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Revenue Recognition | 12 Months Ended
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Sep. 26, 2025
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract] |
Revenue Recognition | Revenue Recognition We enter into revenue arrangements with our customers to license technologies, trademarks and patents for sound and imaging solutions, and to sell products and services. We recognize revenue when we satisfy a performance obligation by transferring control over the use of a license, product, or service to a customer. A. Identification of the Contract or Contracts with Customers We generally determine that a contract with a customer exists upon the execution of an agreement and after consideration of collectability, which could include an evaluation of the customer's payment history, the existence of a standby letter of credit between the customer’s financial institution and our financial institution, public financial information, and other factors. At contract inception, we also evaluate whether two or more non-standard agreements with a customer should be combined and accounted for as a single contract. B. Identification of Performance Obligations in a Contract We generate revenue principally from the following sources, which represent performance obligations in our contracts with customers: •Licensing. We license our technologies, including patents, to a range of customers who incorporate them into their products for enhanced audio and imaging functionality across broadcast, mobile, CE, PC, gaming, and other markets. •Product Sales. We design and provide audio and imaging products for the cinema, television, broadcast, and entertainment industries. •Services. We provide various services to support theatrical and television production for cinema exhibition, broadcast, and home entertainment, including equipment training, mixing room alignment, equalization, as well as audio, color and light image calibration. We also offer solutions through our platform Dolby OptiView (previously named Dolby.io) to companies building real-time digital experiences that increase audience engagement. Our solution provides the capability to stream high quality audiovisual content in ultra-low latency which reduces the delay between the action and the viewer. •PCS. We provide PCS for products sold and for equipment leased, and we support the implementation of our licensing technologies in our licensees’ products. •Equipment Leases. We collaborate with established cinema exhibitors to offer Dolby Cinema, a branded premium cinema offering for movie audiences by leasing equipment and licensing our IP. •Licensing Administration Fees. We generate administrative fees for managing patent pools on behalf of third party patent owners through our subsidiary, Via LA. Some of our revenue arrangements include multiple performance obligations, such as hardware, software, support and maintenance, and extended warranty services. We evaluate whether promised products and services are distinct performance obligations. The majority of our arrangements with multiple performance obligations pertain to our digital cinema server and processor sales that include the following distinct performance obligations to which we allocate portions of the transaction price based on their stand-alone selling price: •Digital cinema server hardware and embedded software, which is dependent on and interrelated with the hardware. Accordingly, the hardware and embedded software represent a single performance obligation. •The right to support and maintenance, which is included with the purchase of the digital cinema server hardware, is a distinct performance obligation. •The right to receive commissioning services is a distinct performance obligation within the sale of the Dolby Atmos Cinema Processor. These services consist of the review of venue designs specifying proposed speaker placement as well as calibration services performed for installed speakers to ensure optimal playback. C. Determination of Transaction Price for Performance Obligations in a Contract After identifying the distinct performance obligations, we determine the transaction price in accordance with the terms of the underlying executed contract which may include variable consideration such as discounts, rebates, refunds, rights of returns, and incentives. We assess and update, if necessary, the amount of variable consideration to which we are entitled for each reporting period. At the end of each reporting period, we estimate and accrue a liability for returns and adjustments as a reduction to revenue based on several factors, including past return history. With the exception of our sales-based royalties, we evaluate whether a significant financing component exists when we recognize revenue in advance of customer payments that occur over time. For example, some of our