term nature of certain of our content commitments may limit our operating flexibility and could adversely affect our liquidity and results of operations.
In connection with licensing streaming content, we typically enter into multi-year agreements with content providers. These agreements have sometimes required us to pay minimum license fees for content that are not tied to subscriber usage or the size of our subscriber base. Given the multiple-year duration and sometimes fixed cost nature of content commitments, if subscriber acquisition and retention do not meet our expectations, our margins may be adversely impacted, and we may not be in a position to make the minimum guarantee payments required under certain content licenses. We have already failed to make minimum guarantee payments to certain key programmers and may not be in a position to make similar payments in the future. If we do not make these payments, then we may lose access to such content, which in turn may further depress subscriber acquisition or retention, cause other programmers to exercise termination rights due to the content mix available through our service, or impact our ability to obtain content from other programmers.
Payment terms for certain content commitments, such as content we directly produce, will typically require more up-front cash payments than other content licenses or arrangements whereby we do not fund the production of such content.
To the extent subscriber and/or revenue growth do not meet our expectations, our liquidity and results of operations could be adversely affected as a result of content commitments and payment requirements of certain agreements. In addition, the long-term and fixed cost nature of certain of our commitments may limit our flexibility in planning for or reacting to changes in our business and the market segments in which we operate. If we license and/or produce content that is not favorably received by consumers in a territory, or is unable to be shown in a territory, acquisition and retention may be adversely impacted and given the long-term and fixed cost nature of certain of our content commitments, we may not be able to adjust our content offering quickly and our results of operations may be adversely impacted.
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If we fail to obtain or maintain popular content, we may fail to retain existing subscribers and attract new subscribers.
We have invested a significant amount of time to cultivate relationships with our content providers; however, such relationships may not continue to grow or yield further financial results. We must continuously maintain existing relationships and identify and establish new relationships with content providers to provide popular content. In order to remain competitive, we must consistently meet user demand for popular streaming channels and content. If we are not successful in maintaining channels on our platform that attract and retain a significant number of subscribers, or if we are not able to do so in a cost-effective manner, our business will be harmed.
If our efforts to attract and retain subscribers are not successful, our business will be adversely affected.
We have experienced significant subscriber growth over the past several years. Our ability to continue to attract subscribers will depend in part on our ability to consistently provide our subscribers with compelling content choices and effectively market our platform. Furthermore, the relative service levels, content offerings, pricing and related features of our competitors may adversely impact our ability to attract and retain subscribers. In addition, many of our subscribers re-join our platform or originate from word-of-mouth referrals from existing subscribers. If our efforts to satisfy our existing subscribers are not successful, we may not be able to attract subscribers, and as a result, our ability to maintain and/or grow our business will be adversely affected. If consumers perceive a reduction in the value of our platform because, for example, we introduce new or adjust existing features, adjust pricing or platform offerings, or change the mix of content in a manner that is not favorably received by them, we may not be able to attract and retain subscribers. Subscribers cancel their subscription for many reasons, including due to a perception that they do not use the platform sufficiently, the need to cut household expenses, availability of content is unsatisfactory, competitive services provide a better value or experience and customer service issues are not satisfactorily resolved. We must continually add new subscriptions both to replace cancelled subscriptions and to grow our business beyond our current subscription base. While we permit multiple subscribers within the same household to share a single account for non-commercial purposes, if account sharing is abused, our ability to add new subscribers may be hindered and our results of operations may be adversely impacted. If we do not grow as expected, given, in particular, that our content costs are largely fixed in nature and contracted over several years, we may not be able to adjust our expenditures or increase our (per subscriber) revenues commensurate with the lowered growth rate such that our margins, liquidity and results of operations may be adversely impacted. If we are unable to successfully compete with current and new competitors in both retaining our existing subscribers and attracting new subscribers, our business will be adversely affected. Further, if excessive numbers of subscribers cancel our service, we may be required to incur significantly higher marketing expenditures than we currently anticipate replacing these subscribers with new subscribers.
Our agreements with distribution partners contain parity obligations which limit our ability to pursue unique partnerships.
Our agreements with certain distribution partners contain obligations which require us to offer them the same technical features, content, pricing and packages that we make available to our other distribution partners and also require us to provide parity in the marketing of the availability of our application across our distribution partners. These parity obligations may limit our ability to pursue technological innovation or partnerships with individual distribution partners and may limit our capacity to negotiate favorable transactions with different partners or otherwise provide improved products and services. As our technical feature developments progress at varying speeds and at different times with different distribution partners, we currently offer some enhanced technical features on distribution platforms that we do not make available on other distribution platforms, which limits the quality and uniformity of our offering to all consumers across our distribution platforms. In addition, delays in technical developments across our distribution partners puts us at risk of breaching our parity obligations with such distribution platforms, which threatens the certainty of our agreements with distribution partners.
If we are unable to maintain an adequate supply of ad inventory on our platform, our business may be harmed.
We may fail to attract content providers that generate sufficient ad content hours on our platform and continue to grow our video ad inventory. Our business model depends on our ability to grow video ad inventory on our platform and sell it to advertisers. We grow ad inventory by adding and retaining content providers on our platform with ad-supported channels that we can monetize. If we are unable to grow and maintain a sufficient supply of quality video advertising inventory at reasonable costs to keep up with demand, our business may be harmed.
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We operate in a highly competitive industry, and we compete for advertising revenue with other internet streaming platforms and services, as well as traditional media, such as radio, broadcast, cable and satellite TV and satellite and Internet radio. We may not be successful in maintaining or improving our fill-rates or cost per thousand (“CPMs”).
Our competitors offer content and other advertising mediums that may be more attractive to advertisers than our TV streaming platform. These competitors are often very large and have more advertising experience and financial resources than we do, which may adversely affect our ability to compete for advertisers and may result in lower revenue and gross profit from advertising. If we are unable to increase our advertising revenue by, among other things, continuing to improve our platform’s data capabilities to further optimize and measure advertisers’ campaigns, increase our advertising inventory and expand our advertising sales team and programmatic capabilities, our business and our growth prospects may be harmed. We may not be able to compete effectively or adapt to any such changes or trends, which would harm our ability to grow our advertising revenue and harm our business.
If content providers refuse to license streaming content or other rights upon terms acceptable to us, our business could be adversely affected.
Our ability to provide our subscribers with content they can watch depends on content providers and other rights holders licensing rights, including distribution rights, to such content and certain related elements thereof, such as the public performance of music contained within the content we distribute. The license periods and the terms and conditions of such licenses vary, and we may be operating outside the terms of some of our current licenses. As content providers develop their own streaming services, they may be unwilling to provide us with access to certain content, including popular series or movies. If the content providers and other rights holders are not or are no longer willing or able to license us content upon terms acceptable to us, our ability to stream content to our subscribers may be adversely affected and/or our costs could increase. Because of these provisions as well as other actions we may take, content available through our service can be withdrawn on short notice. As competition increases, we see the cost of certain programming increase.
Further, if we do not maintain a compelling mix of content, our subscriber acquisition and retention may be adversely affected.
Our content providers impose a number of restrictions on how we distribute and market our products and services, which can adversely affect our business.
A number of our major content partners impose significant restrictions on how we can distribute and market our products and services. For example, our content partners may prevent us from partnering with third party distributors and manufacturers to exploit new market opportunities or prevent us from bundling or reselling our products with third party products and services, or otherwise restrict how we might brand or market our products and services. Our content partners also impose restrictions on the content and composition of the packages we can make available to our customers and restrictions on how we might make some or all of our content available to customers (such as on a standalone basis, length of free trials or access modified or shorter form content). These restrictions may prevent us from responding dynamically to changing customer expectations or market demands or exploiting lucrative partnership opportunities. Content providers may also restrict the advertising that may be made available in connection with their content, including restrictions on the content and timing of such advertising, and restrictions on how advertising may be sold (such as a limit to sale on an aggregated, non-content specific basis only), which limits our opportunity to exploit potentially lucrative revenue streams.
Content providers may also only provide their content on a service that includes a minimum number of channels from other providers or require that we only provide their content in specific service tiers that include a specific mix of programming. Certain provisions in these agreements could become a challenge to comply with if we were to lose rights under agreements with key programmers.
In addition, our content partners generally impose requirements on us to treat them at least as favorably as other major providers in various ways, such as equal treatment with respect to content recommendations, displays on user interfaces, the marketing and promotion of content and streaming quality standards. This may materially restrict the functionality and performance of our technology, particularly our proprietary recommendation engine. This may also prevent us from offering commercial benefits to certain content providers, limiting our capacity to negotiate favorable transactions and overall limiting our ability to provide improved products and services.
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Our agreements with content providers are complex, with various rights restrictions and favorability obligations which impose onerous compliance obligations.
The content rights granted to us are complex and multi-layered and differ substantially across different content and content providers. We may be able to make certain content available on a video-on-demand basis or on certain devices but may be restricted from doing the same with other content, sometimes even with the same content provider. We are often not able to make certain content available at certain times or in certain geographical regions. In addition, our obligations to provide equality in the treatment between certain content providers require us to continuously monitor and assess treatment of content providers and content across our products and services.
These complex restrictions and requirements impose a significant compliance burden which is costly and challenging to maintain. A failure to maintain these obligations places us at risk of breaching our agreements with content providers, which could lead to loss of content and damages claims, which would have a negative impact on our products and service and our financial position.
If our efforts to build a strong brand and to maintain customer satisfaction and loyalty are not successful, we may not be able to attract or retain subscribers, and our business may be harmed.
Building and maintaining a strong brand is important to our ability to attract and retain subscribers, as potential subscribers have a number of TV streaming choices. Successfully building a brand is a time-consuming and comprehensive endeavor and can be positively and negatively impacted by any number of factors. Some of these factors, such as the quality or pricing of our platform or our customer service, are within our control. Other factors, such as the quality of the content that our content publishers provide, may be out of our control, yet subscribers may nonetheless attribute those factors to us. Our competitors may be able to achieve and maintain brand awareness and market share more quickly and effectively than we can. Many of our competitors are larger companies and promote their brands through traditional forms of advertising, such as print media and TV commercials, and have substantial resources to devote to such efforts. Our competitors may also have greater resources to utilize Internet advertising or website product placement more effectively than we can. If we are unable to execute on building a strong brand, it may be difficult to differentiate our business and platform from our competitors in the marketplace; therefore, our ability to attract and retain subscribers may be adversely affected and our business may be harmed.
We rely upon a number of partners to make our service available on their devices.
We currently offer subscribers the ability to receive streaming content through a host of Internet-connected screens, including TVs, digital video players, television set-top boxes and mobile devices. Some of our agreements with key distribution partners give distribution partners the ability to terminate their carriage of our service at any time. If we are not successful in maintaining existing and creating new relationships, or if we encounter technological, content licensing, regulatory, business or other impediments to delivering our streaming content to our subscribers via these devices, our ability to retain subscribers and grow our business could be adversely impacted.
Our business could be adversely affected if a number of our partners do not continue to provide access to our service or are unwilling to do so on terms acceptable to us, which terms may include the degree of accessibility and prominence of our service. Furthermore, devices are manufactured and sold by entities other than fuboTV, and while these entities should be responsible for the devices’ performance, the connection between these devices and fuboTV may nonetheless result in consumer dissatisfaction toward fuboTV and such dissatisfaction could result in claims against us or otherwise adversely impact our business. In addition, technology changes to our streaming functionality may require that partners update their devices or may lead us to stop supporting the delivery of our service on certain legacy devices. If partners do not update or otherwise modify their devices, or if we discontinue support for certain devices, our service and our subscribers’ use and enjoyment could be negatively impacted.
We rely upon Google Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services to operate certain aspects of our service, and any disruption of or interference with our use of Google Cloud Platform and/or Amazon Web Services would impact our operations and our business would be adversely impacted.
Each of Google Cloud Platform, or GCP, and Amazon Web Services, or AWS, provides a distributed computing infrastructure platform for business operations, or what is commonly referred to as a “cloud” computing service. We have architected our software and computer systems so as to utilize data processing, storage capabilities and other services provided by both GCP and AWS. Currently, we run the vast majority of our computing on GCP with some key components running on AWS. Given this, along with the fact that we cannot easily switch what is specifically running now on GCP and/or AWS to another cloud provider, any disruption of or interference with our use of GCP and/or AWS would impact our operations, and our business would be adversely impacted. Google (through YouTube TV) and, to a lesser extent, Amazon (through Amazon Prime) compete with us and, if Google or Amazon were to use GCP or AWS, respectively, in such a manner as to gain competitive advantage against our service, it could harm our business.
