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Revenues
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2024
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]  
Revenues Revenues
The following describes the nature of the Company’s primary types of revenue.
Advertising and Performance Marketing
Advertising and performance marketing revenues are earned primarily from the delivery of advertising services and from marketing, performance marketing, and production services. Revenues from the delivery of advertising services are earned on websites and applications that are owned and operated by the Company and on those websites and applications that are part of the Company’s advertising network. Revenues are primarily earned by generating traffic to the Company’s websites, apps, and third-party platforms on which brands of the Company have a presence and monetizing this traffic. The value provided to the customer is primarily derived from the provision of traffic the Company generates from its specific content within each vertical, as well as data obtained by the website or app traffic. Such revenues are generally recognized over the period in which the products or services are delivered.
The Company determines whether revenue should be reported on a gross or net basis by assessing whether the Company is acting as the principal or an agent in the transaction, respectively. The vast majority of the Company’s advertising and performance marketing revenue is recognized on a gross basis as the Company primarily acts as a “principal” as defined under ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customer (“ASC 606”). Revenues recognized on a gross basis are generated (i) by the Company serving online display and video advertising across its owned and operated web properties, on third-party sites, or on unaffiliated advertising networks; and (ii) through the Company’s lead-generation business. The Company records revenue on a net basis with respect to revenue paid to the Company by certain third-party advertising networks who serve online display and video advertising across the Company’s owned-and-operated web properties and certain third-party platforms, primarily related to the transfer of functional intellectual property. The Company records revenue on a net basis with respect to revenue earned from servicing client gift card programs where we collect the total value of the gift card on our customers’ behalf.
Subscription and Licensing
Revenues from subscriptions are earned through (i) the granting of access to, or delivery of, data products or services to customers; (ii) usage-based fees, and (iii) reselling various third-party solutions, primarily through the Company’s email security line of business. Subscriptions cover video games and related content, health information, data, and other copyrighted material. Revenues are also earned from listing fees, subscriptions to online publications, and from other sources. Third-party solutions, along with the Company’s proprietary products, allow the Company to offer customers a variety of solutions to better meet the customer’s needs. Subscription revenues are primarily recognized over the contract term. Revenues related to the provision of access to historical data for certain services are recorded at the time of delivery. In instances where usage-based fees are charged, a significant portion of which are paid in advance, the Company defers the portions of monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual fees collected in advance of the satisfaction of performance obligations and recognizes them in the period earned.
Licensing revenues are earned through the license of certain assets to clients. Assets are licensed for clients’ use in their own promotional materials or otherwise and may include logos, editorial reviews, or other copyrighted material that represent symbolic intellectual property, as defined in ASC 606. Revenues under such license agreements are generally recognized over the contract term. In instances when technology assets in the form of functional intellectual property are licensed to the Company’s clients, revenues from the license of these assets are recognized at a point in time.
Licensing revenues also include revenues from transactions involving the sale of perpetual software licenses, related software support, and maintenance. Revenue will be recognized when the obligations are met, either over time or at a point in time, depending on the nature of the obligation.
Revenues from software license performance obligations are generally recognized upfront at the point in time that the software is made available to the customer for download and use.
Revenues from related software support and maintenance are generally recognized ratably over the contractual period, because technical support, unspecified software product upgrades, maintenance releases, and patches are provided to customers on an as needed basis and they are available during the term of the support period.
The Company determines whether revenue should be reported on a gross or net basis by assessing whether the Company is acting as the principal or an agent in the transaction, respectively. The vast majority of the subscription and licensing revenue is recognized on a gross basis as the Company primarily acts as a “principal” as defined under ASC 606. The Company records revenue on a gross basis with respect to revenue generated from the resale of various third-party solutions, primarily through its email security line of business, because the Company has control of the specified good or service prior to transferring control to the customer.
Other
Other revenues primarily include those from the sale of hardware used in conjunction with software described above, online course revenue, and game publishing revenue. Hardware product and related software performance obligations, such as those relating to an operating system or firmware, are highly interdependent and interrelated and are accounted for as a bundled performance obligation. The revenues for this bundled performance obligation are generally recognized at the point in time that the hardware and software products are delivered and ownership is transferred to the customer.
The Company determines whether revenue should be reported on a gross or net basis by assessing whether the Company is acting as the principal or an agent in the transaction, respectively. The majority of the Company’s other revenue is recognized on a gross basis as the Company primarily acts as a “principal” as defined under ASC 606. The Company records revenue on a net basis with respect to games sold on third-party platforms.
Disaggregated Revenues
Revenues from external customers classified by revenue source are as follows (in thousands).
Year ended December 31,
Technology & Shopping
2024 (1)
2023 (1)
2022 (1)
Advertising and performance marketing$345,655 $310,733 $354,545 
Subscription and licensing7,158 8,256 10,052 
Other9,069 11,568 20,332 
Total Technology & Shopping revenues$361,882 $330,557 $384,929 
Gaming & Entertainment
Advertising and performance marketing$120,788 $114,074 $112,305 
Subscription and licensing59,468 54,747 54,020 
Other20 — — 
Total Gaming & Entertainment revenues$180,276 $168,821 $166,325 
Health & Wellness
Advertising and performance marketing$299,474 $309,182 $304,379 
Subscription and licensing49,538 41,185 21,244 
Other13,396 11,556 10,260 
Total Health & Wellness revenues$362,408 $361,923 $335,883 
Connectivity
Advertising and performance marketing$11,926 $13,112 $16,353 
Subscription and licensing185,994 179,286 159,150 
Other15,700 19,120 15,751 
Total Connectivity revenues$213,620 $211,518 $191,254 
Cybersecurity & Martech
Subscription and licensing$283,502 $291,209 $312,606 
Other— — — 
Total Cybersecurity & Martech revenues$283,502 $291,209 $312,606 
Corporate$— $— $— 
Total Revenues$1,401,688 $1,364,028 $1,390,997 
(1)Amounts presented are net of inter-segment revenues.
