Correspondence 0001193125-24-286974 from ZIFF DAVIS, INC. (ZD)
ZIFF DAVIS, INC.
Date: Dec. 30, 2024 · CIK: 0001084048 · Accession: 0001193125-24-286974
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
File numbers found in text: 000-25965
Referenced dates: December 17, 2024
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CORRESP 1 filename1.htm CORRESP FOIA Confidential Treatment Request by Ziff Davis, Inc. Pursuant to Rule 83 (17 C.F.R. 200.83) *** - Information omitted and provided under separate cover to the Staff pursuant to Rule 83 Ziff Davis, Inc. 360 Park Avenue South, 17th Floor New York, NY 10010 Via EDGAR December 30, 2024 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Corporation Finance Office of Technology 100 F Street, N.E. Washington, D.C., 20549 Attention: Kathleen Collins and Megan Masterson Re: Ziff Davis, Inc. Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023 Form 10-Q for the Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2024 File No. 000-25965 Dear Ms. Collins and Ms. Masterson: This letter is being furnished on behalf of Ziff Davis, Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our”) in response to the comments received from the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (the “Staff”) of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) by letter dated December 17, 2024, regarding the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 that was filed with the Commission on February 26, 2024 and the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2024 that was filed with the Commission on November 8, 2024. The headings and numbered paragraphs of this letter correspond to the headings and paragraph numbers contained in the comment letter, and to facilitate your review, the Company has reproduced the text of the Staff’s comments in italicized print below. Unless otherwise noted, references in this letter to page numbers and section headings refer to page numbers and section headings in the 2023 Form 10-K, as indicated. Due to the commercially sensitive nature of certain information contained in this response, this letter is also a request for confidential treatment of the bracketed portions of this response (designated by “[***]”) pursuant to the Commission’s confidential treatment procedure under Rule 83 (17 C.F.R. §200.83). In accordance with Rule 83, the Response Letter has also been clearly marked with the legend “FOIA Confidential Treatment Request by Ziff Davis, Inc. Pursuant to Rule 83 (17 C.F.R. 200.83)” and each page is marked for the record with the identifying numbers and code “ZD-01” through “ZD-12.” Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023 Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements Note 18. Segment Information, page 107 1. We note from our December 17, 2024 conversation with the company, your current operating and reporting segments will change in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024. You further indicated that you intend to aggregate three ZD-01 FOIA Confidential Treatment Request by Ziff Davis, Inc. Pursuant to Rule 83 (17 C.F.R. 200.83) *** - Information omitted and provided under separate cover to the Staff pursuant to Rule 83 of your new operating segments into one reportable segment. Please provide us with an analysis that explains, in detail, how you determined your revised operating segments meet the aggregation criteria in ASC 280-10-50-11. Response: The Company respectfully acknowledges the Staff’s comment. The following provides information on the changes to our operating segments during the fourth quarter of 2024, and our analysis of the aggregation criteria under ASC 280-10-50-1 for three operating segments aggregated under one of our reportable segments. Changes to Operating Segments In connection with the continued evolution of the Company’s management and reporting structure and the approach of the Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”) to making operating decisions, assessing performance, and allocating resources, the Company is now organized into five operating segments rather than nine operating segments. We have determined our five operating segments in accordance with ASC 280-10-50-1. Applying that guidance we have determined our operating segments to be: (1) Technology & Shopping, (2) Gaming & Entertainment, (3) Health & Wellness, (4) Connectivity and (5) Cybersecurity & Martech. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), who we determined to be the CODM, primarily views the organization as (i) a digital media company and (ii) as an internet company focused on cloud-based software services. Our operating segment structure was created as management of these businesses has continued to evolve and as certain businesses have gained scale. As noted in our previous letters to the Staff, as of December 31, 2023, the Company was organized into the four divisions set forth below, which were then further broken down into our nine operating segments. Each divisional president reported directly to the CODM and was responsible for overseeing the respective operating segments set forth in the table below. 