Risk Factors Dashboard

Once a year, publicly traded companies issue a comprehensive report of their business, called a 10-K. A component mandated in the 10-K is the ‘Risk Factors’ section, where companies disclose any major potential risks that they may face. This dashboard highlights all major changes and additions in new 10K reports, allowing investors to quickly identify new potential risks and opportunities.

Risk Factors - AMCX

-New additions in green
-Changes in blue
-Hover to see similar sentence in last filing

Item 1A. Risk Factors.
A wide range of risks may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, now and in the future. We consider the risks described below to be the most significant. There may be other economic, business, competitive, regulatory or other factors that are currently unknown or unpredictable or that we do not presently consider to be material that could have material adverse effects on our future results. Below is a summary of the principal factors that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. This summary does not address all of the risks that we face.
Risks Related to Our Business
Our dependence on viewer and distributor appeal of our programming, which is often unpredictable and volatile;
Our ability to secure or maintain programming in adequate quantity or quality;
Increased programming costs;
Changes in the operating environment of multichannel distributors, including declines in the number of subscribers;
Our ability to renew distribution agreements on favorable terms or at all;
Our ability to attract and retain streaming subscribers;
Adverse advertising market conditions in specific markets;
Intense competition in the industries in which we operate;
Ongoing changes in business strategy, including decisions to make investments in new business, products, services, technologies and other strategic activities;
Our ability to adapt to new technological developments, including new content distribution platforms and the growing use of Artificial Intelligence and to changes in consumer behavior resulting from these new technologies;
Consolidation among cable, satellite and telecommunications service providers;
Theft of our content, including digital copyright theft and other unauthorized exhibitions of our content;
Litigation and other legal proceedings; and
Impairment charges related to goodwill and other intangible assets.

Economic and Operational Risks
Risks from doing business internationally;
Continually evolving cybersecurity threats and other technology-related risks;
The interruption or unavailability of third-party facilities, systems and/or software upon which we rely;
Failure or disruption of our technology facilities or loss of access to third party satellites;
The loss of any of our key personnel or artistic talent;
Regulatory constraints or changes in the United States;
Adverse regulation by foreign governments;
Economic and financial problems in the United States or other parts of the world;
The impact of the current administration’s tariffs, particularly those proposed for movies produced outside the United States;
Fluctuations in foreign exchange rates;
Disruptions of or interferences with cloud computing services that we rely on;
A pandemic or other health emergency;
Our ability to achieve sustaining or improving operating expense reductions;
Our ability to successfully make investments in, and/or acquire and integrate, other business, assets, products or technologies;
Additional tax liabilities; and
A significant amount of our book value consisting of intangible assets that may not generate cash in the event of a sale.

18


Risks Relating to Our Debt
Our substantial long-term debt and high leverage;
Our ability to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness;
Our ability to refinance our indebtedness on favorable terms, or at all;
Variable rates of interest, which some of our outstanding debt is based on;
The various restrictive covenants in our debt agreements;
Our ability to incur substantially more debt;
Potential lowering or withdrawal of the ratings assigned to our debt securities by ratings agencies;
Our ability to raise the funds necessary to settle conversions of our Convertible Notes (as defined below); and
The conditional conversion and fundamental change repurchase features of the Convertible Notes.

Risks Relating to Our Controlled Ownership
The potential for conflicts of interest due to our controlled ownership by the Dolan family;
Our ability to forgo certain corporate governance rules of Nasdaq due to our controlled ownership;
Future stock sales, including as a result of the exercise of registration rights by certain of our stockholders;
Our sharing of certain executives and directors with Sphere Entertainment Co., Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. and Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp., which may give rise to conflicts.

Risks Relating to Our Business
Our business depends on the appeal of our programming to our U.S. and international viewers and our distributors, which is often unpredictable and volatile.
Our business depends upon viewer preferences and audience acceptance of the programming on our networks and across our distribution platforms in the United States and internationally.Our business depends upon viewer preferences and audience acceptance of the programming on our networks in the United States and internationally. These factors are often unpredictable and volatile, and subject to influences that are beyond our control, such as the quality and appeal of competing programming, general economic conditions and the availability of other entertainment activities. We may not be able to anticipate and react effectively to shifts in viewer preferences and/or interests in our markets. A change in viewer preferences has caused, and could in the future continue to cause, the audience for certain of our programming to decline, which has resulted in, and could in the future continue to result in, a reduction of advertising revenues and jeopardize our bargaining position with distributors. In addition, certain of our competitors have more flexible programming arrangements, as well as greater amounts of available content, distribution and capital resources, and may be able to react more quickly to shifts in tastes and interests than we can.
The success of our business depends on original programming, and our ability to accurately predict audience response to such programming is particularly important.The success of our business depends on original programming, and our ability to accurately predict how audiences will respond to our original programming is particularly important. Because our network branding strategies depend significantly on a relatively small number of original programs, a failure to anticipate viewer preferences for such programs could be especially detrimental to our business. We periodically review the programming usefulness of our program rights based on a series of factors, including ratings, type and quality of program material, standards and practices, and fitness for exhibition. We have incurred write-offs of program rights in the past, including $64.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 and $7.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, and may incur future program rights write-offs if it is determined that program rights have limited, or no, future usefulness.
In addition, our AMC, IFC and SundanceTV programming networks broadcast feature films. In general, the popularity of feature-film content on linear television has declined, and is expected to continue to decline, due in part to the broad availability of such content through an increasing number of distribution platforms. If the popularity of feature-film programming further declines, we may lose viewership, which would decrease our revenues.
If our programming does not gain the level of audience acceptance we expect, or if we are unable to maintain the popularity of our programming, our ratings would suffer, which will negatively affect advertising revenues, and we may have a diminished bargaining position with distributors, which could reduce our subscription and content licensing revenues. Linear television ratings have declined in recent years, which has adversely affected our advertising revenues and has contributed to adverse impacts on our results of operations. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain the success of any of our current programming or generate sufficient demand and market acceptance for our new programming.
The failure to develop popular new programming to replace programming that is older or ending can have adverse impacts on our business and results of operations.
19


Our programming services' success depends upon the availability of programming that is adequate in quantity and quality, and we may be unable to secure or maintain such programming.
The success of our programming services, consisting of linear networks and streaming services, depends upon the availability of quality programming, particularly original programming and films, that is suitable for our target markets. While we produce certain of our original programming through our studio operations, we obtain most of the programming on our services (including original programming, films and other acquired programming) through agreements with third parties that have produced or control the rights to such programming. These agreements expire at varying times and may be terminated by the other parties if we are not in compliance with their terms.
Competition for programming has increased as the number of programming networks and streaming services has increased. Certain programming networks and streaming services that are affiliated with programming sources such as movie or television studios or film libraries have a competitive advantage over us. In addition to other media companies, such as Paramount Skydance Corporation and Warner Bros. In addition to other cable programming networks, such as Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., we also compete for programming with national broadcast television networks, local broadcast television stations, video on demand services and subscription streaming services, such as Netflix, Apple TV+ and Prime Video. Some of these competitors have exclusive contracts with motion picture studios or independent motion picture distributors or own film libraries.
We cannot assure you that we will ultimately be successful in producing or obtaining the quality programming our networks and streaming services need to be successful.
Increased programming costs have adversely affected and may continue to adversely affect our profits.
We produce original programming and other content and may continue to invest in this area, which involves significant costs.We produce original programming and other content and may continue to invest in this area, the costs of which are significant. We also acquire programming and television series, as well as a variety of digital content and other ancillary rights from other companies, and we pay license fees, royalties or contingent compensation in connection with these acquired rights. Our investments in original programming have been and are expected to continue to be significant and involve complex negotiations with numerous third parties. These costs may not be recouped when the content is broadcast or distributed, and higher costs may lead to decreased profitability or potential write-downs. Increased competition from additional entrants into the market for development and production of original programming, such as Netflix, Apple TV+, and Prime Video, has increased our programming content costs.
We incur costs for the creative talent, including actors, writers and producers, who create our original programming. Some of our original programming has achieved significant popularity and critical acclaim, which has increased and could continue to increase the costs of such programming in the future. In addition, from time to time we have disputes with writers, producers and other creative talent over the amount of royalties and other payments (see Item 3, "Legal Proceedings" for additional information). In addition, from time to time we have disputes with writers, 19producers and other creative talent over the amount of royalty and other payments (see Item 3, "Legal Proceedings" for additional information). We believe that disputes of this type are endemic to our business and similar disputes may arise from time to time in the future. Increases in the costs of programming have led to and may in the future lead to decreased profitability or otherwise adversely impact our business.
Although in some cases the financial commitment for original programming is partially offset by foreign, state or local tax incentives, there is a risk that the tax incentives will not remain available for the duration of a series. If tax incentives are no longer available, are reduced substantially, or cannot be utilized, we may incur higher costs in order to complete the production or produce additional seasons. If tax incentives are no longer available, reduced substantially, or cannot be utilized, we may incur higher costs in order to complete the production or produce additional seasons. If we are unable to produce original programming content on a cost-effective basis, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
Changes in the operating environment of multichannel distributors, including declines in the number of subscribers, could have a material negative effect on our business and results of operations.
Our business derives a substantial portion of its revenues and income from cable television providers and other MVPDs. Subscription streaming services and virtual MVPDs have changed when, where and how audiences consume video content. These changes have significantly disrupted the traditional U.S. television industry, including by (i) undermining the traditional television content distribution model with subscription streaming services and virtual MVPDs, which are increasing in number and some of which have a significant and growing subscriber base, (ii) disrupting the traditional advertising-supported television model as a result of increased video consumption through subscription streaming services and virtual MVPDs with no advertising or less advertising than on television networks and (iii) shifting viewing from scheduled linear broadcasts to time-shifted and on-demand consumption. In part as a result of these changes, over the past years, the number of subscribers to traditional MVPDs in the United States has significantly declined and the linear U.S. television industry has experienced significant declines in ratings for programming, which has materially negatively affected subscription and advertising revenues, including ours. Developments in technology and new content delivery products and services have also led to an increased amount of video content, as well as changes in consumers' expectations regarding the availability of video content, their willingness to pay for access to or ownership of such content, their perception of what quality entertainment is and their tolerance for commercial interruptions. We have undertaken and continue to undertake efforts to respond to and mitigate the
20


