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Avid

avid · NASDAQ Technology
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Exchange NASDAQ
Sector Technology
Industry Electronic Gaming & Multimedia
Employees 1001-5000
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FY2018 Annual Report · Avid
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AVID 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 

Dear Fellow Stockholders, 

I am convinced that sweeping change is the steady state of the media and entertainment industry—

and I am optimistic about the opportunities that change creates for a leader like Avid. For those of us 

whose livelihood comes from providing the technologies that make and move the content enjoyed by 

billions of people, we know it is crucial to constantly rethink our role and reinvent our offerings in order 

Jeff Rosica 
Chief Executive Officer  
and President

to drive positive change, rather than merely react to it. 

Avid has always been a change agent. We remade the entire video and audio production landscape 

by inventing digital creation tools, redefining media content storage, and bringing collaboration plat-

forms to the media giants. This company intimately knows the rewards for delivering innovations that 

enhance the prospects and outcomes of the creators and other stakeholders who satisfy the world’s 

swelling appetite for television, digital media, film and music. We relish the promise of change and the 

responsibility we have for keeping our customers firmly in control of their opportunity in this exciting 

business.  

After I was appointed CEO in February 2018, we at Avid intensified our work on our core to rethink 

and reinvent our capacity for leading our industry through change and profiting from it. Every part 

of our business got a good, hard look and then a new prescription resulting in signs of significant 

improvement within three quarters. Our product organization laid out a roadmap that is leading to new 

products and is also setting the stage for future sales from our next big ideas. Our supply chain and 

order management organizations embraced new rigor targeting product delivery and customer experi-

ences second to none, while lowering our business costs. Smart savings initiatives rapidly abolished 

spending that was hurting, not helping—a fast start toward removing $20 million from our operating 

costs.  

Our prescription also necessitated a sea-change throughout Avid’s culture. Everywhere around the 

world, the Avid team accepted the challenge to collectively create a renewed culture which requires 

and rewards contributions to overall business performance. The progress we have made in short 

order underscores the dedication of our tenacious workforce. Helping to steer us through all of our 

internal change was the new senior leadership team I assembled to give us the ideal combination of 

deep media industry expertise and crucial new experience, such as software-as-a-service delivery, 

that we need to drive more positive change for our industry.  

I believe Avid used 2018 to our full advantage, having emerged with strong momentum, leaner and 
more capable in our role as the industry pacesetter. Our fourth quarter performance, in particular, 

punctuated the year with strong evidence that our business and financial performance are starting to 

improve according to our plan. We had our first quarter of year-over-year revenue growth since 2016 

and we had our strongest quarterly Free Cash Flow generation in seven years.  

Across Avid, we are inspired and energized to continue executing our plan throughout 2019 to drive 

up profitability and sharpen execution. From an increasingly stronger position, we will strive to delight 

our customers, lead the market through change and achieve consistently better results for you, our 

stockholders.

Sincerely,

Jeff Rosica

Chief Executive Officer & President

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
_______________________

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2018
OR

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM __________ TO __________

Commission File Number:  1-36254
_______________________

Avid Technology, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Delaware
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)

04-2977748
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

75 Network Drive
Burlington, Massachusetts  01803
(Address of Principal Executive Offices, Including Zip Code)

(978) 640-6789
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:                    

Title of Each Class

Common Stock, $.01 Par Value

Name of each exchange on which registered

Nasdaq Global Select Market

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
_______________________

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  Yes 

   No 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.  Yes 

   No 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during 
the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for 
the past 90 days.  Yes 

   No 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of 
Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).  Yes 

   No 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best 
of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 
10-K. 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, an emerging growth company or a smaller 
reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “emerging growth company” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 
12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large Accelerated Filer 
Non-accelerated Filer 

Accelerated Filer 
Smaller Reporting Company 
 Emerging Growth Company 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or 
revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  Yes 

   No 

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $209,476,088 based on the closing price of the 
Common Stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on June 30, 2018.  The number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s Common Stock as of March 11, 
2019 was 42,000,870.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Registrant’s Proxy Statement for the 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

Document Description

10-K Part

III

 
 
 
 
 
 
AVID TECHNOLOGY, INC.
FORM 10-K
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

PART I.

ITEM 1.

Business

ITEM 1A.

Risk Factors

ITEM 1B.

Unresolved Staff Comments

ITEM 2.

ITEM 3.

ITEM 4.

PART II.

ITEM 5.

ITEM 6.

ITEM 7.

Properties

Legal Proceedings

Mine Safety Disclosures

Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity 
Securities

Selected Financial Data

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

ITEM 7A.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

ITEM 8.

Financial Statements and Supplementary Financial Information

Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firms

ITEM 9.

ITEM 9A.

ITEM 9B.

PART III.

ITEM 10.

ITEM 11.

ITEM 12.

ITEM 13.

ITEM 14.

PART IV.

ITEM 15.

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

Controls and Procedures

Other Information

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

Executive Compensation

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

INDEX TO EXHIBITS

SIGNATURES

Page

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53

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CAUTIONARY NOTE ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K, or Form 10-K, filed by Avid Technology, Inc. together with its consolidated subsidiaries, 
“Avid” or the “Company”, or “we”, “us” or “our” unless the context indicates otherwise, includes forward-looking statements 
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  For this purpose, any statements contained in this 
Form 10-K that relate to future results or events are forward-looking statements.  Forward-looking statements may be identified 
by use of forward-looking words, such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “confidence,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “feel,” “intend,” 
“may,” “plan,” “should,” “seek,” “will” and “would,” or similar expressions. 

Forward-looking statements may involve subjects relating to, among others, the following:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

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• 

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• 

our ability to successfully implement our strategy, including our cost saving strategies;

the anticipated trends and developments in our markets and the success of our products in these markets;

our ability to develop, market and sell new products and services;

our business strategies and market positioning;

our ability to achieve our goal of expanding our market positions;

our ability to accelerate growth of our Cloud-enabled platform;

anticipated trends relating to our sales, financial condition or results of operations, including our shift to a recurring 
revenue model and complex enterprise sales with long sales cycles;

the expected timing of recognition of revenue backlog as revenue, and the timing of recognition of revenues from 
subscription offerings;

our ability to successfully consummate acquisitions, or investment transactions and successfully integrate acquired 
businesses; 

our anticipated benefits and synergies from, and the anticipated financial impact of, any acquired business;

the anticipated performance of our products;

changes in inventory levels;

plans regarding repatriation of foreign earnings;

the outcome, impact, costs and expenses of any litigation or government inquiries to which we are or become 
subject;

the effect of the continuing worldwide macroeconomic uncertainty on our business and results of operations, 
including Brexit; 

our compliance with covenants contained in the agreements governing our indebtedness; 

our ability to service our debt and meet the obligations thereunder, including our ability to satisfy our conversion 
and repurchase obligations under our convertible notes due 2020;

seasonal factors;

fluctuations in foreign exchange and interest rates;

the risk of restatement of our financial statements;

estimated asset and liability values and amortization of our intangible assets;

our capital resources and the adequacy thereof; and

worldwide political uncertainty, in particular the risk that the United States may withdraw from or materially 
modify NAFTA or other international trade agreements as discussed further in “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this 
Form 10-K.

iii

 
Actual results and events in future periods may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking 
statements in this Form 10-K.  There are a number of factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from 
those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements, many of which are beyond our control, including the risk factors 
discussed in Item 1A of this Form 10-K.  In addition, the forward-looking statements contained in this Form 10-K represent our 
estimates only as of the date of this filing and should not be relied upon as representing our estimates as of any subsequent date.  
While we may elect to update these forward-looking statements in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, 
whether to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions, changes in other factors affecting such forward-looking statements or 
otherwise.

The information included under the heading “Stock Performance Graph” in Item 5 of this Form 10-K is “furnished” and not 
“filed” and shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” or subject to Regulation 14A, shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes 
of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, 
nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act of 1933, or the 
Securities Act, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate it by reference.

We own or have rights to trademarks and service marks that we use in connection with the operation of our business.  “Avid” is a 
trademark of Avid Technology, Inc.  Other trademarks, logos, and slogans registered or used by us and our subsidiaries in the 
United States and other countries include, but are not limited to, the following: Avid NEXIS, AirSpeed, EUCON, MediaCentral, 
Media Composer, Pro Tools and Sibelius.  Other trademarks appearing in this Form 10-K are the property of their respective 
owners.

iv

ITEM 1. 

BUSINESS

OVERVIEW

PART I

We develop, market, sell, and support software and integrated solutions for video and audio content creation, management 
and distribution. We are a leading technology provider that powers the media and entertainment industry. We do this by 
providing an open and efficient platform for digital media, along with a comprehensive set of tools and workflow solutions. 
Our solutions are used in production and post-production facilities; film studios; network, affiliate, independent and cable 
television stations; recording studios; live-sound performance venues; advertising agencies; government and educational 
institutions; corporate communications departments; and by independent video and audio creative professionals, as well as 
aspiring professionals. Projects produced using our tools, platform and ecosystem include feature films, television 
programming, live events, news broadcasts, sports productions, commercials, music, video and other digital media content.  
With over one million creative users and thousands of enterprise clients relying on our technology platforms and solutions 
around the world, Avid enables the industry to thrive in today’s connected media and entertainment world.

Our mission is to empower media creators with innovative technology and collaborative tools to entertain, inform, educate 
and enlighten the world. Our clients rely on Avid to create the most prestigious and award-winning feature films, music 
recordings, television shows, live concerts, sporting events and news broadcasts. Avid has been honored for technological 
innovation with 16 Emmy Awards, one Grammy Award, two Oscars and the first ever America Cinema Editors Technical 
Excellence Award. In 2018, Avid was named the recipient of the prestigious Philo T. Farnsworth Award by the Television 
Academy, to honor Avid’s 30 years of continuous, transformative technology innovations, including products that have 
improved and accelerated the entire editing and post production process for television. Our creative tools and workflow 
solutions were used in all 2019 Oscar nominated films for Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and 
Best Picture. 

CORPORATE STRATEGY

Acceleration of digitization is having a tremendous impact on the media industry and altering the industry value chain. 
Today’s consumers are empowered to create and consume content on-demand, anywhere, anytime. Organizations in the 
media industry are under pressure to connect and automate the entire creation-to-consumption workflow, and are facing a 
number of challenges, including:

• 

Increasing rate of content creation and digitation of media assets - Many organizations are feeling intense pressure 
to create more and more content, increasingly tailored for audience niches, while also facing greater competition 
from nimble players. At the same time, access to creative tools is wider today than ever before, giving more people 
the ability to tell their stories.

•  Exponential growth of distribution platforms - The number of distribution platforms continue to expand, and the 
economic models of new distribution platforms are still evolving. Many organizations need to embrace new 
opportunities while also maximizing heritage business.

•  Continued increase in content consumption - There has been a tremendous increase in viewership in the last decade, 

but it is spread across many outlets and channels, and while there is this increase in viewership, it is dwarfed by an 
increase in competitive content. In addition, with growing audience fragmentation, compelling content, brand equity 
and relevance is even more critical today.

•  Disparate mix of tools, skills & workflows - Lack of commonality and a fragmented supplier landscape creates 

incompatibilities, inhibiting agility, collaboration, sharing and efficiency.

•  Media technology budgets - Today’s economic realities are placing pressure on media technology budgets, while 

content output must increase exponentially to deliver on the market requirements. Content creators and distributors 
have to do a lot more, with essentially flat budgets, necessitating more efficient workflows and solutions.

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We believe we are uniquely positioned in the media technology industry because we have a differentiated platform strategy 
and a well-established market position. Our products and solutions allow our customers to (i) create high-quality, engaging 
and immersive content, (ii) distribute to more outlets and devices, (iii) maximize and protect the value of media assets, and 
(iv) create operational and capital efficiency.  As a result of our unique position across the media industry, we believe we can 
take advantage of the following opportunities and trends:

• 

Large and growing market poised for transition - Customers are facing significant disruption and are on the cusp of 
making major changes and investments in their business and operational approaches, which are challenges that our 
product offerings address.

•  Deeply entrenched with a market leadership position - We have the ability to strategically leverage a significant 

global customer base that is loyal to our brand across TV, film, music and media.  

•  Best positioned to help the industry navigate disruption - Our unique approach encompasses a common technology 
platform, leading software apps and integrated solutions-with a large and open ecosystem, which we believe 
significantly differentiates us from our competitors.

•  Ready to intercept the next emerging opportunity - By leveraging our unique partnership with Microsoft and our 
MediaCentral platform, we believe we can lead the media and entertainment industry into the cloud with market-
leading Software as a Service, or SaaS, offerings.

Our strategy for connecting creative professionals and media enterprises with audiences in a powerful, efficient, 
collaborative, and profitable way leverages our Avid MediaCentral Platform - the open, extensible, and customizable 
foundation that streamlines and simplifies content workflows by integrating all Avid or third-party products and services that 
run on top of it. The platform provides secure and protected access, and enables fast and easy creation, delivery and 
monetization of content.

We work to ensure that we are meeting customer needs, staying ahead of industry trends and investing in the right areas 
through a close and interactive relationship with our customer base.  The Avid Customer Association was established to be 
the world’s most innovative and influential media technology community representing thousands of organizations and over 
27,000 professionals from all levels of the industry including the industry’s most inspirational and award-winning thought 
leaders, innovators and storytellers. The Avid Customer Association fosters collaboration between Avid, its customers and 
other industry colleagues to help shape our product offerings as well as providing a means to shape our industry together. 

A key element of our strategy is our transition to a recurring revenue-based model, through a combination of subscription 
offerings and long-term agreements.  We started offering subscription licensing options for some of our products and 
solutions in 2014, and had approximately 125,000 paying subscribers at the end of 2018. These licensing options offer 
choices in pricing and deployment to suit our customers’ needs.  Our subscription offerings to date have primarily been sold 
to creative professionals, however, we expect to increase subscription sales to media enterprises going forward as we expand 
offerings and move through customer upgrade cycles, which we expect will further increase recurring revenue on a longer-
term basis.  Our long-term agreements are comprised of multi-year agreements with large media enterprise customers to 
provide specified products and services, including SaaS offerings, and channel partners and resellers to purchase minimum 
amounts of products and service over a specified period of time.  We believe our strategy to increase recurring revenue will 
continue to increase our visibility of revenue and cash flows in future periods.

Another key aspect of our strategy has been to implement programs to increase operational efficiencies and reduce costs.  We 
are making significant changes in business operations to better support the company’s strategy and overall performance. We 
have implemented a number of spending control initiatives with an emphasis on non-personnel costs to reduce the overall 
cost structure while still investing in key areas that will drive growth.  We are also revamping our supply chain and logistics, 
moving to a lean model that leverages a new supplier and distribution network.  We are optimizing our go-to-market strategy, 
simplifying it to address specific customer markets and help maximize our commercial success. We expect this will improve 
our effectiveness, increase efficiency and drive growth in our pipeline and ultimately revenue. 

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CUSTOMER MARKETS

We provide our solutions to the following markets:

•  Media Enterprises.  This market consists of broadcast, government, sports and other organizations that acquire, 
create, process, and/or distribute audio and video content to a large audience for communication, entertainment, 
analysis, and/or forensic purposes. Customers in this market rely on workflows that span content acquisition, 
creation, editing, distribution, sales and redistribution and utilize all content distribution platforms, including web, 
mobile, internet protocol television, cable, satellite, on-air and various other proprietary platforms. Our domain 
expertise also allows us to provide customers in this market with a range of professional and consulting services. We 
sell into this market through our direct sales force and resellers.

•  Creative Professionals.  This market is made up of individual artists and small entities that create audio and video 

media as a paid service, but do not currently distribute media to end consumers on a large scale. This market spans a 
wide-ranging target audience that includes: independent video editors, facilities and filmmakers that produce video 
media as a business but are not broadcasters; professional sound designers, editors and mixers and facilities that 
specialize in the creation of audio for picture; songwriters, musicians, producers, film composers and engineers who 
compose and record music professionally; technicians, engineers, rental companies and facilities that present, record 
and broadcast audio and video for live performances; and students and teachers in career technical education 
programs in high schools, colleges and universities, as well as in post-secondary vocational schools, that prepare 
students for professional media production careers in the digital workplace.  Our domain expertise also allows us to 
provide customers in this market with a broad range of professional services. We sell into this market through 
storefront and on-line retailers, as well as through our direct sales force, resellers and our web store.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Overview

Avid’s growing product portfolio is rooted in providing open and extensible products that ensure our long-term position with 
customers.  Our software and integrated solutions, as well as our services offerings, address the diverse needs, skills and 
sophistication levels of our customers. All of our key products and solutions have been integrated into our MediaCentral 
Platform, which provides the industry’s most open, integrated and efficient platform designed for media. In addition, we 
provide flexible deployment models, licensing options and commercial structures so our customers can choose how, when 
and where to deploy and use our tools.

The standalone software portion of our portfolio consists of our Creative Software Suite and the Enterprise Software Suite, 
representing a large high-margin software and maintenance business. 

Creative Software Solutions

The Creative Software Suite includes our iconic Media Composer, Pro Tools and Sibelius tools, as well the Artist Community 
platform and the Avid Marketplace - all of which are key components of our cloud-enabled software subscription strategy.

Media Composer

Our award-winning Media Composer product line is used to edit video content, including television programming, 
commercials and films. Our cloud-enabled solutions that include Media Composer enable broadcast news, sports, reality 
television and film professionals to acquire, access, edit and finish stories anytime and from everywhere. Leveraging an 
integrated, yet open, end-to-end architecture, this solution gives contributors the ability to craft stories where and while they 
are happening and speed them to delivery, while maintaining connectivity with the central production operation. Media 
Composer also offers resolution flexibility and independence, accelerating high-res, HDR, and HD workflows.  We offer 
Media Composer through both subscription and perpetual license offerings.

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Pro Tools

Our Pro Tools digital audio software facilitates the audio production process, including music and sound creation, recording, 
editing, signal processing, integrated surround mixing and mastering and reference video playback. The Pro Tools platform 
supports a wide variety of internally developed and third-party software plug-ins and integrated hardware. Pro Tools solutions 
are offered at a range of price points and are used by professionals in music, film, television, radio, gaming, Internet and 
other media production environments. We offer Pro Tools through both subscription and perpetual license offerings.

Sibelius

Our Sibelius product allows users to create, edit and publish musical scores. It is used by composers, arrangers and other 
music professionals. Student versions are also available to assist in the teaching of music composition and score writing. 
Sibelius music notation software offers sophisticated, yet easy-to-use tools that are proven and trusted by composers, 
arrangers, publishers, educators, and students alike. We also offer Sibelius | Cloud Sharing, which allows users to view and 
play scores anywhere from the cloud using current web browsers and mobile devices. We offer Sibelius through both 
subscription and perpetual license offerings.

Avid Link

Avid Link is a free mobile application for anyone wanting to connect with other artists, producers, mixers, composers, 
editors, videographers, movie makers, and graphic designers, and to the Avid Marketplace. Currently available as a public 
beta for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android users, Avid Link is intended to make it easy for users to find, connect, message, 
and collaborate with audio and video creators, promote their work and skills to a vast network of media professionals, 
manage and keep their software up to date, and purchase new tools.  We believe Avid Link will increase interest and demand 
for Avid’s suite of product offerings.

Enterprise Software Solutions

Avid’s Enterprise Software Suite is built on the MediaCentral platform along with a rich suite of applications, modules and 
services and is also the foundation of our cloud and SaaS offerings.

Media Central

In 2018, we announced the availability of MediaCentral | Cloud UX, Avid’s next-generation media production suite that 
further extends the Avid MediaCentral platform into the cloud. The MediaCentral platform scales from the simplest to the 
most sophisticated solutions.  Built on a customizable cloud native microservices architecture, MediaCentral platform 
features a cloud-based user experience that runs on any device, workflow modules for editorial, production, news, graphics, 
and asset management, with apps to enhance and scale any of those modules, and a wide array of media services and partner 
connectors. Every user is connected in a completely integrated workflow environment with a user-friendly interface, and 
gains a unified view into all their media with flexible deployment options for on premises, hybrid or cloud (public/private) 
environments.

As part of the Avid MediaCentral platform, we also offer an Editorial Management module for smaller creative teams that 
provides the same robust media management capabilities used by the largest media enterprises in the industry. Integrated 
within Media Composer via a panel, Editorial Management connects directly to Avid NEXIS storage to provide easy access 
to media with hyper-search functionality. Editorial Management also extends collaboration capabilities for the assistant editor 
in an easy to use web interface by allowing Media Composer bin creation, logging and search capabilities, greatly expanding 
the efficiency of creative teams.

SaaS Solutions

In 2017, we announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft to deliver Azure certified solutions to support end-to-end 
hybrid and cloud deployments of news workflows. Our partnership includes developing virtualized versions of many of our 
product offerings, allowing them to run in a private cloud, public cloud or in hybrid deployments, enabling customers to 

4

migrate to more traditional IT infrastructures leveraging IP technology to integrate disparate systems within a broadcast 
environment.  We believe our new SaaS and cloud offerings will allow our customers to (i) scale production while lowering 
costs, (ii) enable anytime access, boosting efficiency and collaboration and (iii) deliver content quickly and securely to any 
device, from anywhere.  With many of our SaaS and cloud offerings just coming on-line, historical revenue related to SaaS 
offerings has not been significant, however, we expect these product offerings to be significant growth drivers going forward.

Integrated Solutions

The Integrated Solutions part of our portfolio mainly consists of four common, best-in-class hardware platforms that are 
combined with tightly integrated software elements to create powerful and highly differentiated solutions - all of which are 
designed to complement and enhance our overall software strategy.

Avid NEXIS

Our Avid NEXIS family of shared storage systems are real-time, open solutions that bring the power of shared storage to 
local, regional, national and multinational broadcasters and post-production facilities at competitive prices. Customers can 
improve allocation of creative resources and support changing project needs with an open, shared storage platform that 
includes file system technology on lower cost hardware, support for third-party applications and streamlined administration 
to create more content at an affordable price.  Avid NEXIS is the industry’s first and only software-defined storage platform 
specifically designed for storing and managing media. Avid NEXIS enables fully virtualized storage so media organizations 
can adjust storage capacity mid-project, without disrupting workflows. Powered by our MediaCentral Platform, Avid NEXIS 
delivers media storage flexibility, scalability, and control for both Avid-based and third-party workflows. It has been designed 
to serve small production teams as powerfully as large media enterprises and is built with flexibility to grow with customers 
at every stage of their business.

S6

Our S6 product line offers customers a range of complementary control surfaces and consoles, leveraging the open industry 
standard protocol EUCON (Extended User Control) to provide open solutions that meet the needs of customers ranging from 
the independent professional to the high-end broadcaster. Our Pro Tools | S6 control surface for sound recording, mixing and 
editing was designed as a state-of-the-art modular solution that scales to meet both current and future customer requirements. 
S6 is designed for audio professionals in demanding production environments, delivering the performance needed to 
complete projects faster while producing high quality mixes. Our Artist Series control surfaces offer integrated, hands-on 
control for price-sensitive applications. Compact and portable, all control surfaces in the Artist line feature EUCON, allowing 
hands-on control of the user’s applications. Finally, the free Pro Tools | Control iOS app enables customers to record and mix 
faster and easier than working with a mouse and keyboard alone.

Our VENUE product family and our VENUE | S6L live sound system includes console systems for mixing audio for live 
sound reinforcement for concerts, theater performances and other public address events. We offer a range of VENUE systems 
designed for large performance settings, such as stadium concerts, as well as medium-sized theaters and houses of worship. 
VENUE systems allow the direct integration of Pro Tools solutions to create and playback live recordings.

Maestro

Our Maestro product line offers customers comprehensive solutions for integrating virtual sets, augmented reality and video 
wall control into existing workflows, ideal for any type of production needs in news, sports, entertainment and in-studio 
productions, creating greater accessibility, efficiency at scale to enable the delivery of content with graphics faster.  Maestro 
features a core platform that includes a powerful render engine and featured design tool called Maestro | Designer that drives 
a line-up of applications that are designed to address the specific challenges broadcasters face when automating the 
integration of statistics and graphics for the creation of an engaging broadcast. By adding graphics capabilities across the 
entire product line, we enable journalists and producers to add graphics remotely to news stories or enhance any story with 
innovative stats to drive augmented reality graphics for presenting data in new and compelling ways.

FastServe

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Our FastServe video server product line assists broadcasters in making the move to UHD and IP based workflows with a new, 
modular architecture. The Avid FastServe family integrates with the MediaCentral platform, empowering creative teams to 
deliver content fast for news, sports, entertainment, and other media productions. Its 10GbE interface offers direct connection 
to Avid NEXIS storage, enabling real-time ingest, editing, and playout, even while media is being captured. Plus, its modular, 
future-proof architecture fits any budget, improves efficiency, and provides a smooth transition from HD to UHD, and from 
SDI workflows to video over IP.  We also continue to sell and support our on-air server solutions, including AirSpeed 5000 
and AirSpeed 5500, which enable broadcasters to automate the ingest and playout of television and news programming.  The 
AirSpeed 5000 and 5500 video servers work with a wide range of applications to improve workflow and provide cost-
efficient ingest and play to air capabilities for broadcasters of any size.

I/O & Processing

We offer a number of hardware products that complement our Media Composer and Pro Tools creative solutions, which 
include I/O devices, interfaces and audio and video processing equipment.

Customer Support

We offer a variety of service contracts and support plans, allowing each customer to select the level of technical and 
operational support that they need to maintain their operational effectiveness.  Support contracts typically include the right to 
the latest software updates, call support and in some cases hardware maintenance.  Support contracts for individual products 
are sold bundled with initial product offerings or as renewals once initial contracts have lapsed. Support contracts are also 
sold on an enterprise basis where a customer purchases support for all Avid products owned.  Our Customer Care team 
provides customers with a partner committed to giving them help and support when they need it. Our global Customer Care 
team of industry professionals offers a blend of technology expertise and real-world experience throughout the audio, visual, 
and entertainment industries.  The team’s mission is to provide timely, informed responses to our customers’ issues, and 
proactive maintenance for our solutions to help our customers maintain high standards of operational effectiveness.

Professional Services

Our Professional Services team delivers workflow design and consulting, program and project management, system 
installation and commissioning, custom development and role-based product level training. The Professional Services team 
facilitates the engagement with our customers to maximize their investment in technology, increase their operational 
efficiency, and enable them to reduce deployment risk and implement our solutions.

Training and Education

Our Education team delivers public and private training to our customers and alliance partners to ensure that they have the 
necessary skills and technical competencies to deploy, use, administer and create Avid solutions. The Education team 
develops and licenses curriculum content for use by third party Avid Learning partners to deliver training to customers, users 
and alliance partners. The Education team includes the Avid Certification program which validates the skills and competency 
of Avid users, administrators, instructors, support representatives and developers.

COMPETITION

Our customer markets are highly competitive and subject to rapid change and declining average selling prices.  The 
competitive landscape is fragmented with a large number of companies providing various types of products and services in 
different markets and geographic areas.  We provide integrated solutions that compete based on total workflow value, 
features, quality, service, and flexibility of pricing and deployment options.  Companies with which we compete in some 
contexts may also act as our partners in other contexts, such as large enterprise customer environments.

Certain companies that compete with us across some of our products and solutions are listed below by the market relevant to 
Avid in which they compete predominantly:

6

 
•  Broadcast and Media:  Belden Inc. (Grass Valley), ChyronHego Corporation, Dalet S.A., Dell Technologies Inc. 

(EMC Isilon), EVS Corporation, Harmonic Inc., Quantum Corporation, Ross Video Limited, and Vizrt Ltd., among 
others.

•  Audio and Video Post and Professional:  Ableton AG, Adobe Systems Incorporated, Apple Inc., AudioTonix 

Limited, Blackmagic Design Pty Ltd, PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc., and Yamaha Corporation, among others.

Some of our principal competitors are substantially larger than we are and have greater financial, technical, marketing and 
other resources than us.  For a discussion of these and other risks associated with our competitors, see “Risk Factors” in Item 
1A of this Form 10-K.

OPERATIONS

Sales and Services Channels 

We market and sell our products and solutions through a combination of direct, indirect and digital sales channels.  Our direct 
sales channel consists of internal sales representatives serving select customers and markets.  Our indirect sales channels 
include global networks of independent distributors, value-added resellers, system integrators, and retailers.  Our digital sales 
channel is represented by the online Avid Marketplace, and also through the Xchange Market Platform (“XMP”) of some of 
our key partners and distributors.

We have significant international operations with offices in 20 countries and the ability to reach approximately 170 countries 
through a combination of our direct sales force and resellers.  Sales to customers outside the United States accounted for 
64%, 62% and 64%, of our total net revenues in 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Additional information about the 
geographic breakdown of our revenues and long-lived assets can be found in Note O to our Consolidated Financial 
Statements in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.  For additional information about risks associated with our international operations, 
see “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this Form 10-K.

We generally ship our products shortly after the receipt of an order.  However, a high percentage of our revenues has 
historically been generated in the third month of each fiscal quarter and concentrated in the latter part of that month.  Orders 
that may exist at the end of a quarter and have not been shipped are not recognized as revenues in that quarter and are 
included in revenue backlog.

We provide customer care services directly through regional in-house and contracted support centers and major-market field 
service representatives and indirectly through dealers, value-added resellers and authorized third-party service providers.  
Depending on the solution, customers may choose from a variety of support offerings, including telephone and online 
technical support, on-site assistance, hardware replacement and extended warranty, and software upgrades.  In addition to 
customer care services, we offer a broad array of professional services, including installation, integration, planning and 
consulting services, and customer training.

Manufacturing and Suppliers 

Our manufacturing operations consist primarily of a network of contract manufacturers around the globe to manufacture 
many of our products, components and subassemblies, and original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, from whom we 
purchase finished assemblies. Our products undergo testing and quality assurance at the final assembly stage.  In addition to 
our external manufacturing operations, we also have an internal manufacturing operation consisting primarily of configuring 
into complete systems the products, board sets, subassemblies and components purchased from third parties, and final 
assembly and testing of some board sets, software, related hardware components and complete systems.  We depend on sole-
source suppliers for many key hardware product components and finished goods, including some critical items.  Although we 
have procedures in place to mitigate the risks associated with our sole-sourced suppliers, we cannot be certain that we will be 
able to obtain sole-sourced components or finished goods from alternative suppliers or that we will be able to do so on 
commercially reasonable terms without a material impact on our results of operations or financial position.  For the risks 
associated with our use of contractors and sole-source vendors, see “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this Form 10-K.

7

Our company-operated manufacturing facilities, primarily for final assembly and testing of certain products, are located in 
Kfar Saba, Israel, and Dublin, Ireland.  Our contract manufacturers and OEMs manufacture our products at a relatively 
limited number of different facilities located throughout the world and, in most cases, the manufacturing of each of our 
products is concentrated in one or a few locations.  An interruption in manufacturing capabilities at any of these facilities, as 
a result of equipment failure or other reasons, could reduce, delay or prevent the production of our products.  Because some 
of our manufacturing or our contract manufacturers’ operations are located outside of the United States, including in Israel, 
Ireland, China, Mexico and Thailand, those manufacturing operations are also subject to additional challenges and risks 
associated with international operations.  For these and other risks associated with our manufacturing operations, see “Risk 
Factors” in Item 1A of this Form 10-K.