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Risks Related to Our Financial Reporting and Disclosure
We identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting in 2019 and 2020 and while we continue to take steps to address the internal control deficiencies that contributed to the material weaknesses, a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting still exists as it relates to non-routine transactions. We may identify material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, which could lead investors to lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports.
As a public company, we are required to maintain internal control over financial reporting and to report any material weaknesses in such internal control. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires that we evaluate and determine the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. This assessment includes disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. Our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting until our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC following the later of the date we are deemed to be an “accelerated filer” or a “large accelerated filer,” each as defined in the Exchange Act. 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 annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
During 2020, we identified the following material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting with respect to the accounting for business combinations:
| ● | We did not have appropriately designed internal controls in place at the time the Merger was consummated on April 1, 2020 with respect to the accounting for the business combination and the allocation of consideration to the acquired assets and assumed liabilities, including deferred income taxes; and | |
| ● | Our internal controls over the review of accounting considerations for non-routine transactions and events were not appropriately designed with respect to the timing and consistency of performance. |
In February 2021, the Company consummated the acquisition of a sports betting and interactive gaming company. Management took steps to address the internal control deficiencies that contributed to the foregoing material weaknesses, including:
| ● | Extensive financial and legal due diligence performed by various members of the Company and outside legal counsel. Board of Directors reviewed the strategic business case and formally approved the transaction; | |
| ● | Key model assumptions were supported by detailed documentation of the reasonableness of the assumptions used; | |
| ● | Evaluated the competency of the valuation specialist engaged to determine the fair value of specific accounts on the opening balance sheet; | |
| ● | Existence and completeness of assets acquired, and liabilities assumed as of the closing date were determined through specific procedures; | |
| ● | Comprehensive technical accounting memo was prepared that documents the applicable accounting for business combinations; and | |
| ● | The income tax impact of the acquisition was assessed and documented |
In addition, during 2019, we identified additional material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting relating to the inappropriate application of U.S. GAAP and are undertaking remediation efforts with respect to these material weaknesses. While we believe that these efforts will improve our internal control over financial reporting, the implementation of these measures is ongoing and will require validation and testing of the design and operating effectiveness of internal controls over a sustained period of financial reporting cycles. We cannot assure you that the measures we have taken to date, and are continuing to implement, will be sufficient to remediate the material weaknesses we have identified or avoid potential future material weaknesses. If the steps we take do not correct the material weaknesses in a timely manner, we will be unable to conclude that we maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting. Accordingly, there could continue to be a reasonable possibility that these deficiencies or others could result in a misstatement of our accounts or disclosures that would result in a material misstatement of our financial statements that would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
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The process of designing and implementing internal control over financial reporting required to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act is time consuming, costly, and complicated. If during the evaluation and testing process we identify one or more other material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting or determine that existing material weaknesses have not been remediated, our management will be unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective. Even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm may conclude that there are material weaknesses with respect to our internal controls or the level at which our internal controls are documented, designed, implemented, or reviewed. If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or when required in the future, if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our common stock could be adversely affected and we could become subject to litigation or investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are listed, the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources.
Our actual operating results may differ significantly from our guidance.
From time to time, we may release guidance regarding our future performance. Such guidance is based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, although presented with numerical specificity, are inherently subject to business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control and are based upon specific assumptions with respect to future business decisions, some of which will change. The principal reason that we release this data is to provide a basis for our management to discuss our business outlook with analysts and investors. We do not accept any responsibility for any projections or reports published by any third parties.
Guidance is necessarily speculative in nature, and it can be expected that some or all of the assumptions underlying the guidance furnished by us will not materialize or will vary significantly from actual results. Accordingly, our guidance is only an estimate of what management believes is realizable as of the date of this prospectus. Any failure to successfully implement our operating strategy or the occurrence of any of the risks or uncertainties set forth in this prospectus could result in actual results being different than the guidance, and such differences may be adverse and material. In light of the foregoing, investors are urged to put the guidance in context and not to place undue reliance on it.
If we fail to comply with the reporting obligations of the Exchange Act, our business, financial condition, and results of operations, and investors’ confidence in us, could be materially and adversely affected.
As a public company, we are required to comply with the periodic reporting obligations of the Exchange Act, including preparing annual reports, quarterly reports, and current reports. In the past, we have failed to prepare and disclose this information in a timely manner. Our failure to prepare and disclose this information in a timely manner and meet our reporting obligations in their entirety could subject us to penalties under federal securities laws and regulations of the exchange we are listed on, expose us to lawsuits, and restrict our ability to access financing on favorable terms, or at all.
Prior to the Merger, fuboTV Pre-Merger was not a public company and FaceBank Pre-Merger had limited resources. Our management has faced significant challenges in consolidating the functions of fuboTV Pre-Merger and FaceBank Pre-Merger and their subsidiaries, including integrating their technologies, organizations, procedures, policies and operations. In connection with the Merger, we have been working to integrate certain operations of fuboTV Pre-Merger and FaceBank Pre-Merger, including, among other things, back-office operations, information technology and regulatory compliance.
We expect to experience significant growth in the number of our employees and the scope of our operations. Prior to such expansion, as a result of previously maintaining a limited staff, we may later determine that certain related party transactions were not properly identified, reviewed and approved prior to us entering into them with such related parties.
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As we seek to increase staffing levels to manage our anticipated future growth, we must continue to implement and improve our managerial, operational and financial systems, expand our facilities and continue to recruit and train additional qualified personnel. Due to our limited financial resources and our limited experience in managing such anticipated growth, we may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations or recruit and train additional qualified personnel. The expansion of our operations may lead to significant costs and may divert or stretch our management and business development resources in a way that we may not anticipate. Any inability to manage growth could delay the execution of our business plans or disrupt our operations.
Additionally, for certain of our recent Exchange Act filings, we have relied on an order (the “Order”) issued by the SEC pursuant to Section 36 of the Exchange Act (Release No. 34-88465), permitting filing extensions to certain public companies based on the COVID-19 pandemic. We relied upon this permissible extension in good faith after analyzing, among other things, the fact that our books and records were not easily accessible, which resulted in delays in preparation and completion of our financial statements, and that the various governmental mandatory closures of businesses have precluded our personnel, particularly our senior accounting staff, from obtaining access to our subsidiaries’ books and records necessary to prepare our financial statements. Following this analysis, we believe that we satisfied all eligibility criteria to take advantage of these extensions. If it is later determined that we were ineligible to rely upon the Order for such extensions, our filings could be deemed to be late, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to raise capital, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
We will need to improve our operational and financial systems to support our expected growth, increasingly complex business arrangements, and rules governing revenue and expense recognition, and any inability to do so could adversely affect our billing services and financial reporting.
We have increasingly complex business arrangements with our content publishers and licensees, and the rules that govern revenue and expense recognition in our business are increasingly complex. To manage the expected growth of our operations and increasing complexity, we will need to improve our operational and financial systems, procedures and controls and continue to increase systems automation to reduce reliance on manual operations. Any inability to do so will negatively affect our billing services and financial reporting. Our current and planned systems, procedures and controls may not be adequate to support our complex arrangements and the rules governing revenue and expense recognition for our future operations and expected growth. Delays or problems associated with any improvement or expansion of our operational and financial systems and controls could adversely affect our relationships with our subscribers, content publishers or licensees; cause harm to our reputation and brand; and could also result in errors in our financial and other reporting.
Our key metrics and other estimates are subject to inherent challenges in measurement, and real or perceived inaccuracies in those metrics may seriously harm and negatively affect our reputation and our business.
We regularly review key metrics related to the operation of our business, including, but not limited to Content Hours, Monthly Active Users (“MAU”), Monthly Content Hours Watched per MAU, average revenue per user (“ARPU”), and number of subscribers, to evaluate growth trends, measure our performance, and make strategic decisions. These metrics are calculated using internal company data and have not been validated by an independent third party. While these numbers are based on what we believe to be reasonable estimates of our subscriber base for the applicable period of measurement, there are inherent challenges in measuring how our platform is used across large populations.
Errors or inaccuracies in our metrics or data could result in incorrect business decisions and inefficiencies. For instance, if a significant understatement or overstatement of MAUs were to occur, we may expend resources to implement unnecessary business measures or fail to take required actions to attract a sufficient number of subscribers to satisfy our growth strategies.
In addition, advertisers generally rely on third-party measurement services to calculate our metrics, and these third-party measurement services may not reflect our true audience. If advertisers, partners, or investors do not perceive our subscriber, geographic, or other demographic metrics to be accurate representations of our subscriber base, or if we discover material inaccuracies in our subscriber, geographic, or other demographic metrics, our reputation may be seriously harmed, and our business and operating results could be materially and adversely affected.
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Preparing and forecasting our financial results requires us to make judgments and estimates which may differ materially from actual results, and if our operating and financial performance does not meet the guidance that we provide to the public, the market price of our common stock may decline.
The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported periods. We base such estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, but actual results may differ from these estimates. Using such estimates has the potential to negatively impact the results we report which could negatively impact our stock price.
In addition, we may, but are not obligated to, provide public guidance on our expected operating and financial results for future periods. Any such guidance will be comprised of forward-looking statements subject to the risks and uncertainties described in this prospectus and in our other public filings and public statements. Our actual results may not always be in line with or exceed any guidance we have provided, especially in times of economic uncertainty. If, in the future, our operating or financial results for a particular period do not meet any guidance we provide or the expectations of investment analysts, or if we reduce our guidance for future periods, the market price of our common stock may decline.
Risks Related to Our Products and Technologies
TV streaming is highly competitive and many companies, including large technology and entertainment companies, TV brands, and service operators, are actively focusing on this industry. If we fail to differentiate ourselves and compete successfully with these companies, it will be difficult for us to attract or retain subscribers and our business will be harmed.
TV streaming is increasingly competitive and global. Our success depends in part on attracting and retaining subscribers on, and effective monetization of, our platform. To attract and retain subscribers, we need to be able to respond efficiently to changes in consumer tastes and preferences and continue to increase the type and number of content offerings. Effective monetization requires us to continue to update the features and functionality of our streaming platform for subscribers and advertisers.
Companies such as AT&T, Comcast, Cablevision, Cox and Altice, along with vMVPDs, such as YouTube TV, Hulu Live and Sling TV offer TV streaming products that compete with our platform. In many cases, these competitors have the financial resources to subsidize the cost of their streaming devices in order to promote their other products and services making it harder for us to acquire new subscribers and increase hours streamed. Similarly, some service operators, such as Comcast and Cablevision, offer TV streaming applications as part of their cable service plans and can leverage their existing consumer bases, installation networks, broadband delivery networks and name recognition to gain traction in the TV streaming market. Some of these companies also promote their brands through traditional forms of advertising, such as TV commercials, as well as Internet advertising or website product placement, and have greater resources than us to devote to such efforts.
In addition, many TV brands, such as LG, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and VIZIO, Inc., offer their own TV streaming solutions within their TVs. Other devices, such as Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation game consoles and many DVD and Blu-ray players, also incorporate TV streaming functionality.
We expect competition in TV streaming from the large technology companies and service operators described above, as well as new and growing companies, to increase in the future. This increased competition could result in pricing pressure, lower revenue and gross profit or the failure of our platform to gain or maintain broad market acceptance. To remain competitive, we need to continuously invest in product development and marketing. We may not have sufficient resources to continue to make the investments needed to maintain our competitive position. In addition, many of our competitors have longer operating histories, greater name recognition, larger customer bases and significantly greater financial, technical, sales, marketing and other resources than us, which provide them with advantages in developing, marketing or servicing new products and offerings. As a result, they may be able to respond more quickly to market demand, devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sales of their products or the distribution of their content, and influence market acceptance of their products better than we can. These competitors may also be able to adapt more quickly to new or emerging technologies or standards and may be able to deliver products and services at a lower cost. New entrants may enter the TV streaming market with unique service offerings or approaches to providing video. In addition, our competitors may enter into business combinations or alliances that strengthen their competitive positions. Increased competition could reduce our market share, revenue and operating margins, increase our operating costs, harm our competitive position and otherwise harm our business.
