IMPACT OF THE GLOBAL COVID-19 PANDEMIC |
12 Months Ended |
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Dec. 31, 2020 | |
| IMPACT OF THE GLOBAL COVID-19 PANDEMIC [Abstract] | |
| IMPACT OF THE GLOBAL COVID-19 PANDEMIC | IMPACT OF THE GLOBAL COVID-19 PANDEMIC The unprecedented and rapid spread of COVID-19 and the related government restrictions and social distancing measures implemented throughout the world have significantly impacted our live event business. We initially saw event restrictions in Asia and parts of Europe. Beginning in March 2020, large public events were cancelled, governmental authorities began imposing restrictions on non-essential activities, and businesses suspended activities around the world. As the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic became clearer, we ceased all Live Nation tours and closed our venues in mid-March 2020 to support global efforts at social distancing and mitigating the virus, and to comply with restrictions put in place by various governmental entities, which has had a materially negative impact on our revenue and financial position.
Operating Results
Our annual results were materially impacted by these necessary actions. Our overall revenue for the year decreased by 84% to $1.9 billion. The revenue reduction was across all of our segments as a result of few shows occurring globally beginning in the last half of March 2020 and low ticket sales for future shows during the same period, along with the impact of ticket refunds and show cancellations.
The revenue recognized in our Concerts segment in 2020 included the results of all the shows that occurred prior to the stoppage of events in mid-March. Our event-related deferred revenue for Concerts, which is reported as part of deferred revenue on our consolidated balance sheets, includes the face value and Concerts’ share of service charges for all tickets sold by December 31, 2020, for shows expected to occur in the next 12 months. Any refunds committed to for shows cancelled or rescheduled during the year have either been returned to fans or are reflected in accrued expenses on the consolidated balance sheets. In addition, we have recorded an estimate of $102.0 million in Concerts for refunds that may occur in the future for shows we believe may be cancelled or rescheduled based on the limited amount of data available on refunds resulting from the global shutdown of our live events. This estimate only impacts our financial position as a reclassification from deferred revenue or other long-term liabilities to accrued expenses. We expect that the majority of our shows postponed due to the pandemic will be rescheduled. Event-related deferred revenue for tickets sold for shows expected to occur after December 31, 2021 totaled $35.1 million and is reflected in other long-term liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets. The revenue recognized in our Ticketing segment in 2020 includes our share of ticket service charges for tickets sold during the period for third-party clients and for shows that occurred in the period for our Concerts business where our promoters control the ticketing. Revenue in the period has been reduced by refunds given during the period. In addition, revenue has been reduced for any shows that were cancelled and for refunds requested on rescheduled shows up to the time of the filing of these consolidated financial statements, and funds have either been returned to the customer or are reflected in accrued expenses on the consolidated balance sheets. Our ticketing clients determine if shows will be rescheduled or cancelled and what the refund policy will be for those shows. We have not recorded an estimate for refunds that may occur in the future since our clients, not Ticketmaster, determine when shows are cancelled or rescheduled and we have a limited amount of historical data of refunds resulting from a global shutdown of live events on which to reliably determine an estimate.
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