Research and Development

We are committed to delivering best-in-class digital media content-creation solutions that are designed for the unique needs, 
skills and sophistication levels of our target customer markets as well as a generic media platform for the media industry to 
host our own as well as our partner solutions.  Having helped establish the digital media technology industry, we are building 
on a 30 year heritage of innovation and leadership in developing content-creation solutions and platforms. We have research 
and development, or R&D, operations around the globe.  Our R&D efforts are focused on the development of digital media 
content-creation, distribution and monetization tools as well as the media platform. These tools operate primarily on the Mac 
and on Windows platforms, whereas the media platform primarily operates on Linux platforms.  Our R&D efforts also 
include highly optimized media storage solutions, standards-based media transfer and media asset management tools, as well 
as ingest and playout solutions to cover the entire workflow. In addition to our internal R&D efforts, we outsource a 
significant portion of certain R&D projects to an internationally based partner in Kiev, Ukraine.  Our R&D expenditures for 
2018, 2017 and 2016 were $62.4 million, $68.2 million and $81.6 million, respectively, which represented 15%, 16% and 
16% of our total net revenues, respectively.  For the risks associated with our use of partners for R&D projects, see “Risk 
Factors” in Item 1A of this Form 10-K.

Our philosophy is to prioritize research and development investments to take advantage of market opportunities based on the 
following short-term, medium-term and long-term horizons:

•  Here & Now - Improve performance, solidify core portfolio, improve margins and ignite growth. 
•  Emerging - Expand opportunities by pursuing growth areas, extending our product portfolio 
• 
• 

and expanding market opportunities.
Transformational - Build for the future, creating unique defensible differentiation in our products and solutions with 
disruptive and visionary innovation.

Our company-operated R&D operations are located in: Burlington, Massachusetts; Berkeley, California; Munich, Germany; 
Kaiserslautern, Germany; Kfar Saba, Israel; Szczecin, Poland; and Montreal, Canada.  We also partner with a vendor in Kiev, 
Ukraine for outsourced R&D services.

Intellectual Property

We regard our software and hardware as proprietary and protect our proprietary interests under the laws of patents, 
copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, as well as through contractual provisions.

We have obtained patents and have registered copyrights, trademarks and service marks in the United States and in many 
foreign countries.  At February 8, 2019, we held 123 U.S. patents, with expiration dates through 2037, and had 17 patent 
applications pending with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  We have also registered or applied to register various 
trademarks and service marks in the United States and a number of foreign countries, including Avid, Avid Nexis, AirSpeed, 
EUCON, MediaCentral, Media Composer, Pro Tools and Sibelius. As a technology company, we regard our patents, 
copyrights, trademarks, service marks and trade secrets as being among our most valuable assets, together with the innovative 
skills, technical competence and marketing abilities of our personnel.

Our software is licensed to end users pursuant to shrink-wrap, embedded, click-through or signed license agreements.  Our 
products generally contain features to guard against unauthorized use. Policing unauthorized use of computer software is 
difficult, and software piracy is a persistent problem for us, as it is for the software industry in general.  Although we attempt 

8

to protect our intellectual property rights through patents, trademarks, copyrights, licensing arrangements, maintaining certain 
technology as trade secrets and other measures, there can be no assurance that any patent, trademark, copyright or other 
intellectual property rights owned by us will not be invalidated, circumvented or challenged, that such intellectual property 
rights will provide competitive advantages to us, or that any of our pending or future patent applications will be issued with 
the claims, or the scope of the claims, sought by us, if at all.  Others may develop technologies that are similar or superior to 
our technology, duplicate our technology or design around the patents that we own. In addition, effective patent, copyright 
and trade secret protection may be unavailable or limited in countries in which we do business or may do business in the 
future.  For these and other risks associated with the protection of our intellectual property, see “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of 
this Form 10-K.

HISTORY AND EMPLOYEES

Avid was incorporated in Delaware in 1987.  We are headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, with operations in North 
America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia.  At December 31, 2018, our worldwide workforce 
consisted of 1,446 employees and 294 external contractors.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

We make available free of charge on our website, www.avid.com, copies of our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, our Quarterly 
Reports on Form 10-Q, our Current Reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports as soon as practicable after 
filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC.  Additionally, we will provide paper copies of all of these 
filings free of charge upon request.  Alternatively, these reports can be accessed at the SEC’s Internet website at 
www.sec.gov.  The information contained on our web site shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under 
the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.

9

ITEM 1A.  RISK FACTORS

You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, in addition to the other information included or 
incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K, before making an investment decision regarding our common stock.  If any of the 
following risks were to actually occur, our business, financial condition or operating results would likely suffer, possibly 
materially, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose part or all of your investment.  Additional 
risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe are not material, may also become important factors 
that adversely affect our business.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry 

The rapid evolution of the media industry is changing our customers’ needs, businesses and revenue models, and if we 
cannot anticipate these changes or adapt to them quickly, our revenues will be adversely affected and our business will be 
harmed.

The media industry has rapidly and dramatically transformed over the past decade, and it is continuing to do so as a result of free 
content, minimal entry costs for creation and distribution, and expanded use of mobile devices.  As a result, our traditional 
customers’ needs, businesses and revenue models are changing, often in ways that deviate from our traditional core strengths and 
bases.  If we cannot anticipate these changes or adapt to them quickly, our revenues will be adversely affected and our business 
will be harmed.  For example, our customers have to address the increasing digitization of the media industry, which requires the 
creation of a more seamless value chain between content creation and monetization.  Because of the consumerization of the media 
industry, there is more pressure to create media that can be efficiently repurposed in a variety of ways.  As a result of these 
industry changes, traditional advertising channels are also facing competition from web and mobile platforms, and diminished 
revenues from traditional advertising could cause some customers’ budgets for the purchase of our solutions to decline; this may 
be particularly true among local television stations, which in the past have been an important source of revenue for us.  
Additionally, our customers may seek to pool or share facilities and resources with others in their industry and engage with 
providers of software as a service.

The ongoing rapid evolution of the media industry may reduce demand for some of our existing products and services.  New or 
non-traditional competitors may arise or adapt in response to this evolution of the media industry, which could create downward 
price pressure on our products and solutions and reduce our market share and revenue opportunities.

Our success depends in significant part on our ability to offer innovative products and solutions in response to dynamic 
and rapidly evolving market demand.

To succeed in our market, we must offer innovative products and solutions.  Innovation requires that we accurately predict future 
market trends and customer expectations, and that we quickly adapt our development efforts in response.  We must also protect 
our product roadmap and new product initiatives from leaks that might reduce or eliminate any innovative edge that we seek.  
Predicting market trends is difficult because our market is dynamic and rapidly evolving.  Additionally, given the complex, 
sophisticated nature of our solutions and our typically lengthy product development cycles, we may not be able to rapidly change 
our product direction or strategic course.  If we are unable to accurately predict market trends or adapt to evolving market 
conditions, we may be unable to capture customer demand and our market reputation and financial performance will be 
negatively affected.  Even to the extent we make accurate predictions and possess the requisite flexibility to adapt, we may be 
able to pursue only some of the possible innovations, due to limited resources.  Our success, therefore, further depends on our 
ability to identify and focus on the most promising innovations.

Our success also depends on our ability to manage a number of risks associated with new products that we introduce, including 
timely and successful product launch, market acceptance, and the availability of products in appropriate locations, quantities and 
costs to meet demand.  There can be no assurance that our efforts will be successful in the near future, or at all, or that our 
competitors will not take significant market share in similar efforts.  If we fail to develop new products and to manage new 
product introductions and transitions properly, our financial condition and operating results could be harmed.

Our increased emphasis on a cloud strategy may give rise to risks that could harm our business.

10

Our cloud strategy requires continued investment in product development and cloud operations, where we have a limited 
operating history.  Our cloud strategy has also led to changes in the way we price and deliver our products. Many of our 
competitors may have advantages over us due to their larger presence, larger developer network, deeper experience in the cloud-
based computing market, and greater sales and marketing resources. It is uncertain whether our cloud strategy will prove 
successful, or whether we will be able to develop the necessary infrastructure and business models more quickly than our 
competitors. Our cloud strategy may give rise to a number of risks, including the following:

• 

If new or current customers desire only perpetual licenses, we may not be successful in selling subscriptions.

•  Although we intend to support our perpetual license business, the increased emphasis on a cloud strategy may raise 

concerns among our installed customer base.

•  We may be unsuccessful in achieving our target pricing.

•  Our revenues might decline over the short or long term as a result of this strategy.

•  Our relationships with existing partners that resell perpetual licenses may be damaged.

•  We may incur costs at a higher than forecasted rate as we enhance and expand our cloud operations.

We operate in highly fragmented and competitive markets, and our competitors may be able to draw upon a greater depth 
and breadth of resources than those available to us.

We operate in highly fragmented and competitive markets characterized by pressure to innovate, expand feature sets and 
functionality, accelerate new product releases and reduce prices.  Markets for certain of our products have limited barriers to 
entry.  Also, the fragmentation in our markets creates an additional risk of consolidation among our competitors, which would 
result in fewer, more effective competitors.  Customers consider many factors when evaluating our products relative to those of 
our competitors, including innovation, ease of use, price, feature sets, functionality, reliability, performance, reputation, and 
training and support, and we may not compare favorably against our competitors in all respects.   Some of our current and 
potential competitors have longer operating histories, greater brand recognition and substantially greater financial, technical, 
marketing, distribution and support resources than we do.  As a result, our competitors may be able to deliver greater innovation, 
respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies and changes in market demand, devote more resources to the 
development, marketing and sale of their products, successfully expand into emerging and other international markets, or price 
their products more aggressively than we can.  If our competitors are more successful than we are in developing products, or in 
attracting and retaining customers, our financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected.

Certain of our enterprise offerings have long and complex sales cycles, which could result in a loss of customers and lower 
revenues.

With our transition to leveraging the Avid MediaCentral platform in our sales process, we have experienced longer and more 
complex sales cycle for some of our enterprise offerings, which could result in a loss of customers and lower revenues. The length 
and complexity in these sales cycles is due to a number of factors, including:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

the need for our sales representatives to educate customers about the uses and benefits of our products and services, 
including technical capabilities, security features, potential cost savings and return on investment, which are made 
available in large-scale deployments;

the desire of large and medium size organizations to undertake significant evaluation processes to determine their 
technology requirements prior to making information technology expenditures;

the negotiation of large, complex, enterprise-wide contracts, as often required by our and our customers' business and 
legal representatives;      

the need for our customers to obtain requisition approvals from various decision makers within their organizations; and 

customer budget constraints, economic conditions and unplanned administrative delays.

We spend substantial time and money on our sales efforts without any assurance that potential customers will ultimately purchase 
our solutions.  As we target our sales efforts at larger enterprise customers, these trends are expected to continue. Our long and 
complex sales cycle for these products makes it difficult to predict when a given sales cycle will close.

11

There are a number of risks in our subscription model. 

A growing portion of our revenue is subscription-based pursuant to service agreements that are generally month-to-month or one 
year in length, and we intend to continue to expand our subscription-based offerings. Although the subscription model is designed 
to increase the number of customers who purchase our products and services on a recurring basis and create a more predictable 
revenue stream, it creates certain risks and uncertainties related to subscription renewal, the timing of revenue recognition and 
potential reductions in cash flows. Although many of our service and subscription agreements contain automatic renewal terms, 
our customers have no obligation to renew their subscriptions for our services after the expiration of their initial subscription 
period. If customers do renew their subscriptions, these subscriptions may not be renewed on the same terms. Moreover, under 
certain circumstances, some of our customers have the right to cancel their service agreements prior to the expiration of the terms 
of their agreements. If our customers do not renew their subscriptions for our services or if they renew on terms less favorable to 
us, our revenues may decline.  Our future growth is also affected by our ability to sell additional features and services to our 
current customers, which depends on a number of factors, including customers' satisfaction with our products and services, the 
prices of our offerings and general economic conditions. If our efforts to cross-sell and upsell to our customers are unsuccessful, 
the rate at which our business grows may decline.

A portion of the subscription-based revenue we report each quarter results from the recognition of deferred revenue relating to 
subscription agreements entered into during previous quarters. A decline in new or renewed subscriptions in any period may not 
be immediately reflected in our reported financial results for that period but may result in a decline in our revenue in future 
quarters. If we were to experience significant downturns in subscription sales and renewal rates, our reported financial results 
might not reflect such downturns until future periods. Our subscription model could also make it difficult for us to rapidly 
increase our revenues from subscription-based services through additional sales in any period, as revenue from new customers 
will be recognized over the applicable subscription term. Further, any increases in sales under our subscription sales model could 
result in decreased revenues over the short term if these sales are offset by a decline in sales from perpetual license customers. If 
any of our assumptions about revenue from our new businesses or our addition of a subscription-based model prove incorrect, our 
actual results may differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or projected.  We may be unable accurately to predict 
subscription renewal rates and the impact these rates may have on our future revenue and operating results.

Failure of our information systems or those of third parties or breaches of data security could cause significant harm to 
our business.

Our systems and processes involve the storage and transmission of proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data, 
including personal information of employees, customers and others.  In addition, we rely on information systems controlled by 
third parties.  Information system failures, network disruptions and system and data security breaches, manipulation, destruction 
or leakage, whether intentional or accidental, could impair our ability to provide services to our customers or otherwise harm our 
ability to conduct our business, impede the development, manufacture or shipment of products, interrupt or delay processing of 
transactions and reporting financial results, result in theft or misuse of our intellectual property or other assets, or result in the 
unintentional disclosure of personal, proprietary, sensitive or confidential information. With our development of Avid 
MediaCentral Platform, public and private marketplaces and cloud-based offerings, our and our customer’s data and financial and 
proprietary information could become more susceptible to such failures and data breaches.  Significant or repeated reductions in 
the performance, reliability, security or availability of our information systems and network infrastructure could significantly 
harm our brand and reputation and ability to attract and retain existing and potential users, customers, advertisers and content 
providers. 

Information system failures or unauthorized access could be caused by our failure to adequately maintain and enhance our 
systems and networks, external theft or attack, misconduct by our employees, contractors, or vendors, or many other causes such 
as power failures, earthquakes, fire or other natural disasters. Cyber threats are constantly evolving, increasing the difficulty of 
detecting and successfully defending against them. We may have no current capability to detect certain vulnerabilities, which may 
allow them to persist in the environment over long periods of time. Cyber threats can have cascading impacts that unfold with 
increasing speed across our internal networks and systems and those of our partners and customers.

Any information system failures or unauthorized access could expose us, our customers or the individuals affected to a risk of loss 
or misuse of this information, resulting in litigation and potential liability for us.  In addition, we could incur substantial 

12

remediation costs, including costs associated with repairing our information systems, implementing further data protection 
measures, engaging third-party experts and consultants, and increased insurance premiums. 

We obtain certain hardware product components and finished goods under sole-source supply arrangements, and any 
disruptions to these arrangements could jeopardize the manufacturing or distribution of certain of our hardware 
products. 

Although we generally prefer to establish multi-source supply arrangements for our hardware product components and finished 
goods, multi-source arrangements are not always possible or cost-effective.  We consequently depend on sole-source suppliers for 
many hardware product components and finished goods, including some critical items.  We do not generally carry significant 
inventories of, and may not in all cases have guaranteed supply arrangements for, these sole-sourced items. Our sole-source 
suppliers may cease, suspend or otherwise limit production or shipment of our product components, due to, among other things, 
macroeconomic events, political crises or natural or environmental disasters or other occurrences, or they may terminate our 
agreements or adversely modify supply terms or pricing. If any of these events occur, our ability to manufacture, distribute and 
service our products would be impaired, and our business could be significantly harmed.  We may not be able to obtain sole-
sourced components or finished goods, or acceptable substitutes, from alternative suppliers or on commercially reasonable terms. 
If we are forced to change sole-source suppliers due to a contract termination or other production cessation, it may take a 
significant amount of time and expenses to obtain substitute suppliers, during which time our inventory may be significantly 
reduced, which may adversely impact our working capital, liquidity, results of operations or financial position. We may also be 
required to expend significant development resources to redesign our products to work around the exclusion of any sole-sourced 
component or accommodate the inclusion of any substitute component.  Although we have procedures in place to mitigate the 
risks associated with our sole-sourced suppliers, we cannot be certain that we will be able to obtain sole-sourced components or 
finished goods from alternative suppliers or that we will be able to do so on commercially reasonable terms without a material 
impact on our results of operations or financial position.

We are in the process of transitioning the manufacturer of certain of our hardware product components to a new international 
vendor. Although the risks of disruption will be lessened upon the conclusion of this planned transition, the new international 
vendor may experience difficulty ramping up production to meet our demand within our desired timeline.  Such a delay could 
result in significant product shortfalls and delays in delivery of products to our customers. We plan to mitigate these risks by 
conducting manufacturing readiness reviews and may place company personnel on site at the international vendors’ facility to 
assist with production.

We depend on the availability and proper functioning of certain third-party technology that we incorporate into or bundle 
with our products.  Third-party technology may include defects or errors that could adversely affect the performance of 
our products.  If third-party technology becomes unavailable at acceptable prices, we may need to expend considerable 
resources integrating alternative third-party technology or developing our own substitute technology.

The profit margin for some of our products depends in part on the royalty, license and purchase fees we pay in connection with 
third-party technology which we license for incorporation into our bundling with our products.  To the extent we add additional 
third-party technology to our products and we are unable to offset associated costs, our profit margins may decline, and our 
operating results may suffer.  In addition to cost implications, third-party technology may include defects or errors that could 
adversely affect the performance of our products, which may harm our market reputation or adversely affect our product sales.  
Third-party technology may also include certain open source software code that if used in combination with our own software 
may jeopardize our intellectual property rights or limit our ability to sell through certain sales channels.  If any third-party 
technology license expires, is terminated or ceases to be available on commercially reasonable terms, we may be required to 
expend considerable resources integrating alternative third-party technology or developing our own substitute technology.  In the 
interim, sales of our products may be delayed or suspended, or we may be forced to distribute our products with reduced feature 
sets or functionality.

Our international operations expose us to legal, regulatory and other risks that we may not face in the United States.

We derive more than half of our revenues from customers outside of the United States, and we rely on foreign contractors for the 
supply and manufacture of many of our products.  For example, sales to customers outside the United States accounted for 64%, 
62% and 64%, of our total net revenues in 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. We also conduct significant research and 
development activities overseas, including through third-party development vendors.  For example, a portion of our research and 
13

development is outsourced to contractors operating in Kiev, Ukraine, we have customer support activities in the Philippines, and 
we have operations in Poland and Israel. 

Our international operations are subject to a variety of risks that we may not face in the United States, including:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

the financial and administrative burdens associated with environmental, tax and export laws, as well as other business 
regulations, in foreign jurisdictions, including high compliance costs, inconsistencies among jurisdictions, and a lack of 
administrative or judicial interpretative guidance;

reduced or varied protection for intellectual property rights in some countries;

regional economic downturns;

economic, social and political instability, security concerns, and the risk of war;

fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;

longer collection cycles for accounts receivable;

difficulties in enforcing contracts;

difficulties in managing and staffing international implementations and operations, and executing our business strategy 
internationally;

potentially adverse tax consequences, including the complexities of foreign value added or other tax systems and 
restrictions on the repatriation of earnings;

increased financial accounting and reporting burdens and complexities;

difficulties in maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls;

costs and delays associated with developing products in multiple languages; and

foreign exchange controls that may prevent or limit our ability to repatriate income earned in foreign markets.

Additionally, recent legal developments in Europe have created compliance uncertainty regarding certain transfers of personal 
data from Europe to the United States. For example, the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), which became effective 
in the European Union (“EU”) in May 2018, will apply to any of our activities conducted from an establishment in the EU or 
related to products and services that we offer to EU users. The GDPR created a range of new data privacy related compliance 
obligations, which could cause us to change our business practices, and will significantly increase financial penalties for 
noncompliance, including possible fines of up to 4% of global annual turnover for the preceding financial year or €20 million 
(whichever is higher) for the most serious infringements.

We may not be successful in developing, implementing or maintaining policies and strategies that will be effective in managing 
the varying risks in each country where we do business.  Our failure to manage these risks successfully, including developing 
appropriate contingency plans for our outsourced research and development work, could harm our international operations, reduce 
our international sales and increase our costs, thus adversely affecting our business, operating results and financial condition.

We could be adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act and similar 
foreign anti-corruption laws.

We operate in several foreign jurisdictions. The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) and similar foreign anti-corruption 
laws generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from offering, promising, authorizing, or making payments to foreign 
officials for the purpose of influencing any act or decision of such official in his or her official capacity, inducing the official to do 
any act in violation of his or her lawful duty, or to secure any improper advantage in obtaining or retaining business. Recent years 
have seen a substantial increase in the global enforcement of anti-corruption laws, with more frequent voluntary self-disclosures 
by companies, aggressive investigations and enforcement proceedings by both the U.S. Department of Justice and the SEC 
resulting in record fines and penalties, increased enforcement activity by non-U.S. regulators, and increases in criminal and civil 
proceedings brought against companies and individuals.

14

We operate in a number of countries that are recognized as having governmental corruption problems to some degree and where 
local customs and practices may not foster strict compliance with anti-corruption laws, including China.  Our continued operation 
and expansion outside the United States could increase the risk of such violations in the future. Although we have policies that 
mandate compliance with these anti-corruption laws and require training, we cannot assure you that these policies and procedures 
will protect us from unauthorized reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees or agents. In the event that we believe or 
have reason to believe that our employees or agents have or may have violated applicable anti-corruption laws, including the 
FCPA, we may be required to investigate or have outside counsel investigate the relevant facts and circumstances, which can be 
expensive and require significant time and attention from senior management. Violations of these laws may result in significant 
criminal or civil sanctions, which could disrupt our business and result in a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, 
results of operations or financial condition.

We rely to a significant extent on manufacturing and hardware development vendors with operations in China, Thailand 
and other foreign jurisdiction.  This may reduce our control over the manufacturing activities, create uncertainty with 
respect to intended cost savings and expose our proprietary assets to greater risk of misappropriation.  Changes to these 
vendor relationships may result in delays or disruptions that could harm our business.

We rely to a significant extent on vendors for the development and manufacture of certain of our hardware products, primarily in 
China and Thailand.  These relationships provide us with more flexible resource capabilities, access to global talent and cost 
savings, but also expose us to risks that may not exist or may be less pronounced with respect to our internal operations.  We are 
able to exercise only limited oversight of our contractors, including with respect to their engineering and manufacturing 
processes, resource allocations, delivery schedules, security procedures and quality control.  Language, cultural and time zone 
differences complicate effective management of contractors that are located abroad.  Additionally, competition for talent in certain 
locations may lead to high turnover rates that disrupt development or manufacturing continuity.  The manufacturers we use also 
manufacture products for other companies, including our competitors.  Our contractors could choose to prioritize capacity for 
other users, increase the prices they charge us or reduce or eliminate deliveries to us, which could have a material adverse effect 
on our business.  Pricing terms offered by contractors may be highly variable over time reflecting, among other things, order 
volume, local inflation and exchange rates.  For example, during the past few years, including in 2018, most of our outsourced 
manufacturers have been in China, where the cost of manufacturing has been increasing and labor unrest and turn-over rates at 
manufacturers have been on the rise.  Some of our contractor relationships are based on contract, while others operate on a 
purchase order basis, where we do not have the benefit of written protections with respect to pricing or other critical terms.

We are in the process of transitioning the manufacturer of certain of our hardware product components to a new international 
vendor. Although the risks of disruption will be lessened upon the conclusion of this planned transition, the new international 
vendor may experience difficulty ramping up production to meet our demand within our desired timeline or be unable to 
manufacture product components that meet our quality standards.  Such a delay in meeting our desired timeline or inability to 
produce high-quality components could result in significant product shortfalls and delays in delivery of products to our customers. 
We plan to mitigate these risks by conducting manufacturing readiness reviews and may place company personnel on site at the 
international vendors’ facility to assist with production. 

Many of our contractors require access to our intellectual property and our confidential and proprietary information to perform 
their services. Protection of these assets in certain non-U.S. jurisdictions may be less robust than in the United States.  We must 
rely on policies and procedures we have instituted with our contractors and certain confidentiality and contractual provisions in 
our written agreements, to the extent they exist, for protection.  These safeguards may be inadequate to prevent breaches. If a 
breach were to occur, available legal or other remedies may be limited or otherwise insufficient to compensate us for any resulting 
damages.

Furthermore, if one of our international vendors were, for any reason, to cease or experience significant disruptions in its 
operations, among others as a result of political unrest, we might be unable to replace it on a timely basis with a comparably 
priced provider.  We would also have to expend time and resources to train any new development or manufacturing vendor.  If any 
of the vendors were to suffer an interruption in its business, or experience delays, disruptions or quality control problems in 
development or manufacturing operations, or if we had to change development or manufacturing vendors, our ability to provide 
services to our customers would be delayed and our business, operating results and financial condition would be adversely 
affected.

15

Lengthy procurement lead times and unpredictable life cycles and customer demand for some of our products may result 
in significant inventory risks.

With respect to many of our products, particularly our audio products, we must procure component parts and build finished 
inventory far in advance of product shipments.  Certain of these products may have unpredictable life cycles and encounter rapid 
technological obsolescence as a result of dynamic market conditions.  We procure product components and build inventory based 
upon our forecasts of product life cycle and customer demand.  If we are unable to accurately forecast product life cycle and 
customer demand or unable to manage our inventory levels in response to shifts in customer demand, the result may be 
insufficient, excess or obsolete product inventory.  Insufficient product inventory may impair our ability to fulfill product orders 
and negatively affect our revenues, while excess or obsolete inventory may require a write-down on products and components to 
their net realizable value, which would negatively affect our results of operations.

Our revenues and operating results depend significantly on our third-party reseller and distribution channels. Our failure 
to effectively manage our distribution channels for our products and services could adversely affect our revenues and 
gross margins and therefore our profitability.

We distribute many of our products indirectly through third-party resellers and distributors.  We also distribute products directly to 
end-user customers.  Successfully managing the interaction of our direct and indirect channel efforts to reach various potential 
customer industries for our products and services is a complex process.  For example, in response to our direct sales strategies or 
for other business reasons, our current resellers and distributors may from time to time choose to resell our competitors’ products 
in addition to, or in place of, our products.  Moreover, since each distribution method has distinct risks and gross margins, our 
failure to identify and implement the most advantageous balance in the delivery model for our products and services could 
adversely affect our revenues and gross margins and therefore our profitability.

If we are unable to sell our professional products through retail sales channels, our operating results could be adversely 
affected.

We continue to have a presence in retail because our professional-level products are offered through specialty retailers.  Our 
ability to continue to sell our professional products through certain retail sales channels could be impaired due to changes in our 
business strategy, including our shift to more subscription offerings.  Changes in our strategy could lead to fewer unit sales 
through retail channels in the future, which could adversely affect retailers’ willingness to carry our professional-level products 
and our ability to reach certain customers. If we are unable to sell our professional products through retail sales channels, our 
operating results could be adversely affected.

Our products may experience defects that could negatively impact our customer relationships, market reputation and 
operating results.

Our software products occasionally include coding defects (commonly referred to as “bugs”), which in some cases may interfere 
with or impair a customer’s ability to operate or use the software.  Similarly, our hardware products could include design or 
manufacturing defects that could cause them to malfunction.  The quality control measures we use are not designed or intended to 
detect and remedy all defects. Any product defects could result in loss of customers or revenues, delays in revenue recognition, 
increased product returns, damage to our market reputation and significant warranty or other expense and could have a material 
adverse impact on our financial condition and operating results.

Our success depends in part on our ability to hire and retain competent and skilled management and technical, sales and 
other personnel.

We are dependent on the continued service and performance of our management team and key technical, sales and other personnel 
and our success will depend in part on our ability to retain these employees in a competitive job market. If we fail to recruit and 
retain, including through competitive compensation, competent and skilled personnel, we may incur increased costs or experience 
challenges with execution of our strategic plan. Also, if we fail to maintain an inclusive and discrimination-free workplace, we 
could run the risk of losing employees. 

16

Our competitors may in some instances be able to offer a work environment with higher compensation or more opportunities to 
work with cutting-edge technology than we can.  If we are unable to retain our key personnel or appropriately match skill sets 
with our needs, we would be required to expend significant time and financial resources to identify and hire new qualified 
personnel and to transfer significant internal historical knowledge, which might significantly delay or prevent the achievement of 
our business objectives.

Our intellectual property and trade secrets are valuable assets that may be subject to third-party infringement and 
misappropriation.

As a technology company, our intellectual property and trade secrets are among our most valuable assets.  Infringement or 
misappropriation of these assets can result in lost revenues, and thereby ultimately reduce their value.  We rely on a combination 
of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, as well as confidentiality procedures, contractual provisions and anti-piracy 
technology in certain of our products to protect our intellectual property and trade secrets.  Most of these tools require vigilant 
monitoring of competitor and other third-party activities and of end-user usage of our products to be effective.  These tools may 
not provide adequate protection in all instances, may be subject to circumvention, or may require a vigilance that in some cases 
exceeds our capabilities or resources.  Additionally, our business model is increasingly focused on software products and, as we 
offer more software products, our revenues may be more vulnerable to loss through piracy, which could result in revenue losses.  
While we may seek to engage with those potentially infringing our intellectual property to negotiate a license for use, we also 
may seek legal recourse.   The legal regimes of certain foreign jurisdictions in which we operate, may not protect our intellectual 
property or trade secrets to the same extent as do the laws of the United States.  If our intellectual property or trade secrets are 
misappropriated in foreign jurisdictions, we may be without adequate remedies to address these issues. Regardless of jurisdiction, 
assuming legal protection exists, and infringement or misappropriation is detected, any enforcement action that we may pursue 
could be costly and time-consuming, the outcome will be uncertain, and the alleged offender in some cases may seek to have our 
intellectual property rights invalidated.  If we are unable to protect our intellectual property and trade secrets, our business could 
be harmed.

Our results could be materially adversely affected if we are accused of, or found to be, infringing third parties’ intellectual 
property rights.

Because of technological change in our industry, extensive and sometimes uncertain patent coverage, and the rapid issuance of 
new patents, it is possible that certain of our products or business methods may infringe the patents or other intellectual property 
rights of third parties.  Companies in the technology industry own large numbers of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade 
secrets and frequently enter into litigation based on allegations of infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. 
Our technologies may not be able to withstand any third-party claims or rights against their use.  We have received claims, and are 
subject to litigation alleging, that we infringe patents owned by third parties, and we may in the future be subject to such claims 
and litigation.  Regardless of the scope or validity of such patents, or the merits of any patent claims by potential or actual 
litigants, we could incur substantial costs in defending intellectual property claims and litigation, and such claims and litigation 
could distract management’s attention from normal business operations.  In addition, we provide indemnification provisions in 
agreements with certain customers covering potential claims by third parties of intellectual property infringement.  These 
agreements generally provide that we will indemnify customers for losses incurred in connection with an infringement claim 
brought by a third party with respect to our products, and we have received claims for such indemnification.  The results of any 
intellectual property litigation to which we are, or may become, a party, or for which we are required to provide indemnification, 
may require us to:

• 

cease selling or using products or services that incorporate the challenged intellectual property;

•  make substantial payments for legal fees, settlement payments or other costs or damages;

• 

• 

obtain a license, which may not be available on reasonable terms, to sell or use the relevant technology, which such 
license could require royalties that would significantly increase our cost of goods sold; or

redesign products or services to avoid infringement, where such redesign could involve significant costs and result in 
delayed and/or reduced sales of the affected products.

Potential acquisitions could be difficult to consummate and integrate into our operations, and they could disrupt our 
business, dilute stockholder value or impair our financial results.