risks from these changes, however, the effectiveness of these initiatives depends in part on the cooperation of measurement companies, advertisers and affiliates and, therefore, is not entirely within our control. We have incurred significant costs to implement our strategy and initiatives, and will continue to do so, and if these efforts are not successful, our competitive position, business and results of operations could be adversely affected. We have incurred significant costs to implement our strategy and initiatives, and will continue to do so, and if they are not successful, our competitive position, businesses and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Because a limited number of distributors account for a large portion of our business, failure to renew our programming networks' distribution agreements, renewal on less favorable terms or the termination of those agreements, either in the United States or internationally, could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our programming networks depend upon agreements with a limited number of cable television system operators and other MVPDs. The loss of any significant distributor could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Currently our programming networks have distribution agreements with staggered expiration dates through 2030. Failure to renew distribution agreements, renewal on less favorable terms (including with respect to price, packaging, positioning and other marketing opportunities) or the termination of distribution agreements could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. A reduced distribution of our programming networks would adversely affect our affiliate revenues and impact our ability to sell advertising or the rates we charge for such advertising. Even if distribution agreements are renewed, there is no assurance that the renewal rates will equal or exceed the rates that we currently charge these distributors.
In addition, we have, in some instances, made upfront payments to distributors in exchange for additional subscribers or have agreed to waive or accept lower subscription fees if certain numbers of additional subscribers are provided. In certain cases, we also support our distributors' efforts to market our programming networks or permit distributors to offer promotional periods without payment of subscriber fees. As we continue our efforts to add viewing subscribers, our net revenues may be negatively affected by these deferred carriage fee arrangements, discounted subscriber fees or other payments.
Our efforts to attract and retain streaming subscribers may not be successful, which may adversely affect our business.
Our ability to attract and retain subscribers depends in part on our ability to consistently provide compelling content choices and effectively market our streaming services, as well as provide a quality experience for subscribers. Furthermore, the relative service levels, content offerings, pricing and related features of competitors to our service may adversely impact our ability to attract and retain subscribers. For example, we have in the past increased, and may in the future increase, prices for our streaming services, which could result in subscribers cancelling their subscriptions or potential subscribers not choosing to sign up for our services. We incur significant marketing expenditures to attract streaming subscribers, therefore retention of those subscribers is critical to our business model. We must continually add new subscriptions both to replace canceled subscriptions and to grow our streaming services beyond our current subscription base. While we permit multiple users within the same household to share a single account for noncommercial purposes, if account sharing is abused, our ability to add new subscribers may be hindered and our results of operations may be adversely impacted. In addition, certain streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+ and Prime Video offer or have expanded ad-supported tiers, which has further increased competition for streaming subscribers and advertising revenue. In addition, certain companies such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime have launched ad-supported tiers in their streaming services, which has further increased competition for streaming subscribers and advertising revenue. If we are unable to successfully compete with current and new competitors in both retaining our existing subscriptions and attracting new subscriptions, our streaming services will be adversely affected.
Advertising market conditions in specific markets have caused and are expected to continue to cause our revenues and operating results to decline significantly in any given period.
We derive substantial revenues from the sale of advertising on a variety of platforms, and a decline in advertising expenditures could have a significant adverse effect on our revenues and operating results in any given period. Our advertising revenues were $581 million for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to $677 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, a 14% decline. Our advertising revenues were $677 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $716 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, a 5% decline. The strength of the advertising market can fluctuate in response to the economic prospects of specific advertisers or industries, advertisers' current spending priorities and the economy in general, and this may adversely affect the growth rate of our advertising revenues.
In addition, the pricing and volume of advertising has been affected by shifts in spending away from more traditional media, toward online and mobile offerings, and toward new ways of purchasing advertising, such as through automated purchasing, dynamic advertising insertion, third parties selling local advertising spots and advertising exchanges, some or all of which are not as advantageous to us as traditional advertising methods.In addition, the pricing and volume of advertising has been affected by shifts in spending toward online and mobile offerings from more traditional media, and toward new ways of purchasing advertising, such as through automated purchasing, dynamic advertising insertion, third parties selling local advertising spots and advertising exchanges, some or all of which are not as advantageous to us as traditional advertising methods. The increased number of entertainment choices available to consumers has intensified audience fragmentation and reduced the viewing of content through traditional and virtual MVPDs, which has caused, and is expected to continue to cause, audience ratings declines for our programming networks and has adversely affected the pricing and volume of advertising.
Advertising revenues are impacted by new technologies, and that impact has been and could continue to be significant. Since advertising sales are dependent on audience measurement provided by third parties, and the results of audience measurement techniques can vary independent of the size of the audience for a variety of reasons, including variations in the
21


statistical sampling methods employed, we are subject to risks related to such statistical sampling methods, new distribution platforms and viewing technologies, and the shifting of the marketplace to the use of measurement of different viewer behaviors, such as delayed viewing. Although audience measurement systems have evolved and improved to capture the viewership of programming across multiple platforms, they still do not fully capture all viewership across streaming and other digital platforms and advertisers may not be willing to pay advertising rates based on the viewership that is not being measured. In addition, measurement providers may change their methodologies, data sources and panel/“big data” mixes, which could result in discontinuities or volatility in reported ratings and audience metrics (including declines in reported ratings) that may not correspond to actual changes in audience behavior. While Nielsen's statistical sampling method is the primary measurement technique used in our television advertising sales, we measure and monetize our campaign reach and frequency on and across digital platforms based on other third-party data using a variety of methods including the number of impressions served and demographics. In addition, multi-platform campaign verification and viewership on tablets and smartphones, which continues to evolve, are presently not measured by any one consistently applied method. In addition, multi-platform campaign verification and viewership on tablets and smartphones, which is growing rapidly, are presently not measured by any one consistently applied method. These variations and changes could have a significant effect on advertising revenues. In addition, in certain geographic regions, our ability to fully capture viewership information may be limited by local laws and regulations.
As discussed throughout this Item 1A. Risk Factors, our ability to generate advertising revenue is also dependent on, among other things, our ability to compete in a highly competitive, rapidly evolving industry, respond to changes in consumer behavior and achieve audience acceptance of our content and brands. There can be no assurance that we can successfully navigate the evolving advertising markets or that the advertising revenues we generate will replace the declines in advertising revenues generated from our traditional linear business.
We are subject to intense competition, which may have a negative effect on our profitability or on our ability to expand our business.
The industries in which we operate are highly competitive. Our programming networks and streaming services compete with other programming networks and other types of video programming services for marketing and distribution by cable and other MVPD systems and ultimately for viewing by their subscribers. We compete with other providers of programming networks for the right to be carried by a particular cable or other MVPD system and for the right to be carried by such system on a particular "tier" of service. The increasing offerings by virtual MVPDs through alternative distribution methods create competition for carriage on those platforms. Our programming networks and streaming services compete with other programming networks, streaming services and other sources of video content to secure desired entertainment programming.
Competition for content, audiences, advertising, talent, subscribers and service providers is intense and comes from broadcast television, other cable networks, distributors, including subscription streaming services and virtual MVPDs, social media content distributors, and other entertainment outlets and platforms, as well as from search providers, social networks, program guides and "second screen" applications.
We face significant competition for the development and production of original programming, including from, among others, media companies such as Paramount Skydance Corporation and Warner Bros.We face significant competition for the development and production of original programming, including from, among others, cable programming networks such as Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., and subscription streaming services such as Netflix, Apple TV+ and Prime Video, which has increased and is expected to continue to increase our content costs as creating competing high quality, original content requires significant investment., and subscription streaming services such as Netflix, Apple TV and Amazon Prime, which has increased and is expected to continue to increase our content costs as creating competing high quality, original content requires significant investment. Additionally, new technological developments, including the development and use of generative artificial intelligence (“AI”) and large language model tools, are rapidly evolving. If our competitors gain an advantage by using such technologies to create, market, target or distribute content more efficiently or effectively, our ability to compete effectively and our results of operations could be adversely impacted. If our competitors gain an advantage by using such technologies, our ability to compete effectively and our results of operations could be adversely impacted. As competition for the creation and acquisition of quality programming continues to escalate, the complexity of negotiations over acquired rights to the content and the value of the rights we acquire or retain has increased and is expected to further increase, leading to increased acquisition costs, and our ability to successfully acquire content of the highest quality may face greater uncertainty.
Our ability to compete successfully depends on a number of factors, including our ability to create or acquire high quality and popular programs, adapt to new technologies and distribution platforms and achieve widespread distribution for our content. More content consumption options increase competition for viewers as well as for programming and creative talent, which can decrease our audience ratings, and therefore potentially our advertising revenues.
Certain programming networks affiliated with broadcasting networks like ABC, CBS, Fox or NBC or other key free-to-air programming networks in countries where our networks are distributed may have a competitive advantage over our programming networks in obtaining distribution through the "bundling" of carriage agreements for such programming networks with a distributor's right to carry the affiliated broadcasting network. In addition, our ability to compete with certain programming networks for distribution may be hampered because the cable television or other MVPDs through which we seek distribution may be affiliated with these programming networks. Because such distributors may have a substantial number of subscribers, the ability of such programming networks to obtain distribution on the systems of affiliated distributors may lead to increased distribution and advertising revenue for such programming networks because of their increased penetration compared to our programming networks. Even if the affiliated distributors carry our programming networks, they may place their
22