licensing arrangements include payment terms greater than one year from when we transfer control of our IP to a licensee and the receipt of the final payment for that IP. If a significant financing component exists, we classify a portion of the transaction price as interest income, instead of recognizing all of the transaction price as revenue. We do not adjust the transaction price for the effects of financing if, at contract inception, the period between the transfer of control to a customer and final payment is expected to be one year or less. D. Allocation of Transaction Price to Distinct Performance Obligations in a Contract For our sales-based royalties where the license is the predominant item to which the royalties relate, we present all revenue as licensing. For revenue arrangements that include multiple performance obligations, we determine the stand-alone selling price for each distinct performance obligation based on the actual selling prices made to customers. If the performance obligation is not sold separately, we estimate the stand-alone selling price. We do so by considering market conditions such as competitor pricing strategies, customer specific information and industry technology lifecycles, internal conditions such as cost and pricing practices, or applying the residual approach method when the selling price of the good, most commonly a license, is highly variable or uncertain. Once the transaction price, including any variable consideration, has been determined, we allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations identified in the contract and recognize revenue as or when control is transferred for each distinct performance obligation. E. Revenue Recognition as Control is Transferred to a Customer We generate our licensing revenue by licensing our technologies and patents to various types of licensees, such as chip manufacturers ("implementation licensees"), consumer product manufacturers, software vendors, and communications service providers. Our revenue recognition policies for each of these arrangements are summarized below. Initial fees from implementation licensees. Implementation licensees incorporate our technologies into their chipsets that, once approved by Dolby, are available for purchase by OEMs for use in end-user products. Implementation licensees only pay us a nominal initial fee on contract execution as consideration for the ongoing services that we provide to assist in their implementation process. Revenue from these initial fees is recognized ratably over the contractual term as a component of licensing revenue. Sales-based licensing fees. In our royalty bearing licensing agreements with OEMs, control is transferred upon the later of contract execution or the contract’s effective date. We apply the royalty exception, which requires that we recognize sales-based royalties when the sales occur based on our estimates. These estimates involve the use of historical data and judgment for several key attributes including industry estimates of expected shipments, the percentage of markets using our technologies, and average sale prices. Generally, our estimates represent the current period’s shipments to which we expect our licensees to submit royalty statements within the following two quarters. Upon receipt of royalty statements from the licensees with the actual reporting of sales-based royalties that we estimated previously, we record a favorable or unfavorable adjustment based on the difference, if any, between estimated and actual sales. In the first and second quarters of fiscal 2025, we recorded favorable adjustments of approximately $17 million and $1 million, respectively. In the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2025, we recorded unfavorable adjustments of approximately $4 million and $1 million, respectively. Each of these adjustments is primarily related to shipments that occurred in the prior two quarters, and is largely based on actual royalty statements received from licensees that differed from our estimates. Fixed and guaranteed licensing fees. In certain cases, our arrangements require the licensee to pay fixed, non-refundable fees. In these cases, control is transferred and fees are recognized upon the later of contract execution or the effective date. Additionally and separate from initial fees from implementation licensees, our sales- and usage-based licensing agreements include a nominal fee, which is also recognized at a point in time in which control of the IP has been transferred. Revenue from these arrangements is included as a component of licensing revenue. Recoveries. Through compliance efforts, we identify misreported licensed activity related to non-current periods. We may record a favorable or unfavorable revenue adjustment in connection with the findings from these compliance efforts generally upon resolution with the licensee through