17

As part of our business strategy, from time to time we may seek to grow our business through acquisitions of or investments in 
new or complementary businesses, technologies or products that we believe can improve our ability to compete in our existing 
customer markets or allow us to enter new markets. The potential risks associated with acquisitions and investment transactions 
include, but are not limited to:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

failure to realize anticipated returns on investment, cost savings and synergies;

difficulty in assimilating the operations, policies and personnel of the acquired company;

unanticipated costs associated with acquisitions;

challenges in combining product offerings and entering into new markets in which we may not have experience;

distraction of management’s attention from normal business operations;

potential loss of key employees of the acquired company;

difficulty implementing effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures;

impairment of relationships with customers or suppliers;

possibility of incurring impairment losses related to goodwill and intangible assets; and 

unidentified issues not discovered in due diligence, which may include product quality issues or legal or other 
contingencies.

In order to complete an acquisition or investment transaction, we may need to obtain financing, including through borrowings or 
the issuance of debt or equity securities.  Any issuance of additional securities could potentially dilute existing stockholders.  The 
amount and terms of any potential future acquisition-related borrowings, as well as other factors, could adversely affect our 
liquidity and financial condition.  We may not be able to consummate such financings on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, 
in which case our ability to complete desired acquisitions or investments and to implement our business strategy, and as a result 
our financial results, may be materially impaired.  In addition, business combinations and investment transactions could impact 
our effective tax rate. We may experience risks relating to the challenges and costs of closing a business combination or 
investment transaction and the risk that an announced business combination or investment transaction may not close.  The 
contributions to financial results of any completed, pending or future acquisitions or investments may differ from the investment 
community’s expectations in a given period or over time.

Unanticipated changes in our tax provisions, the adoption of new tax legislation or exposure to additional tax liabilities 
could affect our profitability.

We are subject to income and other taxes in the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions.  Our tax liabilities are affected 
by the amounts we charge for inventory, services, licenses and other items in intercompany transactions. We are also subject to 
ongoing tax audits in various jurisdictions.  Tax authorities may disagree with our intercompany charges, cross-jurisdictional 
transfer pricing or other matters and assess additional taxes.  We regularly assess the likely outcomes of these audits in order to 
determine the appropriateness of our tax provision.  However, there can be no assurance that we will accurately predict the 
outcomes of these audits, and the amounts ultimately paid upon the resolution of an audit could be materially different from the 
amounts previously included in our income tax expense and therefore, could have a material impact on our tax provision, net 
income and cash flows. In addition, our tax provision in the future could be adversely affected by changes to our operating 
structure, changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax 
assets and liabilities, changes in tax laws - including the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or TCJA, enacted on December 22, 2017, 
and the discovery of new information in the course of our tax return preparation process. The TCJA requires certain complex 
computations not previously required under U.S. tax law and accounting treatments have yet to be clarified as the U.S. 
Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service continues to issue additional regulatory guidance. As such, the full 
effect of the TCJA remains uncertain.

We may be subject to litigation, which, if adversely determined, could harm our business and operating results.

The costs of defending litigation, whether in cash expenses or in management time, could harm our business and materially and 
adversely affect our operating results and cash flows. An unfavorable outcome in any litigation matter could require that we pay 
substantial damages, or, in connection with any intellectual property infringement claims, could require that we pay ongoing 
royalty payments or prohibit us from selling certain of our products. In addition, we may decide to settle any litigation, which 

18

could cause us to incur significant settlement costs. A settlement or an unfavorable outcome on any litigation matter could have a 
material and adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition and cash flows.

A natural disaster or catastrophic event may significantly limit our ability to conduct business as normal and harm our 
business.

Our operations, and the operations of our customers, are vulnerable to interruptions by natural disasters and catastrophic events.  
For example, we operate a complex, geographically dispersed business, which includes significant personnel, customers and 
facilities in California near major earthquake fault lines.  We may not be able to protect our company from such catastrophic 
events and we are predominantly uninsured for business continuity losses and disruptions caused by catastrophic events.  
Disruption or failure of our or our customers’ networks or systems, or injury or damage to either parties’ personnel or physical 
infrastructure, caused by a natural disaster, public health crisis, terrorism, cyber-attack, act of war or other catastrophic event may 
significantly limit our or our customers’ ability to conduct business as normal, including our ability to communicate and transact 
with customers, suppliers, distributors and resellers, which may negatively affect our revenues and operating results.  
Additionally, a natural disaster or catastrophic event could cause us or our customers to suspend all or a portion of operations for a 
significant period of time, result in a permanent loss of resources, and require the relocation of personnel and material to alternate 
facilities that may not be available or adequate.  Such an event could also cause an indirect economic impact on our customers, 
which could impact our customers’ purchasing decisions and reduce demand for our products and services.  A prolonged 
disruption of our business could also damage our reputation, particularly among our global news organization customers who are 
likely to require our solutions and support during such time.  Any of these factors could cause a material adverse impact on our 
financial condition and operating results.

Economic conditions and regulatory changes leading up to and following the United Kingdom’s scheduled exit from the 
European Union could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

The United Kingdom, or U.K., government has commenced the legal process of leaving the European Union, typically referred to 
as “Brexit.”  There remains significant uncertainty about when and how the U.K. will officially exit the European Union, if at all, 
and the possible effects of Brexit including but not limited to, the imposition of trade barriers and increased costs throughout Europe, 
changes in European manufacturing and employment markets, and currency fluctuations. While the full effects of Brexit will not be 
known for some time, Brexit could cause disruptions to, and create uncertainty surrounding, our business and results of operations. 
The most immediate effect of the expected Brexit has been significant volatility in global equity and debt markets and currency 
exchange rate fluctuations. Ongoing global market volatility and a deterioration in economic conditions due to uncertainty surrounding 
Brexit, could significantly disrupt the markets in which we operate and lead our customers to closely monitor their costs and delay 
capital spending decisions. 

Additionally, the expected Brexit has resulted in the immediate strengthening of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies in which 
we conduct business. Although this strengthening has been somewhat ameliorated by the British Government’s stated desire to 
accomplish a transitional exit, because we translate revenue denominated in foreign currency into U.S. dollars for our financial 
statements, during periods of a strengthening U.S. Dollar, our reported revenue from foreign operations is reduced. As a result of 
Brexit and the continued negotiations within the U.K., there may be further periods of volatility in the currencies in which we conduct 
business.

The effects of Brexit will depend on any agreements the U.K. makes to retain access to EU markets, either during a transitional 
period or more permanently. The measures could potentially disrupt the markets we serve and may cause us to lose customers and 
employees. In addition, Brexit could lead to legal uncertainty and potentially divergent national laws and regulations as the U.K. 
determines which EU laws to replace or replicate.

Any of these effects of Brexit could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

19

Risks Related to Our Liquidity and Financial Performance

If we are not able to generate and maintain adequate liquidity our ability to operate our business could be adversely 
affected. 

Generating and maintaining adequate liquidity is important to our business operations. We meet our liquidity needs primarily 
through cash generated by operations, supplemented from time to time with the proceeds of long-term debt and borrowings under 
the revolving credit facility, or Credit Facility, governed by the financing agreement, dated February 26, 2016, as amended, 
between us and the lender parties thereto, or the Financing Agreement. We have the ability to borrow up to $22.5 million under 
the Credit Facility. We have also undertaken significant cost cutting measures and we may take additional measures to further 
improve our liquidity. Significant fluctuations in our cash balances could harm our ability to meet our immediate liquidity needs, 
impair our capacity to react to sudden or unexpected contractions or growth in our business, reduce our ability to withstand a 
sustained period of economic crisis, and impair our ability to compete with competitors with greater financial resources.  In 
addition, fluctuations in our cash balances could cause us to draw on our Credit Facility and therefore reduce available funds 
under the Credit Facility (see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - 
Liquidity and Capital Resources” in Item 7 of this Form 10-K). If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow or our 
borrowings are not sufficient, our liquidity may significantly decrease, which could have an adverse effect on our business. 

We may not be able to achieve the efficiencies, savings and other benefits anticipated from our cost reduction, margin 
improvement and other business optimization initiatives.

We regularly review and implement programs to reduce costs, increase efficiencies and enhance our business.  We have 
undertaken, and expect to continue to undertake, various restructuring activities and cost reduction initiatives in an effort to better 
align our organizational structure and costs with our overall strategy. Past restructuring and cost reduction initiatives have 
included reductions in our workforce, facility consolidation, transferring resources to lower cost regions and reducing other third-
party services costs.

In connection with these activities, we may experience a disruption in our ability to perform functions important to our strategy.  
Unexpected delays, increased costs, challenges with adapting our internal control environment to a new organizational structure, 
inability to retain and motivate employees, or other challenges arising from these initiatives could adversely affect our ability to 
realize the anticipated savings or other intended benefits of these activities and could have a material adverse impact on our 
financial condition and operating results.

Restrictions in the Financing Agreement may limit our activities.

The Financing Agreement contains restrictive covenants that limit our ability to engage in activities that could otherwise benefit 
us, including, among other things, limitations on our ability to make investments, incur additional indebtedness, issue equity, sell 
assets, pay dividends and make other restricted payments, and create liens. We are also required to comply on an ongoing basis 
with certain financial covenants, including a maximum leverage ratio and an annual limit on the amount of our capital 
expenditures.  Our ability to comply with these restrictions and covenants in the future is uncertain and could be affected by the 
levels of our cash flows from operations and events or circumstances beyond our control.  Failure to comply with any of these 
restrictions or covenants may result in an event of default under the Financing Agreement, which could permit acceleration of the 
outstanding indebtedness under the Financing Agreement and require us to repay such indebtedness before its scheduled due date. 
Certain events of default under the Financing Agreement may also give rise to a default under our convertible notes due 2020 or 
other future indebtedness.  If an event of default were to occur, we might not have sufficient funds available to make the payments 
required. If we are unable to repay amounts owed, our lenders may be entitled to foreclose on and sell substantially all of our 
assets, which secure our borrowings under the Financing Agreement.

Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our business, cash flow and results of operations.

As of December 31, 2018 we had $221 million of long-term indebtedness, including our 2.00% convertible senior notes due 2020, 
or the Notes, and borrowings under the Financing Agreement. This substantial level of indebtedness may:

20

• 

• 

• 

• 

require us to dedicate a greater percentage of our cash flow from operations to payments on our debt, thereby reducing 
the availability of cash flow to fund capital expenditures, pursue other acquisitions or investments and use for general 
corporate purposes; 

increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic conditions, including increases in interest rates with respect to 
borrowings under the Financing Agreement that bear interest at variable rates or when our indebtedness is being 
refinanced; 

limit our ability to obtain additional financing; and 

limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in or challenges relating to our business and industry, creating 
competitive disadvantages compared to other competitors with lower debt levels and borrowing costs. 

The Notes mature in June 2020 and become a current liability on our balance sheet in June 2019. We cannot make any assurance 
that our cash flow from operations, combined with any additional borrowings available to us, will be sufficient to enable us to 
repay the Notes or our other indebtedness, or to fund other liquidity needs. We may incur additional indebtedness in the future, 
which could cause these risks to intensify. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flows to repay the Notes and our other 
indebtedness when due or to fund our other liquidity needs, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as selling 
assets, restructuring debt or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. Our ability to 
refinance the Notes or our other indebtedness will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may 
not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could result in a default on 
our debt obligations.

We recognized a significant amount of revenue in recent years due to the amortization of deferred revenue attributable to 
transactions occurring in the past. The reduction in deferred revenues resulted in increased revenue and gross margin and 
our reported net income in prior years. Revenue from the amortization of deferred revenue will not recur to the same 
extent in future periods; as a result, there are no assurances that we will be able to report net income in future periods. In 
addition, as less revenue is recognized from deferred revenue amortization and we have adopted a new accounting 
standard for revenue recognition, we may experience greater volatility in our quarterly and annual operating results.

As a result of our historical practice of providing Implied Maintenance Release PCS on many of our products, we were required, 
under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, to recognize revenue for many of these 
transactions ratably over a period that typically ranged from three to six years. Due to changes in accounting rules, namely 
Accounting Standards Update, or ASU, No. 2009-13 and ASU No. 2009-14, and the cessation of our practice of providing 
Implied Maintenance Release PCS for many of our products, revenue from older transactions continued to be recognized and, in 
some cases, accelerated into revenue through 2017. This resulted in significant increases to revenue and declines in deferred 
revenue during 2016 and 2017. New sales of many of the same products now qualify for upfront recognition and do not add 
significantly to deferred revenue balances. As a result, revenue attributable to older transactions has declined significantly through 
2017 as corresponding deferred revenue is fully amortized and not being replenished by new transactions. Deferred revenue for 
the fiscal years 2016 and 2017 declined approximately $123 million and $31 million, respectively, as a result of these 
circumstances.

The amortization of deferred revenue described above resulted in our reporting a smaller net loss of $14 million in 2017 and net 
income of approximately $48 million in 2016. With the impact of deferred revenue amortization declining significantly in future 
periods, there are no assurances that we will be able to report net income in future periods.  Our financial results and the impact of 
the deferred revenue are discussed in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” 
in Item 7 of this Form 10-K.

The adoption of ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASC 606) on January 1, 2018, which requires 
virtually all product sales to be recognized as revenue upon delivery, further impacts our deferred revenue balances since, upon 
adoption, using the modified retrospective method, we recorded a cumulative reduction of deferred revenue of approximately $97 
million.  With the adoption of ASC 606, we now recognize a greater proportion of revenue upon delivery of our products, whereas 
some of our product sales under legacy GAAP were initially recorded in deferred revenue and recognized over a longer period of 
time.  With the decreased amount of deferred revenue and more immediate impact of current period sales and shipment activity on 
revenue, our operating results may be more volatile in future quarterly and annual periods.

21

Our revenues and operating results are difficult to predict and may fluctuate from period to period.

Our results of operations have been, and may continue to, be subject to significant quarterly variation. Our revenues and operating 
results for any particular quarter may also vary due to a number of factors, including, but not limited to, those enumerated under 
the section “Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements,” appearing elsewhere in this Form 10-K and:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

the timing of large or enterprise-wide sales and our ability to recognize revenues from such sales;

demand planning and logistics;

renewal rates under subscription contracts;

reliance on third-party reseller and distribution channels;

changes in operating expenses; 

price protections and provisions for inventory obsolescence extended to resellers and distributors; 

seasonal factors, such as higher consumer demand at year-end; and

complex accounting rules for revenue recognition.

The occurrence and interaction of these variables may cause our revenues and operating results to fluctuate from period to period.  
As a result, period-to-period comparisons of our revenues and operating results may not provide a good indication of our future 
performance.  We cannot be certain when, or if, our operations will be profitable in future periods.

Our revenue backlog estimates are based on certain assumptions and are subject to unexpected adjustments and 
cancellations and backlog orders may not be timely converted to revenues in any particular fiscal period, if at all, or be 
indicative of our actual operating results for any future period.

Our revenue backlog, as we define it, consists of firm orders received and includes both (i) orders where the customer has paid in 
advance of our performance obligations being fulfilled, which are reflected as deferred revenues on our balance sheet, and (ii) 
orders for future product deliveries or services that have not yet been invoiced by us.  To the extent that our customers cancel their 
orders with us, or reduce their requirements during a particular period for any reason, we will not realize revenue or profit from 
the associated revenue backlog.  Even where a project proceeds as scheduled, it is possible that the customer may default and fail 
to pay amounts owed to us.  Material delays, payment defaults or cancellations could reduce the amount of revenue backlog 
currently reported, and consequently, could inhibit the conversion of that backlog into revenues.  Furthermore, orders included in 
our revenue backlog may not be profitable.  We may experience variances in the realization of our revenue backlog because of 
project delays or cancellations resulting from external market factors and economic factors beyond our control. In addition, even 
if we realize all of the revenue from the projects in our revenue backlog, if our expenses associated with these projects are higher 
than expected, our results of operations and financial condition would be adversely affected.

Fluctuations in foreign exchange rates may result in short-term currency exchange losses and could adversely affect our 
revenues from foreign markets and our manufacturing costs in the long term.

Our international sales are, for the most part, transacted through foreign subsidiaries and generally in the currency of the end-user 
customers.  Consequently, we are exposed to short-term currency exchange risks that may adversely affect our revenues, 
operating results and cash flows.  The majority of our international sales are transacted in euros.  To hedge against the dollar/euro 
exchange exposure of the resulting forecasted payables, receivables and cash balances, we may enter into foreign currency 
contracts.  The success of our hedging programs depends on the accuracy of our forecasts of transaction activity in foreign 
currency.  To the extent that these forecasts are over- or understated during periods of currency volatility, we may experience 
currency gains or losses.  Our hedging activities, if enacted, may only offset a portion of the adverse financial impact resulting 
from unfavorable movement in dollar/euro exchange rates, which could adversely affect our financial position or results of 
operations.

Furthermore, the significance to our business of sales in Europe subjects us to risks associated with long-term changes in the 
dollar/euro exchange rate.  A sustained strengthening of the U.S. dollar against the euro would decrease our expected future U.S. 
dollar revenues from European sales, and could have a significant adverse effect on our overall profit margins.  During the past 
few years, economic instability in Europe, including concern over sovereign debt in Greece, Italy, Ireland and certain other 
European Union countries, caused significant fluctuations in the value of the euro relative to those of other currencies, including 

22

the U.S. dollar.  Continuing uncertainty regarding economic conditions, including the solvency of these countries and the stability 
of the Eurozone, could lead to significant long-term economic weakness and reduced economic growth in Europe, the occurrence 
of which, or the potential occurrence of which, could lead to a sustained strengthening of the U.S. dollar against the euro, 
adversely affecting the profitability of our European operations.

In addition, we source and manufacture many of our products in China and our costs may increase should the renminbi not remain 
stable with the U.S. dollar.  Although the renminbi is pegged against a basket of currencies determined by the People’s Bank of 
China, the renminbi may appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the long term.  In addition, if 
China were to permit the renminbi to float to a free market rate of exchange, it is widely anticipated that the renminbi would 
appreciate significantly in value against U.S. dollar.  An increase in the value of the renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have 
the effect of increasing the labor and production costs of our Chinese manufacturers in U.S. dollar terms, which may result in their 
passing such costs to us in the form of increased pricing, which would adversely affect our profit margins if we could not pass 
those price increases along to our customers.

Global economic weakness and uncertainty could adversely affect our revenues, gross margins and expenses.

Our business is impacted by global economic conditions, which have been in recent years, and continue to be, volatile.  
Specifically, our revenues and gross margins depend significantly on global economic conditions and the demand for our products 
and services in the markets in which we compete.  Economic weakness and uncertainty have resulted, and may result in the 
future, in decreased revenue, gross margin, earnings or growth rates and difficulty managing inventory levels.  Sustained 
uncertainty about global economic conditions may adversely affect demand for our products and services and could cause demand 
to differ materially from our expectations as customers curtail or delay spending on our products and services.  Economic 
weakness and uncertainty also make it more difficult for us to make accurate forecasts of revenues, gross margins and expenses.

The inability of our customers to obtain credit in the future may impair their ability to make timely payments to us.  Tightening of 
credit by financial institutions could also lead customers to postpone spending or to cancel, decrease or delay their existing or 
future orders with us.  Customer insolvencies could negatively impact our revenues and our ability to collect receivables.  
Financial difficulties experienced by our suppliers or distributors could result in product delays, increased accounts receivable 
defaults and inventory challenges.  In the event we are impacted by global economic weakness, we may record additional charges 
relating to restructuring costs or the impairment of assets, and our business and results of operations could be materially and 
adversely affected.

The attempt by the current United States Administration to replace NAFTA, and efforts to withdraw from, or materially 
modify other international trade agreements, and the imposition of tariffs, and any other future attempts to otherwise 
limit international trade could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A significant portion of our business activities is conducted in foreign countries, including Mexico and China. The current 
Administration has indicated that it is not supportive of certain existing international trade agreements, and it has sought to 
replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, with the recently signed U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or 
USMCA.  There is significant uncertainty regarding whether and when the USMCA will be ratified and, if ratified, its ultimate 
form. The current Administration has also imposed certain tariffs on international trade and may consider additional tariffs or 
other limitations on international trade.  As a result of these actions, and any other actions that the U.S. may take in the future to 
withdraw from or materially modify other international trade agreements, or to otherwise limit international trade, our business, 
financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Risks related to our 2.00% convertible senior notes due 2020

The use of cash to satisfy our conversion obligation under the Notes may adversely affect our liquidity, and we may not 
have the ability to raise the funds necessary to settle conversions in cash or to repurchase the Notes upon a fundamental 
change. The agreements governing our other indebtedness may contain limitations on our ability to pay cash upon 
conversion or repurchase of the Notes.

On June 15, 2015, we completed an offering of $125.0 million aggregate principal amount of the Notes.  The Notes may be 
converted into shares of our common stock, at the election of the holder, if certain conditions are met, including, among other 

23

things, the last reported sale price of the common stock being greater than or equal to 130% of the conversion price of the Notes 
(initially $21.94 per share) for at least 20 trading days within a period of 30 consecutive trading days.  In the event the conditional 
conversion feature of the Notes is triggered, and one or more holders elect to convert their Notes, we may elect to satisfy our 
conversion obligation by paying cash or by delivering shares of our common stock.  Further, holders of the Notes have the right to 
require us to repurchase their Notes upon the occurrence of a fundamental change, which generally means a merger, sale of all or 
substantially all of our assets, or other similar change of control transaction.  To the extent we do not elect to satisfy our 
conversion obligation by delivering solely shares of our common stock, we would be required to settle a portion or all of our 
conversion obligation through the payment of cash.  The use of cash to settle our conversion obligation could adversely affect our 
liquidity. Further, we may not have enough available cash, or be able to obtain financing at the time we are required to make 
repurchases of the Notes surrendered or to make cash payments in respect of Notes being converted.  The Financing Agreement 
contains a restriction on our ability to settle conversions of the Notes with cash.

The Notes mature in June 2020.  Under applicable accounting rules, if the Notes are not converted or repaid prior to 
August 2019, our financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected.

The Notes mature in June 2020.  If holders do not elect to convert their Notes and the Notes remain outstanding prior to the 
issuance of our quarterly report for the three months ended June 30, 2019, which we expect in August 2019, we would be required 
under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all or a portion of the outstanding principal of the Notes as a current, rather than 
long-term, liability.  Such reclassification would result in a material reduction of our net working capital, which could have a 
material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.  In addition, while we could seek to obtain third-party 
financing to pay for any amounts due in cash upon the maturity of the Notes, we cannot be sure that such third-party financing 
would be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. 

Our failure to repurchase Notes or pay any cash upon conversion of the Notes would constitute a default under the 
indenture governing the Notes, and could cause defaults under our other or future indebtedness.

Our failure to repurchase Notes or pay any cash upon conversion of the Notes as required by the indenture governing the Notes 
would constitute a default under the indenture.  This kind of default under the indenture would also constitute a default under the 
Financing Agreement, and it could constitute a default under agreements governing our future indebtedness. If the repayment of 
the indebtedness under the Financing Agreement, or any other indebtedness, were to be accelerated after any applicable notice or 
grace periods, we may not have sufficient funds to repay the indebtedness and repurchase the Notes or make cash payments upon 
conversions thereof.

The capped call transaction may affect the trading price of our common stock.

In connection with the offering of the Notes, we entered into the Capped Call. The primary purpose of the Capped Call was to 
reduce potential dilution to our common stock and/or offset any cash payments we may be required to make in excess of the 
principal amount, in each case, upon any conversion of Notes. In order to establish a hedge of the Capped Call, the Counterparty 
may have entered into various derivative transactions with respect to our common stock, and it may modify its hedge positions 
from time to time by entering into or unwinding various derivative transactions with respect to our common stock and/or 
purchasing or selling our common stock or other securities in secondary market transactions prior to the maturity of the Notes.  
The Counterparty is likely to undertake these activities during, and potentially prior to, any observation period related to a 
conversion of the Notes. These activities could cause or avoid an increase or a decrease in the market price of our common stock.

Risks Related to Our Stock

The market price of our common stock has been and may continue to be volatile.

The market price of our common stock has historically experienced volatility. Our stock may continue to fluctuate substantially in 
the future in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control.  These factors include, but are not limited to:

• 

• 

period-to-period variations in our revenues or operating results;

our failure to accurately forecast revenues or operating results or to report financial or operating results within the range 
of our previously issued guidance;

24

• 

our ability to produce accurate and timely financial statements;

•  whether our results meet analysts’ expectations;

•  market reaction to significant corporate initiatives or announcements;

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

our ability to innovate;

our relative competitive position within our markets;

shifts in markets or demand for our solutions;

changes in our relationships with suppliers, resellers, distributors or customers;

our commencement of, or involvement in, litigation;

short sales, hedging or other derivative transactions involving shares of our common stock; 

shifts in financial markets and fluctuations of exchange rates; and

the actions and decisions of our significant stockholders.

Additionally, broader financial market and global economic trends may affect the market price of our common stock, regardless 
of our operating performance.

Delaware law and our charter documents may impede or discourage a takeover, which could reduce the market price of 
our common stock.

We are a Delaware corporation, and the anti-takeover provisions of Delaware law impose various impediments to the ability of a 
third party to acquire control of us, even if a change in control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. In addition, our 
board of directors, or a committee thereof, has the power, without stockholder approval, to designate the terms of one or more 
series of preferred stock and issue shares of preferred stock. The ability of our board of directors or a committee thereof to create 
and issue a new series of preferred stock and certain provisions of Delaware law and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, 
could impede a merger, takeover or other business combination involving us, or discourage a potential acquirer from making a 
tender offer for our common stock, which, under certain circumstances, could reduce the market price of our common stock.

ITEM 1B.  UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2. 

PROPERTIES

We lease approximately 124,000 square feet in two facilities in Burlington, Massachusetts for our principal corporate and 
administrative offices, as well as for significant R&D activities.  The lease for 24,000 square feet expires in May 2020 and the 
lease for 100,000 square feet expires in May 2028. 

We lease approximately 17,000 square feet of office space in Iver Heath, United Kingdom for our European headquarters, which 
includes administrative, sales and support functions, and 24,000 square feet in Dublin, Ireland for the final assembly and 
distribution of our products. We lease approximately 24,000 square feet in the Philippines for our Asia operations including 
customer support and administrative functions.

We also lease office space for sales operations and research and development in several other domestic and international 
locations.

25

ITEM 3. 

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Our industry is characterized by the existence of a large number of patents and frequent claims and litigation regarding patent and 
other intellectual property rights. We are involved in legal proceedings from time to time arising from the normal course of 
business activities, including claims of alleged infringement of intellectual property rights and contractual, commercial, employee 
relations, product or service performance, or other matters. 

Class Action Lawsuit

In November 2016, a purported securities class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts 
(Mohanty v. Avid Technology, Inc. et al., No. 16-cv-12336) against us and certain of our executive officers seeking unspecified 
damages and other relief on behalf of a purported class of purchasers of our common stock between August 4, 2016 and 
November 9, 2016, inclusive. The complaint purported to state a claim for violation of federal securities laws as a result of alleged 
violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder. The complaint’s allegations 
relate generally to our disclosure surrounding the level of implementation of our Avid NEXIS solution product offerings. On 
February 7, 2017, the Court appointed a lead plaintiff and counsel in the matter. On June 14, 2017, we moved to dismiss the 
action. On July 31, 2017, the lead plaintiff filed an opposition to our motion to dismiss, and on August 21, 2017, we filed our 
reply brief. On October 13, 2017, after a mediation, the parties reached an agreement in principle to settle this litigation. The 
settlement was approved by the court and the settlement payment was made by our insurers in May 2018.

 The outcome of legal proceedings and claims brought against us is subject to significant uncertainty and, as a result, our financial 
position or results of operations may be negatively affected by the unfavorable resolution of one or more of these proceedings for 
the period in which a matter is resolved.  See Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors.” 

ITEM 4.  MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not Applicable.

26

PART II

ITEM 5.  MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS 

AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol AVID.  The approximate number of holders of 
record of our common stock at March 11, 2019 was 255.  This number does not include stockholders for whom shares were held 
in a “nominee” or “street” name.

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital stock, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the 
foreseeable future.  Our Financing Agreement prohibits us from declaring or paying any dividends in cash on our capital stock.

Stock Performance Graph

The following graph compares the cumulative stockholder return on our common stock during the period from December 31, 
2013 through December 31, 2018 with the cumulative return during the period for:

• 

• 

• 

the Nasdaq Composite Index (all companies traded on Nasdaq Capital, Global or Global Select Markets),

the 2017 Avid Peer Group Index, and

the 2018 Avid Peer Group Index (see details following the graph).

This comparison assumes the investment of $100 on December 31, 2013 in our common stock, the Nasdaq Market Index and the 
Avid Peer Group Index, and assumes that dividends, if any, were reinvested.

COMPARISON OF FIVE-YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN
Among Avid Technology, Inc., the Nasdaq Composite Index, 
and the Avid Peer Groups 

27

Because our products and services are diverse, we do not believe any single published industry index is appropriate for comparing 
stockholder return. As a result, we compare our common stock returns to a peer group index, which was composed of Nasdaq 
traded companies selected to best represent our peers based on various criteria, including industry classification, number of 
employees and market capitalization.  

The composition of the Avid Peer Group Index is dictated by the peer group selected by the compensation committee of our board 
of directors for reference in setting executive compensation.  The compensation committee seeks generally to include companies 
with similar product and service offerings to those of Avid while also achieving a balance of smaller and larger sized peer 
companies in terms of market capitalizations and revenue.  For 2018, the compensation committee made certain changes to the 
2017 Avid Peer Group Index to more accurately reflect this philosophy.

The Avid Peer Group Index for 2018 was composed of: 3D Systems Corporation, Brightcove Inc., Carbonite, Inc., Cray Inc., 
Extreme Networks, Inc., Harmonic Inc., Limelight Networks, Inc. MicroStrategy Incorporated, Monotype Imagine Holdings Inc., 
Progress Software Corporation, RealNetworks, Inc., Shutterstock, Inc., and TiVo Corporation.  

The Avid Peer Group Index is weighted based on market capitalization. 

28

ITEM 6.           SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The selected condensed consolidated financial data below should be read in conjunction with Item 7, “Management’s Discussion 
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Financial 
Information,” included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.  The selected condensed consolidated financial data as of December 31, 
2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014 and for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014 has been derived from 
our audited consolidated financial statements.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS DATA:
(in thousands, except per share data)

Net revenues

Cost of revenues

Gross profit

Operating expenses:

Research and development

Marketing and selling

General and administrative

Amortization of intangible assets

Restructuring costs (recoveries), net

Total operating expenses

Operating income

Interest and other expense, net

(Loss) income before income taxes

Provision for (benefit from) income taxes

Net (loss) income

Net (loss) income per share – basic and diluted

Weighted-average common shares outstanding – basic

Weighted-average common shares outstanding – diluted

For the Year Ended December 31,

2018 

(1)

2017 (2)

2016 (2)

2015 (2)

2014 (2)

$

413,282

$

419,003

$

511,930

$

505,595

$

530,251

174,118

239,164

176,887

242,116

179,207

332,723

62,379

101,273

55,230

1,450

5,148

225,480

13,684

(23,087)

(9,403)

1,271

68,212

106,257

53,892

1,450

7,059

236,870

5,246

(18,668)

(13,422)

133

81,564

110,338

61,471

2,498

12,837

268,708

64,015

(18,671)

45,344

(2,875)

$

$

(10,674) $

(13,555) $

48,219

(0.26) $

(0.33) $

41,662

41,662

41,020

41,020

1.20

40,021

40,176

197,445

308,150

95,898

122,511

74,109

2,354

6,305

204,471

325,780

90,390

133,049

81,181

1,626

(165)

301,177

306,081

6,973

(6,408)

565

(1,915)

2,480

0.06

39,423

40,380

$

$

19,699

(2,783)

16,916

2,188

14,728

0.38

39,147

39,267

$

$

(1)     As a result of our adoption of Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, Topic 606 effective January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective 

method, prior period amounts have not been adjusted to conform with ASC 606 and therefore may not be comparable. See our policy on “Revenue 
Recognition” in Note B to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Form 10-K for a further discussion of the effects of the changes to 
our revenue recognition policies on our financial results.

