Revenue Recognition

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Note 5 – Revenue Recognition

The following tables disaggregate the Company’s revenue by source:


	Year Ended December 31,

			% of				% of
	2023		revenue		2022		revenue
Revenue:
VOD and streaming	$	104,004,498	36	%	$	144,484,749	57	%
Retail		112,795,918	38	%		67,756,426	27	%
Licensing and other		77,606,478	26	%		40,568,935	16	%
Net revenue	$	294,406,894	100	%	$	252,810,110	100	%

VOD and streaming

VOD and streaming revenue included in this revenue source is generated as the Company exhibits content through the Crackle Plus and Redbox streaming services including AVOD, FAST, TVOD platforms available via connected TV’s, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles and the web through the Company’s owned and operated platforms, as well as third-party platforms. The Company generates streaming revenues for its networks in three primary ways, selling advertisers video ad inventory on its AVOD and FAST streaming services, selling advertisers the ability to present content to its viewers, often with fewer commercials, and selling advertisers product and content integrations and sponsorships related to its original productions, as well as revenues from the Company’s direct-to-consumer TVOD platform. In addition, this revenue source includes third-party streaming platform license revenues, including TVOD, AVOD, FAST and SVOD related revenues.

Retail

Revenue from Redbox movie rentals is recognized for the period that the movie is rented and is recorded net of promotional discounts offered to the Company’s consumers, uncollected amounts and refunds that it grants to its customers. The sale of previously rented movies out of the Company’s kiosks is recognized at the time of sale. On rental transactions for which the related movie has not yet been returned to the kiosk at month-end, revenue is recognized with a corresponding receivable recorded in the balance sheet, net of a reserve for potentially uncollectable amounts that is considered a reduction from gross revenue as collectability is not reasonably assured.

Licensing and other

Licensing and other revenue included in this revenue source is generated as the Company licenses movies and television series worldwide, through Screen Media Ventures and 1091 Pictures, through license agreements across channels, including theatrical and home video. Additionally, licensing and other also includes the sale of content, licensing of ancillary content rights, including fees related to the intellectual property infringement and content services revenue, including development, non-writing executive producer fees and production services.

For all customer contracts, the Company evaluates whether it is the principal (i.e., report revenue on a gross basis) or the agent (i.e., report revenue on a net basis). Generally, the Company reports revenue for show productions, acquired distribution rights for films, the sub-licensing of acquired distribution rights and advertising placed on CSSE properties on a gross basis (the amount billed to its customers is recorded as revenue, and the amount paid to the Company’s vendors is recorded as a cost of revenue). The Company is the principal because it controls the assets or contractual distribution right before it is transferred to its customers. The Company controls are evidenced by its sole ability to monetize the asset, being primary obligor to its customers, having discretion in establishing pricing, or a combination of these factors. The Company also generates revenue through agency relationships in which revenue is reported net of agency commissions and publisher payments in arrangements where the Company does not own the asset in the form of content or ad inventory.

In the ordinary course of business and as part of its content acquisition strategy, the Company will acquire a film or the worldwide rights to distribute a film, to improve its overall film library offering and generate attractive risk adjusted film returns. The Company will sometimes look to sub-license rights to distributors when it is attractive to do so in order to reduce the risk associated with the acquisition of rights.

Performance obligations

The unit of measure under ASC 606 is a performance obligation, which is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct or series of distinct goods or services to a customer. A contract’s transaction price is allocated to each distinct performance obligation and recognized as revenue when, or as, the performance obligation is satisfied. Company contracts have either a single performance obligation as the promise to transfer services is not separately identifiable from other promises in the contracts and is, therefore, not distinct, or have multiple performance obligations, most commonly due to the contract covering multiple service offerings. For contracts with multiple performance obligations, the contract’s transaction price can generally be readily allocated to each performance obligation based upon the selling price of each distinct service in the contract. In cases where estimates are needed to allocate the transaction price, the Company uses historical experience and projections based on currently available information.

Contract balances

Contract balances include the following:


	December 31,		December 31,
	2023		2022
Accounts receivable, net	$	10,948,965	$	39,467,049
Contract assets (included in accounts receivable)		131,139,260		74,496,376
Total accounts receivable, net	$	142,088,225	$	113,963,425

Deferred revenue (included in accrued expenses)	$	18,588,944	$	12,043,508
Revenue recognized from beginning balance within reporting period	$	4,453,586

Contract assets are primarily comprised of unbilled receivables that are generally paid over time in accordance with the terms of the Company’s contracts with customers and are transferred to accounts receivable when the timing and right to payment becomes unconditional. Contract liabilities or deferred revenues relate to advance consideration received from customers under the terms of its contractual arrangements in advance of satisfaction of the contractual performance obligation. The Company generally receives payments from customers based upon contractual billing schedules and arrangements.

Contract receivables are recognized in the period the Company performs the agreed upon performance obligations and the Company’s right to consideration becomes unconditional. Payment terms vary by the type and location of the customer and the goods or services provided. The term between invoicing and when payment is due not generally significant, but can extend from 1 - 5 years where a significant financing component exists with a minimum guarantee or a fixed license fee.

A contract asset results when goods or services have been transferred to the customer, but payment is contingent upon a future event, other than the passage of time (i.e. type of unbilled receivable). Given the nature of its business from time to time the Company engages with distributors for terms that include minimum guarantees, that may include a significant financing component, which are contractually paid over a period of time at a variable rate of payment – based on sales and net cash collections made by the distributor from third parties. These minimum guarantees are generally collectible via royalty payments on a monthly or quarterly basis over the term of the contractual arrangement.

The Company records deferred revenue (also referred to as contract liabilities under Topic 606) when cash payments are received in advance of the Company satisfying its performance obligations. The Company’s deferred revenue balances primarily relate to advance payments received related to content distribution rights agreements, production sponsorship arrangements and Redbox’s loyalty and promotional programs. These contract liabilities are recognized as revenue when the related performance obligations are satisfied. No significant changes in the timeframe of the satisfaction of contract liabilities have occurred during the year ended December 31, 2023.

Arrangements with multiple performance obligations

In contracts with multiple performance obligations, the Company identifies each performance obligation and evaluates whether the performance obligations are distinct within the context of the contract at contract inception. When multiple performance obligations are identified, the Company identifies how control transfers to the customer for each distinct contract obligation and determines the period when the obligations are satisfied. If obligations are satisfied in the same period, no allocation of revenue is deemed to be necessary. In the event performance obligations within a bundled contract do not run concurrently, the Company allocates revenue to each performance obligation based on its relative standalone selling price. The Company generally determines standalone selling prices based on the prices charged to customers or by using expected cost-plus margins. Performance obligations that are not distinct at contract inception are combined.

- Definition

The entire disclosure of revenue from contract with customer to transfer good or service and to transfer nonfinancial asset. Includes, but is not limited to, disaggregation of revenue, credit loss recognized from contract with customer, judgment and change in judgment related to contract with customer, and asset recognized from cost incurred to obtain or fulfill contract with customer. Excludes insurance and lease contracts.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 9
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-9

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 10
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-10

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 15
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-15

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (a)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-12

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (b)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-12

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (c)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-12

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (d)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-12

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (e)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-12

Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 13
-Subparagraph (b)(2)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-13

Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//606/tableOfContent

+ Details

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. 10-K