Stagwell IncSTGW
Stagwell Inc Revenue Disclosure
5. Revenue
The Company’s revenue recognition policies are established in accordance with FASB’s Accounting Standards Codification 606 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”), and accordingly, revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our clients, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services.
Stagwell’s Brands provides an extensive range of services to its clients, offering a variety of marketing and communication capabilities including strategy, creative and production for advertising campaigns across a variety of platforms (digital, social media, television broadcast, and print), public relations services including strategy, editorial, crisis support or issues management, online fundraising, media training, influencer engagement and events management, and subscription-based software-as-a-service and data-as-a service models. We also provide media-based solutions to drive brand performance, including buying and planning across a range of platforms (out-of-home, paid search, social media, lead generation, programmatic, television broadcast), experiential marketing and application/website design and development.
The primary source of the Company’s revenue is from Brand arrangements in the form of fees for services performed, commissions, and from performance incentives or bonuses, depending on the terms of the client contract. In all circumstances, revenue is only recognized when collection is reasonably assured. Certain of the Company’s contractual arrangements have more than one performance obligation. For such arrangements, revenue is allocated to each performance obligation based on its relative stand-alone selling price. Stand-alone selling prices are determined based on the prices charged to clients on a stand-alone basis or using expected cost-plus margin.
The determination of our performance obligations is specific to the services included within each contract. Based on a client’s requirements within the contract, and how these services are provided, multiple services could represent separate performance obligations or be combined and considered one performance obligation. Contracts that contain services that can be provided on a stand-alone basis, which are not significantly integrated or interdependent, and that do not significantly modify or customize each other, are typically considered separate performance obligations. Typically, these services are creative (or strategy), production, experiential marketing and media planning and media buying arrangements.
Certain of the Company’s contracts consist of a single performance obligation. In these instances, the Company does not consider the underlying activities separate or distinct performance obligations because its services are highly interrelated, and the integration of the various components is essential to the overall promise to the Company’s customer. Typically, these services are public relations, and application/website design and development. In other instances, the Company is engaged to provide marketing services, such online fundraising and brand performance media solutions, that include a variety of distinct activities performed throughout the contract term that are substantially the same and that are satisfied over time, and therefore the Company considers these to be one performance obligation.
We typically satisfy our performance obligations over time, as services are performed. Fees for services are typically recognized using input methods (direct labor hours, materials and third-party costs) that correspond with efforts incurred to date in relation to total estimated efforts to complete the contract. To a lesser extent, revenue is recognized using output measures, such as impressions or ongoing reporting. For client contracts when the Company has a stand-ready obligation to perform services, the Company recognizes revenue ratably using a time-based measure. In addition, for client contracts where the Company provides online subscription-based hosted services, it recognizes revenue ratably over the contract term. Point in time recognition primarily relates to certain commission-based contracts, which are recognized upon the placement of advertisements in various media when the Company has no further performance obligation.
Revenue is recognized net of sales and other taxes due to be collected and remitted to government authorities. The Company’s contracts typically provide for termination by either party within 30 to 90 days. Although payment terms vary by client, they are typically within 30 to 60 days. In addition, the Company generally has the right to payment for all services provided through the end of the contract or termination date.
Within each contract, we identify whether the Company is principal or agent at the service level. In arrangements where the Company has substantive control over the service before transferring it to the client, and is primarily responsible for integrating the services into the final deliverables, we act as principal. In these arrangements, revenue is recorded at the gross amount billed. Accordingly, for these contracts the Company has included reimbursed expenses in revenue. In other arrangements where a third-party supplier, rather than the Company, is primarily responsible for the integration of services into the final deliverables, and thus the Company is solely arranging for the third-party supplier to provide these services to our client, we generally act as agent and record revenue equal to the net amount retained, when the fee or commission is earned. The role of Stagwell’s Brands under a typical production services agreement is to facilitate a client’s purchasing of production capabilities from a third-party production company in accordance with the client’s strategy and guidelines. The obligation of Stagwell’s Brands under typical media buying services is to negotiate and purchase advertising media from a third-party media vendor on behalf of a client to execute its media plan. Typically, we do not obtain control prior to transferring these services to our clients; therefore, we primarily act as agent for production and media buying services. In situations where we are primarily responsible for fulfillment or have discretion in pricing, we have concluded that we have obtained control and act as principal.