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If the advertisements on our platform are not relevant or not engaging to our subscribers, our growth in active accounts and hours streamed may be adversely impacted.
We have made, and are continuing to make, investments to enable advertisers to deliver relevant advertising content to subscribers on our platform. Existing and prospective advertisers may not be successful in serving ads that lead to and maintain user engagement. Those ads may seem irrelevant, repetitive or overly targeted and intrusive. We are continuously seeking to balance the objectives of our subscribers and advertisers with our desire to provide an optimal user experience, but we may not be successful in achieving a balance that continues to attract and retain subscribers and advertisers. If we do not introduce relevant advertisements or such advertisements are overly intrusive and impede the use of our TV streaming platform, our subscribers may stop using our platform which will harm our business.
We may not be successful at expanding our content to areas outside our current content offering and even if we are able to expand into other content areas and sustain such expansion, we may not be successful in overcoming our reputation as primarily a live sports streaming service.
We currently have a reputation as primarily a live sports streaming service. We are making efforts to expand our content offerings outside live sports streaming, and currently offer a wide selection of news and entertainment content. However, we may not be successful at expanding our content to areas outside our current content offering, or maintaining content from our current content offering, and even if we are able to expand into other content areas and sustain such expansion, we may not be successful in overcoming our reputation as primarily a live sports streaming service.
If TV streaming develops more slowly than we expect, our operating results and growth prospects could be harmed. In addition, our future growth depends in part on the growth of TV streaming advertising.
TV streaming is a relatively new and rapidly evolving industry, making our business and prospects difficult to evaluate. The growth and profitability of this industry and the level of demand and market acceptance for our platform are subject to a high degree of uncertainty.
We believe that the continued growth of streaming as an entertainment alternative will depend on the availability and growth of cost-effective broadband Internet service, the quality of broadband content delivery, the quality and reliability of new devices and technology, the cost for subscribers relative to other sources of content, as well as the quality and breadth of content that is delivered across streaming platforms. These technologies, products and content offerings continue to emerge and evolve. Subscribers, content publishers or advertisers may find TV streaming platforms to be less attractive than traditional TV, which would harm our business. In addition, many advertisers continue to devote a substantial portion of their advertising budgets to traditional advertising, such as TV, radio and print. The future growth of our business depends in part on the growth of TV streaming advertising, and on advertisers increasing spend on such advertising. We cannot be certain that they will do so. If advertisers do not perceive meaningful benefits of TV streaming advertising, then this market may develop more slowly than we expect, which could adversely impact our operating results and our ability to grow our business.
Changes in competitive offerings for entertainment video, including the potential rapid adoption of piracy-based video offerings, could adversely impact our business.
The market for entertainment video is intensely competitive and subject to rapid change. Through new and existing distribution channels, consumers have increasing options to access entertainment video. The various economic models underlying these channels include subscription, transactional, ad-supported, and piracy-based models. All of these have the potential to capture meaningful segments of the entertainment video market. Piracy in particular, threatens to damage our business, as its fundamental proposition to consumers is so compelling and difficult to compete against: virtually all content for free. Furthermore, in light of the compelling consumer proposition, piracy services are subject to rapid global growth. Traditional providers of entertainment video, including broadcasters and cable network operators, as well as Internet based e-commerce or entertainment video providers are increasing their streaming video offerings.
Several of these competitors have long operating histories, large customer bases, strong brand recognition, exclusive rights to certain content and significant financial, marketing and other resources. They may secure better terms from suppliers, adopt more aggressive pricing and devote more resources to product development, technology, infrastructure, content acquisitions and marketing. New entrants may enter the market or existing providers may adjust their services with unique offerings or approaches to providing entertainment video. Companies also may enter into business combinations or alliances that strengthen their competitive positions. If we are unable to successfully compete with current and new competitors, our business will be adversely affected, and we may not be able to increase or maintain market share or revenues.
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Our products and services related to sports betting will cause our business to become subject to a variety of related U.S. and foreign laws, many of which are unsettled and still developing, and which could subject us to claims or otherwise harm our business. The violation of any such laws, any adverse change in any such laws or their interpretation, or the regulatory climate applicable to these contemplated products and services, or changes in tax rules and regulations or interpretation thereof related to these contemplated products and services, could adversely impact our ability to operate our business as we seek to operate in the future, and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
The intended expansion of our business into sports betting will generally subject us to the laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which we will conduct our business or in some circumstances, of those jurisdictions in which our services are offered or are available, as well as the general laws and regulations that apply to all e-commerce businesses, such as those related to privacy and personal information, tax and consumer protection. These laws and regulations vary from one jurisdiction to another and future legislative and regulatory action, court decisions or other governmental action, which may be affected by, among other things, political pressures, attitudes and climates, as well as personal biases, may (along with existing laws and regulations) have a material adverse impact on our operations and financial results, or may prevent us from expanding into such businesses entirely. In particular, some jurisdictions have introduced regulations attempting to restrict or prohibit online gaming, while others have taken the position that online gaming should be licensed and regulated and have adopted or are in the process of considering legislation and regulations to enable that to happen. There is also risk that the federal government of the U.S. will enact new legislation relating to gaming, online gaming or sports wagering, or alter its interpretation of existing federal law as related to gaming, online gaming or sports wagering, which would have the effect of the limiting, delaying or halting the expansion of online gaming or sports wagering throughout the U.S.
Our growth prospects may also depend on the legal status of real-money gaming in various jurisdictions, predominantly within the U.S., which is an initial area of focus, and legalization may not occur in as many states as we expect or may occur at a slower pace than we anticipate. Additionally, even if jurisdictions legalize real money gaming, this may be accompanied by legislative or regulatory restrictions and/or taxes that make it impracticable or less attractive to operate in those jurisdictions, or the process of implementing regulations or securing the necessary licenses to operate in a particular jurisdiction may take longer than we anticipate, which could adversely affect our future results of operations and make it more difficult to meet our expectations for financial performance.
In connection with the foregoing, future legislative and regulatory action, and court decisions or other governmental action, may have a material adverse impact on our operations and financial results. Governmental authorities could view us as having violated applicable laws, despite efforts to obtain all applicable licenses or approvals and otherwise comply with such laws. There is also a risk that civil and criminal proceedings, including class actions brought by or on behalf of prosecutors or public entities or incumbent monopoly providers, or private individuals, could be initiated against us, Internet service providers, credit card and other payment processors, advertisers and others involved in the sports betting industry who partner with, service or work with or for us. Such potential proceedings could involve substantial litigation expense, penalties, fines, seizure of assets, injunctions or other restrictions being imposed upon us or our licensees or other business partners, while diverting the attention of key executives. Such proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects, as well as impact our reputation.
Furthermore, there can be no assurance that legally enforceable legislation will not be proposed and passed in jurisdictions relevant or potentially relevant to our business to prohibit, legislate or regulate various aspects of the sports betting industry (or that existing laws in those jurisdictions will not be interpreted negatively). Compliance with any such legislation may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, either as a result of our determination not to offer products or services in a jurisdiction or to cease doing so, or because a local license or approval may be costly for us or our business partners to obtain and/or such licenses or approvals may contain other commercially undesirable conditions.
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Our participation in the sports betting industry may expose us to risks to which we have not previously been exposed, including risks related to trading, liability management, pricing risk, payment processing, palpable errors, and reliance on third-party sports data providers for real-time and accurate data for sporting events, among others. We may experience lower than expected profitability and potentially significant losses as a result of a failure to determine accurately the odds in relation to any particular event and/or any failure of its sports risk management processes.
Participation in the sports, sports betting industry will expose our business to new risks that we have limited experience in handling. The nature and extent of such risks may be difficult to anticipate at this time, and therefore we may be relatively unprepared to manage these risks or may obtain inadequate insurance to cover potential claims resulting from these risks.
Examples of these risks include:
| ● | There can be significant variation in gross win percentage event-by-event and day-by-day, and odds compilers and risk managers are capable of human error; thus even allowing for the fact that a number of betting products are subject to capped pay-outs, significant volatility can occur. In addition, it is possible that there may be such a high volume of trading during any particular period that even automated systems would be unable to address and eradicate all risks. | |
| ● | In some cases, the odds offered on a website constitute an obvious error, such as inverted lines between teams, or odds that are significantly different from the true odds of the outcome in a way that all reasonable persons would agree is an error. It is commonplace virtually worldwide for operators to void bets associated with such palpable errors, and in most mature jurisdictions these bets can be voided without regulatory approval at operator discretion, but in the U.S., it is unclear long term if state regulators will consistently approve voids or re-setting odds to correct odds on such bets, and in some cases, we may require regulatory approval to void palpable errors ahead of time. If regulators were to not allow voiding of bets associated with large obvious errors in odds making, we could be subject to covering significant liabilities. | |
| ● | We may need to rely on other third-party sports data providers for real-time and accurate data for sporting events, and if such third parties do not perform adequately or terminate their relationships with us, our costs may increase and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. |
| ● | Our ability to offer products and services related to sports wagering will be dependent on the occurrence of a wide-variety of professional, collegiate and potentially amateur sporting events upon which wagers may be offered, subject to the laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which we operate. The cancellation or postponement of such sporting events due to pandemic, government action or labor dispute could consequently limit our ability to offer our sports wagering products or services. |
Any of the foregoing risks, or other risks we fail to anticipate as we expand our business into the sports betting industry, could expose us to significant liability or have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The success of our sports betting business depends on our ability to gain market access in states as such states legalize sports wagering activities, the inability to gain such market access could have negative impacts on our future growth.
The prevailing trend in the U.S. is for states to require sports wagering to be conducted by or through an existing licensed casino or racetrack or otherwise through a relationship with a professional sports team/venue. In such states where mobile or internet-based sports wagering is legal, each casino, racetrack or professional sports team/venue often is permitted to offer sports wagering through a limited number of branded websites, known as skins. The number of skins each casino, racetrack or professional sports team/venue is permitted to offer varies by state and is dictated by law, regulation, or policy. Casinos, racetracks and professional sports teams/venues have, accordingly, begun to enter into agreements to allow third-party sports wagering operators to operate skins through the casino’s or racetrack’s license or otherwise through a license or approval issued to a professional sports team/venue. Further, certain of these agreements provide for a sports wagering operator to obtain “second skin” or “third skin” access, meaning that another operator has the right to operate the first, and potentially the second, skin of a casino, racetrack or professional sports team/venue to the extent permitted by law. Consequently, if a state does not permit casinos, racetracks or professional sports teams/venues to have more than one skin (or more than two skins as the case may be), an operator’s right to utilize a second (or third skin as the case may be) is rendered meaningless in such state. We have begun to enter into agreements allowing us market access via the right to operate specific skins. Certain of these agreements may contemplate us receiving second or third skins. Accordingly, should states not permit our future casino, racetrack or professional sports team/venue partners to offer sports wagering through an adequate number of skins, we would not have access to such markets (unless we enter into additional agreements for market access). Our inability to gain access to offer mobile and internet sports wagering in states as such states legalize sports wagering could have a material adverse effect on our business.
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Our business depends on the ongoing support of payment processors, the quality and cost of which may be variable in certain jurisdictions.
Our sports wagering business depends on payment processing providers to facilitate the movement of funds between our sportsbook and our customer base. Anything that could interfere with or otherwise harm the relationships with payment service providers could have a material adverse effect on our businesses. Our ability to accept payments from our customers or facilitate withdrawals by them may be restricted by any introduction of legislation or regulations restricting financial transactions with online or mobile sports wagering operators or prohibiting the use of credit cards and other banking instruments for online or mobile sports wagering transactions, or by any other increase in the stringency of regulation of financial transactions, whether in general or in relation to the gambling industry in particular.