affiliated programming network on a more desirable tier, thereby giving their affiliated programming network a competitive advantage over our own.
In addition, our competitors include market participants with interests in multiple media businesses that are often vertically integrated, whereas our businesses generally rely on distribution relationships with third parties. As more cable and satellite operators, Internet service providers, subscription streaming services, other content distributors, aggregators and search providers create or acquire their own content, their competitive advantage could grow, which could adversely affect our ability to negotiate favorable terms for distribution or otherwise compete effectively in the delivery marketplace. Certain of our competitors also have preferential access to important technologies, customer data or other competitive information.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to compete successfully in the future against existing or new competitors, or that competition will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Our ongoing changes in business strategy, including decisions to make investments in new businesses, products, services, technologies and other strategic activities, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We have made, and expect to continue to make, changes to our business strategy to effectively respond to market and consumer changes that are subject to execution risk and there can be no assurance they will produce the anticipated benefits. As part of our business strategy, we have invested in, and expect to continue to invest in, new businesses, products, services, technologies and other strategic initiatives, including through acquisitions, and strategic partnerships and investments, and enter into restructurings, cost savings and other transformation initiatives. These investments and initiatives may involve significant risks and uncertainties, including: difficulty integrating acquired businesses; failure to realize anticipated benefits; unanticipated expenses and liabilities; potential disruption to our business and operations; diversion of management’s attention; difficulty managing expanded operations; the loss or inability to retain key employees and creative talent; unanticipated challenges to or loss of our relationship with new or existing users, viewers, advertisers, suppliers, distributors and licensors; legal and regulatory limitations; insufficient revenues from such investments to offset any new liabilities assumed and expenses associated with new investments; and failure to successfully develop an acquired business or technology. Many of these factors are outside of our control, and because new investments are inherently risky, and the anticipated benefits or value of these investments may not materialize, there can be no assurance such investments and other strategic initiatives will not adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We may not be able to adapt to new technological developments, including new content distribution platforms and the growing use of AI, or to changes in consumer behavior resulting from these new technologies, which may adversely affect our business.
We must successfully adapt to technological advances in our industry, including alternative distribution platforms, viewing technologies, as well as the rising use of AI and large language model tools. Our ability to exploit new distribution platforms and viewing technologies will affect our ability to maintain or grow our business. New forms of content distribution provide different economic models and compete with current distribution methods in ways that are not entirely predictable. Such competition has reduced and is likely to continue to reduce demand for our traditional television offerings, potentially at an accelerating pace, and could reduce demand for the offerings of digital platforms and, in turn, reduce our revenue from these sources. Accordingly, we must adapt to changing consumer behavior driven by advances such as virtual MVPDs, video on demand, subscription streaming services, including services such as Netflix, Apple TV and Prime Video, and mobile devices. Connected TV devices and operating systems (including Roku) and gaming and other consoles such as Microsoft's Xbox have also established themselves as alternative providers of video services. Such changes have impacted and are expected to continue to impact the revenues we are able to generate from our traditional distribution methods, by decreasing the viewership of our programming networks on cable and other MVPD systems which are almost entirely directed at television video delivery and by making advertising on our programming networks less valuable to advertisers. Additionally, the development and use of AI and machine learning technologies, including generative AI and large language models, in our industry are rapidly evolving, and the advantages and risks associated with their use remain uncertain. Additionally, the development and use of generative AI and large language model tools in our industry are rapidly evolving, and the advantages and risks associated with its use are largely uncertain. These technologies may create new competitive dynamics and lower barriers to entry for content creation, aggregation, discovery and distribution. They may also raise novel and evolving legal, regulatory and contractual issues, including with respect to intellectual property ownership and infringement, rights of publicity and privacy, and the use of protected works, performances, voices or likenesses. If we fail to effectively respond to these developments or adapt our content and distribution strategies to new technologies, our appeal to our targeted audiences would likely decline, our costs could increase, and our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Consolidation among cable, satellite and telecommunications service providers has had, and could continue to have, an adverse effect on our revenue and profitability.
Consolidation among cable and satellite distributors and telecommunications service providers has given the largest operators considerable leverage and market power in their relationships with programmers. We currently have agreements in
23


place with the major U.S. cable and satellite operators and telecommunications service providers and this consolidation has affected, and could continue to affect, our ability to maximize the value of our content through those distributors. In addition, many of the countries and territories in which we distribute our networks also have a small number of dominant distributors.
In connection with consolidation in the industry, in some cases, if a distributor is acquired, the agreement of the acquiring distributor will govern following the acquisition. In those circumstances, the acquisition of a distributor that is party to one or more distribution agreements with our programming networks on terms that are more favorable to us could adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations. Continued consolidation within the industry could reduce the number of distributors that carry our programming and further increase the negotiating leverage of the cable and satellite television system operators, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
Theft of our content, including digital copyright theft and other unauthorized exhibitions of our content, may decrease revenue received from our programming and adversely affect our businesses and profitability.
The success of our businesses depends in part on our ability to maintain, protect and monetize our intellectual property rights to our entertainment content. We are fundamentally a content company and theft of our brands, programming, digital content and other intellectual property has the potential to significantly affect us and the value of our content. Copyright theft is particularly prevalent in many parts of the world that lack effective copyright and technical protective measures similar to those existing in the United States or that lack effective enforcement of such measures, including some of the jurisdictions in which we operate. The interpretation of copyright, data protection, privacy and other laws as applied to our content, and piracy detection and enforcement efforts, continue to evolve. The failure to strengthen, or the weakening of, existing intellectual property laws could make it more difficult for us to adequately protect our intellectual property and negatively affect its value and our results of operations.
Content theft has been made easier by the wide availability of higher bandwidth and reduced storage costs, as well as tools that undermine security features such as encryption and the ability of pirates to cloak their identities online. In addition, we and our numerous production and distribution partners operate various technology systems in connection with the production and distribution of our programming, and intentional, or unintentional, acts could result in unauthorized access to our content, a disruption of our services, or improper disclosure of confidential information. The prevalence of digital formats and technologies heightens this risk. Moreover, further technological developments in the area of generative AI could impact our ability to protect against infringing uses of our content. Unauthorized access to our content could result in the premature release of our programming, which may have a significant adverse effect on the value of the affected programming.
Copyright theft has an adverse effect on our business because it reduces the revenue that we are able to receive from the legitimate sale and distribution of our content, undermines lawful distribution channels and inhibits our ability to recoup or profit from the costs incurred to create such content. A change in the laws of one jurisdiction may also have an impact on our ability to protect our intellectual property rights across other jurisdictions. In addition, many parts of the world where piracy is prevalent lack effective copyright and other legal protections or enforcement measures. Efforts to prevent the unauthorized distribution, performance and copying of our content may affect our profitability and may not be successful in preventing harm to our business.
Litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights, protect trade secrets or to determine the validity and scope of proprietary rights claimed by others. Any litigation of this nature, regardless of outcome or merit, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management and technical resources, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our failure to protect our intellectual property rights, particularly our brand, in a meaningful manner or challenges to related contractual rights could result in erosion of our brand and limit our ability to control marketing of our networks, which could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, we may, from time to time, lose or cease to control certain of our rights in the intellectual property on which we rely. Under applicable intellectual property laws, such rights may expire or be transferred to third parties as a result of the operation of copyright reversion and/or termination of transfer rights under applicable laws. Additionally, where we acquire rights in certain properties or content, we may only acquire such rights for a limited period or subject to other restrictions. Where we lose intellectual property rights, we may not be able to re-acquire such rights on reasonable terms or at all. The loss of control of such intellectual property rights may adversely impact our ability to prevent others from exploiting content based on such rights.
We are, and may in the future become, subject to litigation and other legal proceedings, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
From time to time, we are subject to various legal proceedings (including class action lawsuits), claims, regulatory investigations and arbitration proceedings in the U.S. and in foreign countries, including claims relating to intellectual property, employment, wage and hour, consumer privacy, contractual and commercial disputes, and the production, distribution, and
24


licensing of our content. Any proceedings, actions, claims or inquiries initiated by or against us, whether successful or not, may be time consuming, result in costly litigation, damage awards, consent decrees, injunctive relief or increased costs of business, require us to change our business practices or products, result in negative publicity, require significant amounts of management time, result in the diversion of significant operational resources or otherwise harm our business and financial results. In addition, our insurance may not be adequate to protect us from all material expenses related to pending and future claims. Any of these factors could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. For further information about specific litigation and proceedings, see the section titled “Legal Proceedings” contained in Part I, Item 3 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We have recognized, and could in the future recognize, impairment charges related to goodwill and other intangible assets.
In accordance with U.S. GAAP, management periodically assesses our goodwill and other intangible assets to determine if they are impaired. Significant negative industry or economic trends, including the continued decline of traditional linear television viewership and linear ad revenues, disruptions to our business, inability to effectively integrate acquired businesses, underperformance of our content, loss of significant customers or suppliers, unexpected significant changes or planned changes in use of the assets, including in connection with restructuring initiatives, divestitures and market capitalization declines could require us to evaluate the recoverability of our goodwill or our long-lived and indefinite lived-assets prior to the annual assessment. These types of events have in the past resulted, and could again in the future result, in impairment charges, which have in the past negatively affected, and could in the future negatively affect, our results of operations. For example, during 2025 and 2024, we recorded $93.4 million and $370.7 million, respectively, of goodwill impairment charges, as well as $4.4 million of indefinite lived intangible asset impairment charges in 2025. These types of events could be an indicator of significant declines in the expected performance of our reporting units and could negatively affect our business.
Economic and Operational Risks
We face risks from doing business internationally.
We have operations through which we distribute programming outside the United States. As a result, our business is subject to certain risks inherent in international business, many of which are beyond our control. These risks include:
laws and policies affecting trade and taxes, including laws and policies relating to the repatriation of funds and withholding taxes, and changes in these laws;
changes in local regulatory requirements, including restrictions on content, imposition of local content quotas and restrictions on foreign ownership;
exchange controls, tariffs and other trade barriers;
differing degrees of protection for intellectual property and varying attitudes towards the piracy of intellectual property;
foreign cybersecurity, privacy and data protection laws and regulations, as well as data localization requirements, and changes in these laws and requirements;
foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations and restrictions on currency conversion or remittances;
the instability of foreign economies and governments;
war and acts of terrorism; and
anti-corruption laws and regulations such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the U.K. Bribery Act that impose stringent requirements on how we conduct our foreign operations and changes in these laws and regulations.
Events or developments related to the risks described above as well as other risks associated with international trade could adversely affect our revenues from non-U.S. sources, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.
We face continually evolving cybersecurity and other technology-related risks, which could result in the disclosure, theft, destruction or misappropriation of, or access to, confidential information, disruption of our programming, damage to our brands and reputation, legal exposure and financial losses.
We maintain and transmit information, including confidential and proprietary information regarding our content, distributors, advertisers, viewers and employees, in digital form as necessary to conduct our business. We also rely on third-party vendors to provide certain services in connection with the storage, processing and transmission of digital information. Data maintained or transmitted in digital form is subject to the risk of, among other things, cybersecurity attacks, tampering, misappropriation, theft, destruction or unauthorized access. We develop and maintain systems to monitor and prevent cybersecurity incidents from occurring, but the development and maintenance of these systems is costly and requires ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies change and efforts to overcome security measures become more sophisticated. Despite our efforts, the risks of a data breach cannot be entirely eliminated and our third-party vendors' information technology and
25


