NEW YORK TIMES CO

Our Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements for the periods presented.

We continually evaluate the policies and estimates we use to prepare our Consolidated Financial Statements. In general, management’s estimates are based on historical experience, information from third-party professionals and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the facts and circumstances. Actual results may differ from those estimates made by management.

Our critical accounting estimates include our accounting for goodwill and intangibles, retirement benefits and revenue recognition. Specific risks related to our critical accounting estimates are discussed below. For a description of our related accounting policies, see Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

We evaluate whether there has been an impairment of goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible assets on an annual basis or in an interim period if certain circumstances indicate that a possible impairment may exist.

The impairment analysis is considered critical because of the significance of goodwill and intangibles to our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

We test goodwill for impairment at a reporting unit level. We first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value.

If we determine that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, we compare the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. Fair value is calculated by a combination of a discounted cash flow model and a market approach model.

We test indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment at the asset level. We first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the asset is less than its carrying value. If we determine that it is more likely than not that the intangible asset is impaired, we perform a quantitative assessment by comparing the fair value of the asset with its carrying amount. If the fair value, which is based on future cash flows, exceeds the carrying value, the asset is not considered impaired. If the carrying amount exceeds the fair value, an impairment loss would be recognized in an amount equal to the excess of the carrying amount of the asset over the fair value of the asset.

Intangible assets that are amortized are tested for impairment at the asset level associated with the lowest level of cash flows whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. An impairment exists if the carrying value of the asset (1) is not recoverable (the carrying value of the asset is greater than the sum of undiscounted cash flows) and (2) is greater than its fair value.

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The discounted cash flow analysis requires us to make various judgments, estimates and assumptions, many of which are interdependent, about future revenues, operating margins, growth rates, capital expenditures, working capital, discount rates and royalty rates. The starting point for the assumptions used in our discounted cash flow analysis is the annual long-range financial forecast. The annual planning process that we undertake to prepare the long-range financial forecast takes into consideration a multitude of factors, including historical growth rates and operating performance, related industry trends, macroeconomic conditions, and marketplace data, among others. Assumptions are also made for perpetual growth rates for periods beyond the long-range financial forecast period. Our estimates of fair value are sensitive to changes in all of these variables, certain of which relate to broader macroeconomic conditions outside our control.

The market approach analysis includes applying a multiple, based on comparable market transactions, to certain operating metrics of a reporting unit.

The significant estimates and assumptions used by management in assessing the recoverability of goodwill and intangibles are estimated future cash flows, discount rates, growth rates and other factors. Any changes in these estimates or assumptions could result in an impairment charge. The estimates, based on reasonable and supportable assumptions and projections, require management’s subjective judgment. Depending on the assumptions and estimates used, the estimated results of the impairment tests can vary within a range of outcomes.

In September 2023, we performed a quantitative assessment of our indefinite-lived intangible asset and recorded a $2.5 million impairment. See Notes 2 and 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information regarding our impairment testing. In our 2023 annual impairment testing, based on our qualitative assessment, we concluded that goodwill is not impaired. In 2023, we did not identify any impairment related to intangible assets with definite lives.

Pension Benefits

We sponsor a frozen single-employer defined benefit pension plan. The Company and The NewsGuild of New York (the “Guild”) jointly sponsor the Guild-Times Adjustable Pension Plan (the “APP”), which continues to accrue active benefits. Our pension liability also includes our multiemployer pension plan withdrawal obligations.

The table below includes the liability for all of our pension plans.

Our Company-sponsored defined benefit pension plans include qualified plans (funded) as well as non-qualified plans (unfunded). These plans provide participating employees with retirement benefits in accordance with benefit formulas detailed in each plan. All of our non-qualified plans, which provide enhanced retirement benefits to select employees, are frozen, except for a foreign-based pension plan discussed below.

Our joint Company and Guild-sponsored plan is a qualified plan and is included in the table below.