2023 Divisional Presidents 2023 Responsibilities President, Technology, Shopping & Gaming Technology, Shopping, Gaming & Entertainment President, Connectivity Connectivity President, Health and Wellness Health & Wellness Consumer, Health & Wellness Professional, Health & Wellness Pregnancy & Parenting President, Cybersecurity and Martech Cybersecurity, Martech In 2024, a fifth Divisional President was appointed, and the Tech, Shopping, and Gaming division was divided into two divisions: 1) Technology & Shopping and 2) Gaming & Entertainment. This was done to create a leadership position (i.e., President) for a promising executive who could bring even greater focus to the Gaming & Entertainment brands. The table below sets forth how the previous nine operating segments listed in the table above under ‘2023 Responsibilities’ align to the current divisions. These nine operating segments are included in the table below under ‘2024 Responsibilities’. Each divisional president reports directly to the CODM. 2024 Divisional Presidents 2024 Responsibilities President, Technology & Shopping Technology, Shopping President, Gaming & Entertainment Gaming & Entertainment President, Connectivity Connectivity President, Health & Wellness Health & Wellness Consumer, Health & Wellness Professional, Health & Wellness Pregnancy & Parenting President, Cybersecurity & Martech Cybersecurity, Martech ZD-02 FOIA Confidential Treatment Request by Ziff Davis, Inc. Pursuant to Rule 83 (17 C.F.R. 200.83) *** - Information omitted and provided under separate cover to the Staff pursuant to Rule 83 The CODM reviews a monthly reporting package to assess performance and allocate resources [***]. The monthly reporting package previously provided discrete financial information for our prior nine operating segments. The previous monthly reporting package also provided discrete financial information by the respective divisions outlined above, as well as at the Company’s prior reportable segment level [***]. The CODM no longer manages the business based on the previous nine operating segments as evidenced by the fact that the information he receives to allocate resources and assess performance no longer includes information at the level of the prior nine operating segments. As a result, we have revised our operating segment structure to align with our divisional structure. In light of this, the monthly reporting package has changed and the CODM no longer receives discrete financial information for our prior nine operating segments. The lowest level of discrete financial information in the monthly reporting package is the five divisions outlined above, which we have determined to be our operating segments. Further, the CODM does not regularly receive other reports, through the CODM reporting package or otherwise, that include the performance measures noted above below the divisional level. Budgets are prepared for the five divisions, and the divisional presidents are evaluated based on their respective division’s performance. As it relates to the Company’s 2025 annual budget, each divisional president is in the process of presenting their respective division’s budget to the CODM for review and approval. These divisional budgets will also be presented to the Company’s Board of Directors in February 2025 for final approval. The CODM does not receive budgets for the performance measures noted above below the divisional level either in his role as CEO or as a member of the Board of Directors. [***] The CODM is a member of the board of directors and therefore also receives the information that the board of directors receives. [***] [***] Accordingly, we have determined that we have five operating segments which align with our five divisions. Resource allocation and performance assessments are now based on the five operating segments described above. Conclusion In accordance with ASC 280-10-50-1, an operating segment 1) engages in business activities from which it may recognize revenues and incur expense, 2) has operating results that are regularly reviewed by the CODM to make decisions about resource allocation and assess performance, and 3) has discrete financial information available. We believe based on the operating results that are regularly reviewed by our CODM to make decisions about resource allocation and assess performance, each of the divisions noted above is an operating segment. Thus, the Company’s current operating segments are: (1) Technology & Shopping, (2) Gaming & Entertainment, (3) Health & Wellness, (4) Connectivity, and (5) Cybersecurity & Martech. ZD-03 FOIA Confidential Treatment Request by Ziff Davis, Inc. Pursuant to Rule 83 (17 C.F.R. 200.83) *** - Information omitted and provided under separate cover to the Staff pursuant to Rule 83 Reportable Segments The Company expects to report [***] reportable segments in its 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K as follows [***]. The Company has evaluated three operating segments [***] for aggregation into a [***] reportable segment as further described below. Aggregation of Operating Segments The Company believes that its aggregation analysis with respect to these three operating segments is consistent with the criteria set forth in ASC 280-10-50-11, which provides that two or more operating segments may be aggregated if aggregation is consistent with the objectives and principles of ASC 280, if the operating segments have similar economic characteristics, and if the operating segments are similar in the following five qualitative characteristics: (a) the nature of the products and services, (b) the nature