(2)    Our revenues and operating results have been affected by the deferral of revenues from customer transactions occurring prior to 2011.  On January 1, 
2011, we adopted Accounting Standards Update, or ASU, No. 2009-14.  Substantially all revenue arrangements prior to January 1, 2011 were 
generally recognized on a ratable basis over the service period of Implied Maintenance Release PCS.  Subsequent to January 1, 2011, product 
revenues are generally recognized upon delivery and Implied Maintenance PCS and other service and support elements are recognized as services are 
rendered.  

29

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET DATA:
(in thousands)

As of December 31,

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities

$

56,103

$

57,223

$

44,948

$

17,902

$

25,056

Working capital (deficit) (1)

Total assets

Deferred revenues (current and long-term amounts)

Long-term liabilities (1)

Total stockholders’ deficit

8,923

265,843

99,601

244,831

(61,753)

(86,931)

(167,450)

(157,492)

234,684

194,613

287,174

249,581

225,684

281,556

247,926

348,382

272,599

191,599

414,840

222,641

(166,661)

(268,570)

(269,911)

(329,572)

(341,070)

(1)  The presentation of prior year working capital deficit and long-term liability amounts have been changed to reflect our retrospective adoption of ASU 
No. 2015-17, Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes.  The standard requires entities to present all deferred tax assets and deferred tax 
liabilities as non-current in a classified balance sheet. 

30

 
 
ITEM 7.  MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF 

OPERATIONS

EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW

Business Overview

We develop, market, sell, and support software and integrated solutions for video and audio content creation, management and 
distribution. We are a leading technology provider that powers the media and entertainment industry. We do this by providing an 
open and efficient platform for digital media, along with a comprehensive set of tools and workflow solutions. Our solutions are 
used in production and post-production facilities; film studios; network, affiliate, independent and cable television stations; 
recording studios; live-sound performance venues; advertising agencies; government and educational institutions; corporate 
communications departments; and by independent video and audio creative professionals, as well as aspiring professionals. 
Projects produced using our tools, platform and ecosystem include feature films, television programming, live events, news 
broadcasts, sports productions, commercials, music, video and other digital media content.  With over one million creative users 
and thousands of enterprise clients relying on our technology platforms and solutions around the world, Avid enables the industry 
to thrive in today’s connected media and entertainment world.

Our mission is to empower media creators with innovative technology and collaborative tools to entertain, inform, educate and 
enlighten the world. Our clients rely on Avid to create the most prestigious and award-winning feature films, music recordings, 
television shows, live concerts, sporting events and news broadcasts. Avid has been honored for technological innovation with 16 
Emmy Awards, one Grammy Award, two Oscars and the first ever America Cinema Editors Technical Excellence Award. In 2018, 
Avid was named the recipient of the prestigious Philo T. Farnsworth Award by the Television Academy, to honor Avid’s 30 years 
of continuous, transformative technology innovations, including products that have improved and accelerated the entire editing 
and post production process for television. Our creative tools and workflow solutions were used in all 2019 Oscar nominated 
films for Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Picture. 

Operations Overview

Our strategy for connecting creative professionals and media enterprises with audiences in a powerful, efficient, collaborative, 
and profitable way leverages our Avid MediaCentral Platform - the open, extensible, and customizable foundation that streamlines 
and simplifies content workflows by integrating all Avid or third-party products and services that run on top of it. The platform 
provides secure and protected access, and enables fast and easy creation, delivery and monetization of content.

We work to ensure that we are meeting customer needs, staying ahead of industry trends and investing in the right areas through a 
close and interactive relationship with our customer base.  The Avid Customer Association was established to be the world’s most 
innovative and influential media technology community representing thousands of organizations and over 27,000 professionals 
from all levels of the industry including the industry’s most inspirational and award-winning thought leaders, innovators and 
storytellers. The Avid Customer Association fosters collaboration between Avid, its customers and other industry colleagues to 
help shape our product offerings as well as providing a means to shape our industry together. 

A key element of our strategy is our transition to a recurring revenue-based model, through a combination of subscription 
offerings and long-term agreements.  We started offering subscription licensing options for some of our products and solutions in 
2014, and had approximately 125,000 paying subscribers at the end of 2018. These licensing options offer choices in pricing and 
deployment to suit our customers’ needs.  Our subscription offerings to date have primarily been sold to creative professionals, 
however, we expect to increase subscription sales to media enterprises going forward as we expand offerings and move through 
customer upgrade cycles, which we expect will further increase recurring revenue on a longer-term basis.  Our long-term 
agreements are comprised of multi-year agreements with large media enterprise customers to provide specified products and 
services, including SaaS offerings, and channel partners and resellers to purchase minimum amounts of products and service over 
a specified period of time. 

Another key aspect of our strategy has been to implement programs to increase operational efficiencies and reduce costs.  We are 
making significant changes in business operations to better support the company’s strategy and overall performance. We have 
implemented a number of spending control initiatives biased towards non-personnel costs to reduce the overall cost structure 

31

while still investing in key areas that will drive growth.  We are also revamping our supply chain and logistics, moving to a lean 
model that leverages a new supplier and distribution network.  We are optimizing our go-to-market strategy, simplifying our 
strategy to address specific customer markets to help maximize our commercial success, which we expect will improve 
effectiveness, while increasing efficiency and driving growth of our pipeline and ultimately revenue.  

32

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the 
United States of America.  The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect 
the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial 
statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.  We regularly reevaluate our estimates 
and judgments, including those related to the following:  revenue recognition and allowances for sales returns and exchanges; 
stock-based compensation; income tax assets and liabilities; and restructuring charges and accruals.  We base our estimates and 
judgments on historical experience and various other factors we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of 
which form the basis for judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities and the amounts of revenues and expenses 
that are not readily apparent from other sources.  Actual results may differ from these estimates.

We believe the following critical accounting policies most significantly affect the portrayal of our financial condition and involve 
our most difficult and subjective estimates and judgments.

On January 1, 2018, we adopted ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”), using the modified 
retrospective method applied to contracts not completed as of January 1, 2018. Results for reporting periods beginning 
after January 1, 2018 are presented under ASC 606, while prior period amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported in 
accordance with our historic accounting under ASC 605.  For this reason, the discussion that follows describes our revenue 
recognition policies both before and after our adoption of ASC 606.

Revenue Recognition - Prior to the adoption of ASC 606 on January 1, 2018

General

We commence revenue recognition when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred, the sales price is 
fixed or determinable and collection is reasonably assured. Generally, the products we sell do not require significant production, 
modification or customization. Installation of our products is generally routine, consists of implementation and configuration and 
does not have to be performed by us.

At the time of a sales transaction, we make an assessment of the collectability of the amount due from the customer. Revenues are 
recognized only if it is reasonably assured that collection will occur. When making this assessment, we consider customer credit-
worthiness and historical payment experience. If it is determined from the outset of the arrangement that collection is not 
reasonably assured, revenues are recognized on a cash basis, provided that all other revenue recognition criteria are satisfied. At 
the outset of the arrangement, we also assess whether the fee associated with the order is fixed or determinable and free of 
contingencies or significant uncertainties. When assessing whether the fee is fixed or determinable, we consider the payment 
terms of the transaction, our collection experience in similar transactions, and our involvement, if any, in third-party financing 
transactions, among other factors. If the fee is not fixed or determinable, revenues are recognized only as payments become due 
from the customer, provided that all other revenue recognition criteria are met. If a significant portion of the fee is due after our 
normal payment terms, we evaluate whether we have sufficient history of successfully collecting past transactions with similar 
terms without offering concessions. If that collection history is sufficient, revenue recognition commences, upon delivery of the 
products, assuming all other revenue recognition criteria are satisfied. If we were to make different judgments or assumptions 
about any of these matters, it could cause a material increase or decrease in the amount of revenues reported in a particular period.

We often receive multiple purchase orders or contracts from a single customer or a group of related customers that are evaluated 
to determine if they are, in effect, part of a single arrangement. In situations when we have concluded that two or more orders 
with the same customer are so closely related that they are, in effect, parts of a single arrangement, we account for those orders as 
a single arrangement for revenue recognition purposes. In other circumstances, when we have concluded that two or more orders 
with the same customer are independent buying decisions, such as an earlier purchase of a product and a subsequent purchase of a 
software upgrade or maintenance contract, we account for those orders as separate arrangements for revenue recognition 
purposes.

For many of our products, there has been an ongoing practice of Avid making available at no charge to customers’ minor feature 
and compatibility enhancements as well as bug fixes on a when-and-if-available basis (collectively “Software Updates”), for a 
period of time after initial sales to end users. The implicit obligation to make such Software Updates available to customers over a 

33

period of time represents implied post-contract customer support, which is deemed to be a deliverable in each arrangement and is 
accounted for as a separate element (“Implied Maintenance Release PCS”).

Over the course of the last few years, in connection with a strategic initiative to increase support and other recurring revenue 
streams, we have taken a number of steps to eliminate the longstanding practice of providing Implied Maintenance Release PCS 
for many of our products, including the Media Composer, Pro Tools and Sibelius product lines.  In the third quarter and fourth 
quarter of 2015, respectively, we concluded that Implied Maintenance Release PCS for our Media Composer and Sibelius product 
lines had ceased.  In the first quarter of 2016, in connection with the release of Cloud Collaboration in Pro Tools version 12.5, 
which was an undelivered feature that had prevented us from recognizing any revenue related to new Pro Tools 12 software sales 
as it represented a specified upgrade right for which vendor specific objective evidence (“VSOE”) of fair value was not available, 
we concluded that Implied Maintenance Release PCS for Pro Tools 12 product lines had also ended.  The determination that Pro 
Tools 12 Implied Maintenance Release PCS had ended was based on management (i) clearly communicating a policy of no longer 
providing any Software Updates or other support to customers that are not covered under a paid support plan and (ii) 
implementing robust digital rights management tools to enforce the policy.  With the new policy and technology for Pro Tools 12 
in place, combined with management’s intent to continue to adhere to the policy, management concluded in the first quarter of 
2016 that Implied Maintenance Release PCS for Pro Tools 12 transactions no longer exists. As a result of the conclusion that 
Implied Maintenance Release PCS on Pro Tools 12 has ended, revenue and net income in the first quarter of 2016 increased 
approximately $11.1 million reflecting the recognition of orders received after the launch of Pro Tools 12 that would have 
qualified for earlier recognition using the residual method of accounting.  In addition, the elimination of Implied Maintenance 
Release PCS also resulted in the accelerated recognition of maintenance and product revenues that were previously being 
recognized on a ratable basis over a much longer expected period of Implied Maintenance Release PCS rather than the contractual 
maintenance period.  The reduction in the estimated amortization period of transactions being recognized on a ratable basis 
resulted in an additional $41.8 million of revenue during the year ended December 31, 2016.  

Revenue Recognition of Non-Software Deliverables

Revenue from products that are considered non-software deliverables is recognized upon delivery of the product to the customer. 
Products are considered delivered to the customer once they have been shipped and title and risk of loss has been transferred. For 
most of our product sales, these criteria are met at the time the product is shipped. Revenue from support that is considered a non-
software deliverable is initially deferred and is recognized ratably over the contractual period of the arrangement, which is 
generally twelve months. Professional services and training services are typically sold to customers on a time and materials basis. 
Revenue from professional services and training services that are considered non-software deliverables is recognized for these 
deliverables as services are provided to the customer. Revenue for Implied Maintenance Release PCS that is considered a non-
software deliverable is recognized ratably over the service period of Implied Maintenance Release PCS, which ranges from one to 
eight years. 

Revenue Recognition of Software Deliverables

We recognize the following types of elements sold using software revenue recognition guidance: (i) software products and 
software upgrades, when the software sold in a customer arrangement is more than incidental to the arrangement as a whole and 
the product does not contain hardware that functions with the software to provide essential functionality, (ii) initial support 
contracts where the underlying product being supported is considered to be a software deliverable, (iii) support contract renewals, 
and (iv) professional services and training that relate to deliverables considered to be software deliverables.  Because we do not 
have VSOE of the fair value of our software products, we are permitted to account for our typical customer arrangements that 
include multiple elements using the residual method.  Under the residual method, the VSOE of fair value of the undelivered 
elements (which could include support, professional services or training, or any combination thereof) is deferred and the 
remaining portion of the total arrangement fee is recognized as revenue for the delivered elements.  If evidence of the VSOE of 
fair value of one or more undelivered elements does not exist, revenues are deferred and recognized when delivery of those 
elements occurs or when VSOE of fair value can be established.  VSOE of fair value is typically based on the price charged when 
the element is sold separately to customers.  We are unable to use the residual method to recognize revenues for some 
arrangements that include products that are software deliverables under GAAP since VSOE of fair value does not exist for 
Implied Maintenance Release PCS elements, which are included in some of our arrangements.

For software products that include Implied Maintenance Release PCS, an element for which VSOE of fair value does not exist, 
revenue for the entire arrangement fee, which could include combinations of product, professional services, training and support, 

34

is recognized ratably as a group over the longest service period of any deliverable in the arrangement, with recognition 
commencing on the date delivery has occurred for all deliverables in the arrangement (or begins to occur in the case of 
professional services, training and support).  Standalone sales of support contracts are recognized ratably over the service period 
of the product being supported. 

From time to time, we offer certain customers free upgrades or specified future products or enhancements.  When a software 
deliverable arrangement contains an Implied Maintenance Release PCS deliverable, revenue recognition of the entire arrangement 
will only commence when any free upgrades or specified future products or enhancements have been delivered, assuming all 
other products in the arrangement have been delivered and all services, if any, have commenced.

Other Revenue Recognition Policies

In a limited number of arrangements, the professional services and training to be delivered are considered essential to the 
functionality of our software products.  If services sold in an arrangement are deemed to be essential to the functionality of the 
software products, the arrangement is accounted for using contract accounting.  As we have concluded that we cannot reliably 
estimate our contract costs, we use the completed contract method of contract accounting.  The completed contract method of 
accounting defers all revenue and costs until the date that the products have been delivered and professional services, exclusive of 
post-contract customer support, have been completed.  Deferred costs related to fully deferred contracts are recorded as a 
component of inventories in the consolidated balance sheet, and generally all other costs of sales are recognized when revenue 
recognition commences. 

We record as revenues all amounts billed to customers for shipping and handling costs and records our actual shipping costs as a 
component of cost of revenues.  Reimbursements received from customers for out-of-pocket expenses are recorded as revenues, 
with related costs recorded as cost of revenues.  We present revenues net of any taxes collected from customers and remitted to 
government authorities.

In the consolidated statements of operations, we classify revenues as product revenues or services revenues.  For multiple-element 
arrangements that include both product and service elements, including Implied Maintenance Release PCS, we evaluate available 
indicators of fair value and applies our judgment to reasonably classify the arrangement fee between product revenues and 
services revenues. The amount of multiple-element arrangement fees classified as product and service revenues based on 
management estimates of fair value when VSOE of fair value for all elements of an arrangement does not exist could differ from 
amounts classified as product and service revenues if VSOE of fair value for all elements existed.

Revenue Recognition - After the adoption of ASC 606 on January 1, 2018

We enter into contracts with customers that include various combinations of products and services, which are typically capable of 
being distinct and are accounted for as separate performance obligations. We account for a contract when (i) it has approval and 
commitment from both parties, (ii) the rights of the parties have been identified, (iii) payment terms have been identified, (iv) the 
contract has commercial substance and (v) collectability is probable. We recognize revenue upon transfer of control of promised 
products or services to customers, which typically occurs upon shipment or delivery depending on the terms of the underlying 
contracts, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to receive in exchange for those products or services.

See Note O for disaggregated revenue schedules and further discussion on revenue and deferred revenue performance obligations 
and the timing of revenue recognition.

We often enter into contractual arrangements that have multiple performance obligations, one or more of which may be delivered 
subsequent to the delivery of other performance obligations. These arrangements may include a combination of products, support, 
training and professional services.  We allocate the transaction price of the arrangement based on the relative estimated standalone 
selling price, or SSP, of each distinct performance obligation.

Our process for determining SSP for each performance obligation involves significant management judgment. In determining 
SSP, we maximize observable inputs and consider a number of data points, including:

• 
• 

the pricing of standalone sales (in the limited instances where available);
the pricing established by management when setting prices for deliverables that are intended to be sold on a standalone 
basis;

35

• 
• 

contractually stated prices for deliverables that are intended to be sold on a standalone basis;
other pricing factors, such as the geographical region in which the products are sold and expected discounts based on the 
customer size and type.

Determining SSP for performance obligations which we never sell separately also requires significant judgment.  In estimating the 
SSP, we consider the likely price that would have resulted from established pricing practices had the deliverable been offered 
separately and the prices a customer would likely be willing to pay.

We only include estimated amounts in the transaction price to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal of cumulative 
revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is resolved.  We reduce 
transaction prices for estimated returns and other allowances that represent variable consideration under ASC 606, which we 
estimate based on historical return experience and other relevant factors, and record a corresponding refund liability as a 
component of accrued expenses and other current liabilities.  Other forms of contingent revenue or variable consideration are 
infrequent.

While not a common practice for us, in the event we grant the customer the option to acquire additional products or services in an 
arrangement, we consider if the option provides a material right to the customer that it would not receive without entering into the 
contract (e.g., an incremental discount compared to the range of discounts typically given for similar products or services).  If a 
material right is deemed to exist, we account for the option as a distinct performance obligation and recognize revenue when those 
future products or services are transferred or when the option expires.

We also record as revenue all amounts billed to customers for shipping and handling costs and record the actual shipping costs as 
a component of cost of revenues. Reimbursements received from customers for out-of-pocket expenses are recorded as revenues, 
with related costs recorded as cost of revenues. We present revenues net of any taxes collected from customers and remitted to 
government authorities.

Our contracts rarely contain significant financing components as payments from customers are due within a short period from 
when our performance obligations are satisfied.

We are applying the practical expedient for the deferral of sales commissions and other contract acquisition costs, which are 
expensed as incurred, because the amortization period would be one year or less.

Stock-Based Compensation

We account for stock-based compensation at fair value.  The vesting of stock options and restricted stock awards may be based on 
time, performance, market conditions, or a combination of time, performance and market conditions.  In the future, we may grant 
stock awards, options, or other equity-based instruments allowed by our stock-based compensation plans, or a combination 
thereof, as part of our overall compensation strategy.

We generally use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the fair value of stock option grants with time-based vesting.  
The Black-Scholes option pricing model relies on a number of key assumptions to calculate estimated fair values.  Our assumed 
dividend yield of zero is based on the fact that we have never paid cash dividends, we have no present intention to pay cash 
dividends and our current credit agreement precludes us from paying dividends.  Our expected stock-price volatility assumption is 
based on actual historic stock volatility for periods equivalent to the expected term of the award.  The assumed risk-free interest 
rate is the U.S. Treasury security rate with a term equal to the expected life of the option.  The assumed expected life is based on 
company-specific historical experience, considering the exercise behavior of past grants and models the pattern of aggregate 
exercises.  The fair values of restricted stock and restricted stock unit awards with time-based vesting are based on the intrinsic 
values of the awards at the date of grant as these awards have a purchase price of $0.01 per share. 

We have also issued stock option grants or restricted stock unit awards with vesting based on market conditions, which 
historically included Avid’s stock price or performance conditions, generally our adjusted EBITDA. The fair values and derived 
service periods for all grants that include vesting based on market conditions are estimated using the Monte Carlo simulation 
method.  For stock option grants that include vesting based on performance conditions, the fair values are estimated using the 
Black-Scholes option pricing model.  For restricted stock unit awards that include vesting based on performance conditions, the 

36

fair values are estimated based on the intrinsic values of the awards at the date of grant as these awards have a purchase price of 
$0.01 per share. 

Income Tax Assets and Liabilities

We record deferred tax assets and liabilities based on the net tax effects of tax credits, operating loss carryforwards and temporary 
differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes compared to the amounts used 
for income tax purposes.  We regularly review our deferred tax assets for recoverability with consideration for such factors as 
historical losses, projected future taxable income and the expected timing of the reversals of existing temporary differences.  A 
valuation allowance is recorded when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be 
realized.  

On December 22, 2017, TCJA was signed into law. The TCJA changed many aspects of U.S. corporate income taxation and 
included reduction of the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%, implementation of a territorial tax system and imposition 
of a tax on deemed repatriated earnings of foreign subsidiaries. The TCJA was effective as of December 31, 2017 and at that time 
we made a reasonable estimate of the effects on our existing deferred tax balances and the one-time transition tax. As of 
September 30, 2018, we completed our accounting for the tax effects of the TCJA and there were no material changes to the 
estimated amounts that were recorded as of December 31, 2017. The global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”) provisions of 
the TCJA impose a tax on foreign income in excess of a deemed return on tangible assets of foreign corporations. Under U.S. 
GAAP, we can make an accounting policy choice of either (1) treating taxes due on future U.S. inclusions in taxable income 
related to GILTI as a current-period expense when incurred (the “period cost method”) or (2) factoring such amounts into the 
measurement of our deferred taxes (the “deferred method”). During the year ended December 31, 2018 we made a policy election 
to record tax effects of GILTI as an expense in the period incurred.

Based on the magnitude of our gross deferred tax assets, which totaled approximately $308.5 million at December 31, 2018, after 
revaluation for the TCJA U.S. corporate income tax rate reduction, and our level of historical U.S. losses, we have determined that 
the uncertainty regarding the realization of these assets is sufficient to warrant the need for a full valuation allowance against our 
U.S. deferred tax assets.  We also determined that a valuation allowance is warranted on a portion of our foreign deferred tax 
assets.

Our assessment of the valuation allowance on our U.S. and foreign deferred tax assets could change in the future based on our 
levels of pre-tax income and other tax-related adjustments.  Reversal of the valuation allowance in whole or in part would result 
in a non-cash reduction in income tax expense during the period of reversal.  To the extent some or all of our valuation allowance 
is reversed, future financial statements would reflect an increase in non-cash income tax expense until such time as our deferred 
tax assets are fully utilized.

The amount of income taxes we pay is subject to our interpretation of applicable tax laws in the jurisdictions in which we file.  We 
have taken and will continue to take tax positions based on our interpretation of such tax laws.  There can be no assurance that a 
taxing authority will not have a different interpretation of applicable law and assess us with additional taxes. Should we be 
assessed with additional taxes, it could have a negative impact on our results of operations or financial condition.

We account for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in our financial statements by applying a two-step process to determine 
the amount of tax provision or benefit to be recognized.  First, the tax position must be evaluated to determine the likelihood that 
it will be sustained upon examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position.  If the tax position is 
deemed more likely than not to be sustained, the tax position is then assessed to determine the amount of provision or benefit to 
recognize in the financial statements.  The amount of provision or benefit that may be recognized is the largest amount that has a 
greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement.  Our provision for income taxes includes the effects of 
any resulting tax reserves, referred to as unrecognized tax benefits, that are considered appropriate as well as the related net 
interest and penalties.

37

 
Restructuring Charges and Accruals

We recognize facility-related restructuring charges upon exiting all or a portion of a leased facility and meeting cease-use and 
other requirements. The amount of restructuring charges is based on the fair value of the lease obligation for the abandoned space, 
which includes a sublease assumption that could be reasonably obtained.

Based on our policies for the calculation and payment of severance benefits, we account for employee-related restructuring 
charges as an ongoing benefit arrangement in accordance with ASC Topic 712, Compensation - Nonretirement Postemployment 
Benefits.  Severance-related charges are accrued when it is determined that a liability has been incurred, which is when the 
expected severance payments are probable and can be reasonably estimated.

Restructuring charges require significant estimates and assumptions, including sub-lease income and severance period 
assumptions.  Our estimates involve a number of risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control, including future 
real estate market conditions and our ability to successfully enter into subleases or termination agreements with terms as favorable 
as those assumed when arriving at our estimates. We monitor these estimates and assumptions on at least a quarterly basis for 
changes in circumstances and any corresponding adjustments to the accrual are recorded in our statement of operations in the 
period when such changes are known.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following table sets forth certain items from our consolidated statements of operations as a percentage of net revenues for the 
periods indicated:

Net revenues:

Product revenues

Services revenues

Total net revenues

Cost of revenues

Gross margin

Operating expenses:

Research and development

Marketing and selling

General and administrative

Amortization of intangible assets

Restructuring costs, net

Total operating expenses

Operating income

Interest and other expense, net

(Loss) income before income taxes

Benefit from income taxes

Net (loss) income

Net Revenues

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2018

2016

49.6 %

50.4 %

50.0 %

50.0 %

55.3 %

44.7 %

100.0 %

100.0 %

100.0 %

42.1 %

57.9 %

15.1 %

24.5 %

13.4 %

0.4 %

1.2 %

54.6 %

3.3 %

(5.6)%

(2.3)%

0.3 %

(2.6)%

42.2 %

57.8 %

16.3 %

25.4 %

12.8 %

0.3 %

1.7 %

56.5 %

1.3 %

(4.5)%

(3.2)%

— %

(3.2)%

35.0 %

65.0 %

15.9 %

21.6 %

12.0 %

0.5 %

2.5 %

52.5 %

12.5 %

(3.7)%

8.8 %

(0.6)%

9.4 %

Our net revenues are derived mainly from sales of video and audio products and solutions for digital media content production, 
management and distribution, and related professional services and maintenance contracts.  We commonly sell large, complex 
solutions to our customers that, due to their strategic nature, have long lead times where the timing of order execution and 
fulfillment can be difficult to predict. In addition, the rapid evolution of the media industry is changing our customers’ needs, 

38

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
businesses and revenue models, which is influencing their short-term and long-term purchasing decisions. As a result of these 
factors, the timing and amount of product revenue recognized related to orders for large, complex solutions, as well as the 
services associated with them, can fluctuate from quarter to quarter and cause significant volatility in our quarterly and annual 
operating results. See the risk factors discussed in Part I - Item 1A under the heading “Risk Factors” of this Form 10-K. 

Net Revenues for the Years Ended December 31, 2018 and 2017
(dollars in thousands)

2018

Change

Net Revenues

$

$

132,276

$

72,831

205,107

208,175

$

413,282

$

17,489
(21,843)
(4,354)

(1,367)
(5,721)

%

15.2%

(23.1)%

(2.1)%

(0.7)%

(1.4)%

2017

Net Revenues

$

114,787

94,674

209,461

209,542

419,003

$

Net Revenues for the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016
(dollars in thousands)

2017

Change

2016

Net Revenues

$

114,787

$

94,674

209,461

209,542

$

419,003

$

$
(40,621)
(33,028)
(73,649)
(19,278)
(92,927)

%

Net Revenues

(26.1)%

(25.9)%

(26.0)%

(8.4)%

(18.2)%

$

$

155,408

127,702

283,110

228,820

511,930

Video products and solutions

Audio products and solutions

     Total products and solutions

Services

Total net revenues

Video products and solutions

Audio products and solutions

     Total products and solutions

Services

Total net revenues

The following table sets forth the percentage of our net revenues attributable to geographic regions for the periods indicated:

United States
Other Americas
Europe, Middle East and Africa
Asia-Pacific

Video Products and Solutions Revenues

2018 Compared to 2017

Year Ended December 31,
2017
38%
7%
39%
16%

2016
36%
7%
40%
17%

2018
36%
7%
42%
15%

Video products and solutions revenues increased $17.5 million, or 15.2%, for 2018, compared to 2017. The increase in video 
revenues was primarily due to improved storage product sales as a result of more large enterprise contracts executed in 2018 as 
well as strength in our Media Composer offerings.

39

 
 
2017 Compared to 2016

Video products and solutions revenues decreased $40.6 million, or 26.1%, for 2017, compared to 2016. The decrease in video 
revenues was primarily due to lower amortization of deferred revenues attributable to transactions executed on or before 
December 31, 2010. As a result of our adoption of ASU No. 2009-13 and ASU No. 2009-14 on January 1, 2011, many of our 
product orders now qualify for upfront revenue recognition; however, prior to adoption of this accounting guidance, the same 
orders required ratable recognition over periods of up to eight years. Deferred revenue associated with transactions executed prior 
to the adoption of ASU No. 2009-13 and ASU No. 2009-14 was largely amortized in 2016.

Audio Products and Solutions Revenues

2018 Compared to 2017

Audio products and solutions revenues decreased $21.8 million, or 23.1%, for 2018, compared to 2017. The decrease in audio 
revenues was primarily due to the accelerated revenue recognition of Pro Tools 12 during the first half of 2017 as the result of the 
cessation of Implied Maintenance Release PCS for Pro Tools, as well as lower audio hardware sales in 2018.

2017 Compared to 2016

Audio products and solutions revenues decreased $33.0 million, or 25.9%, for 2017, compared to 2016. The decrease in audio 
revenues was primarily due to the accelerated revenue recognition of Pro Tools 12 during 2016 as a result of the cessation of 
Implied Maintenance Release PCS for Pro Tools, which revenue did not recur at the same level in 2017. The decrease was also 
due to the previously discussed lower amortization of deferred revenues attributable to transactions executed on or before 
December 31, 2010.

Services Revenues

2018 Compared to 2017

Services revenues are derived primarily from maintenance contracts, as well as professional services and training.  The $1.4 
million, or 0.7%, decrease in services revenues in 2018 was primarily due to the accelerated revenue recognition of support 
contracts during the first half of 2017 as the result of the cessation of Implied Maintenance Release PCS for Pro Tools.

2017 Compared to 2016

The $19.3 million, or 8.4%, decrease in services revenues for 2017, compared to 2016, was primarily due to the accelerated 
revenue recognition of maintenance contracts and increasing conversion rates of new maintenance contracts into revenue as the 
result of the determination that Implied Maintenance Release PCS on Pro Tools 12 no longer existed during 2016.  The previously 
discussed lower amortization of deferred revenues attributable to transactions executed on or before December 31, 2010 also 
contributed to the decrease.

Revenue Backlog

At December 31, 2018, we had revenue backlog of approximately $457 million, of which approximately $190 million is expected 
to be recognized in the next twelve months, compared to $536 million at December 31, 2017.  Revenue backlog, as we define it, 
consists of firm orders received and includes both (i) orders where the customer has paid in advance of our performance 
obligations being fulfilled, and (ii) orders for future product deliveries or services that have not yet been invoiced by us.  Revenue 
backlog associated with arrangement consideration paid in advance primarily consists of deferred revenue related to (i) the 
undelivered portion of annual support contracts, (ii) software arrangements for which VSOE of fair value of undelivered elements 
does not exist, (iii) Implied Maintenance Release PCS performance obligations, and (iv) in-process installations that are subject to 
substantive customer acceptance provisions.  Revenue backlog associated with orders for future product deliveries and services 
where cash has not been received primarily consists of (i) product orders received but not yet shipped, (ii) professional services 
not yet rendered and (iii) future years of multi-year support agreements not yet billed. Our definition of backlog includes 
contractual commitments with customers that specify minimum future purchases, however, since these contractual arrangements 

40

do not specify which specific products and services must be purchased to fulfill these commitments, they do not meet the 
definition of an unfulfilled remaining performance obligation under GAAP.