other systems that maintain and transmit consumer, distributor, advertiser, company, employee and other confidential information may be compromised by a malicious penetration of our network security, or that of a third party provider, including as a result of employee error, social engineering, malware (including ransomware), viruses, hacking and phishing attacks, or otherwise. Hybrid work arrangements increase the risk of cyber incidents, including data breaches. Additionally, outside parties from time to time attempt to fraudulently induce employees or users to disclose sensitive or confidential information in order to gain access to data or systems. Such attempts may become more sophisticated as threat actors increasingly use AI-enabled tools, including impersonation and manipulated audio or video content (“deepfakes”), to facilitate social engineering, credential compromise and fraud.
Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently, are increasing in sophistication and complexity and often are not recognized until launched against a target, a security incident could potentially persist for an extended period of time before being detected. We may not be able to anticipate the incident or respond adequately or timely, and the extent of a particular incident, and the steps that we may need to take to investigate the incident, may not be immediately clear. As a result, our or our customers’ or affiliates’ sensitive, proprietary and/or confidential information may be lost, disclosed, accessed or taken without consent. If our or our third-party providers' data systems are compromised, our ability to conduct our business may be impaired, we may lose profitable opportunities or the value of those opportunities may be diminished and, as described above, we may lose revenue as a result of unlicensed use of our intellectual property. Further, a penetration of our or our third-party providers' network security or other misappropriation or misuse of personal consumer or employee information could subject us to business, regulatory, litigation and reputation risk, which could have a negative effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We also continue to review and enhance our security measures in light of the constantly evolving techniques used to gain unauthorized access to networks, data, software and systems. We have expended, and expect to continue to expend, significant expenses on an ongoing basis in order to review and enhance our security measures and to address any actual or potential security incidents that arise, but these measures may be ineffective and we may be subject to legal or regulatory action, as well as financial losses, and we may not have insurance coverage for any or all such losses. If we experience an actual or perceived security incident, our ability to conduct business may be interrupted or impaired, we may incur damage to our systems, we may lose profitable opportunities or the value of those opportunities may be diminished and we may lose revenue as a result of unlicensed use of our intellectual property. Unauthorized access to or security breaches of our systems could result in the loss of data, loss of business, severe reputational damage adversely affecting customer or investor confidence, diversion of management’s attention, regulatory investigations and orders, litigation, indemnity obligations, damages for contract breach, penalties for violation of applicable laws or regulations and significant costs for remediation that may include liability for stolen or lost assets or information and repair of system damage that may have been caused, incentives offered to customers or other business partners in an effort to maintain business relationships after a breach and other liabilities. In addition, in the event of a security incident, changes in legislation may increase the risk of potential litigation. For example, the CCPA, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act ("CPRA"), provides a private right of action (in addition to statutory damages) for California residents whose sensitive personal information is breached as a result of a business’ violation of its duty to reasonably secure such information. A number of other states have passed similar laws and additional states may do so in the near future. Our insurance coverage may not be adequate to cover the costs of a data breach, indemnification obligations, or other liabilities.
We also routinely transmit and receive personal, confidential and proprietary information by email and other electronic means. We have discussed and worked with customers, partners, employees, directors, independent contractors and vendors to secure transmission capabilities, use approved information technology systems, and protect against cyber incidents, but we do not have, and may be unable to put in place, secure capabilities with all of our customers, partners, employees, directors, independent contractors and vendors and we may not be able to ensure that these parties have appropriate controls in place to protect the confidentiality of the information or refrain from using unapproved systems. We have discussed and worked with customers, partners, employees, directors, independent contractors and vendors to secure transmission capabilities and protect against cyber incidents, but we do not have, and may be unable to put in place, secure capabilities with all of our customers, partners, employees, directors, independent contractors and vendors and we may not be able to ensure that these third parties have appropriate controls in place to protect the confidentiality of the information. An interception, misuse or mishandling of personal, confidential or proprietary information being sent to or received from a client, vendor, service provider, counterparty or other third party could result in legal liability, regulatory action and reputational harm.
In addition, evolving regulations require us to disclose information about material cybersecurity incidents on a timely basis, including those that may not have been resolved or fully investigated at the time of disclosure, or, in some instances, we may have obligations to notify relevant stakeholders of security breaches.In addition, new regulations require us to disclose information about material cybersecurity incidents on a timely basis, including those that may not have been resolved or fully investigated at the time of disclosure, or, in some instances, we may have obligations to notify relevant stakeholders of security breaches. Such mandatory disclosures are costly, could provide information to threat actors, could lead to negative publicity, may cause our customers to lose confidence in the effectiveness of our security measures and may require us to expend significant capital and other resources to respond to or alleviate problems caused by an actual or perceived security breach.
The interruption or unavailability of third-party facilities, systems and/or software upon which we rely may have a material negative effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We rely upon various internal and third-party software and systems in the operation of our business, including, with respect to credit card processing, email marketing, content distribution, database, human resource management and financial systems. System interruption and the lack of redundancy in the information systems and infrastructure, both of our own
26


websites and other computer systems and of affiliate and third-party software, computer networks, applications and other communications systems service providers on which we rely may adversely affect our ability to operate websites, applications, process and fulfill transactions, respond to customer inquiries, transmit or display content, and generally maintain cost-efficient operations. Such interruptions could occur as a result of a number of factors, including design defects, the age of the technology, network failures, technology modernization initiatives, malfunctions in maintenance updates or security patches, natural disaster, malicious actions, such as hacking or acts of terrorism or war, or human error. Any such damage or disruptions could also compromise the security of our information systems and networks.
While we have backup systems and offsite data centers for certain aspects of our operations, disaster recovery planning by its nature cannot cover all eventualities. In addition, we may not have adequate insurance coverage to compensate for any or all losses from a major interruption. If any of these adverse events were to occur, it could have a material negative effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If our technology facilities fail or their operations are disrupted, or if we lose access to third party satellites, our performance could be hindered.
Our programming is transmitted using technology facilities at certain of our subsidiaries. These technology facilities are used for a variety of purposes, including signal processing, program editing, promotions, creation of programming segments to fill short gaps between featured programs, quality control, and live and recorded playback. These facilities are subject to interruption from fire, lightning, adverse weather conditions and other natural causes. Equipment failure, employee misconduct or outside interference could also disrupt the facilities' services. We maintain a full-time disaster recovery site through a third-party service provider that is capable of providing simultaneous playout of AMC, BBCA, SundanceTV, IFC and We TV in the event of a disruption of operations at our main facility in Bethpage, NY. We maintain full time disaster recovery sites, which are capable of providing simultaneous playout of AMC, BBCA, SundanceTV, IFC and We TV in the event of a disruption of operations at our main facility in Bethpage, NY. In the event of a catastrophic failure of the Bethpage facility, the third-party disaster recovery site can be operational on the satellite within one to two hours. In the event of a catastrophic failure of the Bethpage facility, the disaster recovery sites can be operational on the satellite within one to two hours.
In addition, we rely on third-party satellites in order to transmit our programming signals to our distributors. As with all satellites, there is a risk that the satellites we use will be damaged as a result of natural or man-made causes, or will otherwise fail to operate properly. Although we maintain in-orbit protection providing us with back-up satellite transmission facilities should our primary satellites fail, there can be no assurance that such back-up transmission facilities will be effective or will not themselves fail. Further, there are a limited number of communications satellites available for the transmission of programming, those satellites may even be more limited in the future, and, in the event of a disruption, we may not be able to secure an alternate distribution source in a timely manner. Further, there are a limited number of communications satellites available for the transmission of programming, and, in the event of a disruption, we may not be able to secure an alternate distribution source in a timely manner.
Any significant interruption at any of our technology facilities affecting the distribution of our programming, or any failure in satellite transmission of our programming signals, could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.
The loss of any of our key personnel or artistic talent could adversely affect our business.
We believe that our success depends to a significant extent upon the performance of our senior executives and other key employees and on our ability to identify, attract, hire, train and retain such personnel. We generally do not maintain "key man" insurance, and there is no assurance of the continued services of our senior executives or other key employees. In addition, we depend on the availability of third-party production companies to create some of our original programming. For certain of our productions, through in-house and third-party production service companies, we engage the services of writers, directors, actors and various crew members who are subject to certain specially negotiated collective bargaining agreements. For certain of our productions, through in-house and third party production service companies, we engage the services of writers, directors, actors and various crew members who are subject to certain specially negotiated collective bargaining agreements. While the Company was not significantly impacted by the 2023 Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes, any future labor disputes or a strike by one or more unions representing any of these parties who are essential to our original programming could have a material adverse effect on our original programming, disrupt our operations and reduce our revenues. The loss of any significant personnel or artistic talent, or our artistic talent losing their audience base, could also have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our business is limited by United States regulatory constraints which may adversely impact our operations.
We are subject to a variety of laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which we or our partners operate. The broadcast and cable industries in the U.S. are highly regulated by U.S. federal laws and regulations issued and administered by various federal agencies, including the FCC. See Item 1, "Business—Regulation" in this Annual Report. For example, we are required to obtain licenses from the FCC to operate our television stations and periodically renew them. It cannot be assured that the FCC will approve our future renewal applications or that the renewals will be for full terms or will not include conditions or qualifications. The nonrenewal, or renewal with substantial conditions or modifications, of one or more of our licenses could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Furthermore, to the extent that regulations and laws, either presently in force or proposed or adopted in the future, hinder or stimulate the growth of the cable television, satellite or other MVPD industries, or seek to regulate the manner in which video content is distributed on websites or in DTC applications, our business could be affected. For instance, the FCC is currently evaluating whether to make certain
27