agreement of the findings, or upon receipt of the licensee’s correction statement. Revenue from these arrangements is included as a component of licensing revenue. We undertake activities aimed at identifying potential unauthorized uses of our technologies, which, when successful, result in the recognition of revenue. Recoveries stem from third parties who agree to remit payments to us based on past use of our technology. In these scenarios, a legally binding contract did not exist at the time of use of our technology, and therefore, we recognize revenue recoveries upon execution of the agreement as that is the point in time at which a contract exists and control is transferred. This revenue is classified as licensing revenue. In general, we classify legal costs associated with activities aimed at identifying potential unauthorized uses of our technologies, auditing existing licensees, and on occasion, pursuing litigation as S&M in our consolidated statements of operations. We recognize licensing revenue gross of withholding taxes, which our licensees remit directly to their local tax authorities, and for which we receive a partial foreign tax credit in our income tax provision. In addition to our licensing arrangements, we also enter into arrangements to deliver products and services. Product Sales. Revenue from the sale of products is recognized when the customer obtains control of the promised good or service, which is generally upon shipment. Payments are generally made within 90 days of sale. Services. We provide various services, such as engineering services related to movie soundtrack print mastering, equipment training and maintenance, mixing room alignment, equalization, and image calibration, which we bill on a fixed fee and time and materials basis. Most of these services are of a short duration and are recognized as control of the performance obligations are transferred which is when the related services are performed. Cloud Services. We offer solutions through our Dolby OptiView platform as well as cloud encoding services, generally, on either a consumption or subscription basis. Revenue related to cloud services provided on a consumption basis is recognized when the customer utilizes the services, based on the quantity of services consumed. Revenue related to cloud services provided on a subscription basis is recognized ratably over the contract term as the customer receives and consumes the benefits of the cloud services. Collaborative Arrangements. We collaborate with established cinema exhibitors to offer Dolby Cinema, a branded premium cinema offering for movie audiences. Under such collaborations, Dolby and the exhibitor are both active participants, and share the risks and rewards associated with the business. Accordingly, these collaborations are governed by revenue sharing arrangements under which Dolby receives revenue based on box office receipts, in exchange for our proprietary designs and trademarks as well as for the use of our equipment at the exhibitor's venue. The use of our product solution meets the definition of a lease, and for the related portion of Dolby's share of revenue, we apply ASC 842, Leases, and recognize revenue based on monthly, or quarterly, box office reports from exhibitors. Our revenue share is recognized as licensing revenue in our consolidated statements of operations. In addition, we also enter into hybrid agreements where a portion of our revenue share involves guaranteed payments, which in some cases result in classifying the arrangement as a sales-type lease. In such arrangements, we consider control to transfer at the point in time to which we have installed and tested the equipment, at which point we record such guaranteed payments as product revenue. Licensing Administration Fee. We generate administrative fees for managing patent pools on behalf of third party patent owners through our subsidiary, Via LA. As an agent to licensors in the patent pool, Via LA receives a share of the sales-based royalty that the patent pool licensors earn from licensees. As such, we apply the sales-based royalty exception as the service provided is directly related to the patent pool licensors’ provision of IP, which results in recognition based on estimates of the licensee’s quarter shipments that use the pool’s patents. In addition to sales-based royalties, Via LA also has contracts where the fees are fixed. The revenue share Via LA receives from licensors on fixed fee contracts is recognized over the term in which we are providing services associated with the fixed fee contract. We recognize our administrative fees net of the consideration paid to the patent licensors in the pool as licensing revenue. Deferred revenue, which is a component of contract liabilities, represents amounts that are ultimately expected to be recognized as revenue, but for which we have yet to satisfy the performance obligation. As of September 26, 2025, we had $61.1 million of remaining performance obligations, 53% of which we expect to recognize as revenue in fiscal 2026, 20% in fiscal 2027, and the balance of 27% in fiscal years beyond 2027. F. Disaggregation of Revenue The following table presents a summary of the composition of our revenue for all periods presented (in thousands, except percentage amounts):
