Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2022

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. (formerly known as TheMaven, Inc.) and its wholly owned subsidiaries (“The Arena Group” or the “Company”), after eliminating all significant intercompany balances and transactions. The Company does not have any material off-balance sheet arrangements. The Company changed its corporate name to The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. from TheMaven, Inc. on February 8, 2022.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for complete audited financial statements. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements, which are included in The Arena Group’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC as of April 1, 2022.

The condensed consolidated financial statements as of September 30, 2022, and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, are unaudited but, in management’s opinion, include all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the results of interim periods. All such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature. The year-end condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2021, was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the entire fiscal year.

The novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic impacted the Company less during the third quarter of 2022 than it did in 2021. During the initial onset of COVID-19, the Company faced significant change in its advertisers’ buying behavior. Since May 2020, however, there has been a steady recovery in the advertising market in both pricing and volume. This, coupled with the return of professional and college sports, has yielded steady growth in revenues in 2020 as compared to 2021. Given that certain of our sports businesses rely on sporting events to generate content and comprises a material portion of the Company’s revenues, the cash flows and results of operations could be negatively impacted by a widespread cancellation of sporting events or a general limitation of societal activity akin to what occurred in the Unites States and elsewhere during 2020 and, to a lesser extent, during 2021.

The Company operates in one reportable segment.

Reverse Stock Split

Reverse Stock Split

The Company effected a 1-for-22 reverse stock split as of February 9, 2022. The condensed consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto give effect to such reverse stock split for all periods presented. The shares of common stock retained a par value of $0.01 per share. Accordingly, stockholders’ deficiency reflects the reverse stock split by reclassifying from “common stock” to “additional paid-in capital” in an amount equal to the par value of the decreased shares resulting from the reverse stock split. Any fractional shares that would otherwise be issued as a result of the reverse stock split were rounded up to the nearest whole share.

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates

Preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported and disclosed in the financial statements and the accompanying notes. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates its estimates, including those related to the allowance for credit losses, fair values of financial instruments, capitalization of platform development, intangible assets and goodwill, useful lives of intangible assets and property and equipment, income taxes, fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the business acquisitions, determination of the fair value of stock-based compensation and valuation of derivatives liabilities and contingent liabilities, among others. The Company bases its estimates on assumptions, both historical and forward looking, that are believed to be reasonable, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities.

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-06, Debt – Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging – Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40), which updates various codification topics to simplify the accounting guidance for certain financial instruments with characteristics of liabilities and equity, with a specific focus on convertible instruments and the derivative scope exception for contracts in an entity’s own equity and amends the diluted earnings per share computation for these instruments. On January 1, 2022, the Company adopted ASU 2020-06 with no material impact to its condensed consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In May 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-04, Earnings Per Share (Topic 260), Debt-Modifications and Extinguishments (Subtopic 470-50), Compensation (Topic 718), and Derivatives and Hedging-Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Issuer’s Accounting for Certain Modifications or Exchanges of Freestanding Equity-Classified Written Call Options, a consensus of the Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF), to provide explicit guidance on accounting by issuers for modifications or exchanges of freestanding equity-classified written call options that remain equity classified after the modification or exchange. On January 1, 2022, the Company adopted ASU 2021-04 with no material impact to its condensed consolidated financial position, results of operations, cash flows or disclosures.

In October 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-08, Business Combinations (Topic 805), Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers, which requires an acquirer to account for revenue contracts acquired in a business combination in accordance with Topic 606 as if it had originated the contracts. The acquirer may assess how the acquiree applied Topic 606 to determine what to record for the acquired contracts. This update should lead to recognition and measurement consistent with what’s reported in the acquiree’s financial statements, provided that the acquiree prepared financial statements in accordance with GAAP. The new standard marks a change from current GAAP, under which assets and liabilities acquired in a business combination, including contract assets and contract liabilities arising from revenue contracts, are generally recognized at fair value at the acquisition date. On January 1, 2022, the Company adopted ASU 2021-08 with no material impact to its condensed financial position, results of operations or cash flows. This new accounting standard will be applied prospectively to business combinations.

Loss per Common Share

Loss per Common Share

Basic loss per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period and excludes any dilutive effects of common stock equivalent shares, such as stock options, restricted stock, and warrants. All restricted stock awards are considered outstanding but are included in the computation of basic loss per common share only when the restrictions expire, the shares are no longer forfeitable, and are thus vested. Restricted stock units are included in the computation of basic loss per common share only when the restrictions expire, the shares are no longer forfeitable, and are thus vested. Contingently issuable shares are included in basic loss per common share only when there are no circumstances under which those shares would not be issued. Diluted loss per common share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding and common stock equivalent shares outstanding during the period using the treasury stock method.

The Company excluded the outstanding securities summarized below (capitalized terms are described herein), which entitle the holders thereof to acquire shares of the Company’s common stock, from its calculation of net loss per common share, as their effect would have been anti-dilutive. Common stock equivalent shares are excluded from the diluted calculations when a net loss is incurred as they would be anti-dilutive.

	As of September 30,
	2022		2021
Series G convertible preferred stock		8,582		8,582
Series H Preferred Stock		2,008,728		2,692,906
Restricted Stock Awards		97,402		188,543
Financing Warrants		116,118		131,003
ABG Warrants		999,540		999,540
AllHipHop warrants		5,682		5,682
Publisher Partner Warrants		5,629		35,889
Equity Plans		7,583,100		7,646,788
Outside Options		134,098		138,644
Total		10,958,879		11,847,577

Reclassifications

Reclassifications

Certain prior quarter amounts have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation. These reclassifications were immaterial, both individually and in the aggregate. These changes did not impact previously reported loss from operations or net loss.