We also have a foreign-based pension plan for certain non-U.S. employees (the “foreign plan”). The information for the foreign plan is combined with the information for U.S. non-qualified plans. The benefit obligation of the foreign plan is immaterial to our total benefit obligation.

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY – P. 55

The funded status of our qualified and non-qualified pension plans as of December 31, 2023, is as follows:

We made contributions of approximately $10 million to the APP in 2023. We expect contributions made to satisfy minimum funding requirements to total approximately $13 million in 2024.

Pension expense is calculated using a number of actuarial assumptions, including an expected long-term rate of return on assets (for qualified plans) and a discount rate. Our methodology in selecting these actuarial assumptions is discussed below.

In determining the expected long-term rate of return on assets, we evaluated input from our investment consultants and investment management firms, including our review of asset class return expectations, as well as long-term historical asset class returns. Projected returns by such consultants are based on broad equity and bond indices. Our objective is to select an average rate of earnings expected on existing plan assets and expected contributions to the plan (less plan expenses to be incurred) during the year. The expected long-term rate of return determined on this basis was 5.60% at the beginning of 2023. Our plan assets had an average rate of return of approximately 9.92% in 2023 and an average annual return of approximately -4.37% over the three-year period 2021–2023. We regularly review our actual asset allocation and periodically rebalance our investments to meet our investment strategy.

The market-related value of plan assets is multiplied by the expected long-term rate of return on assets to compute the expected return on plan assets, a component of net periodic pension cost. The market-related value of plan assets is a calculated value that recognizes changes in fair value over three years.

Based on the composition of our assets at the end of the year, we estimated our 2024 expected long-term rate of return to be 5.90%. If we had decreased our expected long-term rate of return on our plan assets by 50 basis points in 2023, pension expense would have increased by approximately $7 million for our qualified pension plans. Our funding requirements would not have been materially affected.

We determined our discount rate using a Ryan ALM, Inc. Curve (the “Ryan Curve”). The Ryan Curve provides the bonds included in the curve and allows adjustments for certain outliers (i.e., bonds on “watch”). We believe the Ryan Curve allows us to calculate an appropriate discount rate.

To determine our discount rate, we project a cash flow based on annual accrued benefits. For active participants, the benefits under the respective pension plans are projected to the date of termination. The projected plan cash flow is discounted to the measurement date, which is the last day of our fiscal year, using the annual spot rates provided in the Ryan Curve. A single discount rate is then computed so that the present value of the benefit cash flow equals the present value computed using the Ryan Curve rates.

The weighted-average discount rate determined on this basis was 5.25% for our qualified plans and 5.21% for our non-qualified plans as of December 31, 2023.

If we had decreased the expected discount rate by 50 basis points for our qualified plans and our non-qualified plans in 2023, pension expense would have increased by approximately $0.6 million and our pension obligation would have increased by approximately $63 million as of December 31, 2023.

We will continue to evaluate all of our actuarial assumptions, generally on an annual basis, and will adjust as necessary. Actual pension expense will depend on future investment performance, changes in future discount rates, the level of contributions we make and various other factors.

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We also recognize the present value of pension liabilities associated with the withdrawal from multiemployer pension plans. Our multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liability was approximately $68 million as of December 31, 2023. This liability represents the present value of the obligations related to complete and partial withdrawals that have already occurred as well as an estimate of future withdrawals that we considered probable and reasonably estimable. For those plans that have yet to provide us with a demand letter, the actual liability will not be known until they complete a final assessment of the withdrawal liability and issue a demand to us. Therefore, the estimate of our multiemployer pension plan liability will be adjusted as more information becomes available that allows us to refine our estimates.

See Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding our pension plans.

Revenue Recognition

Our contracts with customers sometimes include promises to transfer multiple products and services to a customer. Determining whether products and services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately versus together may require significant judgment. We use an observable price to determine the standalone selling price for separate performance obligations if available or, when not available, an estimate that maximizes the use of observable inputs and faithfully depicts the selling price of the promised goods or services if we sold those goods or services separately to a similar customer in similar circumstances.

RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

See Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding recent accounting pronouncements.