Stricter money laundering regulations may also affect the quickness and accessibility of payment processing systems, resulting in added inconvenience to customers. Card issuers and acquirers may dictate how transactions and products need to be coded and treated which could also make an impact on acceptance rates. Card issuers, acquirers, payment processors and banks may also cease to process transactions relating to the online or mobile sports wagering industry as a whole or as to certain operators. This would be due to reputational and/or regulatory reasons or in light of increased compliance standards of such third parties that seek to limit their business relationships with certain industry sectors considered as “high risk” sectors. It may also result in customers being dissuaded from accessing our product offerings if they cannot use a preferred payment option or the quality or the speed of the supply is not suitable or accessible. Any such developments may have a material and adverse effect on our future financial position.
Our sports betting business may experience significant losses with respect to individual events or betting outcomes.
Our sports betting fixed-odds betting products involve betting where winnings are paid on the basis of the stake placed and the odds quoted. Odds are determined with the objective of providing an average return to the bookmaker over a large number of events and therefore, over the long term. In contrast, there can be significant variation in gross win percentage event-by-event and day-by-day. We have systems and controls seeking to reduce the risk of daily losses occurring on a gross-win basis, but there can be no assurance that these will be effective in reducing their exposure, and consequently, our exposure to this potential risk in the future. As a result, in the short term, there is less certainty of generating a positive gross win, and we may experience significant losses with regard to individual events or betting outcomes, specifically if large, individual bets are placed on an event or betting outcome or series of events or betting outcomes. Odds compilers and risk managers are capable of human error, thus even noting that a number of betting products are subject to capped pay-outs, significant volatility can occur. Furthermore, there may be such a volume of trading during any particular period that even automated systems would be unable to address and eradicate all risks. Any significant losses on a gross-win basis could have a material adverse effect on our business and its cash flows. This can result in a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our betting operations can fluctuate due to seasonal trends and other factors. Our operations (and thus their financial performance) are also dependent on the seasonal variations dictated by various sports calendars, which will have an effect on our financial performance of such operations.
Although we are implementing systems and controls to monitor and manage such risk stated above, there can be no assurance that these systems and controls will be effective in reducing the exposure to this risk. The effect of future fluctuations and single event losses could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows. This would create material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
The online and mobile sports wagering industries are intensely competitive and our potential inability to compete successfully could have a significant adverse impact.
There is heightened competition among online and mobile sports wagering providers. The online and mobile sports wagering industries are shaped by increasing consumer demand and technological advances in the industry. These advances create greater and stronger competition for us. A number of established, well-financed companies producing online and mobile sports wagering products and services compete with our proposed product and service offerings. These competitors may spend more money and time on developing and testing products and services, undertake more extensive marketing campaigns, adopt more aggressive pricing or promotional policies, or otherwise develop more commercially successful products or services than us, which could negatively impact our business.
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We must continually introduce and successfully market new and innovative technologies, product offerings and product enhancements to remain competitive and effectively procure customer demand, acceptance, and engagement as a result of the intense industry competition, along with other factors. The process of developing new product offerings and systems is unclear and complex, and new product offerings may not be well received by customers. Although we intend to continue investing in research and development, there can be no assurance that such investments will lead to successful new technologies or timely new product offerings or enhanced existing product offerings with product life cycles long enough to be successful. We may not recover the often-substantial up-front costs of developing and marketing new technologies and product offerings or recover the opportunity cost of diverting management and financial resources away from other technologies and product offerings.
If the technology we use in operating our business fails, is unavailable, or does not operate to expectations, our business and results of operation could be adversely impacted.
We utilize a combination of proprietary and third-party technology to operate our business. This includes the technology that we have developed to recommend and merchandise content to our consumers as well as enable fast and efficient delivery of content to our subscribers and their various consumer electronic devices. For example, as part of the content delivery systems, we use third-party CDNs. To the extent Internet Service Providers (“ISPs”) do not interconnect with our CDN or charge us to access their networks, or if we experience difficulties in our CDN’s operation, our ability to efficiently and effectively deliver our streaming content to our subscribers could be adversely impacted and our business and results of operation could be adversely affected.
Likewise, our system for predicting subscriber content preferences is based on advanced data analytics systems and our proprietary algorithms. We have invested, and will continue to invest, significant resources in refining these technologies; however, we cannot assure you that such investments will yield an attractive return or that such refinements will be effective. The effectiveness of our ability to predict subscriber content preferences depends in part on our ability to gather and effectively analyze large amounts of subscriber data. Our ability to predict content that our subscribers enjoy is critical to the perceived value of our platform among subscribers and failure to make accurate predictions could materially adversely affect our ability to adequately attract and retain subscribers and sell advertising to meet investor expectations for growth or to generate revenue. We also utilize third-party technology to help market our service, process payments, and otherwise manage the daily operations of our business. If our technology or that of third parties we utilize in our operations fails or otherwise operates improperly, including as a result of “bugs” in our development and deployment of software, our ability to operate our service, retain existing subscribers and add new subscribers may be impaired. Any harm to our subscribers’ personal computers or other devices caused by software used in our operations could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Risks Related to Regulation
The gaming industry is heavily regulated and our failure to obtain or maintain applicable licensure or approvals, or otherwise comply with applicable requirements, could be disruptive to our business and could adversely affect our operations.
We and our officers, directors, major shareholders, key employees, and business partners will generally be subject to the laws and regulations relating to sports wagering of the jurisdictions in which we will conduct such business.
The jurisdictions where we will operate have, or will have, their own regulatory framework, more often than not these frameworks will require us to receive a license. Each jurisdiction will normally require us to make detailed and extensive disclosures as to their beneficial ownership, their source of funds, the suitability and integrity of certain persons associated with the applicant, the applicant’s management competence, structure, and business plans, the applicant’s proposed geographical territories of operation, and the applicant’s ability to operate a gaming business in a socially responsible manner in compliance with regulation. Such jurisdictions will also impose ongoing reporting and disclosure obligations, both on a periodic and ad hoc basis in response to material issues affecting the business.
Our gaming-related technology will also be subject to testing and certification, generally designed to confirm matters such as the fairness of the gaming products offered by the business, their ability to accurately generate settlement instructions, and recover from outages.
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Any gaming license may be revoked, suspended, or conditioned at any time. The loss of a gaming license in one jurisdiction, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements in a particular jurisdiction, could prompt the loss of a gaming license or affect our eligibility for such a license in another jurisdiction, could impact our ability to comply with licensing and regulatory requirements in other jurisdictions, or could cause the rejection of license applications or cancelation of existing licenses in other jurisdictions, or could cause payment processors or other third parties to stop providing services to us which we may rely upon to deliver or promote our services. These potential losses could cause us to cease offering some or all of its product offerings in the impacted jurisdictions. We may be unable to obtain or maintain all necessary registrations, licenses, permits or approvals, and could incur fines or experience delays related to the licensing process, which could adversely affect its operations. The process of determining suitability may be expensive and time-consuming. Our delay or failure to obtain gaming licenses in any jurisdiction may prevent us from offering its products in such jurisdiction, increasing our customer base and/or generating revenues. A gaming regulatory body may refuse to issue or renew a gaming license if we, or one of its directors, officers, employees, major shareholders or business partners: (i) is considered to be a detriment to the integrity or lawful conduct or management of gaming, (ii) no longer meets a licensing or registration requirement, (iii) has breached or is in breach of a condition of licensure or registration or an operational agreement with a regulatory authority, (iv) has made a material misrepresentation, omission or misstatement in an application for licensure or registration or in reply to an inquiry by a person conducting an audit, investigation or inspection for a gaming regulatory authority, (v) has been refused a similar gaming license in another jurisdiction, (vi) has held a similar gaming license in that state or another jurisdiction which has been suspended, revoked or cancelled, or (vii) has been convicted of an offence, inside or outside of the U.S. that calls into question the honesty or integrity of us or any of our directors, officers, employees or associates.
Furthermore, our product offerings must be approved in most regulated jurisdictions in which they are offered; this process cannot be assured or guaranteed. It is a prolonged, potentially costly process to obtain these approvals. A developer and provider of online or mobile sports wagering products may pursue corporate regulatory approval with regulators of a particular jurisdiction while it pursues technical regulatory approval for its product offerings by that same jurisdiction. It is also possible that after incurring significant expenses and dedicating substantial time and effort towards such regulatory approvals, we may not obtain either of them. In the event we fail to obtain the necessary gaming license in a given jurisdiction, we would likely be prohibited from operating in that particular jurisdiction altogether. If we fail to seek, do not receive, or receive a suspension or revocation of a license in a particular jurisdiction for our product offerings (including any related technology and software), then we cannot operate in that jurisdiction and our gaming licenses in other jurisdictions may be impacted. We may not be able to obtain all necessary gaming licenses in a timely manner, or at all. These delays in regulatory approvals or failure to obtain such approvals may also serve as a barrier to entry to the market for our product offerings. Our operations and future prospects will be affected if we are unable to overcome these barriers to entry.
To the extent new sports wagering jurisdictions are established or expanded, we cannot guarantee we will be successful in penetrating such new jurisdictions or expanding our business or customer base in line with the growth of existing jurisdictions. As we directly or indirectly enter into new markets, we may encounter legal, regulatory, and political challenges that are difficult or impossible to foresee and which could result in an unforeseen adverse impact on planned revenues or costs associated with the new market opportunity. In the event we are unable to effectively develop and operate directly or indirectly within these new markets or if our competitors are able to successfully penetrate geographic markets that we cannot access or where we face other restrictions, then our business, operating results, and financial condition could be impaired. Our failure to obtain or maintain the necessary regulatory approvals in jurisdictions, whether individually or collectively, would have a material adverse effect on our business. We may need to be licensed, obtain approvals of our products and/or seek licensure of our officers, directors, major shareholders, key employees or business partners to expand into new jurisdictions. This is a costly and time-consuming process. Any delays in obtaining or difficulty in maintaining regulatory approvals needed for expansion within existing markets or into new jurisdictions can negatively affect our opportunities for growth. This includes the growth of our customer base, or delay in our ability to recognize revenue from our product offerings in any such jurisdictions.
Future legislative and regulatory action, and court decisions or other governmental action, may have a material impact on our operations and financial results. There can be no assurance that legally enforceable and prohibiting legislation will not be proposed and passed in jurisdictions relevant or potentially relevant to our business to prohibit, legislate, or regulate various aspects of the Internet, e-commerce, payment processing, or the online and mobile wagering and interactive entertainment industries (or that existing laws in those jurisdictions will not be interpreted negatively). Moreover, legislation may require us to pay certain fees in order to operate a sports wagering-related business. Such fees include integrity fees paid to sports leagues and/or fees required to obtain official sports-wagering related data. Compliance with any such legislation may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We will strive to comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to our business, However, it is possible that any requirements may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules. We plan to tailor our product offerings to comply with requirements of each state. Non-compliance with any such law or regulations could expose us to claims, proceedings, litigation and investigations by private parties and regulatory authorities, as well as substantial fines and negative publicity, each of which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
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We will be subject to regulatory investigations, which could cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices in a materially adverse manner.
We expect to receive formal and informal inquiries from government authorities and regulators from time to time, including securities authorities, tax authorities and gaming regulators, regarding its compliance with laws and other matters. We expect to continue to be the subject of investigations and audits in the future as we continue to grow and expand our operations. Violation of existing or future regulatory orders or consent decrees could subject us to substantial monetary fines and other penalties providing a negative effect on our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, there is a possibility that future orders issued by, or inquiries or enforcement actions initiated by, government or regulatory authorities may cause us to incur substantial costs, expose us to unanticipated civil and criminal liability or penalties, or require us to change our business practices that may have materially adverse effects to our business.
We may not be able to capitalize on the expansion of sports wagering, including due to laws and regulations governing this industry.
We intend to capitalize on the expansion of legalized sports wagering throughout the U.S. The success of online and mobile sports wagering and our product offerings may be affected by future developments in social networks, mobile platforms, regulatory developments, payment processing laws, data and information privacy laws, and other factors that we are unable to predict and are beyond our control. Following these unpredictable issues, our future operating results relating to our sports wagering products are difficult to anticipate, and we cannot provide assurance that our product offerings will grow as expected or with success in the long term.
