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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Financial Statements and Principles of Consolidation The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of BuzzFeed, Inc., and its wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries. The Company’s consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The Company evaluates its relationships with other entities to identify whether they are variable interest entities (“VIEs”) in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 810, Consolidation. In August 2015, the Company signed a Joint Venture Agreement (the “JVA”) with Yahoo Japan to establish and develop operations in Japan. During the year ended December 31, 2022, Yahoo Japan transferred its interests in BuzzFeed Japan to other third parties. As such, BuzzFeed Japan is a joint venture owned 51% by the Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, BuzzFeed UK Limited, and The Huffington Post Holdings LLC and 24.5% by Asahi Shimbun Company, 21.5% by Asahi Broadcasting Group Holdings Corporation, and 3.0% by ValueCommerce Co. Ltd. BuzzFeed Japan carries out the core BuzzFeed business in the Japanese language for the Japanese market. BuzzFeed Japan is included as a consolidated subsidiary in the consolidated financial statements. During 2023, 2022, and 2021, the Company established several production companies created solely for the purpose of producing a single film each, which are considered VIEs. The Company is the primary beneficiary of each production company, as it has the ability to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of the entities, the obligation to absorb losses, and the right to receive benefits from the entities. As a result, the production companies are included as consolidated subsidiaries in the consolidated financial statements. Discontinued Operations and Held for Sale A business is classified as held for sale when management having the authority to approve the action commits to a plan to sell the business, the sale is probable to occur during the next 12 months at a price that is reasonable in relation to its current fair value, and when certain other criteria are met. A business classified as held for sale is recorded at the lower of (i) its carrying amount and (ii) estimated fair value less costs to sell. When the carrying amount of the business exceeds its estimated fair value less costs to sell, a loss is recognized and updated each reporting period as appropriate. The results of operations of businesses classified as held for sale are reported as discontinued operations if the disposal represents a strategic shift that will have a major effect on the entity’s operations and financial results. When a business is identified for discontinued operations reporting: (i) results for prior periods are retrospectively reclassified as discontinued operations; (ii) results of operations are reported in a single line, net of tax, in the consolidated statement of operations; and (iii) assets and liabilities are reported as held for sale in the consolidated balance sheets in the period in which the business is classified as held for sale. The Company concluded the assets of the Complex Networks business, excluding the First We Feast brand, met the criteria for classification for held for sale as of December 31, 2023. Additionally, the Company determined the ultimate disposal will represent a strategic shift that will have a major effect on our operations and financial results. As such, the results of Complex Networks, excluding First We Feast, are presented as discontinued operations in the consolidated financial statements of operations for all periods presented. Prior periods have been adjusted to conform to the current presentation. The assets of Complex Networks have been reflected as assets of discontinued operations in the consolidated balance sheets for all periods presented. Refer to Note 22 herein for additional details. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported results of operations during the reporting period. Due to the use of estimates inherent in the financial reporting process actual results could differ from those estimates. Key estimates and assumptions relate primarily to revenue recognition, fair values of intangible assets acquired in business combinations, valuation allowances for deferred income tax assets, allowance for doubtful accounts, fair value of the derivative liability, fair values used for stock-based compensation in periods prior to the Business Combination, useful lives of fixed assets, and capitalized software costs. Fair Value Measurements The fair value framework under the applicable authoritative guidance requires the categorization of assets and liabilities into three levels: •Level 1 — inputs are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. •Level 2 — inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly, unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, unadjusted quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the related assets or liabilities. •Level 3 — inputs are generally unobservable inputs and typically reflect management’s best estimate of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. The fair value of a financial instrument is the amount for which the instrument could be exchanged in a current transaction between willing parties. The level in the fair value hierarchy within which a fair value measurement in its entirety falls is based on the lowest-level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, prepaid and other current assets, accounts payable, accrued expenses, deferred revenue, other current liabilities, and borrowings on our three-year $50.0 million revolving loan and standby letter of credit facility agreement (the “Revolving Credit Facility”) approximate fair value. Money market funds are categorized as Level 1. The Company’s non-financial assets, which include property and equipment, capitalized software costs, prepaid and other assets, and intangible assets, are not required to be measured at fair value on a recurring basis. However, if certain triggering events occur, or if an annual impairment test is required and the Company is required to evaluate the non-financial asset for impairment, a