Orders included in revenue backlog may be reduced, canceled or deferred by our customers.  The expected timing of the 
recognition of revenue backlog as revenue is based on our current estimates and could change based on a number of factors, 
including (i) the timing of delivery of products and services, (ii) customer cancellations or change orders, or (iii) changes in the 
estimated period of time Implied Maintenance Release PCS is provided to customers.  As there is no industry standard definition 
of revenue backlog, our reported revenue backlog may not be comparable with other companies.  Revenue backlog as of any 
particular date should not be relied upon as indicative of our net revenues for any future period.

Cost of Revenues, Gross Profit and Gross Margin Percentage

Cost of revenues consists primarily of costs associated with:

• 
• 
•  warehousing;
• 
• 
• 
• 

procurement of components and finished goods;
assembly, testing and distribution of finished products;

customer support related to maintenance;
royalties for third-party software and hardware included in our products;
amortization of technology; and
providing professional services and training.

Amortization of technology included in cost of revenues represents the amortization of developed technology assets acquired as 
part of acquisitions and is described further in the Amortization of Intangible Assets section below.

Costs of Revenues for the Years Ended December 31, 2018 and 2017
(dollars in thousands)

Products

Services

Amortization of intangible assets

    Total cost of revenues

2018
Costs

$

110,758

$

55,560

7,800

174,118

Change

$

(1,848)
(921)
—
(2,769)

%
(1.6)%

(1.6)%

—%

(1.6)%

2017
Costs

$

112,606

56,481

7,800

176,887

Gross profit

$

239,164

$

(2,952)

(1.2)%

$

242,116

Costs of Revenues for the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016
(dollars in thousands)

Products

Services

Amortization of intangible assets

    Total costs of revenues

2017

Costs

$

112,606

$

56,481

7,800

176,887

Change

$

1,027
(3,347)
—
(2,320)

%

0.9%

(5.6)%

—%

(1.3)%

2016

Costs

$

111,579

59,828

7,800

179,207

Gross profit

$

242,116

$

(90,607)

(27.2)%

$

332,723

Gross Margin Percentage

41

 
 
Gross margin percentage, which is net revenues less costs of revenues divided by net revenues, fluctuates based on factors such as 
the mix of products sold, the cost and proportion of third-party hardware and software included in the systems sold, the offering 
of product upgrades, price discounts and other sales-promotion programs, the distribution channels through which products are 
sold, the timing of new product introductions, sales of aftermarket hardware products such as disk drives and currency exchange-
rate fluctuations. Our total gross margin percentage for 2018, compared to 2017, was effectively unchanged.

Gross Margin % for the Years Ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016
(Decrease) 
Increase in
Gross Margin %
(0.2)%

2018 Gross
Margin %

2017 Gross
Margin %

(Decrease) 
Increase in
Gross Margin %
(14.4)%

46.0%

46.2%

73.3%

57.9%

0.3%

0.1%

73.0%

57.8%

(0.9)%

(7.2)%

2016 Gross
Margin %

60.6%

73.9%

65.0%

Products

Services

Total Gross Margin

2018 Compared to 2017

The products gross margin percentage for 2018 decreased to 46.0% from 46.2% for 2017, and the services gross margin 
percentage increased 0.3% from 2017. The change was primarily due to the decreased revenue from our products and services as 
discussed above, partially offset by cost savings resulting from our programs to reduce costs and increase operational efficiencies.

2017 Compared to 2016

The products gross margin percentage for 2017 decreased to 46.2% from 60.6% for 2016, and the service gross margin percentage 
decreased 0.9% from 2016. The decreases were primarily due to the decreased revenue from our products and services as 
discussed above, including the impact of the cessation of Pro Tools Implied Maintenance Release PCS in 2016, partially offset by 
cost savings resulting from our programs to reduce costs and increase operational efficiencies.

Operating Expenses and Operating Income

Operating Expenses and Operating Income for the Years Ended December 31, 2018 and 2017
(dollars in thousands)

Research and development expenses

Marketing and selling expenses

General and administrative expenses
Amortization of intangible assets

Restructuring costs, net

Total operating expenses

Operating income

Change

$

(5,833)
(4,984)
1,338
—
(1,911)
(11,390)

%
(8.6)%

(4.7)%

2.5%
—%

(27.1)%

(4.8)%

8,438

160.8%

2017
Expenses

68,212

106,257

53,892
1,450

7,059

236,870

5,246

$

$

$

2018
Expenses

$

62,379

$

101,273

55,230
1,450

5,148

225,480

13,684

$

$

$

$

42

 
 
Operating Expenses and Operating Income for the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016
(dollars in thousands)

Research and development expenses

Marketing and selling expenses

General and administrative expenses

Amortization of intangible assets

Restructuring costs, net

Total operating expenses

Operating income

Research and Development Expenses

2017
Expenses

$

68,212

$

106,257

53,892

1,450

7,059

236,870

5,246

$

$

$

$

Change

$
(13,352)
(4,081)
(7,579)
(1,048)
(5,778)
(31,838)

%
(16.4)%

(3.7)%

(12.3)%

(42.0)%

(45.0)%

(11.8)%

(58,769)

(91.8)%

2016
Expenses

81,564

110,338

61,471

2,498

12,837

268,708

64,015

$

$

$

Research and development, or R&D, expenses include costs associated with the development of new products and the 
enhancement of existing products, and consist primarily of employee salaries and benefits; facilities costs; depreciation; costs for 
consulting and temporary employees; and prototype and other development expenses.  R&D expenses decreased $5.8 million, or 
8.6%, during the year ended December 31, 2018, compared to 2017.  The table below provides further details regarding the 
changes in components of R&D expense.

Year-Over-Year Change in R&D Expenses for the Years Ended December 31, 2018 and 2017
(dollars in thousands)

Personnel-related

Consulting and outside services

Facilities and information technology

Computer hardware and supplies

Other expenses

Total research and development expenses decrease

2018 Compared to 2017

2018 (Decrease)/Increase
From 2017

2017 (Decrease)/Increase
From 2016

$
(3,136)
(1,900)
(1,379)
832
(250)
(5,833)

%
(8.2)%

(15.4)%

(9.9)%

75.3%

(9.8)%

(8.6)%

$

$

$
(7,074)
(2,594)
(2,626)
(621)
(437)
(13,352)

$

$

%
(15.6)%

(17.3)%

(15.9)%

(36.0)%

(14.6)%

(16.4)%

The decreases in all R&D expense categories, except computer hardware and supplies, for 2018, compared to 2017, were 
primarily the result of our programs to increase operational efficiencies and reduce costs. The increase in computer hardware and 
supplies expenses was the result of more prototype development for our video products in 2018.

2017 Compared to 2016

The decreases in all R&D expense categories for 2017, compared to 2016, were primarily the result of our cost efficiency 
program. 

Marketing and Selling Expenses

Marketing and selling expenses consist primarily of employee salaries and benefits for selling, marketing and pre-sales customer 
support personnel; commissions; travel expenses; advertising and promotional expenses; web design costs and facilities costs.  

43

 
 
 
Marketing and selling expenses decreased $5.0 million, or 4.7%, during the year ended December 31, 2018, compared to 2017. 
The table below provides further details regarding the changes in components of marketing and selling expense.

Year-Over-Year Change in Marketing and Selling Expenses for Years Ended December 31, 2018 and 2017
(dollars in thousands)

Foreign-exchange (gains) and losses

Personnel-related

Consulting and outside services

Facilities and information technology

Advertising and promotions

Other expenses

Total marketing and selling expenses decrease

2018 Compared to 2017

2018 (Decrease)/Increase
From 2017

2017 (Decrease)/Increase
From 2016

$
(4,648)
(1,035)

615
(369)
269

184
(4,984)

$

$

%
(91.1)%

$

(1.4)%

17.4%

(2.4)%

3.7%

9.9%

(4.7)%

$

$
5,724
(6,297)

(1,285)
739
(1,855)
(1,107)
(4,081)

%
(920.0)%

(8.0)%

(26.7)%

5.0%

(20.3)%

(37.4)%

(3.7)%

For the year ended December 31, 2018, net foreign-exchange losses, which are included in marketing and selling expenses, were 
$0.5 million, compared to losses of $5.1 million for 2017.  The foreign-exchange losses result from foreign currency denominated 
transactions and the revaluation of foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities. The large change was primarily due to the 
euro-dollar exchange rate volatility.  The decrease in personnel-related expenses for 2018 compared to 2017, was primarily due to 
decreases in incentive-based compensation accrual, stock-based compensation and sales commissions. The decrease in facilities 
and information technology expenses for 2018 compared to 2017, was primarily due to lower office rent expense resulting from 
our facilities consolidation. The increases in consulting and outside services and advertising and promotions expenses for 2018, 
compared to 2017, were in line with our increased spending in marketing and selling activities and events.  

2017 Compared to 2016

The decreases in personnel-related, advertising and promotions, consulting and outside services expenses for 2017, compared to 
2016, were primarily the result of our programs to increase operational efficiencies and reduce costs. The decrease in other 
expenses for 2017 was primarily due to the decrease in bad debt reserve. During 2017, net foreign exchange losses (specifically, 
resulting from foreign currency denominated transactions and the revaluation of foreign currency denominated assets and 
liabilities), which are included in marketing and selling expenses, were $5.1 million, compared to gains of $0.6 million in 2016. 

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative, or G&A, expenses consist primarily of employee salaries and benefits for administrative, executive, 
finance and legal personnel; audit, legal and strategic consulting fees; and insurance, information systems and facilities costs. 
Information systems and facilities costs reported within G&A expenses are net of allocations to other expenses categories.  G&A 
expenses increased $1.3 million, or 2.5%, during the year ended December 31, 2018, compared to 2017. The table below provides 
further details regarding the changes in components of G&A expense.

44

 
 
Year-Over-Year Change in G&A Expenses for the Years Ended December 31, 2018 and 2017
(dollars in thousands)

2018 (Decrease)/Increase
From 2017

2017 (Decrease)/Increase
From 2016

Consulting and outside services

Personnel-related

Facilities and information technology

Other expenses

Acquisition and related integration

$

$
3,992
(2,168)
(494)
8

—

Total general and administrative expenses decrease

$

1,338

2018 Compared to 2017

%
30.6%

(8.0)%

(5.5)%

0.2%

—%

2.5%

$
(5,471)
157
(1,179)
(297)
(789)
(7,579)

%
(29.5)%

0.6%

(11.6)%

(5.8)%

100.0%

(12.3)%

$

$

The increase in consulting and outside services expenses for 2018, compared to 2017, was primarily the result of a legal 
settlement gain of $5.2 million recorded in 2017. The decrease in personnel-related expenses for 2018 compared to 2017, was due 
to decreases in incentive-based compensation accrual and stock-based compensation. The decrease in facilities and information 
technology was primarily the result of cost savings from our facilities consolidation. 

2017 Compared to 2016

The decrease in consulting and outside services expenses for 2017, compared to 2016, was primarily the result of a legal 
settlement gain of $5.2 million recorded in 2017. The decrease in facilities and information technology was primarily the result of 
our cost efficiency program. The decrease in acquisition and related integration expenses was due to Orad acquisition related 
integration work completed in 2016.

Amortization of Intangible Assets

Intangible assets result from acquisitions and include developed technology, customer-related intangibles, trade names and other 
identifiable intangible assets with finite lives.  These intangible assets are amortized using the straight-line method over the 
estimated useful lives of such assets, which are generally two years to twelve years.  Amortization of developed technology is 
recorded within cost of revenues.  Amortization of customer-related intangibles, trade names and other identifiable intangible 
assets is recorded within operating expenses.

There has been no change in the amortization of intangible assets for 2018, compared to 2017. The decrease in amortization of 
intangible assets for 2017, compared to 2016, was the result of two intangible assets, customer relationships acquired through 
acquisitions, fully amortized in 2016. We expect amortization of intangible assets to be approximately $4.4 million in 2019 at 
which point the intangible assets will be fully amortized. See Note H, Intangible Assets and Goodwill, to our Consolidated 
Financial Statements in Item 8 of the Form 10-K for further information regarding our identifiable intangible assets.

Restructuring Costs, Net

In February 2016, we committed to a restructuring plan that encompassed a series of measures intended to allow us to more 
efficiently operate in a leaner, more directed cost structure. These included reductions in our workforce, consolidation of facilities, 
transfers of certain business processes to lower cost regions, and reductions in other third-party services costs. 

During the year ended December 31, 2018, we recorded $3.6 million of severance costs for an additional 84 positions that were 
eliminated during 2018 and the first quarter of 2019, $1.1 million of leasehold improvement write-off resulting from the 
consolidation of our facilities in Burlington, Massachusetts, and $0.4 million of facilities restructuring related adjustments.

45

 
 
 
During the year ended December 31, 2017, we recorded restructuring costs of $3.1 million for an additional 102 positions that 
were eliminated during 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, and recoveries of $1.1 million as a result of revised severance cost 
estimates. During 2017, we further consolidated workspaces and vacated our facilities in Taiwan and Boca Raton, Florida, and a 
portion of facilities in Burlington, Massachusetts, Mt View, California and Pinewood, U.K. We recorded $5.1 million of 
restructuring costs for the closure and partial closure of the facilities, which included $3.2 million of leasehold improvement 
write-offs.

During the year ended December 31, 2016, we recorded restructuring costs of $10.0 million, which represented 138 positions 
eliminated during 2016 and 141 positions eliminated during the first quarter of 2017. We also recorded $2.0 million of facility 
restructuring charge for the partial closure of the facilities in Burlington, and revisions of $0.8 million based on the updated 
sublease assumption for our Mountain View, California facility that was partially abandoned in 2012.

Interest and Other Expense, Net

Interest and other expense, net, generally consists of interest income and interest expense.

Interest and Other Expense for the Years Ended December 31, 2018 and 2017
(dollars in thousands)

Interest income

Interest expense

Other income, net

Total interest and other expense, net

2018
Income
(Expense)

$

$

$

195
(23,474)
192
(23,087) $

Change

$

(340)
(3,510)
(569)
(4,419)

%

(63.6)%

17.6%

(74.8)%

23.7%

Interest and Other Expense for the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016
(dollars in thousands)

Interest income

Interest expense

Other income, net

Total interest and other expense, net

2018 Compared to 2017

2017
Income
(Expense)

$

$

$

535
(19,964)
761
(18,668) $

Change

$

535
(1,061)
529

3

%

100.0%

5.6%

228.0%

—%

2017
Income
(Expense)

535

(19,964)

761

(18,668)

2016
Income
(Expense)

—

(18,903)

232

(18,671)

$

$

$

$

The increase in interest expense for 2018 compared to 2017, was due to the additional $22.7 million term loan we obtained in 
2018 and broker commissions related to the Financing Agreement amendment that we entered into on May 10, 2018.  See Note P, 
Long-Term Debt and Credit Agreement, to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Form 10-K for further 
information.  

2017 Compared to 2016

The increase in interest expense for 2017 compared to 2016, was due to the additional $15.0 million term loan we obtained in 
2017.

46

 
 
Provision for (Benefit from) Income Taxes 

Provision for Income Taxes for the Years Ended December 31, 2018 and 2017
(dollars in thousands)

Provision for income taxes

2018
Provision

Change

$

$

1,271

$

1,138

%
855.6%

2017
Provision

$

133

Benefit from Income Taxes for the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016
(dollars in thousands)

Provision for (Benefit from) income taxes

$

133

$

3,008

2017
Provision

Change

$

%
(104.6)%

2016
Benefit

$

(2,875)

Our effective tax rate, which represents our tax provision as a percentage of income before tax, was (13.5)%, (1.0)% and (6.3)%, 
respectively, for 2018, 2017 and 2016.  

The increase in our 2018 provision was driven by a $0.4 million increase in our foreign taxes augmented by a non-recurring 
benefit in 2017 of $0.8 million related to refundable alternative minimum, or AMT, tax credits resulting from the Tax Cuts and 
Jobs Act (“TCJA”). Our 2017 provision includes a non-recurring $0.8 million benefit related to refundable alternative minimum, 
or AMT, tax credits resulting from the TCJA. This benefit was largely offset by an $0.8 million increase in our reserve for 
uncertain tax positions related to an Israel audit issue. Our 2016 benefit from income taxes was primarily due to a change in our 
uncertain tax position related to the foreign tax implications arising from changes in revenue recognition. The amount of the 
benefit included in the tax provision was $3.2 million. 

We early adopted ASU No. 2016-09 during the second quarter of 2016 on a modified retrospective basis. The adoption of new 
guidance had no impact on income taxes because of our significant accumulated deferred tax assets including the tax effects of net 
operating loss and tax credit carryovers. The realization of the net deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of 
sufficient future taxable income in the applicable tax jurisdictions.  We regularly review our deferred tax assets for recoverability 
with consideration for such factors as historical losses, projected future taxable income, the expected timing of the reversals of 
existing temporary differences, and tax planning strategies.  ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes, requires us to record a valuation 
allowance when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.  Based on the 
magnitude of our deferred tax assets at December 31, 2018 and our level of historical U.S. losses, we have determined that the 
uncertainty regarding the realization of these assets is sufficient to warrant the need for a full valuation allowance against our U.S. 
deferred tax assets.  We have also determined that a valuation allowance is warranted on a portion of our foreign deferred tax 
assets.

On December 22, 2017, the TCJA was signed into law. The TCJA changed many aspects of U.S. corporate income taxation and 
included reduction of the corporate income tax rate from 35% to a flat 21%, implementation of a territorial tax system and 
imposition of a tax on deemed repatriated earnings of foreign subsidiaries. The TCJA was effective as of December 31, 2017 and 
at that time we made a reasonable estimate of the effects on our existing deferred tax balances and the one-time transition tax. As 
of September 30, 2018, we completed our accounting for the tax effects of the TCJA and there were no material changes to the 
estimated amounts that were recorded as of December 31, 2017. The global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”) provisions of 
the TCJA impose a tax on foreign income in excess of a deemed return on tangible assets of  foreign corporations. Under U.S. 
GAAP, we can make an accounting policy choice of either (1) treating taxes due on future U.S. inclusions in taxable income 
related to GILTI as a current-period expense when incurred (the “period cost method”) or (2) factoring such amounts into the 
measurement of our deferred taxes (the “deferred method”). During the year ended December 31, 2018 we made a policy election 
to record tax effects of GILTI as an expense in the period incurred.

47

 
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Liquidity and Sources of Cash

Our principal sources of liquidity include cash and cash equivalents totaling $56.1 million as of December 31, 2018. We have 
generally funded operations in recent years through the use of existing cash balances, supplemented from time to time with the 
proceeds of long-term debt and borrowings under our credit facilities.

Our cash requirements vary depending on factors such as the growth of the business, changes in working capital, capital 
expenditures, and obligations under our cost efficiency program. We expect to operate the business and execute our strategic 
initiatives principally with funds generated from operations, remaining net proceeds from the term loan borrowings under the 
Financing Agreement, and draws of up to a maximum of $22.5 million under the Financing Agreement’s revolving credit facility.  
We anticipate that we will have sufficient internal and external sources of liquidity to fund operations and anticipated working 
capital and other expected cash needs for at least the next 12 months as well as for the foreseeable future.

One key aspect of our strategy has been to implement programs to increase operational efficiencies and reduce costs.  We are 
making significant changes in business operations to better support the company’s strategy and overall performance. We have 
implemented a number of spending control initiatives with an emphasis on non-personnel costs to reduce the overall cost structure 
while still investing in key areas that will drive growth.  We are also revamping our supply chain and logistics, moving to a lean 
model that leverages a new supplier and distribution model.  We are optimizing our go-to-market strategy, simplifying our 
strategy to address specific customer markets to help maximize our commercial success, which we expect will improve 
effectiveness, while increasing efficiency and driving growth of our pipeline and ultimately revenue.  We believe these collective 
efforts will continue to improve our efficiency as an organization, increasing gross margins and overall profitability.

Financing Agreement

On February 26, 2016, we entered into the Financing Agreement with the lenders party thereto, or the Lenders. Pursuant to the 
Financing Agreement, the Lenders agreed to provide us with (a) a term loan in the aggregate principal amount of $100.0 million, 
or the Term Loan, and (b) a revolving credit facility of up to a maximum of $5.0 million in borrowings outstanding at any time, or 
the Credit Facility.  We borrowed the full amount of the Term Loan, or $100.0 million, as of the closing date, but did not borrow 
any amount under the Credit Facility as of the Closing Date. Prior to the maturity of the Credit Facility, any amounts borrowed 
under the Credit Facility may be repaid and, subject to the terms and conditions of the Financing Agreement, reborrowed in whole 
or in part without penalty.

On November 9, 2017, we entered into an amendment to the Financing Agreement. The amendment extended an additional $15.0 
million term loan to us, thereby increasing the aggregate principal amount of the term loan to $115.0 million. The amendment also 
increased the amount of available revolving credit by $5.0 million to an aggregate amount of $10.0 million. The additional $15.0 
million term loan must be repaid in quarterly principal payments of $0.2 million commencing in March 2018. The amendment 
also granted us the ability to use up to $15.0 million to purchase Notes and modified the definition of consolidated EBITDA used 
in the Leverage Ratio calculation to adjust for expected changes in deferred revenue due to the adoption of ASC 606.

On May 10, 2018, we entered into an amendment to the Financing Agreement that extended the maturity of the Financing 
Agreement to May 2023, and increased the Term Loan by $22.7 million and the amount available under the Credit Facility by 
$12.5 million to an aggregate amount of $22.5 million. The amendment modified the covenant requiring us to maintain a 
Leverage Ratio (defined to mean the ratio of (a) the sum of indebtedness under the Term Loan and Credit Facility, capitalized 
leases and non-cash collateralized letters of credit to (b) consolidated EBITDA) of no greater than 3.00:1.00 for the four quarters 
ended June 30, 2018 through December 31, 2018, 2.50:1.00 for the four quarters ending March 31, 2019 through December 31, 
2019, 2.25:1.00 for the four quarters ending March 31, 2020 through March 31, 2021, 2.00:1.00 for the four quarters ending June 
30, 2021 through December 31, 2022, respectively, and thereafter declining to 1.50:1.00. 

Financial terms and prepayments. Effective with the May 10, 2018 amendment to the Financing Agreement, interest accrues on 
outstanding borrowings under the Term Loan and Credit Facility (each as defined in the Financing Agreement) at a rate of either 
the LIBOR Rate (as defined in the Financing Agreement) plus 6.625% or a Reference Rate (as defined in the Financing 
Agreement) plus 5.625%, at our option. Under the terms of the amendment, aggregate quarterly principal repayments beginning 
September 30, 2018 through June 30, 2020 are equal to $318,750, then from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 are equal to 

48

$796,875, finally from July 1, 2021 through May 10, 2023 are equal to $1,593,750.  We may prepay all or any portion of the Term 
Loan prior to its stated maturity, subject to the payment of certain fees based on the amount repaid. We must pay to the Lenders, 
on a monthly basis, an unused line fee at a rate of 0.5% per annum on an amount equal to (1) the total lending commitments under 
the Credit Facility less (2) the average daily amount of the outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facility during the 
immediately preceding month. During the term of the Credit Facility, we are entitled to reduce the maximum amounts of the 
Lenders’ commitments under the Credit Facility, subject to the payment of certain fees based on the amount of any reduction. In 
addition, subject to limited exceptions we will be required to prepay the borrowings under the Financing Agreement with 
proceeds it receives from specified events, including sales of assets, tax refunds, legal judgments and settlements, third party 
indemnities insurance proceeds and condemnation awards. Each year we will be required to prepay the borrowings under the 
Financing Agreement in an amount equal to 50% of our excess cash flow.

Collateral and guarantees. We and our subsidiary, Avid Technology Worldwide, Inc., or Avid Worldwide, granted a security 
interest on substantially all of our assets to secure the obligations of all obligors under the Term Loan and the Credit Facility. Avid 
Worldwide provided a guarantee of all our obligations under the Financing Agreement. Our future subsidiaries (other than certain 
foreign and immaterial subsidiaries) are also required to become a party to the applicable security agreements and guarantee the 
obligations under the Financing Agreement. 

The Financing Agreement contains restrictive covenants that are customary for an agreement of this kind, including, for example, 
covenants that restrict us from incurring additional indebtedness, granting liens, making investments and restricted payments, 
making acquisitions, paying dividends, and engaging in transactions with affiliates. Certain exceptions to these restrictive 
covenants are not available in the event our liquidity (defined as cash held in U.S. accounts and availability under the Credit 
Facility) is less than $30 million.

Events of default. The Financing Agreement contains customary events of default under which our payment obligations may be 
accelerated. These events of default include, among others, failure to pay amounts payable under the Financing Agreement when 
due, breach of representations and warranties, failure to perform covenants, a change of control, default or acceleration of material 
indebtedness, certain judgments and certain impairments to the collateral.

Financial and other covenants. The Financing Agreement, as amended, contains customary representations and warranties and 
covenants.  These include covenants requiring us to maintain a Leverage Ratio per the terms of the May 10, 2018 amendment. 
The Financing Agreement also restricts us from making capital expenditures in excess of $20 million in any fiscal year.  As of 
December 31, 2018, we were in compliance with these covenants.  

Our ability to satisfy the Leverage Ratio covenant in the future is heavily dependent on our ability to increase bookings and 
billings above levels experienced over the last twelve months.  In recent quarters, we have experienced volatility in bookings and 
billings resulting from, among other things, (i) our transition towards subscription and recurring revenue streams and the resulting 
decline in traditional upfront product sales, (ii) dramatic changes in the media industry and the impact it has on our customers, 
(iii) the impact of new and anticipated product launches and features, and (iv) volatility in currency rates.  In addition to the 
impact of new bookings and billings, GAAP revenues recognized as the result of the existence of Implied Maintenance Release 
PCS in prior periods completed in 2017, which will have an adverse impact on our Leverage Ratio.

In the event bookings and billings in future quarters are lower than we currently anticipate, we may be forced to take remedial 
actions which could include, among other things (and where allowed by the Lenders), (i) further cost reductions, (ii) seeking 
replacement financing, (iii) raising additional equity or (iv) disposing of certain assets or businesses.  Such remedial actions, 
which may not be available on favorable terms or at all, could have a material adverse impact on our business.  If we are not in 
compliance with the Leverage Ratio and are unable to obtain an amendment or waiver, such noncompliance may result in an 
event of default under the Financing Agreement, which could permit acceleration of the outstanding indebtedness under the 
Financing Agreement and require us to repay such indebtedness before the scheduled due date.  If an event of default were to 
occur, we might not have sufficient funds available to make the payments required.  If we are unable to repay amounts owed, the 
Lenders may be entitled to foreclose on and sell substantially all of our assets, which secure our borrowings under the Financing 
Agreement.

49

2.00% Convertible Senior Notes

On June 15, 2015, we issued $125.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 2.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2020, or the 
Notes. The net proceeds from the offering were $120.3 million after deducting the offering expenses. The Notes pay interest semi-
annually on June 15 and December 15 of each year, at an annual rate of 2.00% and mature on June 15, 2020 unless earlier 
repurchased or converted in accordance with their terms prior to such date. In connection with the offering of the Notes, on June 
9, 2015, we entered into a capped call derivative transaction with a third party, or the Capped Call. The Capped Call is expected 
generally to reduce the potential dilution to the common stock and/or offset any cash payments we may be required to make in 
excess of the principal amount upon conversion of the Notes in the event that the market price per share of the common stock is 
greater than the strike price of the Capped Call. The Capped Call has a strike price of $21.94 and a cap price of $26.00 and is 
exercisable by us when and if the Notes are converted. The Capped Call expires on June 15, 2020.

We have repurchased some of the Notes for cash and, as a result, as of December 31, 2018, the outstanding principal amount of 
the Notes was $106.8 million.

Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 (in thousands):

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

Net cash used in investing activities

Net cash provided by financing activities

Effect of foreign currency exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2016

2018

$

$

15,822
(9,917)
2,536
(780)
7,661

$

$

$

8,936
(7,913)
8,375

1,087

(49,195)

(11,033)

91,452

366

10,485

$

31,590

Cash provided by operating activities aggregated $15.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. The improvement 
compared to prior years was primarily attributable to lower operating expenses as the result of our programs to increase 
operational efficiencies and reduce costs.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

For the year ended December 31, 2018, the net cash flow used in investing activities reflected $9.9 million used for the purchase 
of property and equipment.  Our purchases of property and equipment largely consist of computer hardware and software to 
support R&D activities, and leasehold improvements.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

For the year ended December 31, 2018, the net cash flow provided by financing activities reflected the additional $22.7 million 
term loan, the $14.7 million paid to repurchase outstanding Notes, and $3.5 million of principal payments under the Financing 
Agreement. 

50

 
CONTRACTUAL AND COMMERCIAL OBLIGATIONS

The following table outlines our contractual payment obligations as of December 31, 2018 (in thousands):

Notes

Term Loan

Other LT Debt

Operating leases

Unconditional purchase obligations (a)

Total

Less than
1 Year

1 – 3 Years

3 – 5 Years

$

106,753

$

— $

106,753

$

— $

125,424

1,453

58,635

23,100

1,275

130

11,225

23,100

7,012

289

16,634

—

117,137

331

10,736

—

After
5 Years

—

—

703

20,040

—

$

315,365

$

35,730

$

130,688

$

128,204

$

20,743

(a)  At December 31, 2018, we had entered into purchase commitments for certain inventory and other goods used in our normal 

operations.  The purchase commitments covered by these agreements are for a period of less than one year.

Other contractual arrangements or unrecognized tax positions that may result in cash payments consisted of the following at 
December 31, 2018 (in thousands):

Unrecognized tax positions and related interest

Stand-by letters of credit

Total

Less than
1 Year

1 – 3 Years

3 – 5 Years

After
5 Years

$

$

1,400

12,141

13,541

$

$

1,400

8,500

9,900

$

$

— $

2,654

2,654

$

— $

88

88

$

—

899

899

On May 10, 2018, we entered into an amendment to the Financing Agreement, which extended the maturity of the Financing 
Agreement to May 2023. Under the terms of the amendment, aggregate quarterly principal repayments beginning September 30, 
2018 through June 30, 2020 are equal to $318,750, then from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 are equal to $796,875, finally 
from July 1, 2021 through May 10, 2023 are equal to $1,593,750. The Notes mature in June 2020 and are convertible into cash, 
shares of Avid’s common stock or a combination of cash and shares of common stock, at our election.  See more details in Note P, 
Long-Term Debt and Credit Agreement, to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

We entered into a long-term agreement to purchase a variety of information technology solutions from a third party in the second 
quarter of 2017, which included an unconditional commitment to purchase a minimum of $12.8 million of products and services 
over the initial three-year term of the agreement. We have purchased $4.9 million pursuant to this agreement as of December 31, 
2018 to develop Azure certified solutions.

We have letters of credit that are used as security deposits in connection with our leased Burlington, Massachusetts headquarters 
office space. In the event of default on the underlying leases, the landlords would, at December 31, 2018, be eligible to draw 
against the letters of credit to a maximum of $1.3 million in the aggregate.  The letters of credit are subject to aggregate 
reductions provided that we are not in default of the underlying leases and meet certain financial performance conditions.  In no 
case will the letters of credit amounts for the Burlington leases be reduced to below $1.2 million in the aggregate throughout the 
lease periods.