Additionally, our ability to successfully pursue our sports wagering strategy depends on the laws and regulations relating to wagering through interactive channels. There is considerable debate over online and interactive real-money gaming and opposition to it as well. There can be no assurance that this opposition will not succeed in preventing the legalization of online and mobile sports wagering in jurisdictions where it is presently prohibited, prohibiting, or limiting the expansion of such activities where it is currently permitted or causing the repeal of legalized online or mobile sports wagering in any jurisdiction. Any successful effort to limit the expansion of or prohibit legalized online or mobile sports wagering could have an adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. Combatting such efforts to curtail expansion of, or limit or prohibit, legalized online and mobile sports wagering can again be time-consuming and can be extremely costly.
If we fail to comply with any existing or future laws or requirements, regulators may take action against us. This action could include fines, the conditioning, suspension or revocation of approvals, registrations, permits or licenses, and other disciplinary action. If we fail to adequately adjust to any such potential changes, its business, results of operations or financial condition could also be harmed.
Our shareholders will be subject to extensive governmental oversight, and if a shareholder is found unsuitable by a gaming authority, that shareholder may not be able to beneficially own, directly or indirectly, certain of our securities.
A number of jurisdictions’ gaming laws may require any of our shareholders to file an application, be investigated, and qualify or have his, her, or its suitability determined by gaming authorities. Gaming authorities have very broad discretion when ruling on whether an applicant should be deemed suitable or not. Subject to certain administrative proceeding requirements, the gaming authorities have the authority to deny any application or limit, condition, revoke or suspend any gaming license, or fine any person licensed, registered or found suitable or approved, for any cause deemed reasonable by the gaming authorities.
Any person found unsuitable by a gaming authority may not hold directly or indirectly ownership of any voting security or the beneficial or record ownership of any nonvoting security or any debt security of any company that is licensed with the relevant gaming authority beyond the time prescribed by the relevant gaming authority. A finding of unsuitability by a particular gaming authority impacts that person’s ability to associate or affiliate with gaming licensees in that specific jurisdiction and could impact the person’s ability to associate or affiliate with gaming license holders in other jurisdictions.
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Many jurisdictions also require any person who obtains a beneficial ownership of more than a certain percentage, most normally 5%, of voting securities of a publicly-traded gaming company or parent company thereof and, in some jurisdictions, non-voting securities to report the acquisition to gaming authorities. Gaming authorities may require such holders to apply for qualification or a finding of suitability, subject to limited exceptions for “institutional investors” that hold a company’s voting securities for investment purposes only. Other jurisdictions may also limit the number of gaming licenses with which a person may be associated.
As a result, we intend to seek shareholder approval to adopt certain amendments to our articles of incorporation to facilitate compliance with applicable gaming regulations and to otherwise operate in a manner consistent with best industry practices. These amendments, if approved, would provide us with the right, subject to certain conditions set forth in our articles of incorporation, to redeem shares held by an unsuitable person. Such redemption may be made at the per share purchase price of the lesser of then fair market value and the price at which the stockholder acquired the shares. Such redemption rights may negatively affect the trading price and/or liquidity of our shares. The utilization of such redemption rights may also negatively impact our cash flows and financial condition.
If government regulations relating to the Internet or other areas of our business change, we may need to alter the manner in which we conduct our business and we may incur greater operating expenses.
We are subject to general business regulations and laws, as well as regulations and laws specific to the Internet, which may include laws and regulations related to user privacy, data protection, information security, consumer protection, payment processing, taxation, intellectual property, electronic contracts, Internet access and content restrictions. We cannot guarantee that we have been or will be fully compliant in every jurisdiction. Litigation and regulatory proceedings are inherently uncertain, and the laws and regulations governing issues such as privacy, payment processing, taxation and consumer protection related to the Internet continue to develop.
For example, laws relating to the liability of providers of online services for activities of their subscribers and other third parties have been tested by a number of claims, including actions based on invasion of privacy and other torts, unfair competition, copyright and trademark infringement, and other theories based on the nature and content of the materials searched, the advertisements posted, or the content provided by subscribers. In some instances, we have certain protections against claims related to such subscriber generated content, including or defamatory content. Specifically, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (the “CDA”) provides immunity from liability for providers of an interactive computer service who publish defamatory information provided by users of the service. Immunity under the CDA has been well-established through case law. On a regular basis, however, challenges to both laws seek to limit immunity. For example, a recent executive order and a letter from several senators to the Federal Communications Commission (the “FCC”) have renewed calls for the protections of Section 230 to be scaled back. Any such changes could affect our ability to claim protection under the CDA.
Moreover, as Internet commerce and advertising continues to evolve, increasing regulation by federal, state and foreign regulatory authorities becomes more likely. For example, California’s Automatic Renewal Law requires companies to adhere to enhanced disclosure requirements when entering into automatically renewing contracts with consumers. Other states have enacted similar laws in recent years. As a result, a wave of consumer class action lawsuits has been brought against companies that offer online products and services on a subscription or recurring basis, and we have received a letter alleging that we may have violated such a law. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with any of these laws or regulations could result in damage to our reputation, lost business, and proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others, which could impact our operating results. As we improve our TV streaming platform, we may also be subject to new laws and regulations specific to such technologies.
We are subject to payment processing risk.
Acceptance and processing of payments are subject to certain rules and regulations, including additional authentication and security requirements for certain payment methods, and require payment of interchange and other fees. To the extent there are increases in payment processing fees, material changes in the payment ecosystem, such as large re-issuances of payment cards, delays in receiving payments from payment processors, changes to rules or regulations concerning payments, loss of payment partners and/or disruptions or failures in the operations or security of our payment processing systems, partner systems or payment products, including products we use to update payment information, our revenue, operating expenses and results of operation could be adversely impacted.
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We may be subject to fines or other penalties imposed by the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities.
Certain of our subsidiaries are currently delinquent in filing annual tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service and several states. We are in the process of working with our subsidiaries to remedy this issue by filing these delinquent tax returns. We may be subject to penalties and interest with the tax authorities because of the late tax returns. There can be no assurance that we will remedy our delinquent filings sufficiently, and we may face penalties and fees which would adversely affect our operating results and investors’ confidence in our internal operations.
We could be required to collect additional sales and other similar taxes or be subject to other tax liabilities that may increase the costs our customers would have to pay for our subscriptions and adversely affect our operating results.
Sales and use, value-added, goods and services, and similar tax laws and rates are complicated and vary greatly by jurisdiction. There is significant uncertainty as to what constitutes sufficient nexus for a state or local jurisdiction to levy taxes, fees, and surcharges for sales made over the internet, as well as whether our subscriptions are subject to tax in various jurisdictions. The vast majority of states have considered or adopted laws that impose collection obligations on out-of-state companies for such taxes. Additionally, the Supreme Court of the U.S. ruled in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. et. al. (Wayfair) that online sellers can be required to collect sales and use tax despite not having a physical presence in the buyer’s state. In response to Wayfair, or otherwise, states or local governments may enforce laws requiring us to calculate, collect, and remit taxes on sales in their jurisdictions. We have not always collected sales and other similar taxes in all jurisdictions in which we are required to. We may be obligated to collect and remit sales tax in jurisdictions in which we have not previously collected and remitted sales tax. A successful assertion by one or more states requiring us to collect taxes where we historically have not or presently do not do so could result in substantial tax liabilities, including taxes on past sales, as well as penalties and interest. The imposition by state governments or local governments of sales tax collection obligations on out-of-state sellers could also create additional administrative burdens for us and decrease our future sales, which could adversely affect our business and operating results.
We are subject to taxation-related risks in multiple jurisdictions.
We are a U.S.-based multinational company subject to tax in multiple U.S. and foreign tax jurisdictions. Judgment is required in determining our global provision for income taxes, value added and other similar taxes, deferred tax assets or liabilities and in evaluating our tax positions on a worldwide basis. It is possible that our tax positions may be challenged by jurisdictional tax authorities, which may have a significant impact on our global provision for income taxes.
Tax laws are being re-examined and evaluated globally. New laws and interpretations of the law are taken into account for financial statement purposes in the quarter or year that they become applicable. Tax authorities are increasingly scrutinizing the tax positions of multinational companies. If U.S. or other foreign tax authorities change applicable tax laws, our overall liability could increase, and our business, financial condition or results of operations may be adversely impacted.
Social responsibility concerns and public opinion can significantly influence the regulation of sports wagering and impact responsible gaming requirements, each of which could impact our business and could adversely affect our operations.
Public opinion can meaningfully affect sports wagering regulation. A negative shift in sports wagering perception by the public, by politicians or by others could impact future legislation or regulation in different jurisdictions. Moreover, such a shift could cause jurisdictions to abandon proposals to legalize sports wagering, thereby limiting the number of new jurisdictions into which we could expand. Negative public perception also can lead to new, harsher restrictions on sports wagering. It also could promote prohibition of sports wagering in jurisdictions where sports wagering is presently legal.
Concerns with responsible betting and gaming could lead to negative publicity, resulting in increased regulatory attention, which may result in restrictions on our operations. If we had to restrict our marketing or product offerings or incur increased compliance costs, a material adverse effect on its business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects could result.
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Risks Related to Our Operations
The COVID-19 pandemic and the global attempt to contain it may harm our industry, business, results of operations and ability to raise additional capital.
The global spread of COVID-19 and the various attempts to contain it created significant volatility, uncertainty and economic disruption. In response to government mandates, health care advisories and employee concerns, we have altered certain aspects of our operations. Travel has been curtailed, and numerous professional and college sports leagues have cancelled or altered seasons and events. As a result, our broadcasting partners had and are having to substitute other content in the place of previously scheduled live sporting events. While professional sports are returning in the United States, there is no guarantee that those seasons continue uninterrupted or at all. The potential further delay or cancellation of professional and college sports may cause us to temporarily have less popular content available on our platform, which could negatively impact consumer demand for and subscription retention to our platform and our number of paid subscribers.
The full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic and the various responses to it impacts our business, operations and financial results will depend on numerous evolving factors that we may not be able to accurately predict, including: the duration and scope of the pandemic; governmental, business and individuals’ actions that have been and continue to be taken in response to the pandemic; the actions of professional and college sports leagues; the availability and cost to access the capital markets; the effect on our subscribers and subscriber demand for and ability to pay for our platform; disruptions or restrictions on our employees’ ability to work and travel; and interruptions or restrictions related to the provision of streaming services over the internet, including impacts on content delivery networks and streaming quality. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we may not be able to provide the same level of customer service that our subscribers are used to, which could negatively impact their perception of our platform resulting in an increase in cancellations. There can be no assurance that financing may be available on attractive terms, if at all. Our workforce has had to spend a significant amount of time working from home, which may impact their productivity. Such limitations caused by the pandemic have also resulted in us seeking extensions for our current and periodic filings with the SEC. We will continue to actively monitor the issues raised by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the spread of variants, and may take further actions that alter our business operations as may be required by federal, state, local or foreign authorities, or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, subscribers and shareholders. It is not clear what the potential effects any such alterations or modifications may have on our business, including the effects on our subscribers, or on our financial results.
We could be subject to claims or have liability based on defects with respect to certain historical corporate transactions that were not properly authorized or documented.
We have determined that there have been defects with respect to certain historical corporate transactions, including transactions that were not or may not have been properly approved by our board of directors, transactions that may have breached our organizational documents, or transactions that may not have been adequately documented.
While we have attempted to narrow potential future claims by taking certain remedial corporate actions, the scope of liability with respect to such defects is uncertain and we cannot be sure that these actions will entirely remediate these defects or that we will not receive claims in the future from other persons asserting rights to shares of our capital stock, to stock options, or to amounts owed under other equity or debt instruments or investment contracts. To the extent any such claims are successful, the claims could result in dilution to existing shareholders, payments by us to note holders or security holders, us having to comply with registration or other investor rights, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Legal proceedings could cause us to incur unforeseen expenses and could occupy a significant amount of our management’s time and attention.
From time to time, we may be subject to litigation or claims that could negatively affect our business operations and financial position. We may face allegations or litigation related to our acquisitions, securities issuances or business practices. For example, putative class action lawsuits have been filed by certain of our shareholders against us and certain of our officers and directors alleging certain violations of the federal securities laws in connection with certain statements we have made regarding our business and financial condition. In addition, certain of our shareholders have filed related derivative lawsuits against certain of our officers and directors alleging certain federal securities law violations and that the officers and directors breached their fiduciary duties and committed corporate waste. Litigation disputes, including the disputes we are currently facing, could cause us to incur unforeseen expenses, result in content unavailability, and otherwise occupy a significant amount of our management’s time and attention, any of which could negatively affect our business operations and financial position. While the ultimate outcome of investigations, inquiries, information requests and related legal proceedings is difficult to predict, such matters can be expensive, time-consuming and distracting, and adverse resolutions or settlements of those matters may result in, among other things, modification of our business practices, reputational harm or costs and significant payments, any of which could negatively affect our business operations and financial position.