spectrum that is used for programming delivery via satellite—known as “Upper C-band” spectrum—available for more intensive use by wireless services. If some or all of that spectrum is repurposed, satellite operators could be forced to relocate their operations or transition to alternative distribution mechanisms, both of which could adversely impact their ability to continue delivering programming. The FCC’s proceeding remains open, but the agency is required by Congress to repurpose the spectrum and auction it for wireless use by July 2027.
Our program services and online properties are also subject to a variety of laws and regulations, including those relating to content regulation, user privacy and data protection, consumer protection, intellectual property, content restrictions, child protection and accessibility. The United States Congress and the FCC currently have under consideration, and may in the future adopt, new laws, regulations and policies regarding a wide variety of matters that could, directly or indirectly, affect our operations. In particular, the legal and regulatory framework governing AI remains unsettled, and developments in this area may have an adverse impact on our business.
Regulatory investigations and enforcement actions could also impact our business operations. For example, we and other companies in the media, entertainment, and advertising technology industries are subject to government oversight by regulatory bodies with regard to our compliance with data privacy and security laws. Advocacy organizations have also filed complaints with data protection authorities against businesses with streaming apps and advertising technology, arguing that certain of these companies’ practices do not comply with the CCPA or other regulations. Any such investigations or enforcement actions arising out of these complaints or out of other circumstances may require us to alter our practices. Further, if we or the third parties that we work with, such as contract payment processing services, content and distribution partners, vendors, or developers, violate or are alleged to violate applicable privacy or security laws, laws concerning access to data, industry standards, our contractual obligations, or our policies, such violations and alleged violations may also put our users’ information at risk and could in turn harm our business and reputation and subject us to potential liability. Any of these consequences could cause our users, advertisers, or content partners to lose trust in us, which could harm our business. Furthermore, any failure on our part to comply with these laws may subject us to liability and reputational harm.
The regulation of cable television operators, satellite carriers, and other video programming distributors is subject to the political process and has been in constant flux over the past two decades. Further changes in the law and regulatory requirements, including material ones, may be proposed or adopted in the future. We cannot assure you that our business will not be adversely affected by future legislation, new regulation or deregulation of us or of our competitors.
Our businesses are subject to risks of adverse regulation by foreign governments.
Programming businesses are subject to the regulations of regulators in the countries in which they operate as well as international bodies, such as the European Union ("E.U."). These regulations may include restrictions on the types of advertisements that can be sold on our networks, programming content requirements, requirements to make programming available on non-discriminatory terms, local levies or taxes applied to our networks and local content quotas. Consequently, our businesses must adapt their ownership and organizational structures as well as their pricing and service offerings to satisfy the rules and regulations to which they are subject. A failure to comply with applicable rules and regulations could result in penalties, restrictions on our business or loss of required licenses or other adverse conditions.
Existing or proposed legislation, regulations and frameworks could also significantly affect our business. For example, the E.U. GDPR imposes, among other things, stringent operational requirements for processors and controllers of personal data, including expansive disclosures about how personal information is to be used, and significant fines for non-compliance. Complying with these laws and regulations has been and could continue to be costly, could require us to change our business practices, or could limit or restrict aspects of our business in a manner adverse to our business operations. In particular, certain data privacy laws have required monitoring of, and changes to, our practices related to the collection, use, disclosure and storage of personal information. Many of these laws and regulations continue to evolve, and sometimes conflict among the countries in which we operate, and substantial uncertainty surrounds their scope and application. In addition, restrictions or increased requirements relating to cross-border data transfers and data localization may require changes to our systems, vendor relationships and business practices, including in connection with advertising, measurement and other digital operations, and may increase compliance costs. Our failure to comply with these laws and regulations could result in exposure to enforcement actions by foreign governments, as well as significant negative publicity and reputational damage. Our failure to comply with these law and regulations could result in exposure to enforcement actions by foreign governments, as well as significant negative publicity and reputational damage.
Adverse changes in foreign rules and regulations could have a significant adverse impact on our profitability.
Economic and financial problems in the United States or in other parts of the world have in the past adversely affected and could in the future adversely affect our results of operations.
Our business is affected by prevailing economic and financial conditions in the United States and other countries where our networks are distributed, including financial instability, a general decline in economic conditions (including as a result of a pandemic or other health emergency), disruptions to financial markets, inflation, recession, high unemployment or geopolitical events (including the war between Russia and Ukraine as well as the Israel-Hamas conflict), potential disruptions arising from a
28


U.S. federal government shutdown or related fiscal uncertainty, political uncertainty, or fears about such events occurring. The adverse impact on our businesses of actual or perceived declines in economic conditions or a failure of conditions to improve as anticipated will depend, in part, on their severity and duration, and our ability to mitigate these impacts on our businesses is limited. The worsening of global economic conditions has in the past adversely affected, and could in the future adversely affect, our business, financial condition or results of operations, and worsening of economic conditions in certain specific parts of the world could impact the expansion and success of our businesses in such areas. Furthermore, some foreign markets in which we operate may be more adversely affected by worsening economic conditions than the United States or other countries. Adverse economic conditions have resulted in and could in the future result in advertisers reducing their spending on advertising and negatively affect the ability of those with whom we do business to satisfy their obligations to us, as well as consumer discretionary spending. In particular, periods of elevated interest rates, tighter credit conditions and reduced liquidity in the capital markets may increase financial pressure on distributors, advertisers and other counterparties, and may result in delayed payments, disputes, renegotiations, increased credit losses, insolvencies or other failures to perform under contractual arrangements.
We derive substantial revenues from advertisers, and these expenditures are sensitive to general economic conditions and consumer buying patterns. Adverse economic conditions have in the past adversely affected advertising rates and volume, which has resulted in a decrease in our advertising revenues.
Decreases in consumer discretionary spending in the U.S. and other countries where our networks are distributed have in the past affected and may in the future affect cable television and other video service subscriptions, in particular with respect to digital service tiers on which certain of our programming networks are carried. This could lead to a decrease in the number of subscribers receiving our programming from MVPDs, which could, in turn, have a negative impact on our viewing subscribers and subscription revenues. Similarly, a decrease in viewing subscribers could have a negative impact on the number of viewers actually watching the programs on our programming networks, thereby impacting the rates we are able to charge advertisers.
The current administration has introduced tariffs that impact a number of industries, including announcing an intention to impose tariffs on movies produced outside the United States. Such tariffs, if imposed, and similar tariffs imposed by other governments, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
The current administration has introduced tariffs that impact a number of industries, including announcing an intention to impose tariffs on movies produced outside the United States. The U.S. tariff environment remains highly dynamic and the timing, scope and manner in which any such measures may be adopted or implemented (if at all) remain uncertain. Tariffs charged by other countries, included retaliatory tariffs, are also expected to evolve. As a result, we cannot predict the breadth of tariffs and related costs that will ultimately impact the Company, but if tariffs are imposed on production of content, including films and series, such costs could be substantial and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, and our expected financial results. In addition, because the calculations of the financial ratios are made as of certain dates, the financial ratios can fluctuate significantly from period to period as the amounts outstanding under the Credit Facility are dependent on the timing of cash flows related to operations, capital expenditures and securities offerings. Based on the ultimate scope, nature and duration of any tariffs implemented, we may take various mitigating actions, such as making changes to our content production plans, which may not fully offset the impact of tariffs. We may also need to make material changes to how and where we produce and source programming, which could require significant changes to production schedules and locales, including access to local production tax credits, any of which could be material.
Fluctuations in foreign exchange rates have had and could have in the future an adverse effect on our results of operations.
We have significant operations in a number of foreign jurisdictions and certain of our operations are conducted in foreign currencies. The value of these currencies fluctuates relative to the U.S. dollar. As a result, we are exposed to exchange rate fluctuations, which have had, and may in the future have, an adverse effect on our results of operations in a given period and could adversely affect our cash flows.
Specifically, we are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate risk to the extent that we enter into transactions denominated in currencies other than ours or our subsidiaries' respective functional currencies, such as trade receivables, programming contracts, notes payable and notes receivable (including intercompany amounts) that are denominated in a currency other than the applicable functional currency. Changes in exchange rates with respect to amounts recorded in our consolidated balance sheets related to these items will result in unrealized or realized (based upon period-end exchange rates) foreign currency transaction gains or losses upon settlement of the transactions. Moreover, to the extent that our revenue, costs and expenses are denominated in currencies other than our or our subsidiaries' respective functional currencies, we will experience fluctuations in our revenue, costs and expenses solely as a result of changes in foreign currency exchange rates.
We also are exposed to unfavorable and potentially volatile fluctuations of the U.S. dollar (our reporting currency) against the currencies of our non-U.S. dollar functional currency operating subsidiaries when their respective financial statements are translated into U.S. dollars for inclusion in our consolidated financial statements. Cumulative translation adjustments are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) as a separate component of equity. Any increase
29


(decrease) in the value of the U.S. dollar against any foreign currency that is the functional currency of one of our operating subsidiaries will cause us to experience unrealized foreign currency translation losses (gains) with respect to amounts already invested in such foreign currencies. Accordingly, we may experience a negative impact on our comprehensive income (loss) and equity with respect to our holdings solely as a result of foreign currency translation. Our primary exposure to foreign currency risk from a foreign currency translation perspective is to the euro, British pound and, to a lesser extent, other local currencies in Europe. We generally do not hedge against the risk that we may incur non-cash losses upon the translation of the financial statements of our non-U.S. dollar functional currency operating subsidiaries and affiliates into U.S. dollars.
We rely upon cloud computing services to operate certain aspects of our business and any disruption of or interference with our use of these services would impact our operations and our business would be adversely impacted.
Cloud computing services provide a distributed computing infrastructure platform for business operations. We have architected our software and computer systems so as to utilize data processing, storage capabilities and other services provided by third party cloud providers. Such third parties’ facilities are vulnerable to damage or interruption from natural disasters, cybersecurity attacks, terrorist attacks, power outages and similar events or acts of misconduct. Currently, we run the vast majority of our computing through these third parties' services. We have experienced, and we expect that in the future we will experience, interruptions, delays and outages in service and availability from our third-party cloud providers from time to time due to a variety of factors, including infrastructure changes, human or software errors, website hosting disruptions and capacity constraints. Given this, along with the fact that we cannot easily switch our third-party cloud operations to another cloud provider, without significant costs, or at all, any disruption of or interference with our use of third-party cloud providers would impact our operations and our business. Given this, along with the fact that we cannot easily switch our third party cloud operations to another cloud provider, without significant costs, or at all, any disruption of or interference with our use of third party cloud providers would impact our operations and our business.
Our operations and business have in the past been, and could in the future be, materially adversely impacted by a pandemic or other health emergency.
Pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and public health emergencies have affected and may, in the future, adversely affect our businesses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced adverse advertising sales impacts and suspended content production, which led to delays in the creation and availability of substantially all of our programming. We experienced adverse advertising sales impacts and suspended content production as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to delays in the creation and availability of substantially all of our programming. In the event of a future pandemic or other public health emergency, if significant portions of our workforce, including key personnel, are unable to work effectively because of illness, government actions or other restrictions, the impact on our businesses could be exacerbated. If significant portions of our workforce, including key personnel, are unable to work effectively because of illness, government actions or other restrictions in connection with a pandemic or other public health emergency, the impact on our businesses could be exacerbated. In addition, remote work arrangements heighten the operational risks, including cybersecurity risks, to which we are subject.
We cannot reasonably predict the ultimate impact of any future pandemic or public health emergency, including the extent of any adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition, which will depend on, among other things, the duration and spread of the pandemic or public health emergency, the impact of governmental regulations that may be imposed in response, the effectiveness of actions taken to contain or mitigate the outbreak, the availability, safety and efficacy of vaccines, including against emerging variants of the infectious disease, and global economic conditions.
In addition to the risks described above, to the extent that a pandemic or other public health emergency adversely affects our operations and financial condition, it may also heighten other risks described in this section.
We may not be successful in achieving sustaining or improving operating expense reductions and might experience business disruptions associated with restructuring and cost reduction activities.
Our business has been, and may in the future be, the subject of restructuring and cost reduction initiatives. We may not be successful in achieving the full cost reduction benefits we expect over the timeframe we expect, or at all, and the ongoing costs of implementing cost reduction and restructuring measures might be greater than anticipated. If these measures are not successful or sustainable, we may undertake additional restructuring and cost reduction efforts, which could result in future restructuring charges. Moreover, our ability to achieve our other strategic goals and business plans might be adversely affected, and we could experience business disruptions, if our restructuring efforts and cost reduction activities prove ineffective. These actions may also distract management from other business opportunities and adversely impact employee productivity and morale.
Our inability to successfully make investments in, and/or acquire and integrate, other businesses, assets, products or technologies could harm our business, financial condition or operating results.
Our success may depend on opportunities to buy other businesses or technologies that could complement, enhance or expand our current business or products or that might otherwise offer us growth opportunities. We have acquired, and have made strategic investments in, a number of companies (including through joint ventures) in the past, and we expect to make additional acquisitions and strategic investments in the future. Such transactions may result in dilutive issuances of our equity securities, use of our cash resources, and incurrence of debt and amortization expenses related to intangible assets. Any acquisitions and strategic investments that we are able to identify and complete may be accompanied by a number of risks, including:
30