The Company recorded $181.7 million and $160.1 million of revenue for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, which was previously included in the deferred revenue balance as of the beginning of each respective year.
Performance Obligations
The Company may be a party to multiple concurrent contracts with the same customers, or a party or parties related to those customers. Some of these situations may require an evaluation to determine if those arrangements should be accounted for as a single contract. The Company’s contracts with customers may include multiple performance obligations, including contracts when advertising and licensing services are sold together.
The Company determines the transaction price based on the amount to which the Company expects to be entitled in exchange for services provided. The Company includes any fixed consideration within its contracts as part of the total transaction price. The Company’s contracts occasionally contain variable consideration, such as commissions that are
recognized in the period of the commissionable event. Payment terms vary by type and location of customers and the services offered. The time between invoicing and when payment is due is generally not significant. Due to the nature of the services provided, there are no obligations for returns.
Advertising and performance marketing revenues consist primarily of performance obligations that are satisfied over time, where the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefit of the services provided. In certain instances, the Company provides content to its advertising partners and receives a revenue share based on the terms of the agreement. Revenue is recognized based on delivery of services over the contract period for advertising. The Company believes that the methods described are a faithful depiction of the transfer of goods and services. Depending on individual contracts with customers, revenues from advertising and performance marketing revenues are recognized over time as distinct performance obligations are satisfied, including when:
Online display and video advertising in form of impressions, video views and other means is placed for viewing on the Company’s owned-and-operated properties and on third-party sites.
Commissions are earned upon the sale of an advertised product.
Qualified sales leads are delivered.
Visitor “clicks through” an advertisement.
Subscription and licensing revenues are earned from (i) subscription services with performance obligations that are satisfied over time; and (ii) licensing arrangements that have standalone functionality with performance obligations satisfied at a point in time, where the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefit of the services provided regardless of whether the customer uses the services. The Company believes that the methods described are a faithful depiction of the transfer of goods and services. Depending on the individual contracts with the customer, revenues for subscription and licensing services are recognized over the contract period as distinct performance obligations are satisfied, including when:
Voice, email marketing, and search engine optimization as services are delivered.
Consumer privacy services and data backup capabilities are provided.
Security solutions, including email and endpoint, are provided.
Access is granted to data products and services.
Continuing access to the content on our websites and apps is provided.
The Company has concluded the best measure of progress toward the complete satisfaction of the performance obligation delivered over the time is a time-based measure. The Company recognizes revenue on a straight-line basis throughout the subscription period, or as usage occurs, or when functional intellectual property is delivered for services outside of the subscription.
Other revenues consist primarily of performance obligations that are satisfied at a point in time at which control for goods and services is transferred to a customer. The Company believes that the methods described are a faithful depiction of the transfer of goods and services.
Transaction Price Allocation to Future Performance Obligations
As of December 31, 2024, the aggregate amount of transaction price that is allocated to future performance obligations was approximately $71.9 million and is expected to be recognized as follows: 66% by December 31, 2025 and 34% thereafter. The amount disclosed does not include revenues related to performance obligations that are part of contracts with original expected durations of twelve months or less or portions of the contracts that remain subject to cancellations. Further, the disclosure does not include contracts for which the transaction price is a variable consideration that corresponds directly with the Company’s performance.
Sales Taxes
The Company has made an accounting policy election to exclude from the measurement of the transaction price all taxes assessed by a governmental authority that are (i) both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction and (ii) collected by the Company from a customer.
Costs to Obtain a Contract
The Company’s revenues are primarily generated from customer contracts that are for one year or less. Costs primarily consist of incentive compensation paid based on the achievements of sales targets in a given period for related revenue streams and are recognized in the month when the revenue is earned. Incentive compensation is paid on the issuance or renewal of the customer contract. As a practical expedient, for amortization periods which are determined to be one year or less, the Company expenses any incremental costs of obtaining the contract with a customer when incurred. For those customers with amortization periods determined to be greater than one year, the Company capitalizes and amortizes the expenses over the period of benefit.
In addition, the Company partners with various affiliates in order to generate a portion of its revenue for certain lines of business. The commissions earned by the Company’s affiliates are incentive based and are paid on the acquisition of new customers in a given period. For those customers with amortization periods determined to be greater than one year, the Company capitalizes and amortizes the incentive over the period of benefit. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company capitalized approximately $14.2 million and $14.9 million, respectively, related to these costs and they are included in ‘Prepaid expenses and other current assets’ and ‘Other assets’ in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. During the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, the Company recognized expense of $14.6 million, $12.9 million, and $15.4 million respectively, related to the amortization of capitalized costs to obtain a contract with a customer.
Practical Expedients
Existence of a Significant Financing Component in a Contract
If at contract inception, the Company expects that the period between payment by the customer and the transfer of promised goods or services by the Company to the customer will be one year or less, the Company does not assess whether a contract has a significant financing component. In addition, the Company has determined that the payment terms that the Company provides to its customers are structured primarily for reasons other than the provision of finance to the customer. The Company typically charges a single upfront amount for services because other payment terms would affect the nature of the risk assumed by the Company to provide service given the costs of the customer acquisition and the highly competitive and commoditized nature of the business it operates, which allows customers to easily move from one provider to another. This additional risk may make it uneconomical to provide the service.