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The quality of our customer support is important to our subscribers, and if we fail to provide adequate levels of customer support, we could lose subscribers, which would harm our business.
Our subscribers depend on our customer support organization to resolve any issues relating to our platform. A high level of support is critical for the successful marketing of our platform. Providing high-level support is further challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting remote work environment. If we do not effectively train, update and manage our customer support organization that assists our subscribers in using our platform, and if that support organization does not succeed in helping them quickly resolve any issues or provide effective ongoing support, it could adversely affect our ability to sell subscriptions to our platform and harm our reputation with potential new subscribers.
We could be subject to economic, political, regulatory and other risks arising from our international operations.
Operating in international markets requires significant resources and management attention and subjects us to economic, political, regulatory and other risks that may be different from or incremental to those in the U.S. In addition to the risks that we face in the U.S., our international operations involve risks that could adversely affect our business, including:
| ● | the need to adapt our content and user interfaces for specific cultural and language differences; | |
| ● | difficulties and costs associated with staffing and managing foreign operations; | |
| ● | political or social unrest and economic instability; | |
| ● | compliance with laws such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, UK Bribery Act and other anti-corruption laws, export controls and economic sanctions, and local laws prohibiting corrupt payments to government officials; | |
| ● | difficulties in understanding and complying with local laws, regulations and customs in foreign jurisdictions, including local ownership requirements for streaming content providers and laws and regulations relating to privacy, data protection and information security, and the risks and costs of non-compliance with such laws, regulations and customs; | |
| ● | regulatory requirements or government action against our service, whether in response to enforcement of actual or purported legal and regulatory requirements or otherwise, that results in disruption or non-availability of our service or particular content in the applicable jurisdiction; | |
| ● | adverse tax consequences such as those related to changes in tax laws or tax rates or their interpretations, and the related application of judgment in determining our global provision for income taxes, deferred tax assets or liabilities or other tax liabilities given the ultimate tax determination is uncertain; | |
| ● | fluctuations in currency exchange rates; | |
| ● | profit repatriation and other restrictions on the transfer of funds; | |
| ● | differing payment processing systems; | |
| ● | new and different sources of competition; and | |
| ● | different and more stringent user protection, data protection, privacy and other laws, including data localization and/or restrictions on data export, and local ownership requirements. |
Our failure to manage any of these risks successfully could harm our international operations and our overall business and results of our operations.
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We depend on highly skilled key personnel to operate our business, and if we are unable to attract, retain, and motivate qualified personnel, our ability to develop and successfully grow our business could be harmed.
We believe that our future success is highly dependent on the talents and contributions of Edgar Bronfman, our Executive Chairman, David Gandler, our Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, other members of our executive team, and other key employees, such as engineering, finance, legal, research and development, marketing, and sales personnel. Our future success depends on our continuing ability to attract, develop, motivate, and retain highly qualified and skilled employees. All of our employees, including our senior management, are free to terminate their employment relationship with us at any time, and their knowledge of our business and industry may be difficult to replace. Qualified individuals are in high demand, particularly in the digital media industry, and we may incur significant costs to attract them. We use equity awards to attract talented employees, but if the value of our common stock declines significantly and remains depressed, that may prevent us from recruiting and retaining qualified employees. If we are unable to attract and retain our senior management and key employees, we may not be able to achieve our strategic objectives, and our business could be harmed. In addition, we believe that our key executives have developed highly successful and effective working relationships. We cannot ensure that we will be able to retain the services of any members of our senior management or other key employees. If one or more of these individuals leave, we may not be able to fully integrate new executives or replicate the current dynamic and working relationships that have developed among our senior management and other key personnel, and our operations could suffer. For instance, we recently entered into a transition agreement with our Chief Financial Officer, Simone Nardi, pursuant to which Mr. Nardi will continue to serve as our Chief Financial Officer until the earliest of (i) December 31, 2021, (ii) the date on which Mr. Nardi’s employment ends for any reason, or (iii) the date on which Mr. Nardi’s successor as Chief Financial Officer commences employment with the Company. We are currently in the process of searching for a successor to Mr. Nardi. There can be no assurance that we will be able to identify a qualified successor by December 31, 2021 or at all.
The impact of worldwide economic conditions may adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.
Our financial performance is subject to worldwide economic conditions and their impact on levels of advertising spending. Expenditures by advertisers generally tend to reflect overall economic conditions, and to the extent that the economy continues to stagnate, reductions in spending by advertisers could have a material adverse impact on our business. Historically, economic downturns have resulted in overall reductions in advertising spending. Economic conditions may adversely impact levels of consumer spending, which could adversely impact our number of subscribers.
Consumer purchases of discretionary items generally decline during recessionary periods and other periods in which disposable income is adversely affected. To the extent that overall economic conditions reduce spending on discretionary activities, our ability to retain current and obtain new subscribers could be hindered, which could reduce our subscription revenue and negatively impact our business.
Changes in how we market our service could adversely affect our marketing expenses and subscription levels may be adversely affected.
We utilize a broad mix of marketing and public relations programs, including social media sites, to promote our service and content to existing and potential new subscribers. We may limit or discontinue use or support of certain marketing sources or activities if advertising rates increase or if we become concerned that subscribers or potential subscribers deem certain marketing platforms or practices intrusive or damaging to our brand. If the available marketing channels are curtailed, our ability to engage subscribers and attract new subscribers may be adversely affected.
Companies that promote our service may decide that we negatively impact their business or may make business decisions that in turn negatively impact us. For example, if they decide that they want to compete more directly with us, enter a similar business or exclusively support our competitors, we may no longer have access to their marketing channels. We also acquire a number of subscribers who re-join our service having previously canceled their subscription. If we are unable to maintain or replace our sources of subscribers with similarly effective sources, or if the cost of our existing sources increases, our subscription levels and marketing expenses may be adversely affected.
We utilize marketing to promote our content, drive conversation about our content and service, and drive viewing by our subscribers. To the extent we promote our content inefficiently or ineffectively, we may not obtain the expected acquisition and retention benefits and our business may be adversely affected.
We continue to pursue and may in the future engage in acquisitions, which involve a number of risks, and if we are unable to address and resolve these risks successfully, such acquisitions could harm our business.
We continue to pursue and may in the future acquire businesses, products or technologies to expand our offerings and capabilities, subscriber base and business. The entities acquired in such acquisitions may not be profitable and may have significant liabilities. We have evaluated, and expect to continue to evaluate, a wide array of potential strategic transactions. Any acquisition could be material to our financial condition and results of operations. Also, any anticipated benefits from a given acquisition, including, but not limited to, the acquisition of Vigtory, Inc. in February 2021, may never materialize. In addition, the process of integrating any businesses, products or technologies acquired by us may create unforeseen operating difficulties and expenditures and we may have difficulties retaining key employees. Any acquisitions in international markets would involve additional risks, including those related to integration of operations across different cultures and languages, currency risks and the particular economic, political and regulatory risks associated with specific countries. We may not be able to address these risks successfully, or at all, without incurring significant costs, delays or other operational problems, and if we were unable to address such risks successfully, our business could be harmed.
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Risks Related to Privacy and Cybersecurity
We are subject to a number of legal requirements and other obligations regarding privacy, security, and data protection, and any actual or perceived failure to comply with these requirements or obligations could have an adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition and operating results.
Various international, federal, and state laws and regulations govern the processing of personal information, including the collection, use, retention, transfer, sharing and security of the data we receive from and about our subscribers and other individuals. The regulatory environment for the collection and processing of data relating to individuals, including subscriber and other consumer data, by online service providers, content distributors, advertisers and publishers is unsettled in the U.S. and internationally. Privacy groups and government bodies, including the Federal Trade Commission, increasingly have scrutinized issues relating to the use, collection, storage, disclosure, and other processing of data, including data that is associated with personal identities or devices, and we expect such scrutiny to continue to increase. Various federal, state and foreign government bodies and agencies have adopted or are considering adopting laws and regulations limiting, or laws and regulations covering the processing, collection, distribution, use, disclosure, storage, transfer and security of certain types of information. In addition to government regulation, self-regulatory standards and other industry standards may legally or contractually apply to us, be argued to apply to us, or we may elect to comply with such standards or facilitate compliance by content publishers, advertisers, or others with such standards.
For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA, became operative on January 1, 2020. The CCPA requires covered businesses to provide new disclosures to California consumers, and to afford such consumers the ability to access and delete their personal information, opt out of certain personal information activities, and receive details about how their personal information is used. The CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for data breaches that is expected to increase data breach litigation. California voters also approved a modification of the CCPA, the California Privacy Rights Act, or CPRA, in the November 2020 election. The CPRA significantly expands the rights under the CCPA. The CCPA and CPRA may increase our compliance costs and exposure to liability. Similarly, Virginia recently adopted the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, or VCDPA, which will go into effect on January 1, 2023. The VCDPA will grant Virginia residents certain rights with respect to their personal data, has notice obligations, requires consent in some circumstances, among other things. While there is no private right of action, the VCDPA empowers the Attorney General to enforce the law. As with the CCPA and the CPRA, the VCDPA may increase our compliance costs and exposure to liability. Other U.S. states are considering adopting similar laws.
Additionally, our use of subscriber data to deliver relevant advertising on our platform places us and our content publishers at risk for claims under a number of other unsettled laws, including the Video Privacy Protection Act, or VPPA. Some content publishers have been engaged in litigation over alleged violations of the VPPA relating to activities on online platforms in connection with advertising provided by unrelated third parties. The Federal Trade Commission has also revised its rules implementing the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA Rules, broadening the applicability of the COPPA Rules, including by expanding the types of information that are subject to these regulations. The COPPA Rules could effectively apply to limit the information that we and, our content publishers and advertisers collect and use, the content of advertisements and certain channel partner content. We and our content publishers and advertisers could be at risk for violation or alleged violation of these and other laws, regulations, and other standards and contractual obligations relating to privacy, data protection, and information security.
In the European Union, or EU, and its member states, there are laws and regulations that in some circumstances require informed consent for the placement of cookies or other tracking technologies and the delivery of relevant advertisements. More generally, the EU General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679, or the GDPR, which has been in effect since May 25, 2018, imposes stringent obligations relating to data protection and security and authorizes fines up to 4% of global annual revenue or €20 million, whichever is greater, for certain violations.
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Further, the departure of the United Kingdom, or UK, from the EU has created uncertainty with regard to data protection regulation in the UK. In particular, while the UK has implemented the UK General Data Protection Regulation, and the UK Data Protection Act of 2018, which implements and complements the UK GDPR are still in force, it is unclear whether the UK will receive an adequacy decision from the European Commission that would allow the lawful transfer of data from the European Economic Area, or EEA, to the UK under that adequacy decision. Should the UK not be deemed adequate, transfers of data between the UK and the EEA will need to be pursuant to a different transfer mechanism, such as the entry of Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission. Failure to comply with these obligations could subject us to liability. Additionally, we may incur expenses, costs, and other operational losses under the GDPR and the privacy laws of applicable EU Member States and the UK in connection with any measures we take to comply with such laws.
Although certain legal mechanisms have been designed to allow for the transfer of personal data from the UK, EEA and Switzerland to the U.S., uncertainty about compliance with such data protection laws remains and such mechanisms may not be available or applicable with respect to the personal data processing activities necessary to research, develop and market our products. For example, legal challenges in Europe to the mechanisms allowing companies to transfer personal data from the EEA to the U.S. have resulted in further limitations on the ability to transfer personal data across borders. In particular, certain governments have been unable to reach agreement on or maintain existing mechanisms designed to support cross-border data transfers, such as the EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Frameworks. Specifically, on July 16, 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union invalidated Decision 2016/1250 on the adequacy of the protection provided by the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework. To the extent that we have relied on the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework in the past, we will not be able to do so in the future, which could increase our costs and limit our ability to process personal data from the EEA. The same decision also challenged the ability to use one of the primary alternatives to the Privacy Shield, namely, the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses, to lawfully transfer personal data from the EEA to the U.S. and most other countries without additional measures or assurances.