|  |  | Fiscal Year Ended
Revenue |  |  |  |  | September 26, 2025 |  | September 27, 2024 |  | September 29, 2023
Licensing |  |  |  |  |  |  | $ | 1,248,017 |  | 93 | % |  | $ | 1,181,794 |  | 93 | % |  | $ | 1,197,930 |  | 92 | %
Products and services |  |  |  |  |  |  | 101,113 |  | 7 | % |  | 91,927 |  | 7 | % |  | 101,814 |  | 8 | %
Total revenue |  |  |  |  |  |  | $ | 1,349,130 |  | 100 | % |  | $ | 1,273,721 |  | 100 | % |  | $ | 1,299,744 |  | 100 | %
The following table presents the composition of our licensing revenue for all periods presented (in thousands, except percentage amounts):
|  |  | Fiscal Year Ended
Market |  |  |  |  | September 26, 2025 |  | September 27, 2024 |  | September 29, 2023
Broadcast |  |  |  |  |  |  | $ | 428,471 |  | 34 | % |  | $ | 409,105 |  | 35 | % |  | $ | 451,719 |  | 38 | %
Mobile |  |  |  |  |  |  | 268,568 |  | 22 | % |  | 235,774 |  | 20 | % |  | 243,897 |  | 20 | %
CE |  |  |  |  |  |  | 150,704 |  | 12 | % |  | 165,817 |  | 14 | % |  | 170,197 |  | 14 | %
PC |  |  |  |  |  |  | 151,894 |  | 12 | % |  | 141,300 |  | 12 | % |  | 124,362 |  | 10 | %
Other |  |  |  |  |  |  | 248,380 |  | 20 | % |  | 229,798 |  | 19 | % |  | 207,755 |  | 18 | %
Total licensing revenue |  |  |  |  |  |  | $ | 1,248,017 |  | 100 | % |  | $ | 1,181,794 |  | 100 | % |  | $ | 1,197,930 |  | 100 | %
We license our technologies in approximately 60 countries, and our licensees distribute products that incorporate our technologies throughout the world. We generate the majority of our revenue from outside the U.S. Geographic data for our Licensing revenue is based on the location of our licensees’ headquarters, Products revenue is based on the destination to which we ship our products, and Services revenue is based on the location where services are performed. The following table presents the composition of our revenue by geographic location for all periods presented (in thousands, except percentage amounts):
|  |  | Fiscal Year Ended
Geographic Location |  |  |  |  | September 26, 2025 |  | September 27, 2024 |  | September 29, 2023
United States |  |  |  |  |  |  | $ | 496,990 |  | 37 | % |  | $ | 450,265 |  | 35 | % |  | $ | 466,030 |  | 36 | %
International |  |  |  |  |  |  | 852,140 |  | 63 | % |  | 823,456 |  | 65 | % |  | 833,714 |  | 64 | %
Total revenue |  |  |  |  |  |  | $ | 1,349,130 |  | 100 | % |  | $ | 1,273,721 |  | 100 | % |  | $ | 1,299,744 |  | 100 | %
G. Contract Balances Our contract assets represent rights to consideration from licensees for the use of our IP that we have estimated in a given period in the absence of receiving actual royalty statements from licensees. These estimates reflect our best judgment at that time, and are developed using a number of inputs, including historical data, industry estimates of expected shipments, anticipated sales price and performance, and third party data supporting the percentage of markets using our technologies. In the event that our estimates differ from actual amounts reported, we record an adjustment in the quarter in which the royalty statement is received, which is typically the quarter following our estimate. Actual amounts reported are typically paid within 60 days following the end of the quarter of shipment. The main drivers for change in the contract assets account are variances in quarterly estimates, and to a lesser degree, timing of receipt of actual royalty statements. Our contract liabilities consist of advance payments and billings in advance of performance, typically satisfied within one year. The non-current portion of contract liabilities is separately disclosed in our consolidated balance sheets. We present the net contract asset or liability when we have both contract assets and contract liabilities for a single contract. In fiscal 2025, we recognized $31.2 million from prior period deferred revenue. The following table presents a summary of the balances to which contract assets and liabilities related to revenue are recorded for all periods presented (in thousands, except percentage amounts):
| September 26, 2025 | September 27, 2024 |  | Change ($) | Change (%)
Accounts receivable, net | $ | 331,096 |  | $ | 315,465 |  |  | $ | 15,631 |  | 5 | %
Contract assets, net | 180,804 |  | 197,478 |  |  | (16,674) |  | (8) | %
Contract liabilities - current | 31,382 |  | 31,644 |  |  | (262) |  | (1) | %
Contract liabilities - non-current | 29,687 |  | 34,593 |  |  | (4,906) |  | (14) | %

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