Company: GHC
Filing Date: 2025-02-26
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000104889-25-000022
Chunk: 201

Company: Graham Holdings Co
Filing Date: 2025-02-26
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 201
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 advertisers shift advertising expenditures, including local advertising, away from broadcast television to other media outlets, including digital distribution platforms, the profitability of the Company’s television broadcasting business could be adversely affected.

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•    Increased Competition Resulting from Technological Innovations in Video Programming Distribution Systems and Changing Consumer Behavior Could Adversely Affect the Company’s Operating Results.

The continuing growth and technological expansion of internet-based services has increased competitive pressure on the Company’s media businesses. Examples of such developments include delivery of programming via online platforms, including both ad-supported and subscription video programming services and the national broadcast networks’ direct-to-consumer services, technologies that enable users to fast-forward or skip advertisements, and devices that allow users to consume content on demand and in remote locations while avoiding traditional commercial advertisements or cable and satellite subscriptions. A number of these platforms make local programming, including local news, available to viewers and subscribers. Subscription service Amazon Prime Video has publicly discussed the availability of local news on its platform.

In many cases, internet-based platforms and services compete with GMG’s broadcast stations for both viewers and advertising revenues. Changing consumer behavior may also put pressure on the Company’s media businesses to alter traditional distribution methods. The Company obtains significant revenue from its retransmission consent agreements with traditional cable and satellite distributors. These payments are calculated on a per-subscriber basis, so that payments to the Company may decrease as customers “cut the cord” and cancel their cable and satellite subscriptions. The Company also receives payments for the distribution of its stations’ signals on certain internet-based services (through “opt-in” agreements negotiated by the national networks and agreements with the networks for distribution of local programming on network-owned direct-to-consumer platforms); however, these revenues may be less than those received from traditional cable and satellite distribution. Anticipating and adapting to changes in technology and consumer behavior on a timely basis will affect the ability of the Company’s media businesses to continue to increase their revenue. The development and deployment of new technologies and changing consumer behavior have the potential to negatively and significantly affect the Company’s media businesses in ways that cannot now be reliably predicted and that may have a material adverse effect on the Company’s operating results.

•    Changes in the Nature and Extent of Government Regulations Could Adversely Affect the Company’s Television Broadcasting Business and Other Businesses.

The Company’s television broadcasting business operates in a highly regulated environment. Complying with applicable regulations has significantly increased, and may continue to increase, the costs, and has reduced the revenues, of the business.