the difficulty of assimilating the operations and personnel of acquired companies into our operations;
the potential disruption of our ongoing business and distraction of management;
the incurrence of additional operating losses and operating expenses of the businesses we acquired or in which we invested;
the difficulty of integrating acquired technology and rights into our services and unanticipated expenses related to such integration;
the failure to successfully further develop an acquired business or technology and any resulting impairment of amounts currently capitalized as intangible assets;
the failure of strategic investments to perform as expected or to meet financial projections;
the potential for patent and trademark infringement and data privacy and security claims against the acquired companies, or companies in which we have invested;
litigation or other claims in connection with acquisitions, acquired companies, or companies in which we have invested;
the impairment or loss of relationships with customers and partners of the companies we acquired or in which we invested or with our customers and partners as a result of the integration of acquired operations;
the impairment of relationships with, or failure to retain, employees of acquired companies or our existing employees as a result of integration of new personnel;
the difficulty of integrating operations, systems, and controls as a result of cultural, regulatory, systems, and operational differences;
the performance of management of companies in which we invest but do not control;
in the case of foreign acquisitions and investments, the impact of particular economic, tax, currency, political, legal and regulatory risks associated with specific countries; and
the impact of known potential liabilities or liabilities that may be unknown, including as a result of inadequate internal controls, associated with the companies we acquired or in which we invested.
Our failure to be successful in addressing these risks or other problems encountered in connection with our past or future acquisitions and strategic investments could cause us to fail to realize the anticipated benefits of such acquisitions or investments, incur unanticipated liabilities, and harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may have exposure to additional tax liabilities.
We are subject to income taxes as well as non-income based taxes, such as payroll, sales, use, value-added, net worth, property and goods and services taxes, in both the United States and various foreign jurisdictions. Judgment is required in determining our worldwide provision for income taxes and other tax liabilities. In the ordinary course of our business, there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. We are regularly under audit by tax authorities in both the United States and various foreign jurisdictions. Although we believe that our tax estimates are reasonable, (1) there is no assurance that the final determination of tax audits or tax disputes will not be different from what is reflected in our historical income tax provisions, expense amounts for non-income based taxes and accruals and (2) any material differences could have an adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations in the period or periods for which determination is made.
Although a portion of our revenue and operating income is generated outside the United States, we are subject to potential current U.S. income tax on this income since we are a U.S. corporation, resulting in a potentially higher effective tax rate for the Company. This includes (i) what is referred to as "Subpart F Income," which generally includes, but is not limited to, such items as interest, dividends, royalties, gains from the disposition of certain property, certain currency exchange gains in excess of currency exchange losses, and certain related party sales and services income and (ii) what is referred to as “global intangible low-taxed income,” ("GILTI"), which generally equals certain foreign earnings in excess of 10 percent of the foreign subsidiaries’ tangible business assets. On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the "OBBBA") was signed into law which made several modifications to the GILTI tax regime, now referred to as “net controlled foreign corporation tested income”, including, but not limited to, removing the 10 percent deduction related to a taxpayer’s tangible business assets. The changes are not effective until tax years beginning after December 31, 2025.
While we may mitigate any potential negative impacts of the aforementioned regimes through claiming a foreign tax credit against our U.S. federal income taxes or potentially have foreign or U.S. taxes reduced under applicable income tax treaties, we are subject to various limitations on claiming foreign tax credits or we may lack treaty protections in certain jurisdictions that will potentially limit any reduction of the increased effective tax rate. A higher effective tax rate may also result if we incur losses in non-U.S. subsidiaries that are not available to offset U.S. taxable income (or otherwise are not currently deductible for U.S. tax purposes).
31


We are subject to changing tax laws, treaties and regulations in and between countries in which we operate, including treaties between the United States and other nations. A change in these tax laws, treaties or regulations, including those in and involving the United States, or in the interpretation thereof, could result in a materially higher or lower income or non-income tax expense. Also, various income tax proposals in the countries in which we operate and measures in response to the economic uncertainty in certain European jurisdictions in which we operate could result in changes to the existing tax laws under which our taxes are calculated. We are unable to predict whether any of these or other proposals in the United States or foreign jurisdictions will ultimately be enacted. Any such changes could negatively impact our business.
In December 2021, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released the Pillar Two Model Rules, which aim to reform international corporate taxation rules, including the implementation of a global minimum tax rate. The Company began the phased implementation of the Pillar Two Model Rules in 2024 and the minimum tax requirement has not had a material impact upon the Company's results of operations or financial position. The Company began the phased implementation of the Pillar Two Model Rules in the first quarter of 2024 and as of December 31, 2024, the Pillar Two minimum tax requirement did not have a material impact upon the Company's full year results of operations or financial position.
A significant amount of our book value consists of intangible assets that may not generate cash in the event of a voluntary or involuntary sale.
At December 31, 2025, our consolidated financial statements included approximately $3.9 billion of consolidated total assets, of which approximately $0.4 billion were classified as intangible assets. Intangible assets primarily include affiliation agreements and affiliate relationships, advertiser relationships, trademarks and goodwill. While we believe that the carrying values of our intangible assets are recoverable, there is no assurance that we would receive any cash from the voluntary or involuntary sale of these intangible assets, particularly if we were not continuing as an operating business.
Risks Relating to Our Debt
Our substantial long-term debt and high leverage could adversely affect our business.
We have a significant amount of long-term debt. As of December 31, 2025, we had $1.8 billion principal amount of total long-term debt (excluding finance leases), comprised of $83 million of senior secured debt under our Credit Facility, $875 million of senior secured notes due 2029 (the "2029 Secured Notes"), $400 million of senior secured notes due 2032 (the "2032 Secured Notes"), $277 million of senior unsecured notes due 2029 and $144 million of convertible senior notes due 2029.
Our substantial amount of debt could have important consequences. For example, it could:
increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions because, during periods in which we experience lower earnings and cash flow, we will be required to devote a proportionally greater amount of our cash flow to paying interest and principal on our debt;
require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to make interest and principal payments on our debt, thereby limiting the availability of our cash flow to fund future programming investments, capital expenditures, working capital, business activities and other general corporate requirements;
limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate because our available cash flow after paying interest and principal payments on our debt may not be sufficient to make the capital and other expenditures necessary to address these changes;
place us at a competitive disadvantage compared with our relatively less leveraged competitors that have more cash flow available to fund working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, share repurchases, dividend payments and general corporate requirements;
limit our ability to borrow additional funds in the future to fund working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and general corporate requirements, even when necessary to maintain adequate liquidity;
make it more difficult for us to satisfy our financial obligations, including obligations with respect to our outstanding indebtedness, or to refinance our indebtedness on terms acceptable to us or at all; and
make it more difficult for us to satisfy financial ratio tests that are applicable under the agreements governing our outstanding indebtedness.

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful.
Our ability to make payments on, or repay or refinance, our debt, and to fund planned distributions and capital expenditures, will depend largely upon our future operating performance and our ability to borrow additional funds in the future. We may be unable to maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness. Our future performance, to a certain extent, is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control. Our leverage may make our results of
32


operations more susceptible to adverse economic and industry conditions by limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate and may place us at a competitive disadvantage as compared to our competitors that have less debt. In addition, our ability to borrow funds in the future to make payments on our debt will depend on the satisfaction of the covenants in the Credit Facility and our other debt agreements, including the indentures governing our notes and other agreements we may enter into in the future.
If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we could face substantial liquidity problems and could be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures or to dispose of material assets or operations, seek additional debt or equity capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness, including the notes. We may not be able to effect any such alternative measures, if necessary, on commercially reasonable terms or at all and, even if successful, those alternative actions may not allow us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. Agreements relating to our indebtedness, including the Credit Facility, may also restrict our ability to raise debt or equity capital to be used to repay other indebtedness when it becomes due. We may not be able to obtain proceeds in an amount sufficient to meet any debt service obligations then due.
Our inability to generate sufficient cash flows to satisfy our debt obligations, or to refinance our indebtedness on commercially reasonable terms or at all, would materially and adversely affect our financial position and results of operations and our ability to satisfy our obligations under our outstanding indebtedness.
If we cannot make scheduled payments on our debt, we will be in default and, the holders of our senior notes and convertible senior notes could declare all outstanding principal and interest to be due and payable, the lenders under the Credit Facility could terminate their commitments to loan money, lenders under, or holders of, our secured debt (including our 2029 Secured Notes, our 2032 Secured Notes and any borrowings outstanding under the Credit Facility) could, in certain situations, foreclose against the assets securing their borrowings, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.31If we cannot make scheduled payments on our debt, we will be in default and, the holders of our senior notes and convertible senior notes could declare all outstanding principal and interest to be due and payable, the lenders under the Credit Facility could terminate their commitments to loan money, lenders under, or holders of, our secured debt (including our 10.25% senior secured notes due January 15, 2029 and any borrowings outstanding under the Credit Facility) could, in certain situations, foreclose against the assets securing their borrowings, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.
We may not be able to refinance our indebtedness on favorable terms, or at all. Our inability to refinance our indebtedness could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ongoing results of operations.
We will need to refinance our existing indebtedness as it matures, and we do not expect to generate sufficient cash from operations to repay at maturity our outstanding debt obligations. For example, we have $1.3 billion of notes due in 2029 that we will need to repay and/or refinance. For example, we have $2.0 billion of senior notes due in 2029 that we will need to repay and/or refinance. As a result, we will be dependent upon our ability to access the capital and credit markets. Market conditions, including further changes in interest rates, as well as our financial condition at the time of a refinancing, may increase the risk that the terms of any refinancing will not be as favorable as the terms of the existing debt (including agreeing to more restrictive covenants on our business or needing to provide collateral securing the debt), or that we may not be able to refinance the existing debt at all. Failure to raise significant amounts of funding to repay these obligations at maturity on terms favorable to us, or at all, could adversely affect our business. If we are unable to raise such amounts, we would need to take other actions including reducing investments in new programming, selling assets, seeking strategic investments from third parties or reducing other discretionary uses of cash, any of which could adversely impact our business and financial condition. The Credit Facility and indentures governing our notes restrict, and market or business conditions may limit, our ability to do some of these things. See “The agreements governing our debt contain various covenants that impose restrictions on us that may affect our ability to operate our business.”
Some of our outstanding debt is based on variable rates of interest, which has resulted and could in the future result in higher interest expenses in the event of an increase in the interest rates.
Although a significant amount of our outstanding debt has fixed interest rates, borrowings under our Credit Facility bear interest at variable rates. As a result, increases in market interest rates have increased our interest expense and our debt service obligations. If interest rates were to further increase, this would further increase the amount of interest expense that we would have to pay for borrowings under the Credit Facility, and our net income and cash flows, including cash available for servicing our indebtedness, would correspondingly decrease.
The agreements governing our debt contain various covenants that impose restrictions on us that may affect our ability to operate our business.
The agreements governing the Credit Facility and the indentures governing our notes contain covenants that, among other things, limit our ability to:
borrow money or guarantee debt;
create liens;
pay dividends on or redeem or repurchase stock;
make investments;
enter into transactions with affiliates;
enter into strategic transactions; and
sell assets or merge with other companies.
33