resulting asset impairment would require that the non-financial asset be recorded at its fair value. Cash and Cash Equivalents Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of cash and cash equivalents. The Company considers instruments with an original maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents consist of demand deposits with financial institutions and investments in money market funds. Deposits held with these financial institutions may exceed the amount of insurance provided on such deposits. The associated risk of concentration is mitigated by banking with creditworthy institutions. The Company classifies all cash the use of which is limited by contractual provisions as restricted cash. In the first quarter of 2021, letters of credit totaling $15.5 million were issued under the Revolving Credit Facility, which reduced the remaining borrowing capacity by the same amount. These letters of credit were used in favor of our landlords, relieving us of the requirement to maintain $15.5 million of cash as collateral. In February 2024, in connection with the termination of the Revolving Credit Facility, the Company was required to cash collateralize the letters of credit; refer to Note 23 herein for additional details. Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts The Company’s accounts receivable are customer obligations due under normal trade terms, carried at their face value less an allowance for doubtful accounts if required. The Company determines its allowance for doubtful accounts based on the evaluation of the aging of its accounts receivable and on a customer-by-customer analysis of its high-risk customers. The Company’s reserve contemplates its historical loss rate on receivables, specific customer situations and the economic environments in which the Company operates. The change in the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts was as follows:
| Year Ended December 31,
| 2023 |  | 2022 |  | 2021
Balance as of January 1, | $ | 1,879 |  |  | $ | 1,094 |  |  | $ | 1,387 |
Additions | 1,407 |  |  | 2,582 |  |  | 703 |
Write-offs, net of recoveries | (1,862) |  |  | (1,797) |  |  | (996) |
Balance as of December 31, | $ | 1,424 |  |  | $ | 1,879 |  |  | $ | 1,094 |
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had three customers that each represented 12% of net accounts receivable. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had three customers that represented 16%, 13%, and 10% of net accounts receivable. The Company had two customers that represented 17% and 11% of total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023, two customers that represented 14% and 11% of total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022, and two customers that represented 13% and 12% of total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021. Film Costs Costs incurred to produce films, which include direct production costs, production overhead, acquisition costs and development costs, are capitalized when incurred. Capitalized film costs are amortized based upon the ratio of current period revenues to estimated total gross revenues to be earned from the film. Film costs, which were included in prepaid and other assets on the consolidated balance sheets, were as follows:
| December 31, 2023 |  | December 31, 2022
Individual Monetization: |  |  |
Feature films | $ | 1,707 |  | $ | —
Total | $ | 1,707 |  | $ | —
The Company amortized film costs of $3.2 million, $8.4 million, and $7.1 million associated with individually monetized feature films during the year ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively. Film cost amortization is included in cost of revenue, excluding depreciation and amortization in the consolidated statements of operations. Film costs are stated at the lower of amortized cost and estimated fair value and are reviewed on a title-by-title basis when an event or change in circumstances indicates that the fair value of a film is less than its unamortized cost. During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 or 2021, the Company recorded no impairment charges related to film costs. Production tax incentives reduced capitalized film costs by $0.7 million and $1.5 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The Company has receivables related to its production tax credits of $3.5 million and $3.0 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, which are reflected in prepaid and other current assets in our consolidated balance sheets. Property and Equipment Property and equipment is stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation on property and equipment is calculated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the lease term or the estimated useful life. The estimated useful lives of property and equipment of each asset category are as follows:
| Useful Life (Years)
Furniture and fixtures | 5
Leasehold improvements | 7 – 11
Computer equipment | 4
Video equipment | 3
Capitalized Software Costs The Company capitalizes certain costs incurred for development of websites or software for internal use. The Company capitalizes development costs when preliminary development efforts are successfully completed, management has authorized and committed project funding and it is probable that the project will be completed and the software will be used as intended. Costs include payroll and payroll-related costs of employees directly associated with the development activities. Costs incurred for enhancements that are expected to result in additional features or functionality are capitalized and amortized over the estimated useful life of the enhancements, generally one to three years. Costs incurred in the preliminary and post-implementation stages of the Company’s products are expensed as incurred. Investments For equity investments in entities that the Company does not exercise significant influence over, if the fair value of the investment is not readily determinable, the investment is accounted for at cost, and adjusted for subsequent observable price changes. If the fair value of the investment is readily determinable, the investment is accounted for at fair value. The Company reviews equity investments without readily determinable fair values at each period end to determine whether they have been impaired. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had an investment in equity securities of a privately-held company without a readily determinable fair value. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the aforementioned private company underwent a recapitalization, and the Company received approximately 6,000 shares of common stock in a non-monetary transaction, valued at $nil. Prior to the recapitalization, the carrying value of the investment was $3.6 million, and therefore the difference between the carrying value and the fair value was recorded as loss on investment within other expense, net, within the consolidated statement of operations. Furthermore, during the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company exchanged a receivable for a $0.8 million investment in the new capital structure of the aforementioned private company (receiving approximately 500,000 shares of preferred stock). The total carrying value of the investment, included in prepaid and other assets on the consolidated balance sheets, was $0.8 million and $3.6 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Evaluation of Long-Lived Assets and Impairment The Company reviews its property and equipment and capitalized software costs for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable. If circumstances require a long-lived asset to be tested for possible impairment, the Company first compares undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the asset to its carrying value. If the carrying value of the long-lived asset is not recoverable on an undiscounted cash flow basis, an impairment is recognized to the extent that the carrying value exceeds its fair value. Fair value is determined through various valuation techniques which may include discounted cash flow models, quoted market values and third-party independent appraisals, as considered necessary. Refer to Notes 6, 15, and 21 herein for additional details with respect to an impairment charge the Company recorded during the year ended December 31, 2022 regarding certain long-lived assets. There was no impairment of long-lived assets for the years ended December 31, 2023 or 2021. Revenue Recognition The Company recognizes revenue in a manner that depicts the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The Company primarily generates its revenue from advertising services and content, which includes strategic partnerships and promotional content, with the remaining balance from other arrangements, including commerce. Advertising The Company generates its advertising revenue from managing a customer’s Internet advertising campaigns to target markets both via BuzzFeed’s proprietary owned and operated sites as well as premium publishers (e.g., Facebook and Google). Our performance obligations typically consist of a promised number of ads delivered or a promised number of actions related to the ads (such as impressions or views). Advertising revenue is recognized in the period that the related views, impressions, or actions by users on advertisements are delivered. When ads are placed on the Company’s owned and operated or third parties’ properties, the Company generally recognizes revenue on a gross basis because the Company is primarily responsible for the delivery of the promised services, has pricing discretion, and controls the advertising inventory prior to transfer to the customer. In some cases, the Company utilizes third-party intermediaries to facilitate the sale of advertising to the end customer. In these situations, while the Company is primarily responsible for the delivery of the promised services and controls the advertising inventory prior to transfer to the end customer, the Company typically does not have insight, and does not expect to have insight, into the gross amount paid by the end customer and therefore records as revenue the net amount received from the intermediary. Content The Company generates revenue from creating content, including promotional content, customer advertising, feature films and content licensing. The Company’s performance obligations typically consist of Company-created content for use by its customers or the delivery of a promised number of actions related to the content (impressions or views). The revenue is recognized when the content, or the related action, is delivered. Commerce and other The Company participates in multiple marketplace arrangements with third parties such as Amazon, whereby the Company provides affiliate links which redirect the audience to purchase products and / or services from the third parties. When the participant purchases a product and / or service, the Company receives a commission fee for that sale from the third parties. The revenue is recognized when a successful sale is made and the commission is earned. Cost of Revenue, Excluding Depreciation and Amortization Cost of revenue, excluding depreciation and amortization, consists primarily of compensation-related expenses and costs incurred for the publishing of editorial, promotional, and news content across all platforms, as well as amounts due to third party websites and platforms to fulfill customers’ advertising campaigns. Web hosting and advertising serving platform costs are also included in cost of revenue. Sales and Marketing Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of compensation-related expenses for sales employees. In addition, marketing and sales-related expenses include advertising costs and market research. General and Administrative General and administrative expenses consist primarily of compensation-related expenses for corporate employees. Also, it consists of expenses for facilities, professional services fees, insurance costs, and other general overhead costs. Research and Development Research and development expenses consist primarily of compensation-related expenses incurred for the development of, enhancements to, and maintenance of the Company’s website, technology platforms and infrastructure. Research and development expenses that do not meet the criteria for capitalization are expensed as incurred. Certain development expenses are capitalized under the provisions of the applicable authoritative guidance, whereby the Company capitalizes costs associated with