3. REVENUES

Revenue Recognition

Revenues are recognized when control of the promised services is transferred to the Company’s customers, in an amount equal to the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those services.

Broadcast Advertising. Revenue related to the sale of advertising on the Company's television and radio stations is recognized at the time of broadcast. Revenue for contracts with advertising agencies is recorded at an amount that is net of the commission retained by the agency. Revenue from contracts directly with the advertisers is recorded as gross revenue and the related commission or national representation fee is recorded in operating expense.

Digital Advertising. Revenue related to digital advertising, in both our media and ATS segments, is recognized when display or other digital advertisements record impressions on the websites and mobile and Internet-connected television apps of media companies on whose digital platforms the advertisements are placed or as the advertiser’s previously agreed-upon performance criteria are satisfied. The Company has concluded that it is the principal in the transaction and therefore recognizes revenue on a gross basis, because (i) the Company is responsible for fulfillment of the contract, including customer support, resolving customer complaints, and accepting responsibility for the quality or suitability of the product or service; (ii) the Company has pricing discretion over the

transaction; and (iii) the Company carries inventory risk for all inventory purchased regardless of whether the Company is able to collect on a transaction.

Retransmission Consent. The Company generates revenue from retransmission consent agreements that are entered into with MVPDs. The Company grants the MVPDs access to its television station signals so that they may rebroadcast the signals and charge their subscribers for this programming. Revenue is recognized as the television signal is delivered to the MVPD.

Spectrum Usage Rights. The Company generates revenue from agreements associated with its television stations’ spectrum usage rights. Revenue is recognized in accordance with the contractual fees over the term of the agreement or when the Company has relinquished all or a portion of its spectrum usage rights for a station or have relinquished its rights to operate a station on the existing channel free from interference.

The Company does not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations when (i) contracts have an original expected length of one year or less, which applies to essentially all of the Company's advertising contracts, and (ii) variable consideration is a sales-based or usage-based royalty promised in exchange for a license of intellectual property, which applies to retransmission consent revenue.

The Company expenses contract acquisition costs, such as sales commissions generated either by internal direct sales employees or through third party advertising agency intermediaries, when incurred because the amortization period is one year or less. These costs are recorded within direct operating expenses.

The Company records deferred revenues within Accounts payable and accrued expenses in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, when cash payments are received or due in advance of its performance, including amounts which are refundable. The change in the deferred revenue balance is primarily driven by cash payments received or due in advance of satisfying the Company’s performance obligations, offset by revenues recognized that were included in the deferred revenue balance in the prior period.

The Company’s payment terms vary by the type and location of customer and the products or services offered. The term between invoicing and when payment is due is typically 30 days. For certain individual customers and customer types, the Company generally requires payment before the services are delivered to the customer.

Disaggregated Revenue

Contracts are entered into directly with customers or through an advertising agency that represents the customer. Sales of advertising to customers or agencies within a station’s designated market area (“DMA”) are referred to as local revenue, whereas sales from outside the DMA are referred to as national revenue. The following table further disaggregates the Company’s broadcast advertising revenue by sales channel (in thousands):

Deferred Revenue