In addition, we have letters of credit in connection with security deposits for other facility leases totaling $1.1 million in the 
aggregate, as well as letters of credit totaling $1.3 million that otherwise support our ongoing operations.  These letters of credit 
have various terms and expire during 2019 and beyond, while some of the letters of credit may automatically renew based on the 
terms of the underlying agreements. 

We issued a letter of credit totaling $8.5 million to one of our sole-source suppliers in February 2018. The supplier is
eligible to draw on the letter of credit in the event that we are insolvent or unable to pay on our purchase orders for certain
key hardware components of our product. The letter of credit is valid for one year from its issuance date, and will automatically 
renew based on the terms of the underlying agreement. 

51

 
 
 
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
 
   
OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS

Other than operating leases, we do not engage in off-balance sheet financing arrangements or have any variable-interest entities.  
At December 31, 2018, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K.

RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncement

See Note B, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of the Form 10-K 
for a description of recently adopted accounting standards.

Recently Accounting Pronouncement to be Adopted

See Note B, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of the Form 10-K 
for a description of certain issued accounting standards that have not been adopted and may impact our financial statements in 
future reporting periods.

ITEM 7A.  QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURE ABOUT MARKET RISK

Foreign Currency Exchange Risk

We have significant international operations and derive more than half of our revenues from customers outside the United States.  
This business is, for the most part, transacted through international subsidiaries and generally in the currency of the end-user 
customers. Therefore, we are exposed to the changes in foreign currency exchange rates that could adversely affect our revenues, 
net income and cash flow.

For the year ended December 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016, we recorded net losses (gains) of $0.5 million, $5.1 million, and $(0.6) 
million, respectively, that resulted from foreign currency denominated transactions and the revaluation of foreign currency 
denominated assets and liabilities. 

A hypothetical change of 10% in appreciation or depreciation of foreign currency exchange rates from the quoted foreign 
currency exchange rates as of December 31, 2018, would not have a significant impact on our financial position, results of 
operations or cash flows.

Interest Rate Risk

We borrowed $100.0 million under the Term Loan on February 26, 2016, and an additional $15.0 million and $22.7 million under 
the Term Loan on November 9, 2017 and May 10, 2018, respectively. We also maintain a revolving Credit Facility that allows us 
to borrow up to $22.5 million. Following the latest amendment Effective Date, May 10, 2018, interest accrues on outstanding 
borrowings under the Term Loan and the Credit Facility (each as defined in the Financing Agreement) at a rate of either the 
LIBOR Rate (as defined in the Financing Agreement) plus 6.625% or a Reference Rate (as defined in the Financing Agreement) 
plus 5.625%, at our option. A hypothetical 10% increase or decrease in interest rates paid on outstanding borrowings under the 
Financing Agreement would not have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

On June 15, 2015, we issued $125.0 million aggregate principal amount of our Notes pursuant to the terms of an indenture. 
During 2017, we purchased $2.0 million of our Notes and during 2018 we purchased an additional $16.2 million of our Notes. 
The Notes pay interest semi-annually on June 15 and December 15 of each year, at an annual rate of 2.00% and mature on June 
15, 2020 unless earlier repurchased or converted in accordance with their terms prior to such date. The fair value of the Notes is 
dependent on the price and volatility of our common stock as well as movements in interest rates. The fair value of our common 
stock and interest rate changes affect the fair value of the Notes, but do not impact our financial position, cash flows or results of 
operations due to the fixed nature of the debt obligations.

52

ITEM 8. 

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY FINANCIAL INFORMATION

AVID TECHNOLOGY, INC.

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULE

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS INCLUDED IN ITEM 8:

Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive (Loss) Income for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2018 and 2017

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Deficit for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

Page

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

53

 
 
 
 
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Shareholders and Board of Directors 
Avid Technology, Inc.
Burlington, Massachusetts 

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements 

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Avid Technology, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of 
December 31, 2018 and 2017, the related consolidated statements of operations and  comprehensive (loss) income, stockholders’ 
deficit, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2018, and the related notes (collectively 
referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all 
material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2018 and 2017, and the results of it’s operations and it’s 
cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2018, in conformity with accounting principles generally 
accepted in the United States of America.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) 
(“PCAOB”), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018, based on criteria established in 
Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway 
Commission (“COSO”) and our report dated March 14, 2019, expressed an unqualified opinion thereon. 

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an 
opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with 
the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to 
the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and 
Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the 
audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, 
whether due to error or fraud.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, 
whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a 
test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included 
evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall 
presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ BDO USA, LLP

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2016.

Boston, Massachusetts
March 14, 2019 

54

AVID TECHNOLOGY, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except per share data)

Net revenues(1):
Products
Services

Total net revenues

Cost of revenues:

Products
Services
Amortization of intangible assets

Total cost of revenues

Gross profit
Operating expenses:

Research and development
Marketing and selling
General and administrative
Amortization of intangible assets
Restructuring costs, net

Total operating expenses

Operating income
Interest income
Interest expense
Other income, net
(Loss) income before income taxes
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes
Net (loss) income

Net (loss) income per common share – basic and diluted

Weighted-average common shares outstanding – basic
Weighted-average common shares outstanding – diluted

$

$

$

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

$

$

$

205,107
208,175
413,282

110,758
55,560
7,800
174,118
239,164

62,379
101,273
55,230
1,450
5,148
225,480
13,684
195
(23,474)
192
(9,403)
1,271
(10,674)

(0.26)

41,662
41,662

$

$

$

209,461
209,542
419,003

112,606
56,481
7,800
176,887
242,116

68,212
106,257
53,892
1,450
7,059
236,870
5,246
535
(19,964)
761
(13,422)
133
(13,555)

(0.33)

41,020
41,020

283,110
228,820
511,930

111,579
59,828
7,800
179,207
332,723

81,564
110,338
61,471
2,498
12,837
268,708
64,015
—
(18,903)
232
45,344
(2,875)
48,219

1.20

40,021
40,176

(1) As a result of our adoption of ASC 606 effective January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method, prior period amounts have not 
been adjusted to conform with ASC 606 and therefore may not be comparable.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

55

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
AVID TECHNOLOGY, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME
(in thousands)

Net (loss) income

Other comprehensive (loss) income:

    Foreign currency translation adjustments

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2016

2018

$

(10,674)

$

(13,555)

$

48,219

(1,341)

7,470

(1,717)

Comprehensive (loss) income

$

(12,015)

$

(6,085)

$

46,502

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

56

 
AVID TECHNOLOGY, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except per share data)

ASSETS

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents
Restricted cash

Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $1,339 and $11,142 at December 31, 2018 and 2017,

respectively (Note B)

Inventories
Prepaid expenses
Contract assets
Other current assets

Total current assets
Property and equipment, net
Intangible assets, net
Goodwill
Long-term deferred tax assets, net
Other long-term assets

Total assets

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable
Accrued compensation and benefits
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities
Income taxes payable
Short-term debt
Deferred revenues

Total current liabilities

Long-term debt
Long-term deferred revenues
Other long-term liabilities

Total liabilities

Commitments and contingencies (Note J)

Stockholders’ deficit:

Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 1,000 shares authorized; no shares issued or outstanding
Common stock, $0.01 par value, 100,000 shares authorized; 42,339 shares issued, and 41,948 shares and

41,356 shares outstanding at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively

Additional paid-in capital
Accumulated deficit
Treasury stock at cost, net of reissuances, 391 shares and 983 shares at December 31, 2018 and 2017,

respectively

Accumulated other comprehensive loss
Total stockholders’ deficit
Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficit

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

57

December 31,

2018

2017

$

$

56,103
8,500

57,223
—

67,754
32,956
8,853
16,513
5,917
196,596
21,582
4,432
32,643
1,158
9,432
265,843

39,239
21,967
37,547
1,853
1,405
85,662
187,673
220,590
13,939
10,302
432,504

$

$

40,134
38,421
8,208
—
10,341
154,327
21,903
13,682
32,643
1,318
10,811
234,684

30,160
25,466
31,549
1,815
5,906
121,184
216,080
204,498
73,429
9,247
503,254

$

$

—

—

423
1,028,924
(1,187,010)

423
1,035,808
(1,284,703)

(5,231)
(3,767)
(166,661)
265,843

$

(17,672)
(2,426)
(268,570)
234,684

$

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
AVID TECHNOLOGY, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
(in thousands)

Balances at January 1, 2016

Shares of
Common Stock

Additional

Issued

42,339

In
Treasury
(2,809)

Common
Stock

423

Paid-in
Capital
1,055,838

Accumulated
Deficit
(1,319,318)

Treasury
Stock
(58,336)

Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income (Loss)

Total

Stockholders’
Deficit

(8,179)

(329,572)

Cumulative-effect adjustment due to adoption of
ASU No. 2016-09

49

(49)

Stock issued pursuant to employee stock plans

1,197

(20,740)

25,983

Stock-based compensation

7,916

Net income

Other comprehensive loss

48,219

Balances at December 31, 2016

42,339

(1,612)

423

1,043,063

(1,271,148)

(32,353)

Stock issued pursuant to employee stock plans

629

(15,565)

14,681

Stock-based compensation

8,311

Net loss

Other comprehensive income

Partial retirement of convertible senior notes
conversion feature

Partial unwind capped call cash receipt

(13,555)

(5)

4

—

5,243

7,916

48,219

(1,717)

(9,896)

(1,717)

(269,911)

(884)

8,311

(13,555)

7,470

7,470

(5)

4

Balances at December 31, 2017

42,339

(983)

423

1,035,808

(1,284,703)

(17,672)

(2,426)

(268,570)

Cumulative-effect adjustment due to adoption of
ASC Topic 606

108,367

Stock issued pursuant to employee stock plans

592

(13,084)

12,441

Stock-based compensation

6,258

Net loss

Other comprehensive loss

Partial retirement of convertible senior notes
conversion feature

Partial unwind capped call cash receipt

(10,674)

(74)

16

108,367

(643)

6,258

(10,674)

(1,341)

(1,341)

(74)

16

Balances at December 31, 2018

42,339

(391)

423

1,028,924

(1,187,010)

(5,231)

(3,767)

(166,661)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

58

 
 
 
 
 
AVID TECHNOLOGY, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)

Cash flows from operating activities:
Net (loss) income
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2016

2018

$

(10,674) $

(13,555) $

48,219

Depreciation and amortization
Provision for (recovery from) doubtful accounts
Stock-based compensation expense
Non-cash provision for restructuring
Non-cash interest expense
Unrealized foreign currency transaction (gains) losses
Provision for (benefit from) deferred taxes
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Accounts receivable
Inventories
Prepaid expenses and other assets
Accounts payable
Accrued expenses, compensation and benefits and other liabilities
Income taxes payable
Deferred revenue and contract assets

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property and equipment
Decrease (increase) in other long-term assets

Net cash used in investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities:

Proceeds from long-term debt
Repayment of debt
Proceeds from the issuance of common stock under employee stock plans
Common stock repurchases for tax withholdings for net settlement of equity awards
Proceeds from revolving credit facilities
Payments on revolving credit facilities
Partial retirement of the Notes conversion feature and capped call option unwind
Payments for credit facility issuance costs
Net cash provided by financing activities

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
Net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of year
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of year

Supplemental information:
Cash and cash equivalents
Restricted cash
Restricted cash included in other long-term assets
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash shown in the statement of cash flows

Cash (refunded) paid for income taxes, net
Cash paid for interest
Non-cash transaction – property and equipment included in accounts payable or accruals

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

21,142
119
6,258
1,083
8,987
(996)
113

(6,689)
(551)
5,832
9,148
(8,853)
38
(9,135)
15,822

(9,936)
19
(9,917)

22,688
(18,451)
355
(998)
—
—
(58)
(1,000)
2,536

(780)
7,661
60,433
68,094

56,103
8,500
3,491
68,094

$

$

$

22,337
(340)
8,311
3,191
8,951
7,336
(873)

3,800
12,280
(7,567)
3,606
(8,189)
800
(31,152)
8,936

(7,877)
(36)
(7,913)

16,694
(6,735)
445
(1,329)
—
—
—
(700)
8,375

1,087
10,485
49,948
60,433

57,223
—
3,210
60,433

$

$

$

(2,791) $
14,505
220

$

(100) $

10,966
30

$

25,479
886
7,916
1,137
9,620
(2,599)
(1,842)

14,321
(2,628)
(1,839)
(18,959)
(6,280)
(9)
(122,617)
(49,195)

(11,003)
(30)
(11,033)

100,000
(3,750)
6,184
(941)
25,000
(30,000)
—
(5,041)
91,452

366
31,590
18,358
49,948

44,948
—
5,000
49,948

1,587
9,302
119

$

$
$
$
$

$

$

(1) The Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 has been revised to reflect the adoption, on January 1, 2018, of ASU 
2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash. The Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows reflects the changes during the periods in the total of 
cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash. Therefore, restricted cash activity is included with cash when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total 
amounts shown. Refer to Note B for further discussion.

59

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
AVID TECHNOLOGY, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

A.  BUSINESS

Description of Business

Avid Technology, Inc. (“Avid”, “we” or “us”) develops, markets, sells, and supports software and integrated solutions for video 
and audio content creation, management and distribution. We are a leading technology provider that powers the media and 
entertainment industry. We do this by providing an open and efficient platform for digital media, along with a comprehensive set 
of tools and workflow solutions. Our solutions are used in production and post-production facilities; film studios; network, 
affiliate, independent and cable television stations; recording studios; live-sound performance venues; advertising agencies; 
government and educational institutions; corporate communications departments; and by independent video and audio creative 
professionals, as well as aspiring professionals. Projects produced using our tools, platform and ecosystem include feature films, 
television programming, live events, news broadcasts, sports productions, commercials, music, video and other digital media 
content.  With over one million creative users and thousands of enterprise clients relying on our technology platforms and 
solutions around the world, Avid enables the industry to thrive in today’s connected media and entertainment world.

B.  SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include our accounts and our wholly owned subsidiaries.  Intercompany balances and 
transactions have been eliminated.

Basis of Presentation and Use of Estimates

Our preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of 
America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and 
disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and 
expenses during the reported periods. Actual results could differ from our estimates.

On January 1, 2018, we adopted ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”), using the modified 
retrospective method applied to contracts not completed as of January 1, 2018. Results for reporting periods beginning 
after January 1, 2018 are presented under ASC 606, while prior period amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported in 
accordance with our historic accounting under ASC 605.  For this reason, the discussion that follows describes our revenue 
recognition policies both before and after our adoption of ASC 606.

Revenue Recognition - Prior to the adoption of ASC 606 on January 1, 2018

General

We commence revenue recognition when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred, the sales price is 
fixed or determinable and collection is reasonably assured. Generally, the products we sell do not require significant production, 
modification or customization. Installation of our products is generally routine, consists of implementation and configuration and 
does not have to be performed by us.

At the time of a sales transaction, we make an assessment of the collectability of the amount due from the customer. Revenues are 
recognized only if it is reasonably assured that collection will occur. When making this assessment, we consider customer credit-
worthiness and historical payment experience. If it is determined from the outset of the arrangement that collection is not 
reasonably assured, revenues are recognized on a cash basis, provided that all other revenue recognition criteria are satisfied. At 
the outset of the arrangement, we also assess whether the fee associated with the order is fixed or determinable and free of 
contingencies or significant uncertainties. When assessing whether the fee is fixed or determinable, we consider the payment 
terms of the transaction, our collection experience in similar transactions, and our involvement, if any, in third-party financing 

60

transactions, among other factors. If the fee is not fixed or determinable, revenues are recognized only as payments become due 
from the customer, provided that all other revenue recognition criteria are met. If a significant portion of the fee is due after our 
normal payment terms, we evaluate whether we have sufficient history of successfully collecting past transactions with similar 
terms without offering concessions. If that collection history is sufficient, revenue recognition commences, upon delivery of the 
products, assuming all other revenue recognition criteria are satisfied. If we were to make different judgments or assumptions 
about any of these matters, it could cause a material increase or decrease in the amount of revenues reported in a particular period.

We often receive multiple purchase orders or contracts from a single customer or a group of related customers that are evaluated 
to determine if they are, in effect, part of a single arrangement. In situations when we have concluded that two or more orders 
with the same customer are so closely related that they are, in effect, parts of a single arrangement, we account for those orders as 
a single arrangement for revenue recognition purposes. In other circumstances, when we have concluded that two or more orders 
with the same customer are independent buying decisions, such as an earlier purchase of a product and a subsequent purchase of a 
software upgrade or maintenance contract, we account for those orders as separate arrangements for revenue recognition 
purposes.

For many of our products, there has been an ongoing practice of Avid making available at no charge to customers’ minor feature 
and compatibility enhancements as well as bug fixes on a when-and-if-available basis (collectively “Software Updates”), for a 
period of time after initial sales to end users. The implicit obligation to make such Software Updates available to customers over a 
period of time represents implied post-contract customer support, which is deemed to be a deliverable in each arrangement and is 
accounted for as a separate element (“Implied Maintenance Release PCS”).

Over the course of the last few years, in connection with a strategic initiative to increase support and other recurring revenue 
streams, we have taken a number of steps to eliminate the longstanding practice of providing Implied Maintenance Release PCS 
for many of our products, including the Media Composer, Pro Tools and Sibelius product lines.  In the third quarter and fourth 
quarter of 2015, respectively, we concluded that Implied Maintenance Release PCS for our Media Composer and Sibelius product 
lines had ceased.  In the first quarter of 2016, in connection with the release of Cloud Collaboration in Pro Tools version 12.5, 
which was an undelivered feature that had prevented us from recognizing any revenue related to new Pro Tools 12 software sales 
as it represented a specified upgrade right for which vendor specific objective evidence (“VSOE”) of fair value was not available, 
we concluded that Implied Maintenance Release PCS for Pro Tools 12 product lines had also ended.  The determination that Pro 
Tools 12 Implied Maintenance Release PCS had ended was based on management (i) clearly communicating a policy of no longer 
providing any Software Updates or other support to customers that are not covered under a paid support plan and (ii) 
implementing robust digital rights management tools to enforce the policy.  With the new policy and technology for Pro Tools 12 
in place, combined with management’s intent to continue to adhere to the policy, management concluded in the first quarter of 
2016 that Implied Maintenance Release PCS for Pro Tools 12 transactions no longer exists. As a result of the conclusion that 
Implied Maintenance Release PCS on Pro Tools 12 has ended, revenue and net income in the first quarter of 2016 increased 
approximately $11.1 million reflecting the recognition of orders received after the launch of Pro Tools 12 that would have 
qualified for earlier recognition using the residual method of accounting.  In addition, the elimination of Implied Maintenance 
Release PCS also resulted in the accelerated recognition of maintenance and product revenues that were previously being 
recognized on a ratable basis over a much longer expected period of Implied Maintenance Release PCS rather than the contractual 
maintenance period.  The reduction in the estimated amortization period of transactions being recognized on a ratable basis 
resulted in an additional $41.8 million of revenue during the year ended December 31, 2016.  

Revenue Recognition of Non-Software Deliverables

Revenue from products that are considered non-software deliverables is recognized upon delivery of the product to the customer. 
Products are considered delivered to the customer once they have been shipped and title and risk of loss has been transferred. For 
most of our product sales, these criteria are met at the time the product is shipped. Revenue from support that is considered a non-
software deliverable is initially deferred and is recognized ratably over the contractual period of the arrangement, which is 
generally twelve months. Professional services and training services are typically sold to customers on a time and materials basis. 
Revenue from professional services and training services that are considered non-software deliverables is recognized for these 
deliverables as services are provided to the customer. Revenue for Implied Maintenance Release PCS that is considered a non-
software deliverable is recognized ratably over the service period of Implied Maintenance Release PCS, which ranges from one to 
eight years. 

61

Revenue Recognition of Software Deliverables

We recognize the following types of elements sold using software revenue recognition guidance: (i) software products and 
software upgrades, when the software sold in a customer arrangement is more than incidental to the arrangement as a whole and 
the product does not contain hardware that functions with the software to provide essential functionality, (ii) initial support 
contracts where the underlying product being supported is considered to be a software deliverable, (iii) support contract renewals, 
and (iv) professional services and training that relate to deliverables considered to be software deliverables.  Because we do not 
have VSOE of the fair value of our software products, we are permitted to account for our typical customer arrangements that 
include multiple elements using the residual method.  Under the residual method, the VSOE of fair value of the undelivered 
elements (which could include support, professional services or training, or any combination thereof) is deferred and the 
remaining portion of the total arrangement fee is recognized as revenue for the delivered elements.  If evidence of the VSOE of 
fair value of one or more undelivered elements does not exist, revenues are deferred and recognized when delivery of those 
elements occurs or when VSOE of fair value can be established.  VSOE of fair value is typically based on the price charged when 
the element is sold separately to customers.  We are unable to use the residual method to recognize revenues for some 
arrangements that include products that are software deliverables under GAAP since VSOE of fair value does not exist for 
Implied Maintenance Release PCS elements, which are included in some of our arrangements.

For software products that include Implied Maintenance Release PCS, an element for which VSOE of fair value does not exist, 
revenue for the entire arrangement fee, which could include combinations of product, professional services, training and support, 
is recognized ratably as a group over the longest service period of any deliverable in the arrangement, with recognition 
commencing on the date delivery has occurred for all deliverables in the arrangement (or begins to occur in the case of 
professional services, training and support).  Standalone sales of support contracts are recognized ratably over the service period 
of the product being supported. 

From time to time, we offer certain customers free upgrades or specified future products or enhancements.  When a software 
deliverable arrangement contains an Implied Maintenance Release PCS deliverable, revenue recognition of the entire arrangement 
will only commence when any free upgrades or specified future products or enhancements have been delivered, assuming all 
other products in the arrangement have been delivered and all services, if any, have commenced.

Other Revenue Recognition Policies

In a limited number of arrangements, the professional services and training to be delivered are considered essential to the 
functionality of our software products.  If services sold in an arrangement are deemed to be essential to the functionality of the 
software products, the arrangement is accounted for using contract accounting.  As we have concluded that we cannot reliably 
estimate our contract costs, we use the completed contract method of contract accounting.  The completed contract method of 
accounting defers all revenue and costs until the date that the products have been delivered and professional services, exclusive of 
post-contract customer support, have been completed.  Deferred costs related to fully deferred contracts are recorded as a 
component of inventories in the consolidated balance sheet, and generally all other costs of sales are recognized when revenue 
recognition commences. 

We record as revenues all amounts billed to customers for shipping and handling costs and record our actual shipping costs as a 
component of cost of revenues.  Reimbursements received from customers for out-of-pocket expenses are recorded as revenues, 
with related costs recorded as cost of revenues.  We present revenues net of any taxes collected from customers and remitted to 
government authorities.

In the consolidated statements of operations, we classify revenues as product revenues or services revenues.  For multiple-element 
arrangements that include both product and service elements, including Implied Maintenance Release PCS, we evaluate available 
indicators of fair value and applies our judgment to reasonably classify the arrangement fee between product revenues and 
services revenues. The amount of multiple-element arrangement fees classified as product and service revenues based on 
management estimates of fair value when VSOE of fair value for all elements of an arrangement does not exist could differ from 
amounts classified as product and service revenues if VSOE of fair value for all elements existed.

62

Revenue Recognition - After the adoption of ASC 606 on January 1, 2018

We enter into contracts with customers that include various combinations of products and services, which are typically capable of 
being distinct and are accounted for as separate performance obligations. We account for a contract when (i) it has approval and 
commitment from both parties, (ii) the rights of the parties have been identified, (iii) payment terms have been identified, (iv) the 
contract has commercial substance and (v) collectability is probable. We recognize revenue upon transfer of control of promised 
products or services to customers, which typically occurs upon shipment or delivery depending on the terms of the underlying 
contracts, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to receive in exchange for those products or services.

See Note O for disaggregated revenue schedules and further discussion on revenue and deferred revenue performance obligations 
and the timing of revenue recognition.

We often enter into contractual arrangements that have multiple performance obligations, one or more of which may be delivered 
subsequent to the delivery of other performance obligations. These arrangements may include a combination of products, support, 
training and professional services.  We allocate the transaction price of the arrangement based on the relative estimated standalone 
selling price, or SSP, of each distinct performance obligation.

Our process for determining SSP for each performance obligation involves significant management judgment. In determining 
SSP, we maximize observable inputs and consider a number of data points, including:

• 
• 

• 
• 

the pricing of standalone sales (in the limited instances where available);
the pricing established by management when setting prices for deliverables that are intended to be sold on a standalone 
basis;
contractually stated prices for deliverables that are intended to be sold on a standalone basis;
other pricing factors, such as the geographical region in which the products are sold and expected discounts based on the 
customer size and type.

Determining SSP for performance obligations which we never sell separately also requires significant judgment.  In estimating the 
SSP, we consider the likely price that would have resulted from established pricing practices had the deliverable been offered 
separately and the prices a customer would likely be willing to pay.

We only include estimated amounts in the transaction price to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal of cumulative 
revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is resolved.  We reduce 
transaction prices for estimated returns and other allowances that represent variable consideration under ASC 606, which we 
estimate based on historical return experience and other relevant factors, and record a corresponding refund liability as a 
component of accrued expenses and other current liabilities.  Other forms of contingent revenue or variable consideration are 
infrequent.

While not a common practice for us, in the event we grant the customer the option to acquire additional products or services in an 
arrangement, we consider if the option provides a material right to the customer that it would not receive without entering into the 
contract (e.g., an incremental discount compared to the range of discounts typically given for similar products or services).  If a 
material right is deemed to exist, we account for the option as a distinct performance obligation and recognize revenue when those 
future products or services are transferred or when the option expires.

We also record as revenue all amounts billed to customers for shipping and handling costs and record the actual shipping costs as 
a component of cost of revenues. Reimbursements received from customers for out-of-pocket expenses are recorded as revenues, 
with related costs recorded as cost of revenues. We present revenues net of any taxes collected from customers and remitted to 
government authorities.

Our contracts rarely contain significant financing components as payments from customers are due within a short period from 
when our performance obligations are satisfied.

We are applying the practical expedient for the deferral of sales commissions and other contract acquisition costs, which are 
expensed as incurred, because the amortization period would be one year or less.

63

Allowance for Sales Returns and Exchanges

We maintain allowances for estimated potential sales returns and exchanges from our customers, which represents variable 
consideration under ASC 606.  We record a provision for estimated returns and other allowances as a reduction of revenues in the 
same period that related revenues are recorded based on historical experience and specific customer analysis.  Use of management 
estimates is required in connection with establishing and maintaining a sales allowance for expected returns and other credits.  If 
actual returns differ from the estimates, additional allowances could be required.

The following table sets forth the activity in the allowance for sales returns and exchanges for the years ended December 31, 
2018, 2017 and 2016 (in thousands):

Allowance for sales returns and exchanges – beginning of year

Additions and adjustments to the allowance

Deductions against the allowance

Allowance for sales returns and exchanges – end of year

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

$

$

9,916

$

7,861

$

12,121
(13,034)
9,003

$

14,494
(12,439)
9,916

$

8,583

9,325

(10,047)

7,861

The allowance for sales returns and exchanges reflects an estimate of amounts invoiced that will not be collected, as well as other 
allowances and credits that have been or are expected to offset the trade receivables.  The allowance for sales returns and 
exchanges is recorded as a reduction to gross accounts receivable as of December 31, 2017, prior to the adoption of ASC 606, and 
as a component of accrued expenses and other current liabilities as of December 31, 2018, subsequent to the adoption of ASC 
606. 

Allowances for Doubtful Accounts

We maintain allowances for estimated losses from bad debt resulting from the inability of our customers to make required 
payments for products or services.  When evaluating the adequacy of the allowances, we analyze accounts receivable balances, 
historical bad debt experience, customer concentrations, customer credit worthiness and current economic trends.  To date, actual 
bad debts have not differed materially from management’s estimates.

The following table sets forth the activity in the allowance for doubtful accounts for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 
and 2016 (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

1,226

$

119
(6)
1,339

$

757
(340)
809

$

1,226

$

643

886

(772)

757

Allowance for doubtful accounts – beginning of year

Bad debt (recovery) expense

Increase (reduction) in allowance for doubtful accounts

Allowance for doubtful accounts – end of year

$

$

64

 
 
Translation of Foreign Currencies

The functional currency of each of our foreign subsidiaries is the local currency, except for the Irish manufacturing branch and 
Orad Hi-Tech Systems Ltd. (“Orad”) that we acquired in June 2015. The functional currency for both the Irish manufacturing 
branch and Orad is the U.S. dollar due to the extensive interrelationship of the operations of the Irish branch, Orad and the U.S. 
parent, and the high volume of intercompany transactions among the two subsidiaries and the parent.  The assets and liabilities of 
the subsidiaries whose functional currencies are other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the current exchange 
rate in effect at the balance sheet date.  Income and expense items for these entities are translated using rates that approximate 
those in effect during the period.  Cumulative translation adjustments are included in accumulated other comprehensive income 
(loss), which is reflected as a separate component of stockholders’ deficit.  We do not record tax provisions or benefits for the net 
changes in the foreign currency translation adjustment as we intend to permanently reinvest undistributed earnings in our foreign 
subsidiaries.

The U.S. parent company, Irish manufacturing branch and Orad, all of whose functional currency is the U.S. dollar, carry certain 
monetary assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar.  These assets and liabilities typically include 
cash, accounts receivable and intercompany operating balances denominated in foreign currencies.  These assets and liabilities are 
remeasured into the U.S. dollar at the current exchange rate in effect at the balance sheet date.  Foreign currency transaction and 
remeasurement gains and losses are included within marketing and selling expenses in the results of operations. 

The U.S. parent company and various other wholly owned subsidiaries have long-term intercompany loan balances denominated 
in foreign currencies that are remeasured into the U.S. dollar at the current exchange rate in effect at the balance sheet date.  Such 
loan balances are not expected to be settled in the foreseeable future.  Any gains and losses relating to these loans are included in 
the accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), which is reflected as a separate component of stockholders’ deficit.

We have significant international operations and, therefore, our revenues, earnings, cash flows and financial position are exposed 
to foreign currency risk from foreign-currency-denominated receivables, payables, sales and expense transactions, and net 
investments in foreign operations. We derive more than half of our revenues from customers outside the United States. The 
business is, for the most part, transacted through international subsidiaries and generally in the currency of the end-user 
customers. Therefore, we are exposed to the risks that changes in foreign currency could adversely affect our revenues, net 
income (loss), cash flow and financial position. Foreign currency transaction and remeasurement losses and gains are included 
within marketing and selling expenses in the results of operations.  For the year ended December 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016 we 
recorded net losses (gains) of $0.5 million, $5.1 million, and $(0.6) million respectively, that resulted from foreign currency 
denominated transactions and the revaluation of foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities.

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities

We measure cash equivalents and marketable securities at fair value on a recurring basis. The cash equivalents and marketable 
securities consist primarily of money market investments, mutual funds and insurance contracts held in deferred compensation 
plans. The money market investments and mutual funds held in our deferred compensation plan in the U.S. are reported at fair 
value within other current assets using quoted market prices with the gains and losses included as other income (expense) in our 
statement of operations. The insurance contracts held in the deferred compensation plans for employees in Israel and Germany are 
reported at fair value within other long-term assets using other observable inputs.  Other than the investments held in our deferred 
compensation plans, we held no marketable securities at December 31, 2018 or 2017. 