The Credit Facility requires us to comply with a Cash Flow Ratio and an Interest Coverage Ratio, each as defined in the Credit Facility. Compliance with these covenants may limit our ability to take actions, including repurchasing our common stock or making investments, that might be to our advantage or to the advantage of our stockholders. The terms of any future indebtedness we may incur could include more restrictive covenants.
Various risks, uncertainties and events beyond our control could affect our ability to comply with these covenants and maintain these financial ratios, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain compliance with these covenants and financial ratios in the future. For example, higher programming expenditures, higher operating costs or lower revenues could lead to a default under certain financial covenants contained in the Credit Facility. In addition, because the calculations of the financial ratios are made as of certain dates, the financial ratios can fluctuate significantly from period to period as the amounts outstanding under the Credit Facility are dependent on the timing of cash flows related to operations, capital expenditures and securities offerings. If we fail to comply with these covenants, we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain waivers from the lenders and/or amend the covenants, which could, among other things, impact our liquidity. Moreover, in connection with any future waivers or amendments to our indebtedness that we may obtain, our lenders may modify the terms of our such indebtedness or impose additional operating and financial restrictions on us. Failure to comply with any of the covenants in our existing or future financing agreements could result in a default under those agreements and under other agreements containing cross-default provisions. A default would permit lenders to accelerate the maturity for the debt under these agreements and to foreclose upon any collateral securing the debt. Under these circumstances, we might not have sufficient funds or other resources to satisfy all of our obligations. In addition, the limitations imposed by financing agreements on our ability to incur additional debt and to take other actions might significantly impair our ability to obtain other financing. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Despite our current levels of debt, we may still be able to incur substantially more debt. This could further exacerbate the risks associated with our substantial debt.
We and our subsidiaries may incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future, including secured or convertible indebtedness. The terms of the Credit Facility and indentures governing our notes allow us to incur substantial amounts of additional debt, subject to certain limitations. If we incur secured indebtedness and such secured indebtedness is either accelerated or becomes subject to a bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization, our assets would be used to satisfy obligations with respect to the indebtedness secured thereby before any payment could be made on the notes that are not similarly secured.
In addition, as we have in the past, we may in the future refinance all or a portion of our debt, including our senior notes or borrowings under the Credit Facility, and obtain the ability to incur more debt as a result. If new debt is added to our current debt levels, the related risks we could face would be magnified.
A lowering or withdrawal of the ratings assigned to our debt securities by rating agencies may increase our future debt issuance costs and reduce our access to capital.
The debt ratings for our notes are below the "investment grade" category, which results in higher interest costs as well as a reduced pool of potential purchasers of our debt as some investors will not purchase debt securities that are not rated "investment grade". In addition, there can be no assurance that any rating assigned will remain for any given period of time or that a rating will not be lowered or withdrawn entirely by a rating agency, if in that rating agency's judgment, future circumstances, such as adverse changes to economic conditions that could impact an issuer's ability to meet its financial commitments, so warrant. A lowering or withdrawal of the ratings assigned to our debt securities may further increase our future debt issuance costs and reduce our access to capital.
We may not have the ability to raise the funds necessary to settle conversions of our 4.25% convertible senior notes due 2029 (the “Convertible Notes”) or to repurchase the Convertible Notes upon a fundamental change.
Holders of our Convertible Notes will have the right to require us to repurchase their notes upon the occurrence of a fundamental change (as defined in the indenture governing the Convertible Notes) at a purchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Convertible Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the fundamental change repurchase date. In addition, we will be required to make cash payments in respect of the Convertible Notes being converted. However, we may not have enough available cash or be able to obtain financing at the time we are required to make purchases of Convertible Notes surrendered therefor or Convertible Notes being converted. In addition, our ability to repurchase the Convertible Notes or to pay cash upon conversion of the Convertible Notes is limited by the agreements governing our existing indebtedness (including the Credit Facility) and may also be limited by law, by regulatory authority or by agreements that will govern our future indebtedness. Our failure to repurchase Convertible Notes at a time when the repurchase is required by the Convertible Notes Indenture or to pay cash payable on future conversions of the Convertible Notes as required by the Convertible Notes Indenture would constitute a default under the Convertible Notes Indenture. A default under the Convertible Notes Indenture or the fundamental change itself could also lead to a default under agreements governing our existing or future indebtedness (including the Credit Facility). If the repayment of the related indebtedness were
34


to be accelerated after any applicable notice or grace periods, we may not have sufficient funds to repay the indebtedness and repurchase the Convertible Notes or make cash payments upon conversion thereof.
The conditional conversion feature of the Convertible Notes, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
In the event the conditional conversion feature of the Convertible Notes is triggered, holders of Convertible Notes will be entitled to convert the Convertible Notes at any time during specified periods at their option. If one or more holders elect to convert their Convertible Notes, unless we elect to satisfy our conversion obligation by delivering solely shares of our Class A 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 through the payment of cash, which could adversely affect our liquidity. In addition, even if holders do not elect to convert their Convertible Notes, we could be required under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all or a portion of the outstanding principal of the Convertible Notes as a current rather than long-term liability, which would result in a material reduction of our net working capital.
The fundamental change repurchase feature of the Convertible Notes may delay or prevent an otherwise beneficial attempt to effect a change of control of the Company.
The terms of the Convertible Notes require us to repurchase the Convertible Notes in the event of a fundamental change. A change of control of our company would trigger an option of the holders of the Convertible Notes, as applicable, to require us to repurchase the Convertible Notes. This may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of our company that would otherwise be beneficial to investors in the Convertible Notes.
Risks Relating to Our Controlled Ownership
We are controlled by the Dolan family and trusts for their benefit, which may create certain conflicts of interest. In addition, as a result of their control, the Dolan family and trusts for their benefit have the ability to prevent or cause a change in control or approve, prevent or influence certain actions by the Company. In addition, as a result of their control, the Dolan family has the ability to prevent or cause a change in control or approve, prevent or influence certain actions by the Company.
We have two classes of common stock:
Class A Common Stock, which is entitled to one vote per share and is entitled collectively to elect a number of directors constituting at least 25% of our Board of Directors.
Class B Common Stock, which is generally entitled to ten votes per share and is entitled collectively to elect the remainder of our Board of Directors.
As of December 31, 2025, certain members of the Dolan family, including certain trusts for the benefit of members of the Dolan family (collectively "the Dolan Family Group"), collectively owned all of our Class B Common Stock, approximately 4% of our outstanding Class A Common Stock and approximately 79% of the total voting power of all our outstanding common stock (in each case, inclusive of RSUs vesting within 60 days of December 31, 2025) in matters other than the election of directors. Of that amount, certain Dolan family trusts (the “Excluded Trusts”) collectively own 83% of the outstanding Class B Common Stock. The trustees of the Excluded Trusts are members of the Dolan family. The members of the Dolan Family Group holding Class B Common Stock have executed a stockholders agreement (the "Stockholders Agreement") that has the effect of causing the voting power of holders of our Class B Common Stock (other than the Excluded Trusts) to be cast as a block with respect to all matters to be voted on by holders of Class B Common Stock. The members of the Dolan Family Group are parties to a stockholders agreement (the "Stockholders Agreement") that has the effect of causing the voting power of certain holders of our Class B Common Stock to be cast as a block on all matters to be voted on by holders of Class B Common Stock.
Shares of Class B Common Stock owned by Excluded Trusts will, on all matters, be voted on in accordance with the determination of the Excluded Trusts holding a majority of our Class B Common Stock, except in the case of a vote on a going-private transaction or a change in control transaction, in which case a vote of trusts holding two-thirds of our Class B Common Stock owned by Excluded Trusts is required.
Under the Stockholders Agreement, the shares of Class B Common Stock owned by members of the Dolan Family Group (other than the Excluded Trusts) are to be voted, on all matters, in accordance with the determination of the Dolan Family Committee. Under the Stockholders Agreement, the shares of Class B Common Stock owned by members of the Dolan Family Group are to be voted on all matters in accordance with the determination of the Dolan Family Committee. The “Dolan Family Committee” consists of James L. Dolan, Thomas C. Dolan, Patrick F. Dolan, Kathleen M. Dolan, Marianne E. Dolan Weber and Deborah A. Dolan and Deborah A. Dolan-Sweeney. The Dolan Family Committee generally acts by majority vote, except that approval of a going-private transaction must be approved by a two-thirds vote and approval of a change-in-control transaction must be approved by not less than all but one vote. The Dolan Family Committee generally acts by vote of a majority of the Dolan Siblings, except that a vote on a going-private transaction must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Dolan Siblings and a vote on a change-in-control transaction must be approved by not less than all but one of the Dolan Siblings. Each member of the Dolan Family Committee has one vote. The Dolan Family Group, which includes the Excluded Trusts, is able to prevent a change in control of the Company and no person interested in acquiring us would be able to do so without obtaining the consent of the Dolan Family Group. The Dolan Family Group is able to prevent a change in control of our Company and no person interested in acquiring us would be able to do so without obtaining the consent of the Dolan Family Group.
The Dolan Family Group (including the Excluded Trusts), by virtue of their stock ownership, have the power to elect all of our directors subject to election by holders of Class B Common Stock and are able collectively to control stockholder decisions on matters on which holders of all classes of our common stock vote together as a single class. These matters could
35