website and internal-use software systems that have reached the application development stage. Income Taxes Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is recorded for deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The Company recognizes tax benefits from uncertain tax positions if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities based on the technical merits of the position. The Company made a policy election to treat the income tax with respect to the global intangible low taxed income (“GILTI”) as a period expense when incurred. Stock-Based Compensation Stock-based compensation is recognized as an expense in the consolidated financial statements and is measured at the fair value of the award. The Company recognizes compensation expense for stock awards based on grant date fair value using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur. The following table summarizes stock-based compensation cost included in the consolidated statements of operations:
| Year Ended December 31,
| 2023 |  | 2022 |  | 2021
Cost of revenue, excluding depreciation and amortization | $ | 870 |  |  | $ | 3,028 |  |  | $ | 2,788 |
Sales and marketing | 960 |  |  | 3,026 |  |  | 4,829 |
General and administrative | 3,911 |  |  | 9,251 |  |  | 15,052 |
Research and development 1 | (162) |  |  | 3,864 |  |  | 896 |
| $ | 5,579 |  |  | $ | 19,169 |  |  | $ | 23,565 |
_________________________________ (1) The negative stock-based compensation expense for the year ended December 31, 2023 for research and development was primarily due to forfeitures. The Company recognized no income tax benefit in the consolidated statements of operations for stock-based compensation arrangements in 2023, 2022 or 2021. Comprehensive (Loss) Income Comprehensive (loss) income includes certain changes in stockholders’ equity that are excluded from net (loss) income such as cumulative foreign currency translation adjustments, comprehensive income attributed to the redeemable noncontrolling interest, comprehensive (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interests, and foreign currency translation adjustment attributable to noncontrolling interests. Foreign Currency The functional currency of our foreign subsidiaries is generally the local currency. The financial statements of these subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars using month-end rates of exchange for assets and liabilities, and average rates of exchange for revenue, costs and expenses during the year. Translation gains and losses are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss in stockholders’ equity. Transaction gains and losses including intercompany transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of the entity involved are included in exchange gain (loss) within other expense, net in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company does not enter into foreign currency forward exchange contracts or other derivative financial instruments to hedge the effects of adverse fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements The Company, an emerging growth company (“EGC”), has elected to take advantage of the benefits of the extended transition period provided for in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act, as amended, for complying with new or revised accounting standards which allows the Company to defer adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13, “Financial Instruments — Credit Losses (Topic 326),” which changes the impairment model for most financial assets, including accounts receivable, and replaces the existing incurred loss impairment model with an expected loss methodology, which will result in more timely recognition of credit losses. The guidance was effective for the Company for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2022, with early adoption permitted. Effective January 1, 2023, the Company adopted this standard using a modified retrospective transition approach, which required a cumulative effect adjustment to the balance sheet as of January 1, 2023. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements. Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, “Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures,” which is intended to improve reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses, allowing financial statement users to better understand the components of a segment’s profit or loss to assess potential future cash flows for each reportable segment and the entity as a whole. The amendments expand a public entity’s segment disclosures by requiring disclosure of significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”), clarifying when an entity may report one or more additional measures to assess segment performance, requiring enhanced interim disclosures, providing new disclosure requirements for entities with a single reportable segment, and requiring other new disclosures. The amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, and early adoption is permitted. Although the ASU only requires additional disclosures about the Company’s operating segments, the Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance on the consolidated financial statements. In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures,” which is intended to enhance the transparency, decision usefulness and effectiveness of income tax disclosures. The amendments in this ASU require a public entity to disclose a tabular tax rate reconciliation, using both percentages and currency, with specific categories. A public entity is also required to provide a qualitative description of the states and local jurisdictions that make up the majority of the effect of the state and local income tax category and the net amount of income taxes paid, disaggregated by federal, state and foreign taxes and also disaggregated by individual jurisdictions. The amendments also remove certain disclosures that are no longer considered cost beneficial. The amendments are effective prospectively for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024, and early adoption and retrospective application are permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance on the consolidated financial statements.

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