Falcon's Beyond Global, Inc. Goodwill & Intangibles Disclosure
Goodwill and Intangible assets
Goodwill represents the excess of purchase consideration over the fair value of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed when a business is acquired. The Company initially records its intangible assets at fair value. Definite lived intangible assets consist of customer relationships, trademarks, developed technology, and media content which are amortized over their estimated useful lives. See Note 7 – Intangible assets, net.
Goodwill is not amortized, but instead reviewed for impairment at least annually during the fourth quarter, or more frequently if circumstances indicate that the value of goodwill may be impaired. The impairment analysis of goodwill is performed at the reporting unit level. A qualitative assessment is first conducted to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the applicable reporting unit exceeds the carrying value taking into consideration significant events, and changes in the overall business environment or macroeconomic conditions. If we conclude that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, then we perform a quantitative impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. We recognize an impairment on goodwill if the estimated fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, in an amount not to exceed the carrying value of the reporting unit’s goodwill. There was no goodwill impairment charges recognized during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. As of December 31, 2023 the assets and liabilities of FCG, including goodwill which comprised the total goodwill balance of the Company, are no longer included within the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.
The Company reviews definite lived intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. Recoverability of these amortizing intangible assets is determined by comparing the forecasted undiscounted net cash flows of the operation to which the assets relate to the carrying amount. If the operation is determined to be unable to recover the carrying amount of its assets, then the assets are written down to fair value. Fair value is determined based on discounted cash flows or appraised values, depending on the nature of the assets. There were $2.4 million in impairment losses recognized for definite lived intangible assets for the year ended December 31, 2023 comprised entirely of the impairment of the Company’s Ride Media Content asset. See the Ride Media Content policy below as well as Note 7 – Intangible assets, net. impairment losses were recognized for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Ride Media Content
RMC consists of themed audio and visual content following a storyline that is displayed to guests while in the queue and during the ride. The same RMC can be deployed on rides of a similar nature. The Company earns a fixed annual fee for licensing the right to use the RMC to customers.
In accordance with ASC 926-20, Other Assets—Film Costs [Entertainment—Films] (“ASC 926”), the Company capitalizes costs to produce the RMC, including direct production costs and production overhead. The RMC is expected to be predominantly monetized individually, as the RMC is not expected to be monetized with other films or license agreements. The predominant monetization strategy is determined when capitalization of production costs commences and is reassessed if there is a significant change to the expected future monetization strategy.
For RMC that is predominantly monetized on an individual basis, the Company uses a computation method to amortize capitalized production costs on the ratio of the RMC’s current period revenues to its estimated remaining ultimate revenue (i.e., the total revenue to be earned in the RMC’s remaining life cycle.) The RMC is typically licensed for a 10-year period with a fixed annual fee. Amortization begins when the RMC is first deployed and starts generating revenue.
Unamortized RMC costs are tested for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the fair value of the RMC may be less than its unamortized costs. If the carrying value of an individual RMC exceeds the estimated fair value, an impairment charge will be recorded in the amount of the difference. For content that is predominately monetized individually, the Company utilizes estimates including ultimate revenues and additional costs to be incurred (including marketing and distribution costs), in order to determine whether the carrying value of the RMC is impaired. The full value of the Company’s RMC asset has been impaired as of December 31, 2023. See Note 7 – Intangible assets, net.
Owned RMC is presented as a noncurrent asset within Intangible assets, net. Amortization of RMC assets is primarily included in Depreciation and amortization expense in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
About Goodwill & Intangibles Disclosures
Goodwill and intangible asset disclosures reveal the premium paid in acquisitions and how management assesses whether that premium retains its value. Since goodwill is no longer amortized under US GAAP, the annual impairment test is the only mechanism that adjusts carrying values downward — making the assumptions behind that test critically important for investors.
Key signals: a history of goodwill impairments suggests management consistently overpays for acquisitions. Watch the gap between reporting unit fair value and carrying amount — when fair value exceeds carrying amount by less than 10-20%, a small decline in business performance could trigger a write-down. For finite-lived intangibles, examine useful life assumptions across customer relationships, technology, and trade names; aggressive estimates inflate near-term earnings. Compare total intangibles-to-total-assets ratios against peers to assess acquisition dependency. Rising goodwill as a percentage of equity can signal balance sheet fragility.