Complying with the GDPR, CCPA, VCDPA, and other laws, regulations, and other obligations relating to privacy, data protection, data localization or security may cause us to incur substantial operational costs or require us to modify our data handling practices. We also expect that there will continue to be new proposed laws and regulations concerning privacy, data protection and information security, and we cannot yet determine the impact such future laws, regulations and standards, or amendments to, expansions of or re-interpretations of, existing laws and regulations, industry standards, or other obligations may have on our business. New laws and regulations, amendments to, expansions of or re-interpretations of existing laws and regulations, industry standards, and contractual and other obligations may require us to incur additional costs and restrict our business operations.
Furthermore, the interpretation and application of laws, regulations, standards, contractual obligations and other obligations relating to privacy, data processing and protection, and information security are uncertain, and these laws, standards, and contractual and other obligations (including, without limitation, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is, or is alleged to be, inconsistent with our data management and processing practices, our policies or procedures, or the features of our platform. We may face claims or allegations that we are in violation of these laws, regulations, standards, or contractual or other obligations. We could be required to fundamentally change our business activities and practices or modify our platform or practices to address laws, regulations, or other obligations relating to privacy, data protection, or information security, or claims or allegations that we have failed to comply with any of the foregoing, which could have an adverse effect on our business. We may be unable to make such changes and modifications in a commercially reasonable manner or at all, and our ability to develop new features could be limited.
Increased regulation of data collection, use and distribution practices, including self-regulation and industry standards, changes in existing laws and regulations, enactment of new laws and regulations, increased enforcement activity, and changes in interpretation of laws and regulations, all could increase our cost of compliance and operation, limit our ability to grow our business or otherwise harm our business. Additionally, the costs of compliance with, and other burdens imposed by, the laws, regulations, and policies that are applicable to the businesses of content publishers and advertisers may limit their use and adoption of, and reduce the overall demand for, our platform and advertising on our platform, and content publishers and advertisers may be at risk for violation or alleged violation of laws, regulations, and other standards relating to privacy, data protection, and information security relating to their activities on our platform. More generally, privacy, data protection, and information security concerns, whether or not valid, may inhibit market adoption of our platform, particularly in certain countries.
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Any actual or perceived inability to adequately address privacy, data protection or security-related concerns, even if unfounded, or to successfully negotiate privacy, data protection or security-related contractual terms with content publishers, card associations, advertisers, or others, or to comply with applicable laws, regulations and other obligations relating to privacy, data protection, and security, could result in additional cost and liability to us. We may face regulatory investigations and proceedings, claims and litigation by governmental entities and private parties, damages for contract breach, damage to our reputation, restrictions on the use of our platform by advertisers and sales of subscriptions to our platform, and additional liabilities as a result, all of which could harm our business, reputation, financial condition, and results of operations.
Any significant interruptions, delays or discontinuations in service or disruptions in or unauthorized access to our computer systems or those of third parties that we utilize in our operations, including those relating to cybersecurity or arising from cyber-attacks, could result in a loss or degradation of service, unauthorized disclosure of data, including subscriber and corporate information, or theft of intellectual property, including digital content assets, which could adversely impact our business.
Our reputation and ability to attract, retain and serve our subscribers is dependent upon the reliable performance and security of our computer systems and those of third parties that we utilize in our operations. These systems may be subject to damage or interruption from, among other things, earthquakes, adverse weather conditions, other natural disasters, terrorist attacks, rogue employees, employees who are inattentive or careless and cause security vulnerabilities, power loss, telecommunications failures, and cybersecurity risks. Interruptions in these systems, or with the Internet in general, could make our service unavailable or degraded or otherwise hinder our ability to deliver our service. Service interruptions, errors in our software or the unavailability of computer systems used in our operations could diminish the overall attractiveness of our subscription to existing and potential subscribers.
Our computer systems and those of third parties we use in our operations are subject to cybersecurity threats, including cyber-attacks such as computer viruses, denial of service attacks, physical or electronic break-ins and similar disruptions. These systems periodically experience directed attacks intended to lead to interruptions and delays in our service and operations as well as loss, misuse or theft of personal information and other data, content, confidential information, trade secrets or intellectual property. Additionally, outside parties may attempt to induce employees or subscribers to disclose sensitive or confidential information in order to gain access to data. Any attempt by hackers to obtain our data (including subscriber and corporate information) or intellectual property (including digital content assets), disrupt our service, or otherwise access our systems, or those of third parties we use, if successful, could harm our business, be expensive to remedy and damage our reputation.
We use third-party cloud computing services in connection with our business operations. We also use third-party content delivery networks to help us stream content to our subscribers over the Internet. Problems faced by us or our third-party cloud computing or other network providers, including technological or business-related disruptions, as well as cybersecurity threats and regulatory interference, could adversely impact the experience of our users.
We have implemented certain systems and processes designed to thwart hackers and protect our data and systems, but the techniques used to gain unauthorized access to data, systems, and software are constantly evolving, and we may be unable to anticipate or prevent unauthorized access, and we may be delayed in detecting unauthorized access or other security breaches and other incidents. There is no assurance that hackers may not have a material impact on our service or systems in the future or that security breaches or other incidents may not occur due to these or other causes. Efforts and technologies to prevent disruptions to our service and unauthorized access to our systems are expensive to develop, implement and maintain. These efforts require ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies change and efforts to overcome security measures become more sophisticated and may limit the functionality of or otherwise negatively impact our service offering and systems. Additionally, disruption to our service and data security breaches and other incidents may occur as a result of employee or contractor error. Any significant disruption to our service or access to our systems or any data that we or those who provide services for us maintain or otherwise process, or the perception that any of these have occurred, could result in a loss of subscriptions, harm to our reputation, and adversely affect our business and results of operations. Further, a penetration of our systems or a third-party’s systems on which we depend or any loss of or unauthorized access to, use, alteration, destruction, or disclosure of personal information or other data could subject us to business, regulatory, contractual, litigation and reputation risk, which could have a negative effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. With the increase in remote work during the current COVID-19 pandemic, we and the third parties we use in our operations face increased risks to the security of infrastructure and data, and we cannot guarantee that our or their security measures will prevent security breaches. We also may face increased costs relating to maintaining and securing our infrastructure and data that we maintain and otherwise process.
Additionally, we cannot be certain that our insurance coverage will be adequate for data security liabilities actually incurred, will cover any indemnification claims against us relating to any incident, that insurance will continue to be available to us on economically reasonable terms, or at all, or that any insurer will not deny coverage as to any future claim. The successful assertion of one or more large claims against us that exceed available insurance coverage, or the occurrence of changes in our insurance policies, including premium increases or the imposition of large deductible or co-insurance requirements, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our financial condition, operating results, and reputation.
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Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
We could become subject to litigation regarding intellectual property rights that could be costly and harm our business.
Third parties have previously asserted, and may in the future assert, that we have infringed, misappropriated, or otherwise violated their intellectual property rights. Plaintiffs that have no relevant product revenue may not be deterred by our own issued patents and pending patent applications in bringing intellectual property rights claims against us. The cost of patent litigation or other proceedings, even if resolved in our favor, could be substantial. Some of our competitors may be better able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings because of their substantially greater financial resources. Patent litigation and other proceedings may also require significant management time and divert management from our business. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could impair our ability to compete in the marketplace. The occurrence of any of the foregoing risks could harm our business.
As a result of intellectual property infringement claims, or to avoid potential claims, we have previously chosen to, and may in the future choose or be required to, seek licenses from third parties. These licenses may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Even if we are able to obtain a license, the license would likely obligate us to pay license fees or royalties or both, and the rights granted to us might be nonexclusive, with the potential for our competitors to gain access to the same intellectual property. In addition, the rights that we secure under intellectual property licenses may not include rights to all of the intellectual property owned or controlled by the licensor, and the scope of the licenses granted to us may not include rights covering all of the products and services provided by us and our licensees. Furthermore, an adverse outcome of a dispute may require us to pay damages, potentially including treble damages and attorneys’ fees, if we are found to have willfully infringed a party’s intellectual property; cease making, licensing or using technologies that are alleged to infringe or misappropriate the intellectual property of others; expend additional development resources to redesign our solutions; enter into potentially unfavorable royalty or license agreements in order to obtain the right to use necessary technologies, content or materials; and to indemnify our partners and other third parties. In addition, any lawsuits regarding intellectual property rights, regardless of their success, could be expensive to resolve and would divert the time and attention of our management and technical personnel.
Historically, we have acquired certain intellectual property from third parties pursuant to asset purchase agreements or similar agreements in connection with corporate acquisitions and bankruptcy proceedings. We also generally enter into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements with our employees and consultants and enter into confidentiality agreements with the parties with whom we have strategic relationships and business alliances. However, these agreements may not have been properly entered into on every occasion with the applicable counterparty, and such agreements may not always have been effective when entered into in granting ownership of, controlling access to and distribution of our proprietary information. Further, these agreements do not prevent our competitors or partners from independently developing technologies that are substantially equivalent or superior to our platform.
An inability to obtain music licenses could be costly and harm our business.
The Company relies on its content suppliers to secure the rights of public performance or communication to the public for musical works and sound recordings embodied in any programming provided to or through the Company’s platform. If our content suppliers have not secured public performance or communication to the public licenses on a through to the viewer basis, then the Company could have liability to copyright owners or their agents for such performances or communications. If our content suppliers are unable to secure such rights from copyright owners, then the Company may have to secure public performance and communication to the public licenses in its own name. The Company may not be able to obtain such licenses on favorable economic terms, and music licensors may assert that we have infringed their intellectual property rights in the absence of a license. The occurrence of any of the foregoing risks could harm our business.
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If our technology, trademarks and other proprietary rights are not adequately protected to prevent use or appropriation by our competitors, the value of our brand and other intangible assets may be diminished, and our business may be adversely affected.
We rely and expect to continue to rely on a combination of confidentiality and license agreements with our employees, consultants and third parties with whom we have relationships, as well as trademark, copyright, patent and trade secret protection laws, to protect our technology and proprietary rights. We may also seek to enforce our proprietary rights through court proceedings or other legal actions. We have filed and we expect to file from time to time for trademark and patent applications. Nevertheless, these applications may not be approved, third parties may challenge any copyrights, patents or trademarks issued to or held by us, third parties may knowingly or unknowingly infringe our intellectual property rights, and we may not be able to prevent infringement or misappropriation without substantial expense to us. If the protection of our intellectual property rights is inadequate to prevent use or misappropriation by third parties, the value of our brand, content, and other intangible assets may be diminished.
Failure to protect our domain names could also adversely affect our reputation and brand and make it more difficult for subscribers to find our website and our service. We may be unable, without significant cost or at all, to prevent third parties from acquiring domain names that are similar to, infringe upon or otherwise decrease the value of our trademarks and other proprietary rights.
Our use of open-source software could impose limitations on our ability to commercialize our platform.
We incorporate open-source software in our platform. From time to time, companies that incorporate open-source software into their products have faced claims challenging the ownership of open-source software and/or compliance with open-source license terms. Therefore, we could be subject to suits by parties claiming ownership of what we believe to be open-source software or non-compliance with open-source licensing terms. Although we monitor our use of open-source software, the terms of many open-source software licenses have not been interpreted by U.S. courts, and there is a risk that such licenses could be construed in a manner that could impose unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to sell subscriptions to our platform. In such event, we could be required to make our proprietary software generally available to third parties, including competitors, at no cost, to seek licenses from third parties in order to continue offering our platform, to re-engineer our platform or to discontinue our platform in the event re-engineering cannot be accomplished on a timely basis or at all, any of which could harm our business.
If we are unable to obtain necessary or desirable third-party technology licenses, our ability to develop platform enhancements may be impaired.
We utilize commercially available off-the-shelf technology in the development of our platform. As we continue to introduce new features or improvements to our platform, we may be required to license additional technologies from third parties. These third-party licenses may be unavailable to us on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. If we are unable to obtain necessary third-party licenses, we may be required to obtain substitute technologies with lower quality or performance standards, or at a greater cost, any of which could harm the competitiveness of our platform and our business.