of the production processes, (c) the type or class of customer for their products and services, (d) the methods used to distribute their products or provide their services, (e) and the nature of the regulatory environment. The Company has concluded that because Cybersecurity and Martech are now a single operating segment, they do not need to be analyzed to determine whether they meet the aggregation criteria as set forth in ASC 280-10-50-11. Similar Qualitative Characteristics The Company determined that the operating segments are similar in (a) the nature of their products and services, (b) the nature of their production processes, (c) the type or class of customers for their products and services, (d) the methods used to distribute their products or provide their services, and (e) the nature of the regulatory environment. The Company’s analysis is presented below. a. The nature of products and services Each of the operating segments [***] publish and produce trusted editorial content and tools for users seeking information and advice. These segments monetize their audiences through a combination of advertising, performance marketing, subscription, and licensing revenues. These businesses publish original and licensed content, research, and tools to generate traffic. Whether monetized through an advertising and performance marketing model, or a subscription or licensing based model, revenue is primarily earned by generating traffic to the Company’s websites, apps, and third-party platforms on which the Company’s brands have a presence and then by monetizing this traffic. These sources of revenue include Advertising and Performance Marketing, Subscription and Licensing, and Other as further described below. Advertising and Performance Marketing - We sell online display and video advertising on our owned-and-operated digital properties and on third-party sites. We have contractual arrangements with advertisers either directly or through advertising agencies. The terms of these contracts specify the price of the advertising to be sold and the volume of advertisements that will be served over the course of a campaign. Additionally, we have contractual arrangements with certain third-party digital properties not owned by us, and third-party advertising networks to deliver online display and video advertising to their digital properties or to third-party sites. We generate leads for advertisers, including vendors of consumer health and wellness products, consumer packaged goods, and information technology services, through various marketing methods. We generate clicks to online merchants by listing products, deals, and discounts on our web properties, and earn a commission when customers “click-through” the ad to make a purchase. Subscription and Licensing - In these three operating segments, we primarily offer subscription and licensing services through subscription packages to consumers through our weight loss app and through our digital subscription and storefront for video games, ebooks, and software. ZD-04 FOIA Confidential Treatment Request by Ziff Davis, Inc. Pursuant to Rule 83 (17 C.F.R. 200.83) *** - Information omitted and provided under separate cover to the Staff pursuant to Rule 83 Other - Other revenues primarily include online course revenue and game publishing revenue. Below is a breakdown of advertising and performance marketing revenue and subscription and licensing revenue for each operating segment as of September 30, 2024. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024 Advertising and Performance Marketing Subscription and Licensing Other [***] [***] [***] [***] [***] [***] [***] [***] [***] [***] [***] [***] Further, information regarding the breakdown of subscription and licensing revenue by type and by operating segment as a percentage of subscription and licensing revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023 is shown in the table below. Percent of Subscription and Licensing Revenue for Three Aggregated Operating Segments For the year ended December 31, 2023(1) [***] [***] [***] Subscriptions to websites or apps [***] [***] [***] Intellectual property licenses [***] [***] [***] Other [***] [***] [***] Total [***] [***] [***] [***] Our operating segments have a mix of advertising and performance marketing revenue and subscription and licensing revenue. The revenue transactions across these operating segments are primarily generated directly with clients and through agency intermediaries. The nature of services provided by these operating segments are similar to each other in that they monetize internet traffic on various platforms by providing content to consumers and businesses. Each of these operating segments has editorial organizations that create authoritative content to generate traffic to a website, internet video content, a social media platform, or through an app. The content is in the form of information or entertainment related to the various verticals in which we operate. Traffic is monetized in numerous ways and primarily includes the following: Advertising revenue from banner ads, commission revenue when customers “click through” the ad to make a purchase, and subscriptions to end-customers that consume and or otherwise use exclusive content. The operating segments each operate sales teams to present or respond, in the case of requests for proposals (RF