include the amendment of some provisions of our certificate of incorporation and the approval of fundamental corporate transactions.
In addition, the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding shares of the Class B Common Stock, voting separately as a class, is required to approve:
the authorization or issuance of any additional shares of Class B Common Stock, and
any amendment, alteration or repeal of any of the provisions of our certificate of incorporation that adversely affects the powers, preferences or rights of Class B Common Stock.
As a result, the Dolan Family Group, which includes the Excluded Trusts, also has the power to prevent such issuance or amendment.As a result, the Dolan Family Group and Excluded Trusts have the power to prevent such issuance or amendment.
We have adopted a written policy whereby an independent committee of our Board of Directors will review and approve or take such other action as it may deem appropriate with respect to certain transactions involving the Company and its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and certain related parties, including the Dolan family and related entities on the other hand. This policy does not address all possible conflicts which may arise, and there can be no assurance that this policy will be effective in dealing with conflict scenarios.
We are a "controlled company" for the purposes of The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC ("NASDAQ"), which allows us not to comply with certain of the corporate governance rules of NASDAQ.
Members of the Dolan Family Group have entered into the Stockholders Agreement, which relates to, among other things, the voting and transfer of their shares of our Class B Common Stock. As a result, we are a "controlled company" under the corporate governance rules of NASDAQ. As a controlled company, we have the right to elect not to comply with the corporate governance rules of NASDAQ requiring: (i) a majority of independent directors on our Board of Directors, (ii) an independent compensation committee and (iii) an independent corporate governance and nominating committee. Our Board of Directors has elected for the Company to be treated as a "controlled company" under NASDAQ corporate governance rules and not to comply with the NASDAQ requirement for a majority independent board of directors and an independent corporate governance and nominating committee because of our status as a controlled company.
Future stock sales, including as a result of the exercise of registration rights by certain of our stockholders, could adversely affect the trading price of our Class A Common Stock.
Certain parties have registration rights covering a portion of our shares. We have entered into registration rights agreements with the Dolan family, including the Dolan Siblings, certain Dolan family interests and the Dolan Family Foundation that provide them with "demand" and "piggyback" registration rights with respect to approximately 12.8 million shares of Class A Common Stock, including shares issuable upon conversion of shares of Class B Common Stock. Sales of a substantial number of shares of Class A Common Stock, including sales pursuant to these registration rights agreements, could adversely affect the market price of the Class A Common Stock and could impair our future ability to raise capital through an offering of our equity securities.
We share certain executives and directors with Sphere Entertainment Co. ("Sphere Entertainment"), Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. ("MSGS") and Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. ("MSGE"), which may give rise to conflicts.
We share two executives with MSGS, MSGE and Sphere Entertainment (each, an "Other Entity" and, collectively the "Other Entities"): Gregg G. Seibert, serves as a Vice Chairman of the Company and as a Vice Chairman of the Other Entities, and David Granville-Smith, serves as an Executive Vice President of the Company and as an Executive Vice President of MSGS and Sphere Entertainment. Each of the Other Entities and the Company are affiliates by virtue of being under common control of the Dolan family and Excluded Trusts. As a result, they will not be devoting their full time and attention to the Company's affairs. Five members of our Board of Directors, including our Chairman, are directors of MSGS, three members of our Board of Directors, including our Chairman, are directors of MSGE and five members of our Board of Directors, including our Chairman, are directors of Sphere Entertainment. In addition, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Kristin Dolan, also serves as a director of Sphere Entertainment. These directors and officers may have actual or apparent conflicts of interest with respect to matters involving or affecting each company. For example, the potential for a conflict of interest exists when we, on one hand, and an Other Entity, on the other hand, consider acquisitions and other corporate opportunities that may be suitable for us and for the Other Entity. Also, conflicts may arise if there are issues or disputes under the commercial arrangements that exist between the Other Entities and us. In addition, certain of our directors and officers own stock, restricted stock units and options to purchase stock in one or more of the Other Entities, as well as cash performance awards with any payout based on the performance of one or more of the Other Entities. These ownership interests could create actual, apparent or potential conflicts of interest when these individuals are faced with decisions that could have different implications for our Company and one or more of the Other Entities. See "Transactions with Related Parties and Related Party Transaction Approval Policy" in
36


our latest proxy statement filed with the SEC for a description of our related party transaction approval policy that we have adopted to help address such potential conflicts that may arise.
Our overlapping directors and executives with the Other Entities may result in the diversion of corporate opportunities to and other conflicts with the Other Entities and provisions in our governance documents may provide us no remedy in that circumstance.
Our articles of incorporation acknowledge that directors and officers of the Company may also be serving as directors, officers, employees, consultants or agents of MSGS, MSGE, Sphere Entertainment or their respective subsidiaries and that we may engage in material business transactions with such entities (the applicable provisions of the articles of incorporation, the "Overlap Provisions").Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation acknowledges that directors and officers of the Company may also be serving as directors, officers, employees, consultants or agents of MSGS, MSGE, Sphere Entertainment or their respective subsidiaries and that we may engage in material business transactions with such entities (the applicable provisions of the amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the "Overlap Provisions"). The Company has renounced its rights to certain business opportunities and the Overlap Provisions provide that no director or officer of the Company who is also serving as a director, officer, employee, consultant or agent of an Other Entity or any subsidiary of an Other Entity will be liable to the Company or its stockholders for breach of any fiduciary duty that would otherwise exist by reason of the fact that such individual directs a corporate opportunity (other than certain limited types of opportunities set forth in our articles of incorporation) to the Other Entity or any of its subsidiaries, or does not refer or communicate information regarding such corporate opportunities to the Company. The Overlap Provisions also expressly validate certain contracts, agreements, assignments and transactions (and amendments, modifications or terminations thereof) between the Company and the Other Entities and their subsidiaries and, to the fullest extent permitted by law, provide that the actions of the overlapping directors or officers in connection therewith are not breaches of fiduciary duties owed to the Company, any of its subsidiaries or their respective stockholders.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.

Item 1C. Cybersecurity.
All companies utilizing technology are subject to the risk of breaches of or unauthorized access to their computer systems. The Company maintains a cyber risk management program designed to identify, assess, manage, mitigate, and respond to cybersecurity threats. Cybersecurity threats continue to evolve, including through the increasing use of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to automate or enhance phishing, social engineering, and other malicious activity. The Audit Committee of our Board of Directors and our management are actively involved in the oversight of our risk management program, of which cybersecurity represents an important component. We have established policies, standards, processes and practices for assessing, identifying and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats and incidents. Our policies, processes and procedures include, among other things, annual external penetration testing using an experienced third-party company; a cybersecurity incident response and recovery plan; periodic and ongoing security awareness training for employees; the use of several comprehensive vulnerability analysis systems to evaluate software vulnerabilities both internally and externally; cryptography and encryption; data erasure and media disposal, regular data backups and restoration processes; and mechanisms to detect and monitor unusual network activity. The Company also requires that all third-party vendors that have access to or handle sensitive information undergo a risk-based vendor security assessment and provide contractual assurances relating to their security responsibilities, controls, reporting, and roles and responsibilities with regard to cybersecurity. We also maintain controls and procedures that are designed to promptly escalate certain cybersecurity incidents so that decisions regarding public disclosure and reporting of such incidents can be made by management and our Board of Directors in a timely manner. There can be no guarantee that our policies and procedures will be properly followed in every instance or that those policies and procedures will be effective.
Our cyber risk management program is based on recognized best practices and standards for cybersecurity and information technology, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) Cybersecurity Framework. Our cybersecurity risks are identified and addressed through a comprehensive, cross- functional approach. The Company has established a cybersecurity committee consisting of members of senior management, including the Company’s Chief Information Security Officer (“CISO”). The Company’s CISO is primarily responsible for the implementation of defense capabilities and risk mitigation strategies. The Company’s CISO has over 25 years of information technology and cybersecurity experience. He holds the title of Senior Vice President of Technology Services and Chief Information Security Officer, has been in his role since 2021 and is supported by his direct reports and their teams. The cybersecurity committee also includes senior members from the Company’s legal, human resources, technology, communications and risk management departments. This committee meets on a periodic basis to review various cybersecurity and data privacy matters and is responsible for maintaining processes to assess, identify and manage material risks from cybersecurity threats. The cybersecurity committee provides quarterly updates to the Company’s General Counsel, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Global Media Operations and Technology. In addition, the cybersecurity committee has established regional triage teams that are
37



responsible for responding to any cybersecurity incident and deciding if other members of the cybersecurity committee, Company employees or Company vendors should be involved in the Company’s response.
Our Audit Committee takes the lead on behalf of our Board of Directors in monitoring risk management, which includes overseeing the Company’s management of its cybersecurity and data privacy. The Audit Committee meets on a quarterly basis with our General Counsel, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Financial Officer, who provide quarterly reports concerning the Company’s information security and cybersecurity risks.
Although we have not been materially impacted by any cybersecurity incident to date, we have been and continue to be subject to cybersecurity threats in the normal course of our business, as discussed in Item 1A. Risk Factors, including in the risk factor entitled “We face continually evolving cybersecurity and other technology-related risks, which could result in the disclosure, theft, destruction, or misappropriation of, or access to, confidential information, disruption of our programming, damage to our brands and reputation, legal exposure and financial losses.”

Recently Filed
Click on a ticker to see risk factors
Ticker * File Date
EPRT 2 hours ago
APH 2 hours ago
VKTX 2 hours ago
RCL 2 hours ago
AUR 2 hours ago
QTWO 2 hours ago
AMCX 2 hours ago
FR 2 hours ago
GLIBA 2 hours ago
ALB 2 hours ago
RNR 2 hours ago
WPC 3 hours ago
R 3 hours ago
CFLT 3 hours ago
HUBS 3 hours ago
WHR 3 hours ago
AR 3 hours ago
EGP 3 hours ago
AM 3 hours ago
MGM 3 hours ago
RFAI 3 hours ago
EQIX 3 hours ago
RBLX 3 hours ago
CRBG 3 hours ago
TFIN 3 hours ago
STAG 3 hours ago
SITM 3 hours ago
DVA 3 hours ago
JNJ 3 hours ago
KMPR 3 hours ago
TMUS 3 hours ago
NBIX 3 hours ago
HXL 4 hours ago
NVR 4 hours ago
TXT 5 hours ago
BWA 6 hours ago
BKH 6 hours ago
ACBM 6 hours ago
SYK 7 hours ago
BMY 8 hours ago
MA 8 hours ago
HLT 9 hours ago
RPRX 10 hours ago
NNN 11 hours ago
NVCT 11 hours ago
AVTR 12 hours ago
LEU 12 hours ago
FNMA 12 hours ago
U 12 hours ago
SHOP 12 hours ago

OTHER DATASETS

House Trading

Dashboard

Corporate Flights

Dashboard

App Ratings

Dashboard