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject us to concentrations of credit risk consist of cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash 
and accounts receivable. We place our cash and cash equivalents with financial institutions that management believes to be of 
high credit quality, and, generally, there are no significant concentrations in any one issuer.  Concentrations of credit risk with 
respect to trade receivables are limited due to the large number of customers that make up our customer base and their dispersion 
across different regions.  No individual customer accounted for 10% or more of our total net revenues or net accounts receivable 
in the periods presented.

65

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (determined on a first-in, first-out basis) or market value.  Management regularly 
reviews inventory quantities on hand and writes down inventory to our realizable value to reflect estimated obsolescence or lack 
of marketability based on assumptions about future inventory demand and market conditions.  Inventory in the digital-media 
market, including our inventory, is subject to rapid technological change or obsolescence; therefore, utilization of existing 
inventory may differ from our estimates.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment is recorded at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the 
asset. We typically depreciate our property and equipment using the following minimum and maximum useful lives: 

Computer and video equipment and software, including internal use software

Manufacturing tooling and testbeds

Office equipment
Furniture, fixtures and other

Depreciable Life

Minimum
2 years

Maximum
5 years

3 years

3 years
3 years

5 years

5 years
8 years

We capitalize certain development costs incurred in connection with our internal use software. Costs incurred in the preliminary 
stages of development are expensed as incurred. Once an application has reached the development stage, internal and external 
costs, if direct, are capitalized until the software is substantially complete and ready for its intended use.  Capitalized costs are 
recorded as part of property and equipment.  Maintenance and training costs are expensed as incurred.  Internal use software is 
amortized on a straight-line basis over its estimated useful life, generally three years. 

Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the useful life of the improvement or the remaining term of the lease. 
Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred.  Upon retirement or other disposition of assets, the cost and 
related accumulated depreciation are eliminated from the accounts and the resulting gain or loss is reflected in other income 
(expense) in the results of operations.

Acquisition-Related Intangible Assets and Goodwill

Acquisition-related intangible assets consist of customer relationships, developed technology, trade names and non-compete 
agreements. These assets are determined to have either finite or indefinite lives. For finite-lived intangible assets amortization is 
straight-line over the estimated useful lives of such assets, which are generally two years to twelve years.  Straight-line 
amortization is used because we cannot reliably determine a discernible pattern over which the economic benefits would be 
realized.  We do not have any indefinite-lived intangible assets.  Intangible assets are tested for impairment when events and 
circumstances indicate there is an impairment.  The impairment test involves comparing the sum of undiscounted cash flows to 
the carrying value as of the measurement date.  Impairment occurs when the carrying value of the assets exceeds the sum of 
undiscounted cash flows.  Impairment is then measured as the difference between the carrying value and fair value determined 
using a discounted cash flow method.  In estimating the fair value using a discounted cash flow method, we use assumptions that 
include forecast revenues, gross margins, operating profit margins, growth rates and long-term discount rates, all of which require 
significant judgment by management.  Changes to these assumptions could affect the estimated fair value of the intangible asset 
and could result in an impairment charge in future.

We adopted ASU No. 2017-04, Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, during the first quarter of 2017. The adoption of 
ASU 2017-04 had no immediate impact on our consolidated financial statements. We concluded that we have only one reporting 
unit and stockholders’ deficit of $166.7 million as of December 31, 2018.  According to the revised guidance, the goodwill of 
reporting units with zero or negative carrying values will not be impaired.

66

 
Long-Lived Assets

We periodically evaluate our long-lived assets for events and circumstances that indicate a potential impairment.  A long-lived 
asset is assessed for impairment when the undiscounted expected future cash flows derived from that asset are less than its 
carrying value.  The cash flows used for this analysis take into consideration a number of factors including past operating results, 
budgets and economic projections, market trends and product development cycles.  The amount of any impairment would be 
equal to the difference between the estimated fair value of the asset, based on a discounted cash flow analysis, and its carrying 
value.

Advertising Expenses

All advertising costs are expensed as incurred and are classified as marketing and selling expenses.  Advertising expenses were 
not material in the periods presented.

Research and Development Costs

Research and development costs are expensed as incurred.  Development costs for software to be sold that are incurred 
subsequent to the establishment of technological feasibility, but prior to the general release of the product, are capitalized.  Upon 
general release, these costs are amortized using the straight-line method over the expected life of the related products, generally 
12 to 36 months. The straight-line method generally results in approximately the same amount of expense as that calculated using 
the ratio that current period gross product revenues bear to total anticipated gross product revenues.  We periodically evaluate the 
assets, considering a number of business and economic factors, to determine if an impairment exists.  No amounts have been 
capitalized during 2018, 2017, and 2016 as the costs incurred subsequent to the establishment of technological feasibility have not 
been material.

Income Taxes

We account for income taxes using an asset and liability approach that requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and 
liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in our financial statements or tax returns.  
We record deferred tax assets and liabilities based on the net tax effects of tax credits, operating loss carryforwards and temporary 
differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes compared to the amounts used 
for income tax purposes.  Deferred tax assets are regularly reviewed for recoverability with consideration for such factors as 
historical losses, projected future taxable income and the expected timing of the reversals of existing temporary differences.  We 
are required to record a valuation allowance when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will 
not be realized.

We account for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in our financial statements by applying a two-step process to determine 
the amount of tax benefit to be recognized.  First, the tax position must be evaluated to determine the likelihood that it will be 
sustained upon examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position.  If the tax position is deemed 
more-likely-than-not to be sustained, the tax position is then assessed to determine the amount of benefit to recognize in the 
financial statements.  The amount of the benefit that may be recognized is the largest amount that has a greater than 50% 
likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement.  The provision for income taxes includes the effects of any resulting tax 
reserves (“unrecognized tax benefits”) that are considered appropriate, as well as the related net interest and penalties.

Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation 

Our stock-based employee compensation plans allow us to grant stock awards, options, or other equity-based instruments, or a 
combination thereof, as part of our overall compensation strategy.  For stock-based awards granted, we record stock-based 
compensation expense based on the grant date fair value over the requisite service periods for the individual awards, which 
generally equal the vesting periods.  The vesting of stock-based award grants may be based on time, performance conditions, 
market conditions, or a combination of time, performance and market conditions.  We early adopted ASU No. 2016-09, 
Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718) during the second quarter of 2016 and made an accounting policy election to 
account for forfeitures when they occur.

67

Product Warranties

We provide warranties on externally sourced and internally developed hardware.  The warranty period for all of our products is 
generally 90 days to one year, but can extend up to 5 years depending on the manufacturer’s warranty or local law.  For internally 
developed hardware and in cases where the warranty granted to customers for externally sourced hardware is greater than that 
provided by the manufacturer, we record an accrual for the related liability based on historical trends and actual material and labor 
costs.  At the end of each quarter, we reevaluate our estimates to assess the adequacy of the recorded warranty liabilities and 
adjusts the accrued amounts accordingly.

Computation of Net Income (Loss) Per Share

Net income (loss) per share is presented for both basic earnings per share (“Basic EPS”) and diluted earnings per share (“Diluted 
EPS”).  Basic EPS is based on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period, excluding non-
vested restricted stock held by employees.  Diluted EPS is based on the weighted-average number of common and potential 
common shares outstanding during the period.  Potential common shares result from the assumed exercise of outstanding stock 
options and non-vested restricted stock and restricted stock units, the proceeds and remaining unrecorded compensation expense 
of which are then assumed to have been used to repurchase outstanding common stock using the treasury stock method.  For 
periods when we report a loss, all potential common stock is considered anti-dilutive.  For periods when we report net income, 
potential common shares with combined purchase prices and unamortized compensation costs in excess of our average common 
stock fair value for the related period or that are contingently issuable are considered anti-dilutive. We issued the Notes in 2015, 
and we applied the treasury stock method in measuring the dilutive impact of those potential common shares to be issued.

Accounting for Restructuring Plans

We record facility-related and contract termination restructuring charges in accordance with ASC Topic 420, Liabilities: Exit or 
Disposal Cost Obligations.  Based on our policies for the calculation and payment of severance benefits, we account for 
employee-related restructuring charges as an ongoing benefit arrangement in accordance with ASC Topic 712, Compensation - 
Nonretirement Postemployment Benefits.  We recognize facility-related restructuring charges upon exiting all or a portion of a 
leased facility and meeting cease-use and other requirements. The amount of restructuring charges is based on the fair value of the 
lease obligation for the abandoned space, which includes a sublease assumption that could be reasonably obtained.  Restructuring 
charges and accruals require significant estimates and assumptions, including sub-lease income assumptions.  These estimates and 
assumptions are monitored on at least a quarterly basis for changes in circumstances and any corresponding adjustments to the 
accrual are recorded in our statement of operations in the period when such changes are known.

Related Party Transactions

From time to time we enter into arrangements with parties which may be affiliated with us, executive officers and members of our 
Board of Directors. These transactions are primarily comprised of sales transactions in the normal course of business and are 
immaterial to the financial statements for all periods presented.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncement

On January 1, 2018, we adopted ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”), using the modified 
retrospective method applied to contracts not completed as of January 1, 2018. Results for reporting periods beginning 
after January 1, 2018 are presented under ASC 606, while prior period amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported in 
accordance with our historic accounting under ASC 605.  We recorded a net reduction to opening accumulated deficit 
of approximately $108 million as of January 1, 2018 due to the cumulative impact of adopting ASC 606. The primary impact of 
ASC 606 that resulted in a significant decrease in deferred revenue is that vendor specific objective evidence of fair value is no 
longer required to recognize revenue for distinct software products upon delivery, which allows recognition upon delivery rather 
than on a ratable basis over a period of time.

 A summary of the changes to balance sheet line items that resulted from the adoption of ASC 606 as of January 1, 2018 is as 
follows (in thousands): 

68

Assets:

Accounts receivable, net(1)
Contract assets(2)
Inventory(3)
Other long-term assets

Total assets

Liabilities:

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities (1)
Deferred revenue (current portion) (4)
Long-term deferred revenue (4)

Total liabilities

Stockholders’ deficit:

Accumulated deficit

Total stockholders’ deficit

As Previously
Reported

As of January 1, 2018
Impact of Adoption 
of Topic 606 (5)

As Adjusted

$

$

$

$

$

40,134

$

21,088

$

—

38,421

10,811

234,684

31,549

121,184

73,429

$

$

6,579
(5,716)
865

22,816

11,139
(41,611)
(55,079)

$

$

503,254

$

(85,551) $

61,222

6,579

32,705

11,676

257,500

42,688

79,573

18,350

417,703

(1,284,703)

(268,570) $

108,367

108,367

$

(1,176,336)
(160,203)

(1)  The increase in accounts receivable and accrued expenses and other current liabilities is due to the reclassification of allowances 
for sales returns, rebates and other adjustments to selling prices that are considered variable consideration under ASC 606 and 
are now presented as a liability on our balance sheet.  Accounts receivable also increased due to advanced contractual support 
billings now being recorded on a gross basis in accounts receivable when it is due, rather than being net against corresponding 
unamortized deferred revenue.

(2)  For subscription contracts, we are now required under ASC 606 to record contract assets for annual and multi-year subscriptions 
that are billed monthly, resulting in an increase in contract assets at the date of adoption.  In addition, some of our enterprise 
agreements have fixed payment schedules whereas the timing of the fulfillment of performance obligations under the contracts 
can vary, which can result in the fulfillment of performance obligations exceeding contract billings, which also results in contract 
assets.

(3)  The reduction is due to inventory and deferred costs that were directly attributable to deferred revenue transactions that were 
reduced or eliminated due to the adoption of ASC 606 (as described in footnote 4 below), necessitating the elimination of 
corresponding inventory and deferred costs associated with those deferred revenue transactions.

(4)  The reduction is primarily attributable to the elimination of the requirement to have vendor specific objective evidence of fair 
value for undelivered elements that existed under ASC 985, the prior applicable accounting guidance, for software products, 
which no longer precludes revenue recognition under ASC 606.

(5)    See Note O for a further description of the components of revenue and related performance obligations under ASC 606 that 

resulted in cumulative changes to balance sheet accounts as a result of the adoption of ASC 606.

69

The impact of adopting Topic 606 on our consolidated financial statements was as follows (in thousands):

Assets:

Accounts receivable, net

Contract assets

Inventory

Other long-term assets

Total assets

Liabilities:

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

Deferred revenue (current portion)

Long-term deferred revenue

Total liabilities

Stockholders’ deficit:

Accumulated deficit

Total stockholders’ deficit

Total net revenue

Total cost of revenue

Total gross profit

Loss before income taxes

Net loss

Net loss - basic and diluted

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

As Reported

As of December 31, 2018
Impact of Adoption
of Topic 606

Under Previous
GAAP

$

$

$

67,754

16,513

32,956

9,432

265,843

37,547

85,662

13,939

432,504

$

(19,703)
(16,513)
10,418
(900)
(26,698)

(9,003)
32,223

54,246

77,466

(1,187,010)
(166,661)

$

(104,164)
(104,164)

$

$

$

$

$

48,051

—

43,374

8,532

239,145

28,544

117,885

68,185

509,970

(1,291,174)
(270,825)

For the year ended December 31, 2018
Impact of Adoption
of Topic 606

Under Previous
GAAP

As Reported

413,282

$

174,118

239,164
(9,403)
(10,674)
(0.26)

$

(515)
(4,718)
4,203

4,203

4,203

$

0.10

$

412,767

169,400

243,367
(5,200)
(6,471)
(0.16)

In March 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”), No. 2018-05, 
Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) No. 118 (“ASU 2018-05”). The guidance 
amends SEC paragraphs in ASC 740, Income Taxes, to reflect and codify SAB No. 118, which provides guidance for companies 
that are not able to complete their accounting for the income tax effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in the period of enactment.  
ASU 2018-05 became effective upon issuance. We had applied SAB 118 upon the original issuance in December, 2017 prior to 
the codification in ASC 740. See discussion below regarding the status of our accounting for the impacts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs 
Act.

On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”) was signed into law. The TCJA changed many aspects of U.S. 
corporate income taxation and included reduction of the corporate income tax rate from 35% to a flat 21%, implementation of a 
territorial tax system and imposition of a tax on deemed repatriated earnings of foreign subsidiaries. The TCJA was effective as of 
December 31, 2017 and at that time we made a reasonable estimate of the effects on our existing deferred tax balances and the 
one-time transition tax. As of September 30, 2018, we completed our accounting for the tax effects of the TCJA and there were no 
material changes to the estimated amounts that were recorded as of December 31, 2017. The global intangible low-taxed income 
(“GILTI”) provisions of the TCJA impose a tax on foreign income in excess of a deemed return on tangible assets of foreign 
corporations. Under U.S. GAAP, we can make an accounting policy choice of either (1) treating taxes due on future U.S. 
inclusions in taxable income related to GILTI as a current-period expense when incurred (the “period cost method”) or (2) 

70

factoring such amounts into the measurement of our deferred taxes (the “deferred method”). During the year ended December 31, 
2018 we made a policy election to record tax effects of GILTI as an expense in the period incurred.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flow (Topic 230) (“ASU 2016-15”). The guidance 
reduces diversity in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the Statements of Cash Flows. 
Certain of ASU No. 2016-15 requirements are as follows: (i) cash payments for debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs 
should be classified as cash outflows for financing activities, (ii) contingent consideration payments made soon after a business 
combination should be classified as cash outflows for investing activities and cash payment made thereafter should be classified 
as cash outflows for financing up to the amount of the contingent consideration liability recognized at the acquisition date with 
any excess classified as operating activities, (iii) cash proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims should be classified on the 
basis of the nature of the loss, (iv) cash proceeds from the settlement of Corporate-Owned Life Insurance, or COLI, Policies 
should be classified as cash inflows from investing activities and cash payments for premiums on COLI policies may be classified 
as cash outflows for investing activities, operating activities, or a combination of investing and operating activities and (v) cash 
paid to a tax authority by an employer when withholding shares from an employee's award for tax-withholding purposes should 
be classified as cash outflows for financing activities. We adopted the guidance on January 1, 2018.  The adoption of ASU 
2016-15 had no material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740) (“ASU 2016-16”). The guidance requires 
companies to recognize the income tax effects of intercompany sales and transfers of assets, other than inventory, in the income 
statement as income tax expense (or benefit) in the period in which the transfer occurs. We adopted the guidance on January 1, 
2018.  The adoption of ASU 2016-16 had no impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash (“ASU 2016-18). 
The guidance requires companies to show the changes in the total of cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash 
equivalents in the statement of cash flows. As a result, companies will no longer present transfers between cash and cash 
equivalents and restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents in the statement of cash flows. When cash, cash equivalents, 
restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents are presented in more than one line item on the balance sheet, a reconciliation of the 
totals in the statement of cash flows to the related captions in the balance sheet is required. We adopted the guidance on January 1, 
2018.  The adoption of ASU 2016-18 had no material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Restricted cash amounts, 
presented within the statements of financial position and cash flows, are cash collateralized letters of credit that are used as 
security deposits in connection with our facility leases and operations. 

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud 
Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract (“ASU 2018-15”), which aligns the accounting for costs incurred to 
implement a cloud computing arrangement (CCA) that is a service arrangement with ASC 350, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other, 
on capitalizing costs associated with developing or obtaining internal-use software. Specifically, the ASU amends ASC 350 to 
include in its scope implementation costs of a CCA that is a service contract and clarifies that a customer should apply ASC 
350-40 to determine which implementation costs should be capitalized in a CCA that is considered a service contract.  ASU 
2018-15 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2019, and early 
adoption is permitted. We have been applying ASC 350-40 to determine which implementation costs should be capitalized in a 
CCA that is a service contract during 2017 and 2018. The early adoption of ASU 2018-15 has no impact on our consolidated 
financial statements.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements to be Adopted

On February 25, 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The guidance requires entities to recognize 
virtually all of their leases on the balance sheet, by recording a right-of-use, or ROU, asset and lease liability. This guidance is 
effective for us on January 1, 2019. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-11, Leases - Targeted Improvements (“ASU 
2018-11”) to provide entities with relief from the costs of implementing certain aspects of the new leasing standard, ASU 2016-02 
(codified as ASC 842). Specifically, under the amendments in ASU 2018-11, entities may elect not to recast the comparative 
periods presented when transitioning to ASC 842. The transition relief amendments apply to entities that have not yet adopted 
ASC 842.  We adopted the new standard effective January 1, 2019 using the alternative transition method provided by ASU 
2018-11. We currently expect the ROU assets to be in the range of approximately $36 million to $40 million, and the lease 
liabilities to be in the range of approximately $41 million to $45 million as of January 1, 2019. The new standard will not have a 
material impact on our consolidated statement of operations and cash flows, and the effects of applying ASC 842 as a cumulative-

71

effect adjustment to retained earnings as of January 1, 2019 is immaterial. We will provide additional disclosures as required by 
the new standard in the first quarter of 2019.

In August 2018, the SEC adopted the final rule under SEC Release No. 33-10532, Disclosure Update and Simplification, 
amending certain disclosure requirements that were redundant, duplicative, overlapping, outdated or superseded. In addition, the 
amendments expanded the disclosure requirements on the analysis of stockholders' equity for interim financial statements. The 
amendments are effective for all filings made on or after November 5, 2018. However, the SEC staff has provided an extended 
transition period for companies to comply with the new interim disclosure requirement to provide a reconciliation of changes in 
shareholders’ equity (either in a separate statement or note to the financial statements).  The extended transition period allows us 
to first present the reconciliation of changes in shareholders' equity in our Form 10-Q for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019.  
We do not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

C.  NET (LOSS) INCOME PER SHARE

Net (loss) income per common share is presented for both basic (loss) income per share (“Basic EPS”) and diluted (loss) income 
per share (“Diluted EPS”). Basic EPS is based on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. 
Diluted EPS is based on the weighted-average number of common shares and common shares equivalents outstanding during the 
period.

The potential common shares that were considered anti-dilutive securities were excluded from the diluted earnings per share 
calculations for the relevant periods either because the sum of the exercise price per share and the unrecognized compensation 
cost per share was greater than the average market price of our common stock for the relevant periods, or because they were 
considered contingently issuable. The contingently issuable potential common shares result from certain stock options and 
restricted stock units granted to our employees that vest based on performance conditions, market conditions, or a combination of 
performance and market conditions. 

When there is a loss from continuing operations, potential common shares should not be included in the computation of Diluted 
EPS because the exercise or conversion of any potential shares increases the number of shares in the denominator and results in a 
lower loss per share. Therefore, all outstanding stock options and restricted stock units at December 31, 2018 and 2017 are anti-
dilutive and not included in the EPS calculation. The following table sets forth (in thousands) common shares considered anti-
dilutive securities at December 31, 2018 and 2017, and weighted common shares considered anti-dilutive for the year ended 
December 31, 2016.   

Options

Non-vested restricted stock units

Anti-dilutive potential common shares

December 31,
2018

December 31,
2017

December 31,
2016

892

2,945

3,837

2,290

3,063

5,353

3,670

729

4,399

We issued the Notes on June 15, 2015.  The Notes are convertible into cash, shares of our common stock or a combination of cash 
and shares of common stock, at our election, based on an initial conversion rate, subject to adjustment.  In connection with the 
offering of the Notes, we entered into a capped call transaction with a third party (the “Capped Call”) (see Note P, Long-Term 
Debt and Credit Agreement). We use the treasury stock method in computing the dilutive impact of the Notes. The Notes are 
convertible into shares but our stock price was less than the conversion price at December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, and 
therefore, the Notes are excluded from diluted income per share. The Capped Call is not reflected in diluted net (loss) income per 
share as it will always be anti-dilutive. 

D.    FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

We measure deferred compensation investments on a recurring basis.  At December 31, 2018 and 2017, our deferred 
compensation investments were classified as either Level 1 or Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. Assets valued using quoted 

72

 
market prices in active markets and classified as Level 1 are money market and mutual funds. Assets valued based on other 
observable inputs and classified as Level 2 are insurance contracts.

The following tables summarize our deferred compensation investments measured at fair value on a recurring basis (in 
thousands):

Fair Value Measurements at Reporting Date Using

Quoted Prices in
Active Markets
for Identical
Assets (Level 1)

Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs (Level 2)

Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)

December 31,
2018

Financial Assets:

Deferred compensation investments

$

1,372

$

386

$

986

Fair Value Measurements at Reporting Date Using

Quoted Prices in
Active Markets
for Identical
Assets (Level 1)

Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs (Level 2)

Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)

December 31,
2017

Financial Assets:

Deferred compensation investments

$

1,743

$

484

$

1,259

$

—

Financial Instruments Not Recorded at Fair Value

The carrying amounts of our other financial assets and liabilities including cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and 
accrued liabilities approximate their respective fair values because of the relatively short period of time between their origination 
and their expected realization or settlement.  At December 31, 2018, the net carrying amount of the Notes is $97.7 million, and the 
fair value of the Notes is approximately $96.1 million based on open market trading activity, which constitutes a Level 1 input in 
the fair value hierarchy. 

E.    ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE

Accounts receivable, net of allowances, consisted of the following at December 31, 2018 and 2017 (in thousands):

Accounts receivable
Less:

Allowance for doubtful accounts

Allowance for sales returns and rebates

Total

December 31,

2018

2017

69,093

$

51,276

(1,339)
—

67,754

$

(1,226)

(9,916)

40,134

$

$

The increase in accounts receivable is due to the reclassification of allowances for sales returns, rebates and other adjustments to 
selling prices that are considered variable consideration under ASC 606 and are now presented as a liability on our balance sheet.  
Accounts receivable also increased due to advanced contractual support billings now being recorded on a gross basis in accounts 
receivable when it is due, rather than being net against corresponding unamortized deferred revenue.

73

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
F.    INVENTORIES

Inventories consisted of the following at December 31, 2018 and 2017 (in thousands):

Raw materials

Work in process

Finished goods

Total

December 31,

2018

2017

10,520

$

11,217

527

21,909

32,956

$

397

26,807

38,421

$

$

At December 31, 2018 and 2017, finished goods inventory included $2.1 million and $8.2 million, respectively, associated with 
products shipped to customers or deferred labor costs for arrangements where revenue recognition had not yet commenced. As 
discussed in Note B, $5.7 million of inventory and deferred costs were eliminated upon the adoption of ASC 606 on January 1, 
2018 as such inventory and deferred costs were directly attributable to deferred revenue transactions that were also eliminated 
upon adoption.

G.   LONG-LIVED ASSETS

Property and equipment consisted of the following at December 31, 2018 and 2017 (in thousands):

Computer and video equipment and software

Manufacturing tooling and testbeds

Office equipment

Furniture, fixtures and other

Leasehold improvements

Less:  Accumulated depreciation and amortization

Total

December 31,

2018

2017

$

132,531

$

127,322

3,635

4,957

10,458

37,593

189,174

167,592

$

21,582

$

3,591

5,036

10,639

34,779

181,367

159,464

21,903

We capitalize certain development costs incurred in connection with our internal use software. For the year ended December 31, 
2018, we capitalized $4.5 million of contract labor and internal labor costs related to internal use software, and recorded the 
capitalized costs in computer and video equipment and software. There were $1.9 million and $1.3 million of contract labor and 
internal labor costs capitalized for the years ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. Internal use software 
is amortized on a straight line basis over its estimated useful life of three years, and we recorded $2.5 million, $2.8 million and 
$3.0 million of amortization expense during 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Depreciation and amortization expense related to property and equipment was $11.9 million, $13.1 million and $15.2 million for 
the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. 

The following table presents our property, equipment and other long-term assets, excluding intangible assets, by geography at 
December 31, 2018 and 2017 (in thousands):

Long-lived assets:

United States

Other countries

Total long-lived assets

74

December 31,

2018

2017

$

$

23,774

7,240

31,014

$

$

24,292

8,426

32,718

 
 
 
H.  INTANGIBLE ASSETS AND GOODWILL

Intangible Assets

Amortizing identifiable intangible assets related to our acquisitions or capitalized costs of internally developed or externally 
purchased software that form the basis for our products consisted of the following at December 31, 2018 and 2017 (in thousands):

2018

Accumulated
Amortization

Gross

December 31,

Net

Gross

2017

Accumulated
Amortization

Completed technologies and patents

$

58,246

$

Customer relationships

Trade names

Capitalized software costs

Total

54,986

1,346

4,911

$ 119,489

$

(54,508) $
(54,292)
(1,346)
(4,911)
(115,057) $

3,738

$

58,609

$

694

—

—

54,946

1,346

4,911

4,432

$ 119,812

$

(47,072) $
(52,801)
(1,346)
(4,911)
(106,130) $

Net

11,537

2,145

—

—

13,682

Amortization expense related to intangible assets in the aggregate was $9.3 million, $9.3 million and $10.3 million for the years 
ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.  We expect amortization of intangible assets to be approximately $4.4 
million in 2019.

Goodwill

The acquisition of Orad resulted in goodwill of $32.6 million in 2015.  We concluded that we have only one reporting unit and 
stockholders’ deficit of $166.7 million as of December 31, 2018.  According to ASU 2017-04 which we adopted during the first 
quarter of 2017, the goodwill of reporting units with zero or negative carrying values will not be impaired.

I.  OTHER LONG-TERM LIABILITIES

Other long-term liabilities consisted of the following at December 31, 2018 and 2017 (in thousands):

Deferred rent

Accrued restructuring

Deferred compensation

Total

December 31,

2018

2017

$

$

5,122

$

188

4,992

10,302

$

2,970

731

5,546

9,247

75

 
 
 
 
 
 
   
J.   COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Operating Lease Commitments

We lease our office space and certain equipment under non-cancelable operating leases. The future minimum lease commitments 
under these non-cancelable leases at December 31, 2018 were as follows (in thousands): 

Year Ending December 31,
2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Thereafter

Total

$

11,225

9,784

6,850

5,982

4,754

20,040

58,635

$

Included in the operating lease commitments above are obligations under leases for which we have vacated the underlying 
facilities as part of various restructuring plans.  These leases expire at various dates through 2026 and represent an aggregate 
obligation of $3.6 million.  We have restructuring accruals of $0.3 million at December 31, 2018, which represents the difference 
between this aggregate future obligation and future sublease income under actual or estimated potential sublease agreements, on a 
net present value basis, as well as other facilities-related obligations.  We received $1.2 million, $0.7 million and $0.6 million of 
sublease income during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

We lease corporate office space in Burlington, Massachusetts, which expires in May 2028.

The accompanying consolidated results of operations reflect rent expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the leases.  Total 
expense under operating leases was $9.5 million, $11.8 million and $14.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 
and 2016, respectively.  

Other Commitments

We entered into a long-term agreement to purchase a variety of information technology solutions from a third party in the second 
quarter of 2017, which included an unconditional commitment to purchase a minimum of $12.8 million of products and services 
over the initial three-year term of the agreement. We have purchased $4.9 million pursuant to this agreement as of December 31, 
2018 to develop Azure certified solutions.

We have letters of credit that are used as security deposits in connection with our leased Burlington, Massachusetts office space.  
In the event of default on the underlying leases, the landlords would, at December 31, 2018, be eligible to draw against the letters 
of credit to a maximum of $1.3 million in the aggregate.  The letters of credit are subject to aggregate reductions provided that we 
are not in default under the underlying leases and meets certain financial performance conditions.  In no case will the letters of 
credit amounts for the Burlington leases be reduced to below $1.2 million in the aggregate throughout the lease periods. 

We also have letters of credit in connection with security deposits for other facility leases totaling $1.1 million in the aggregate, as 
well as letters of credit totaling $1.3 million that otherwise support our ongoing operations.  These letters of credit have various 
terms and expire during 2019 and beyond, while some of the letters of credit may automatically renew based on the terms of the 
underlying agreements.

Purchase Commitments and Sole-Source Suppliers

At December 31, 2018, we entered into purchase commitments for certain inventory and other goods used in our normal 
operations.  The purchase commitments covered by these agreements are for a period of less than one year and in the aggregate 
total $23.1 million.

76

 
We depend on sole-source suppliers for certain key hardware components of our products.  Although we have procedures in place 
to mitigate the risks associated with our sole-sourced suppliers, we cannot be certain that we will be able to obtain sole-sourced 
components or finished goods from alternative suppliers or that we will be able to do so on commercially reasonable terms 
without a material impact on our results of operations or financial position.  We procure product components and build inventory 
based on forecasts of product life cycle and customer demand.  If we are unable to provide accurate forecasts or manage inventory 
levels in response to shifts in customer demand, we may have insufficient, excess or obsolete product inventory.

We issued a letter of credit totaling $8.5 million to one of our sole-source suppliers in February 2018. The supplier is
eligible to draw on the letter of credit in the event that we are insolvent or unable to pay on our purchase orders for certain
key hardware components of our product. The letter of credit is valid for one year from its issuance date, and may automatically 
renew based on the terms of the underlying agreement.

Contingencies

Our industry is characterized by the existence of a large number of patents and frequent claims and litigation regarding patent and 
other intellectual property rights.  In addition to the legal proceedings described above, we are involved in legal proceedings from 
time to time arising from the normal course of business activities, including claims of alleged infringement of intellectual property 
rights and contractual, commercial, employee relations, product or service performance, or other matters.  We do not believe these 
matters will have a material adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations.  However, the outcome of legal 
proceedings and claims brought against us is subject to significant uncertainty.  Therefore, our financial position or results of 
operations may be negatively affected by the unfavorable resolution of one or more of these proceedings for the period in which a 
matter is resolved.  Our results could be materially adversely affected if we are accused of, or found to be, infringing third parties’ 
intellectual property rights.