Risks Related to the 2026 Convertible Notes
We may not have the ability to raise the funds necessary to settle conversions of the 2026 Convertible Notes in cash or to repurchase the 2026 Convertible Notes upon a fundamental change, and our future debt may contain limitations on our ability to pay cash upon conversion or repurchase of the 2026 Convertible Notes.
Holders of the 2026 Convertible Notes will have the right to require us to repurchase all or a portion of the 2026 Convertible Notes upon the occurrence of a fundamental change before the maturity date at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the 2026 Convertible Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. In addition, upon conversion of the 2026 Convertible Notes, unless we elect to deliver solely shares of our common stock to settle such conversion (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering any fractional share), we will be required to make cash payments in respect of the notes being converted. Moreover, we will be required to repay the 2026 Convertible Notes in cash at their maturity unless earlier converted, redeemed, or repurchased. However, we may not have enough available cash or be able to obtain financing at the time we are required to make repurchases of all or a portion of the 2026 Convertible Notes surrendered therefor or pay cash with respect to notes being converted or at their maturity.
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In addition, our ability to repurchase the 2026 Convertible Notes or to pay cash upon conversions of all or a portion of the 2026 Convertible Notes or at their maturity may be limited by law, regulatory authority or agreements governing our future indebtedness. Our failure to repurchase all or a portion of the 2026 Convertible Notes at a time when the repurchase is required by the indenture or to pay cash upon conversions of all or a portion of the 2026 Convertible Notes or at their maturity as required by the indenture would constitute a default under the indenture. A default under the indenture or the fundamental change itself could also lead to a default under agreements governing our future indebtedness. Moreover, the occurrence of a fundamental change under the indenture could constitute an event of default under any such agreement. A default under the indenture or the fundamental change itself could also lead to a default under agreements governing our existing or future indebtedness. If the payment of the related indebtedness were to be accelerated after any applicable notice or grace periods, we may not have sufficient funds to repay the indebtedness and repurchase the notes or make cash payments upon conversions thereof.
The conditional conversion feature of all or a portion of the 2026 Convertible Notes, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
In the event the conditional conversion feature of any or all of the 2026 Convertible Notes is triggered, holders of the 2026 Convertible Notes will be entitled to convert their 2026 Convertible Notes at any time during specified periods at their option. If one or more holders elect to convert 2026 Convertible Notes, unless we elect to satisfy our conversion obligation by delivering solely shares of our common stock (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering any fractional share), we would be required to settle a portion or all of our conversion obligation in cash, which could adversely affect our liquidity. In addition, even if holders of the 2026 Convertible Notes do not elect to convert their 2026 Convertible Notes, we could be required under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all or a portion of the outstanding principal of the 2026 Convertible Notes as a current rather than long-term liability, which would result in a material reduction of our net working capital.
The accounting method for convertible debt securities that may be settled in cash, such as the 2026 Convertible Notes, could have a material effect on our reported financial results.
Under Accounting Standards Codification 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options (“ASC 470-20”), an entity must separately account for the liability and equity components of convertible debt instruments (such as the 2026 Convertible Notes) that may be settled entirely or partially in cash upon conversion in a manner that reflects the issuer’s economic interest cost. The effect of ASC 470-20 on the accounting for the 2026 Convertible Notes is that the equity component is required to be included in the additional paid-in capital section of stockholders’ equity on our consolidated balance sheet at the issuance date and the value of the equity component would be treated as debt discount for purposes of accounting for the liability component of the 2026 Convertible Notes. As a result, we will be required to record a greater amount of non-cash interest expense as a result of the accretion to the carrying value of the 2026 Convertible Notes to their face amount over the term of the 2026 Convertible Notes. We will report larger net losses (or lower net income) in our financial results because ASC 470-20 will require interest to include both the amortization of the debt discount and the instrument’s nonconvertible coupon interest rate, which could adversely affect our reported or future financial results, the trading price of our common stock and the trading price of the 2026 Convertible Notes.
In addition, under certain circumstances, convertible debt instruments (such as the 2026 Convertible Notes) that may be settled entirely or partly in cash may be accounted for utilizing the treasury stock method, the effect of which is that the shares issuable upon conversion of such notes are not included in the calculation of diluted earnings per share except to the extent that the conversion value of such notes exceeds their principal amount. Under the treasury stock method, for diluted earnings per share purposes, the transaction is accounted for as if the number of shares of common stock that would be necessary to settle such excess, if we elected to settle such excess in shares, are issued. If we are unable or otherwise elect not to use the treasury stock method in accounting for the shares issuable upon conversion of the 2026 Convertible Notes, then our diluted earnings per share could be adversely affected.
In August 2020, the FASB published an Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-06, which amends these accounting standards by reducing the number of accounting models for convertible instruments and limiting instances of separate accounting for the debt and equity or a derivative component of the convertible debt instruments. ASU 2020-06 also will no longer allow the use of the treasury stock method for convertible instruments and instead require application of the “if-converted” method. Under that method, diluted earnings per share will generally be calculated assuming that all the 2026 Convertible Notes were converted solely into shares of common stock at the beginning of the reporting period, unless the result would be anti-dilutive, which could adversely affect our diluted earnings per share. These amendments will be effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, with early adoption permitted, but no earlier than fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020.
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Provisions in the indenture for the 2026 Convertible Notes may deter or prevent a business combination that may be favorable to you.
If a fundamental change occurs prior to the maturity date of the 2026 Convertible Notes, holders of the 2026 Convertible Notes will have the right, at their option, to require us to repurchase all or a portion of their 2026 Convertible Notes. In addition, if a make-whole fundamental change occurs prior the maturity date, we will in some cases be required to increase the conversion rate for a holder that elects to convert all or a portion of their 2026 Convertible Notes in connection with such make-whole fundamental change. Furthermore, the indenture for the 2026 Convertible Notes will prohibit us from engaging in certain mergers or acquisitions unless, among other things, the surviving entity assumes our obligations under the 2026 Convertible Notes. These and other provisions in the indenture could deter or prevent a third party from acquiring us even when the acquisition may be favorable to you.
Risks Related to Ownership of our Common Stock
Our stock price is volatile.
The market price of our common stock is subject to wide price fluctuations in response to various factors, many of which are beyond our control. The factors include:
| ● | the impact on global and regional economies as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; | |
| ● | variations in our operating results; | |
| ● | variations between our actual operating results and the expectations of securities analysts, investors and the financial community; | |
| ● | announcements of developments affecting our business, systems or expansion plans by us or others; | |
| ● | technical factors in the public trading market for our stock that may produce price movements that may or may not comport with macro, industry or company-specific fundamentals, including, without limitation, the sentiment of retail investors (including as it may be expressed on financial trading and other social media sites), the amount and status of short interest in our securities, access to margin debt, trading in options and other derivatives on our common stock, fractional share trading, and other technical trading factors or strategies; | |
| ● | competition, including the introduction of new competitors, their pricing strategies and services; | |
| ● | announcements regarding stock repurchases and sales of our equity and debt securities; | |
| ● | market volatility in general; | |
| ● | the level of demand for our stock, including the amount of short interest in our stock; and | |
| ● | the operating results of our competitors. |
In addition, the stock market in general, and the market for technology companies in particular, has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. Broad market and industry factors may seriously affect the market price of companies’ stock, including ours, regardless of actual operating performance. In addition, in the past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and the market price of a particular company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against these companies. This litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources.
If a substantial number of shares become available for sale and are sold in a short period of time, the market price of our common stock could decline.
If our existing shareholders sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, the market price of our common stock could decrease significantly. The perception in the public market that our existing shareholders might sell shares of common stock could also depress our market price. Our executive officers and directors and certain of our shareholders were in the past subject to certain lock-up agreements and the Rule 144 holding period requirements that have since expired. Now that these lock-up periods have expired and the holding periods have elapsed, additional shares are eligible for sale in the public market. The market price of shares of our common stock may drop significantly if our existing holders sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market. A decline in the price of shares of our common stock might impede our ability to raise capital through the issuance of additional shares of our common stock or other equity securities.
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We also filed a registration statement to register shares reserved for future issuance under our equity compensation plans. As a result, subject to the satisfaction of applicable exercise periods, the shares issued upon exercise of outstanding stock options will be available for immediate resale in the U.S. in the open market. Further, we have filed an effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 under which we may offer from time to time in one or more offerings any combination of common and preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, purchase contracts and units of up to $750.0 million in the aggregate.
Additionally, certain of our employees, executive officers, and directors have already entered into, or may in the future enter into Rule 10b5-1 trading plans providing for sales of shares of our common stock from time to time. Under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, a broker executes trades pursuant to parameters established by the employee, director, or officer when entering into the plan, without further direction from the employee, officer, or director. A Rule 10b5-1 trading plan may be amended or terminated in some circumstances. Our employees, executive officers, and directors also may buy or sell additional shares outside of a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan when they are not in possession of material, nonpublic information, subject to the expiration of the lock-up agreements and Rule 144 requirements referred to above.
General Risk Factors
We have no plans to declare any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.
We do not anticipate declaring any cash dividends to holders of our common stock in the foreseeable future. Consequently, investors may need to rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur to realize future gains on their investment.
Future sales and issuances of our capital stock could reduce our stock price and any additional capital raised by us through the sale of equity or convertible securities may dilute your ownership in us.
We may issue additional shares of capital stock in the future, including shares issuable pursuant to securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent a right to receive, capital stock. We may sell common stock, convertible securities and other equity securities in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner as we may determine from time to time, including pursuant to our shelf registration statement on Form S-3, which could result in substantial dilution to our existing shareholders. New investors in such future transactions could gain rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of holders of our common stock.
If few securities or industry analysts publish research or reports, or if they publish adverse or misleading research or reports, regarding us, our business or our market, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us, our business or our market. If few securities or industry analysts commence coverage of us, the stock price would be negatively impacted. Additionally, if any of the analysts who currently cover us or initiate coverage on us in the future issue adverse or misleading research or reports regarding us, our business model, our intellectual property, our stock performance or our market, or if our operating results fail to meet the expectations of analysts, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
None.
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
None.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
Item 5. Other Information
None.
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Item 6. Exhibits
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* Filed herewith.
** Furnished herewith.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
| FUBOTV INC. | ||
| Date: November 10, 2021 | By: | /s/ David Gandler |
| David Gandler | ||
| Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) | ||
| FUBOTV INC. | ||
| Date: November 10, 2021 | By: | /s/ Simone Nardi |
| Simone Nardi | ||
| Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer) | ||
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Exhibit 31.1
CERTIFICATION
I, David Gandler, certify that:
| 1. | I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2021 of fuboTV Inc.; |
| 2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
| 3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
| 4. | The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have: |
| a. | designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; | |
| b. | designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; | |
| c. | evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and | |
| d. | disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
| 5. | The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions); |
| a. | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and | |
| b. | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
| November 10, 2021 | /s/ David Gandler |
| David Gandler | |
| Chief Executive Officer | |
| (principal executive officer) |
Exhibit 31.2
CERTIFICATION
I, Simone Nardi, certify that:
| 1. | I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2021 of fuboTV Inc.; |
| 2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
| 3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
| 4. | The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have: |
| a. | designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; | |
| b. | designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; | |
| c. | evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and | |
| d. | disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
| 5. | The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions); |
| a. | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and | |
| b. | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
| November 10, 2021 | /s/ Simone Nardi |
| Simone Nardi | |
| Chief Financial Officer | |
| (principal financial officer) |
Exhibit 32.1
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350 AS ADOPTED
PURSUANT TO SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
In connection with the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of fuboTV Inc. (the “Company”) for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2021 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Report”), I, David Gandler, Chief Executive Officer, and I, Simone Nardi, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, each certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that to the best of my knowledge:
1. The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
2. The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.
| November 10, 2021 | /s/ David Gandler |
| David Gandler | |
| Chief Executive Officer | |
| (principal executive officer) | |
| November 10, 2021 | /s/ Simone Nardi |
| Simone Nardi | |
| Chief Financial Officer | |
| (principal financial officer) |
This certification accompanies this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and shall not, except to the extent required by such Act, be deemed filed by the Company for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Such certification will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates it by reference.