A small portion of the Company’s contractual arrangements with clients include performance incentive provisions, which allow the Company to earn additional revenues as a result of its performance relative to both quantitative and qualitative goals. Incentive compensation is primarily estimated using the most likely amount method and is included in revenue up to the amount that is not expected to result in a reversal of a significant amount of cumulative revenue recognized. We recognize revenue related to performance incentives as we satisfy the performance obligation to which the performance incentives are related.
Disaggregated Revenue Data
The Company provides a broad range of services to a large base of clients across each of our segments globally. The primary source of revenue is from Brand arrangements in the form of fees for services performed, commissions, and from performance incentives or bonuses. Certain clients may engage with the Company in various geographic locations, across multiple disciplines, and through multiple Brands. Representation of a client rarely means that Stagwell handles marketing communications for all Brands or product lines of the client in every geographical location. The Company’s Brands often cooperate with one another through referrals and the sharing of economics, services and expertise, which enables Stagwell to service clients’ varied marketing needs by crafting custom integrated solutions.
As of December 31, 2025, Stagwell’s Brands were located in the United States, the United Kingdom, and at least 33 other countries around the world. The Company continues to expand its global footprint to support clients in international markets.
The following table presents revenue disaggregated by geography based on where the services are performed for the years ended December 31:
| Geographical Location | Reportable Segment | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||
| (dollars in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States | All | $ | 2,245,529 | $ | 2,336,988 | $ | 2,058,883 | ||||||||||||||||
| United Kingdom | All (except Digital Transformation) | 172,219 | 165,103 | 160,954 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other | All | 491,252 | 339,125 | 307,340 | |||||||||||||||||||
| $ | 2,909,000 | $ | 2,841,216 | $ | 2,527,177 | ||||||||||||||||||
See Note 18 of the Notes included herein for further discussion on disaggregated revenue data.
Unbilled Receivables and Contract Liabilities
Unbilled receivables consist of fees and reimbursable outside vendor costs incurred on behalf of clients when providing advertising, marketing and corporate communications services that have not yet been invoiced to clients. Such amounts are invoiced to clients at various times over the course of providing services. In arrangements in which we are acting as principal, unbilled receivables are included as a component of Accounts receivable on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. These receivables were $154.2 million and $135.9 million as of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively. In arrangements in which we are acting as agent, unbilled receivables pertaining to reimbursable vendor costs are included on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as Expenditures billable to clients. These assets were $164.7 million and $173.2 million as of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively.
Contract liabilities represent advanced billings to customers for fees and reimbursements of third-party costs, whether we act as principal or agent. Such fees and reimbursements of third-party costs are classified as Advance billings on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. Advance billings as of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, were $329.8 million and $294.6 million, respectively. Substantially all of the Advance billings balance as of December 31, 2024 was recognized as revenue in 2025, which included the incurrence and reimbursement of third-party costs where the Company acts as an agent.
The Company acquired an aggregate of $10.1 million in unbilled receivables in connection with the acquisitions of ADK and Create, and $7.4 million in contract liabilities in connection with the acquisition of ADK. See Note 4 of the Notes included herein for additional information related to these acquisitions.
Unsatisfied Performance Obligations
The majority of our contracts are for periods of one year or less. For those contracts with a term of more than one year, we had $17.0 million of unsatisfied performance obligations as of December 31, 2025, of which we expect to recognize approximately 83% in 2026, 15% in 2027, 2% in 2028, and thereafterHistorical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Mar 13, 2026 | Showing above |
| 2024 | Mar 11, 2025 | |
| 2023 | Mar 11, 2024 | |
| 2022 | Mar 6, 2023 | |
| 2021 | Mar 17, 2022 | |
| 2020 | Mar 16, 2021 | |
| 2019 | Mar 5, 2020 | |
| 2018 | Mar 18, 2019 | |
About Revenue Disclosures
Revenue disclosures under ASC 606 explain how a company identifies performance obligations, allocates transaction prices, and determines when revenue is recognized. This section is essential for understanding whether reported revenue reflects genuine economic activity or aggressive accounting choices. Analysts examine the mix of point-in-time versus over-time recognition, which directly affects revenue timing and comparability.
Key signals: rising contract liabilities (deferred revenue) suggest strong future revenue visibility, while declining contract assets may indicate slowing project milestones. Watch for variable consideration estimates — rebates, returns, and performance bonuses that require management judgment. Significant changes in disaggregated revenue by geography or product line can reveal shifting business mix before it appears in headline numbers. Compare revenue growth against contract liability growth to assess sustainability, and scrutinize any changes in the timing of recognition that coincide with earnings pressure.