In November 2016, a purported securities class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts 
(Mohanty v. Avid Technology, Inc. et al., No. 16-cv-12336) against us and certain of our executive officers seeking unspecified 
damages and other relief on behalf of a purported class of purchasers of our common stock between August 4, 2016 and 
November 9, 2016, inclusive. The complaint purported to state a claim for violation of federal securities laws as a result of alleged 
violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder. The complaint’s allegations 
relate generally to our disclosure surrounding the level of implementation of our Avid NEXIS solution product offerings. On 
February 7, 2017, the Court appointed a lead plaintiff and counsel in the matter. On June 14, 2017, we moved to dismiss the 
action. On July 31, 2017, the lead plaintiff filed an opposition to our motion to dismiss, and on August 21, 2017, we filed our 
reply brief. On October 13, 2017, after a mediation, the parties reached an agreement in principle to settle this litigation. The 
settlement was approved by the court and the settlement payment of $1.3 million was made by our insurers in May 2018.

Following the termination of our former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer on February 25, 2018, we received a notice 
alleging that we breached the former employee’s employment agreement. While we intend to defend any claim vigorously, when 
and if a claim is actually filed, we are currently unable to estimate an amount or range of any reasonably possible losses that could 
occur as a result of this matter.

We consider all claims on a quarterly basis and based on known facts assesses whether potential losses are considered reasonably 
possible, probable and estimable.  Based upon this assessment, we then evaluate disclosure requirements and whether to accrue 
for such claims in our consolidated financial statements.

We record a provision for a liability when it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be 
reasonably estimated. These provisions are reviewed at least quarterly and adjusted to reflect the impacts of negotiations, 
settlements, rulings, advice of legal counsel and other information and events pertaining to a particular case. 

At December 31, 2018 and as of the date of filing of these consolidated financial statements, we believe that, other than as set 
forth in this note, no provision for liability nor disclosure is required related to any claims because: (a) there is no reasonable 
possibility that a loss exceeding amounts already recognized (if any) may be incurred with respect to such claim; (b) a reasonably 
possible loss or range of loss cannot be estimated; or (c) such estimate is immaterial.

Additionally, we provide indemnification to certain customers for losses incurred in connection with intellectual property 
infringement claims brought by third parties with respect to our products.  These indemnification provisions generally offer 

77

perpetual coverage for infringement claims based upon the products covered by the agreement and the maximum potential 
amount of future payments we could be required to make under these indemnification provisions is theoretically unlimited.  To 
date, we have not incurred material costs related to these indemnification provisions; accordingly, we believe the estimated fair 
value of these indemnification provisions is immaterial.  Further, certain arrangements with customers include clauses whereby 
we may be subject to penalties for failure to meet certain performance obligations; however, we have not recorded any related 
material penalties to date.

We provide warranties on externally sourced and internally developed hardware.  For internally developed hardware and in cases 
where the warranty granted to customers for externally sourced hardware is greater than that provided by the manufacturer,  we 
record an accrual for the related liability based on historical trends and actual material and labor costs.  The following table sets 
forth the activity in the product warranty accrual account for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 (in thousands):

Accrual balance at January 1, 2016

Accruals for product warranties

Cost of warranty claims

Accrual balance at December 31, 2016

Accruals for product warranties

Cost of warranty claims

Accrual balance at December 31, 2017

Accruals for product warranties

Cost of warranty claims

Accrual balance at December 31, 2018

K. 

 CAPITAL STOCK

Preferred Stock

$

$

2,234

2,822

(2,538)

2,518

2,572

(2,545)
2,545

858

(1,697)

1,706

We have authorized up to one million shares of preferred stock, $0.01 par value per share, for issuance.  Each series of preferred 
stock shall have such rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, 
redemption privileges and liquidation preferences, as may be determined by our board of directors (the “Board”).

Stock Incentive Plans

There is an aggregate of 8,040,000 of our shares of $0.01 par value per share common stock authorized and reserved for issuance 
under the Avid Technology, Inc. 2014 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”). The Plan was originally adopted by the Board on 
September 14, 2014 and approved by our stockholders on October 29, 2014. In connection with the approval of the Plan, our 
Amended and Restated 2005 Stock Incentive Plan has been closed; no additional awards may be granted under that Plan.  Shares 
available for issuance under the Plan totaled 2,978,714 at December 31, 2018.

Under the Plan, we may grant stock awards or options to purchase our common stock to employees, officers, directors and 
consultants. The exercise price for options generally must be no less than market price on the date of grant. Awards may be 
performance-based where vesting or exercisability is conditioned on achieving performance objectives, time-based or a 
combination of both.  Current option grants become exercisable over various periods, typically three to four years for employees 
and one year for non-employee directors, and have a maximum term of seven to ten years.  Restricted stock and restricted stock 
unit awards with time-based vesting typically vest over three to four years for employees and one year for non-employee 
directors. 

We use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the fair value of stock option grants with time-based vesting.  The 
Black-Scholes model relies on a number of key assumptions to calculate estimated fair value.  The assumed dividend yield of zero 
is based on the fact that we have never paid cash dividends and has no present expectation to pay cash dividends and our current 
Financing Agreement precludes us from paying dividends. The expected volatility is now based on actual historic stock volatility 
for periods equivalent to the expected term of the award.  The assumed risk-free interest rate is the U.S. Treasury security rate 

78

with a term equal to the expected life of the option.  The assumed expected life is based on company-specific historical experience 
considering the exercise behavior of past grants and models the pattern of aggregate exercises.

The fair value of restricted stock and restricted stock unit awards with time-based vesting is based on the intrinsic value of the 
awards at the date of grant, as the awards have a purchase price of $0.01 per share. 

We also issue stock option grants or restricted stock unit awards with vesting based on market conditions, specifically our stock 
price and performance conditions, generally using adjusted EBITDA. The fair values and derived service periods for all grants 
that include vesting based on market conditions are estimated using the Monte Carlo valuation method.  For stock option grants 
that include vesting based on performance conditions, the fair values are estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model.  
For restricted stock unit awards that include vesting based on performance conditions, the fair values are estimated based on the 
intrinsic values of the awards at the date of grant, as the awards have a purchase price of $0.01 per share.  

Information with respect to options granted under all stock option plans for the year ended December 31, 2018 was as follows: 

Options outstanding at January 1, 2018

Granted

Exercised

Forfeited or canceled

Options outstanding at December 31, 2018

Options vested at December 31, 2018 or expected to vest

Options exercisable at December 31, 2018

Weighted-
Average
Exercise
Price

Weighted-
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term (years)

Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
(in thousands)

Total Shares

2,290,017

$9.65

—

—
(1,398,125)
891,892

891,892

891,892

$—

$—

$10.42

$8.46

$8.46

$8.46

1.55

1.55

1.55

$—

$—

$—

No options were granted during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016. No stock options were exercised during 
2018 and 2017. The cash received from stock options exercised during the year ended December 31, 2016 was $5.6 million. 

Information with respect to non-vested restricted stock units for the year ended December 31, 2018 was as follows:

Non-Vested Restricted Stock Units

Non-vested at January 1, 2018

Granted

Vested

Forfeited

Non-vested at December 31, 2018

Expected to vest

Weighted-
Average
Grant-Date
Fair Value

Weighted-
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term (years)

Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
(in thousands)

$5.10
$5.01

$5.61

$5.10

$4.91

$5.04

1.10

1.10

$13,958

$10,454

Total Shares

3,063,248
2,554,852
(688,106)
(1,985,175)
2,944,819

2,205,433

The weighted-average grant date fair value of restricted stock units granted during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 
2016 was $5.01, $4.63 and $6.25, respectively.  The total weighted-average fair value of restricted stock units vested during the 
years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016 was $3.9 million, $5.7 million, and $5.5 million, respectively.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

On February 27, 2008, the Board approved our Second Amended and Restated 1996 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the 
“ESPP”).  On May 27, 2008 our stockholders approved an increase of the number of shares of our common stock authorized for 

79

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
issuance under the Second Amended and Restated ESPP from 1,700,000 to 2,500,000 shares. In May 2018, we registered an 
aggregate of 650,000 of our shares of $0.01 par value per share common stock, which have been authorized and reserved for 
issuance under the Avid Technology, Inc. Second Amended and Restated ESPP.  

Our Second Amended and Restated ESPP offers our shares for purchase at a price equal to 85% of the closing price on the 
applicable offering period termination date.  Shares issued under the ESPP are considered compensatory.  Accordingly, we are 
required to measure fair value and record compensation expense for share purchase rights granted under the ESPP.  In July 2015, 
the Board of Directors approved an amendment to the ESPP to change the subscription period from three to six months and 
accordingly to adjust the payroll cap to $5,000 per plan period.  A total of 650,111 shares remained available for issuance under 
the ESPP at December 31, 2018.

We use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to calculate the fair value of shares issued under the ESPP.  The Black-Scholes 
model relies on a number of key assumptions to calculate estimated fair values.  The following table sets forth the weighted-
average key assumptions and fair value results for shares issued under the ESPP during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 
and 2016:

Expected dividend yield
Risk-free interest rate

Expected volatility

Expected life (in years)

Weighted-average fair value of shares issued (per share)

Year Ended December 31,
2017
0.00%
0.83%

62.0%

0.49

$0.86

2016
0.00%
0.40%

69.0%

0.49

$1.20

2018
0.00%
1.85%

55.3%

0.50

$0.94

The following table sets forth the quantities and average prices of shares issued under the ESPP for the years ended December 31, 
2018, 2017 and 2016:

Shares issued under the ESPP

Average price of shares issued

Year Ended December 31,
2017
96,507

$4.53

2016
129,342

$4.35

2018
117,653

$4.22

We did not realize a material tax benefit from the tax deductions for stock option exercises, vested restricted stock units and 
shares issued under the ESPP during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 or 2016.

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

Stock-based compensation was included in the following captions in our consolidated statements of operations for the years ended 
December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively (in thousands): 

Cost of products revenues

Cost of services revenues

Research and development expenses

Marketing and selling expenses

General and administrative expenses

Total

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2016

2018

$

128

194

667

1,540

3,729

$

53

$

189

694

1,944

5,431

$

6,258

$

8,311

$

60

381

376

1,958

5,141

7,916

At December 31, 2018, there was $8.9 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested stock-based 
compensation awards granted under our stock-based compensation plans.  We expect this amount to be amortized approximately 

80

 
as follows: $4.8 million in 2019, $2.8 million in 2020, $1.2 million in 2021, and $0.1 million in 2022.  At December 31, 2018, the 
weighted-average recognition period of the unrecognized compensation cost was approximately 1.2 years.

L.  EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

Employee Benefit Plans

We have a Section 401(k) plan that covers substantially all U.S. employees.  The 401(k) plan allows employees to make 
contributions up to a specified percentage of their compensation.  We may, upon resolution by our board of directors, make 
discretionary contributions to the plan.  Our contributions to the 401(k) plan totaled $1.6 million, $1.6 million and $1.9 million in 
2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

In addition, we have various retirement and post-employment plans covering certain international employees.  Certain plans allow 
us to match employee contributions up to a specified percentage as defined by the plans.  Our contributions to these plans totaled 
$1.7 million, $1.8 million and $2.0 million in 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. 

Deferred Compensation Plans

We maintain a nonqualified deferred compensation plan (the “Deferred Plan”). The Deferred Plan covers senior management and 
members of the Board.  In November 2013, the Board determined to indefinitely suspend the plan, and not offer participants the 
opportunity to participate in the Deferred Plan as of 2014. The benefits payable under the Deferred Plan represent an unfunded 
and unsecured contractual obligation to pay the value of the deferred compensation in the future, adjusted to reflect deemed 
investment performance. Payouts are generally made upon termination of employment with us.  The assets of the Deferred Plan, 
as well as the corresponding obligations, were approximately $0.4 million and $0.5 million at December 31, 2018 and 2017, 
respectively, and were recorded in “other current assets” and “accrued compensation and benefits” at those dates.  

In connection with the acquisition of a business in 2010, we assumed the assets and liabilities of a deferred compensation 
arrangement for a single individual in Germany.  The arrangement represents a contractual obligation to pay a fixed euro amount 
for a period specified in the contract.  In connection with the acquisition of Orad, we assumed the assets and liabilities of a 
deferred compensation arrangement for employees in Israel.  Our assets and liabilities related to the arrangements consisted of 
assets recorded in “other long-term assets” of $1.0 million at December 31, 2018 and $1.3 million at December 31, 2017, 
representing the value of related insurance contracts and investments, and liabilities recorded as “long-term liabilities” of $5.0 
million at December 31, 2018 and $5.5 million at December 31, 2017, representing the fair value of the estimated benefits to be 
paid under the arrangements.

M.  INCOME TAXES 

On December 22, 2017, the act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget 
for fiscal year 2018, commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or TCJA, was signed into law. The TCJA changed many 
aspects of U.S. corporate income taxation and included reduction of the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%, 
implementation of a territorial tax system and imposition of a tax on deemed repatriated earnings of foreign subsidiaries. The SEC 
staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118, or SAB 118, which provides guidance for companies that have not completed their 
accounting for the income tax effects of the TCJA, in the period of enactment, allowing for a measurement period of up to one 
year after the enactment date to finalize the recording of the related tax impacts. 

We completed our accounting for the tax effects of the TCJA at September 30, 2018 and there were no material changes to the 
estimated amounts that were recorded as of December 31, 2017. At December 31, 2017, we recorded a reduction of $129.4 
million to our U.S. net deferred tax assets as a result of the rate reduction from 35% to 21%. Our deferred tax attributes are 
generally subject to a full valuation allowance in the U.S. and thus, this adjustment to the attributes did not impact the tax 
provision. 

As part of U.S. international tax reform, the TCJA imposes a transition tax on certain accumulated foreign earnings aggregated 
across all non-U.S. subsidiaries, net of foreign deficits. We were in an aggregate net foreign deficit position for U.S. tax purposes, 

81

and therefore not liable for the transition tax. Additionally, TCJA repealed the alternative minimum tax (AMT) and made existing 
AMT credit carryovers refundable. Accordingly, at December 31, 2017, we recorded a deferred tax benefit and income tax 
receivable for our existing AMT credit in the amount of $0.8 million. 

The global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”) provisions of the TCJA impose a tax on foreign income in excess of a deemed 
return on tangible assets of foreign corporations. Under U.S. GAAP, we can make an accounting policy choice of either (1) 
treating taxes due on future U.S. inclusions in taxable income related to GILTI as a current-period expense when incurred (the 
“period cost method”) or (2) factoring such amounts into the measurement of our deferred taxes (the “deferred method”). During 
the year ended December 31, 2018 we made a policy election to record tax effects of GILTI as an expense in the period incurred.

Income from before income taxes and the components of the income tax provision consisted of the following for the years ended 
December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 (in thousands):

(Loss) income from operations before income taxes:

United States

Foreign
Total (loss) income from operations before income taxes

Provision for (Benefit from) income taxes:

Current tax expense (benefit):

Federal

State

Foreign benefit of net operating losses

Other foreign

Total current tax expense (benefit)

Deferred tax (benefit) expense:

Federal

Other foreign

Total deferred tax (benefit) expense

$

$

$

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2016

2018

(1,940) $
(7,463)
(9,403) $

(4,811) $
(8,611)
(13,422) $

12,402

32,942
45,344

(1) $
59
(206)
1,372

1,224

—

47

47

(4) $
59
(66)
1,774

1,763

(821)
(809)
(1,630)
133

$

102

32

(1,247)

(48)

(1,161)

96

(1,810)

(1,714)

(2,875)

Total provision for (benefit from) income taxes

$

1,271

$

82

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net deferred tax assets (liabilities) consisted of the following at December 31, 2018 and 2017 (in thousands):

Deferred tax assets:

Tax credit and net operating loss carryforwards

Allowances for bad debts

Difference in accounting for:

Revenues

Costs and expenses

Inventories

Acquired intangible assets

Gross deferred tax assets

Valuation allowance

Deferred tax assets after valuation allowance

Deferred tax liabilities:
Difference in accounting for:

Costs and expenses

Acquired intangible assets

Basis difference convertible notes

Gross deferred tax liabilities

Net deferred tax assets

Recorded as:

Long-term deferred tax assets, net

Long-term deferred tax liabilities, net

Net deferred tax assets

December 31,

2018

2017

$

283,473

$

267,706

32

34

3,666

17,033

3,744

555

308,503
(304,070)
4,433

(1,454)
(709)
(1,112)
(3,275)
1,158

$

1,158

—

1,158

$

$

$

18,057

16,149

4,501

1,830

308,277

(298,955)

9,322

(3,608)

(2,189)

(2,207)

(8,004)

1,318

1,318

—

1,318

Deferred tax assets and liabilities reflect the net tax effects of the tax credits and net operating loss carryforwards and the 
temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used 
for income tax purposes.  The ultimate realization of the net deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of sufficient 
future taxable income in the applicable tax jurisdictions.  Based on the magnitude of the deferred tax assets at December 31, 2018 
and 2017 and the level of historical U.S. tax losses, management has determined that the uncertainty regarding the realization of 
these assets warranted a significant valuation allowance at December 31, 2018 and 2017. 

As noted above under Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements, there was no tax impact upon our adoption of ACS 606 
Revenue from Contracts with Customers, because our deferred tax assets related to deferred revenue have a full valuation 
allowance. However, in connection with the reduction in our deferred revenue balances upon ASC 606 adoption, we reduced both 
the deferred tax asset related to deferred revenue and its corresponding valuation allowance by $12.2 million. 

For U.S. federal and state income tax purposes at December 31, 2018, we had tax credit carryforwards of $50.9 million, which 
will expire between 2019 and 2038, and net operating loss carryforwards of $787.0 million, the majority of which will expire 
between 2019 and 2037. 

The federal net operating loss and tax credit amounts are subject to annual limitations under Section 382 change of ownership 
rules of the Internal Revenue Code.  We completed an assessment at June 30, 2018 regarding whether there may have been a 
Section 382 ownership change and concluded that it is more likely than not that none of our net operating loss and tax credit 
amounts are subject to any Section 382 limitation. 

Additionally, we have foreign net operating loss carryforwards of $147.1 million and capital loss carryforwards of $0.8 million, 
each with an indefinite carryforward period and tax credit carryforwards of $5.5 million that begin to expire in 2030.  We have 

83

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
determined there is uncertainty regarding the realization of a portion of these assets and have recorded a valuation allowance 
against $145.6 million of net operating losses, $0.8 million of capital losses and $5.4 million of tax credits at December 31, 2018.

Our assessment of the valuation allowance on the U.S. and foreign deferred tax assets could change in the future based on our 
levels of pre-tax income and other tax related adjustments.  Removal of the valuation allowance in whole or in part would result 
in a non-cash reduction in income tax expense during the period of removal.

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of our income tax provision (benefit) to the statutory U.S. federal tax amount for 
the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016:

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2016

2018

Statutory tax

Tax credits (generated) / expired

Foreign operations

Change in uncertain tax positions

Non-deductible expenses and other

Tax deficiency on stock-based compensation
Change in valuation allowance

Provision for (benefit from) income taxes

$

$

(1,975) $
1,277

1,854

58

301

—
(244)
1,271

(4,698) $
(1,646)
3,113

800

1,109

—
1,455

15,870

(2,468)

(12,662)

(6,710)

670

2,509
(84)

(2,875)

$

133

$

As noted above, the TCJA included a reduction of the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% for years beginning after 2017. 
Accordingly, the amount reflected above for statutory tax is computed at a 21% rate for the year ended December 31, 2018 and a 
35% rate for the previous two years ended December 31 2017 and 2016. 

Our tax credits decreased significantly in 2018 driven by expiring U.S. research and development tax credits exceeding current 
year tax credits generated. Changes in the jurisdictional mix of our foreign profitability drives the change in the taxes on foreign 
operations. The 2016 benefit was primarily due to a change in our uncertain tax position related to the foreign tax implications 
arising from changes in revenue recognition. 

As a result of TCJA and the current U.S. taxation of deemed repatriated earnings, the additional taxes that might be payable upon 
repatriation of foreign earnings are not significant. However, we do not have any current plans to repatriate these earnings because 
the underlying cash will be used to fund the ongoing operations of the foreign subsidiaries. 

A tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained before being recognized in the financial statements.  It also requires 
the accrual of interest and penalties as applicable on unrecognized tax positions.  We disclosed unrecognized tax benefits 
primarily related to the foreign tax implications arising from the changes in revenue recognition that arose in periods prior to 
2012.  The unrecognized tax benefits did not have an impact on the effective tax rate because we maintain a full valuation 
allowance on the related loss carryforwards.  At December 31, 2016, our unrecognized tax benefits and related accrued interest 
and penalties totaled $1.0 million, of which $1.0 million would affect our income tax provision and effective tax rate if 
recognized.  At December 31, 2017 and 2018, our unrecognized tax benefits and related accrued interest and penalties totaled $1.8 
million, of which $1.8 million would affect our effective tax rate if recognized.  During 2016, we had a change in our uncertain 
tax position related to a method change in a foreign jurisdiction and reversed the associated accrual in its entirety.  At 
December 31, 2018, our accrual for unrecognized tax benefits and related accrued interest and penalties related to an Israel audit 
issue totaled $1.8 million, of which $1.8 million would affect our income tax provision and effective tax rate if recognized. 

84

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of the beginning and ending amounts of unrecognized tax benefits, excluding the 
impact of interest and penalties, for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 (in thousands):

Unrecognized tax benefits at January 1, 2016

Increases for tax positions taken during a prior period

Decreases for tax positions taken during a prior period

Unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2016

Increases for tax positions taken during a prior period

Unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2017

Decreases for tax positions taken during a prior period

Unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2018

$

$

25,995

1,041

(25,995)

1,041

800

1,841

(78)

1,763

We recognize interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in income tax expense.  Accrued interest and penalties 
related to uncertain tax positions at December 31, 2018 were $0.3 million and were not material in 2017. 

The tax years 2009 and forward remain open to examination by taxing authorities in the jurisdictions in which we operate.  The 
most significant operating jurisdictions include: the United States, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Israel, Japan, and the 
United Kingdom.

N.  RESTRUCTURING COSTS AND ACCRUALS

2016 Restructuring Plan

In February 2016, we committed to a restructuring plan that encompassed a series of measures intended to allow us to more 
efficiently operate in a leaner, more directed cost structure. These included reductions in our workforce, consolidation of facilities, 
transfers of certain business processes to lower cost regions, and reductions in other third-party services costs. The cost efficiency 
program was substantially complete as of December 31, 2017.

During the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2018, we recorded costs of $1.7 million and $5.1 million, respectively. 
The restructuring charges for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 included $3.6 million of severance costs related to 
approximately 84 positions eliminated during 2018 and the first quarter of 2019, recoveries of $(0.1) million of facility 
restructuring accrual adjustments, and $1.1 million of leasehold improvement write-off resulting from the consolidation of our 
facilities in Burlington, Massachusetts.

During the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2017, we recorded costs of $0.6 million and $7.1 million, respectively. 
The restructuring charges for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 included $3.1 million for the severance costs related to 
approximately 102 positions eliminated during 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, recoveries of $1.1 million as a result of revised 
severance estimates, and $5.1 million for the closure of certain excess facility space, including $3.2 million of leasehold 
improvement write-offs.

During the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2016, we recorded costs of $5.0 million and $12.8 million, respectively. 
The restructuring charges for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016 included $10.0 million for the severance costs and 
estimate adjustments related to approximately 279 terminated employees and $2.8 million for the closure of certain excess facility 
space, including $1.1 million of leasehold improvement write-offs and $0.8 million adjustments related to sublease assumptions 
associated with our Mountain View, California facility.

85

Restructuring Summary

The following table sets forth restructuring expenses recognized for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 (in 
thousands):

Employee

Facility

Total facility and employee charges

Other

Total restructuring charges, net

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

$

3,641
(104)
3,537

1,611

$

2,145

$

2,939

5,084

1,975

8,740

3,058

11,798

1,039

$

5,148

$

7,059

$

12,837

The following table sets forth the activity in the restructuring accruals for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 (in 
thousands). There have been some immaterial reclassifications of prior year balances to conform to current year presentation. 

Employee-
Related

Facilities-
Related

Accrual balance at January 1, 2016

Restructuring charges and revisions

Accretion

Cash payments

Foreign exchange impact on ending balance

Accrual balance at December 31, 2016

Restructuring charges and revisions

Accretion

Cash payments

Foreign exchange impact on ending balance

Accrual balance at December 31, 2017

Restructuring charges and revisions

Accretion

Cash payments

Foreign exchange impact on ending balance

Accrual balance at December 31, 2018

Less: current portion

4,675

8,740

—
(6,992)
(197)
6,226

2,145

—
(6,439)
66

1,998

3,641

—
(3,099)
1

2,541

2,541

Long-term accrual balance as of December 31, 2018

$

— $

1,671

3,058

287
(1,701)
(7)
3,308

2,939

325
(4,109)
16

2,479
(104)
103
(2,159)
(1)
318

130

188

$

$

Total

6,346

11,798

287

(8,693)

(204)

9,534

5,084

325

(10,548)

82

4,477

3,537

103

(5,258)

—

2,859

2,671

188

The employee-related accruals at December 31, 2018 represent severance costs to former employees that will be paid out within 
twelve months, and are, therefore, included in the caption “accrued expenses and other current liabilities” in our consolidated 
balance sheets.

The facilities-related accrual at December 31, 2018 represent contractual lease payments, net of estimated sublease income, on 
space vacated as part of our restructuring actions.  The leases, and payments against the amounts accrued, extend through 2026 
unless we are able to negotiate earlier terminations.  Of the total facilities restructuring balance, $0.1 million is included in the 
caption “accrued expenses and other current liabilities” and $0.2 million is included in the caption “other long-term liabilities” in 
our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018.

86

 
 
O.  REVENUE 

Revenue Components and Performance Obligations

Video Products and Solutions

We offer a wide range of video products and solutions in connection with our sales of storage and workflow solutions, our media 
management solutions and our video creative tools, which include our Media Composer, NEXIS, Airspeed, Maestro and 
MediaCentral product lines that consist of software licenses or integrated hardware and software solutions.  We sell these products 
to customers under a contract or signed quote and payment terms are generally 30 to 60 days from delivery.  Each individual 
product sold to a customer represents a distinct performance obligation for us and revenue is recognized at the point in time when 
control of the product transfers, which is typically when the product is shipped to the customer or, in the case of certain software 
licenses, when the software license term commences and is accessible by the customer.

Audio Products and Solutions

We offer a wide range of audio products and solutions in connection with our sales of digital audio software and workstation 
solutions and our control surfaces, consoles and live-sound systems, which include our Pro Tools, Pro Tools HD, Pro Tools | S6, 
VENUE | S6L and Sibelius product lines that consist of software licenses or integrated hardware and software solutions.  We sell 
these products to customers under a contract or signed quote and payment terms are generally 30 to 60 days from delivery.  Each 
individual product sold to a customer represents a distinct performance obligation for us and revenue is recognized at the point in 
time when control of the product transfers, which is typically when the product is shipped to the customer or, in the case of certain 
software licenses, when the software license term commences and is accessible by the customer. 

Subscription Services

We offer subscription versions of many of our software products with monthly, annual and multi-year terms.  While we are 
beginning to offer subscription versions for most of our product portfolio in connection with our cloud strategy, current 
subscription sales primarily consist of our Media Composer, Pro Tools and Sibelius offerings. We sell these products to customers 
under standard terms and conditions and payment is due upfront, except for webstore transactions which are billed monthly. 
Contract assets for annual and multi-year subscriptions billed monthly are recorded on our balance sheet upon customer 
commitment, net of expected early cancellations where we estimate variable consideration based on historical experience.  
Subscription services have several performance obligations, including a right to use the software and stand-ready performance 
obligations to (i) provide unspecified bug fixes and software enhancements, or Software Updates, and (ii) call support when and if 
needed.  The estimated SSP of the right to use the licensed software is recognized at a point in time once control has been 
transferred and the customer has the ability to access the software.  Stand-ready performance obligations related to Software 
Updates and call support are satisfied over time and revenue is recognized ratably over the term of the subscription.

Support Services

We offer support contracts, which are typically annual, for our video and audio products.  Support contracts for individual 
products are sold bundled with initial product offerings or as renewals once initial contracts have lapsed.  Support contracts are 
also sold on an enterprise basis where a customer purchases support for all Avid products owned.  Support contracts are provided 
under our standard terms and conditions and payment is due in advance of the support being provided.  Support contracts include 
stand-ready performance obligations to provide (i) Software Updates, (ii) call support and (iii) hardware maintenance.  Support 
contract performance obligations are satisfied over time and revenue is recognized ratably over the term of the support contract.

Historically, for many of our products, we had an ongoing practice of making when-and-if-available Software Updates available 
to customers free of charge for a period of time after initial sales to customers. The expectation created by this practice of 
providing free Software Updates represents an implied obligation of a form of post-contract customer support (“Implied PCS”) 
which represents a performance obligation.  While we have ceased providing Implied PCS on new product offerings, we continue 
to provide Implied PCS for older products that were predominately sold in prior years.  Revenue attributable to Implied PCS 
performance obligations is recognized over time on a ratable basis over the period that Implied PCS is expected to be provided, 
which is typically six years.

87

Professional Services, Training and Other

We sell a variety of professional services, training and other services that complement product and support offerings.  Professional 
services consist primarily of standard configuration, commissioning (i.e., setting up equipment purchased) and on-air support (i.e., 
monitoring a customer’s production environment available during initial system go-live, live sporting events, etc.) and providing 
customization services for some of our products.  We also offer training and certification programs for many of our products and 
workflows.  Other revenues include shipping and handling charges and reimbursable travel expenses.  We sell professional 
services, training and other services under contracts, signed quote and, for larger projects, statements of work that outline the 
customer’s specifications and requirements.  Services are primarily sold on a time and materials basis, however, fixed fee 
arrangements are also executed from time to time.  Payments are generally billed upon completion of the service or, for larger 
projects, on an installment basis as services are rendered.  While the nature of service deliverables can vary significantly, each 
service deliverable generally represents a distinct performance obligation and revenue is recognized over time, typically in 
proportion of the total hours incurred as a percentage of total estimated hours required to complete the project.

Enterprise Agreements

From time to time, we enter into enterprise wide agreements whereby the customer agrees to purchase specified products and 
services from us over an extended period of time, often for a single fixed contractual price.  For such agreements, management 
identifies each performance obligation in the contract and allocates the total contract price to each performance obligation based 
on relative estimated SSP.  Once the transaction price is allocated to individual performance obligations, the components are 
recognized in the respective categories of revenue above consistent with the timing of the recognition of performance obligations 
described therein. 

Disaggregated Revenue and Geography Information

Through the evaluation of the discrete financial information that is regularly reviewed by the chief operating decision makers (our 
chief executive officer and chief financial officer), we have determined that we have one reportable segment. The following is a 
summary of our revenues by type for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 (in thousands):

Video products and solutions net revenues

Audio products and solutions net revenues

Products and solutions net revenues

Subscription services

Support services

Professional services, training and other services

Services net revenues

Total net revenues (1)

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2016

2018

$

132,276

$

114,787

$

72,831

205,107

35,888

139,205

33,082

208,175

94,674

209,461

20,118

159,533

29,891

209,542

$

413,282

$

419,003

$

155,408

127,702

283,110

10,409

181,475

36,936

228,820

511,930

88

The following table sets forth our revenues by geographic region for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 (in 
thousands):

Revenues:

United States

Other Americas

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Asia-Pacific

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2016

2018

$

150,877

$

161,155

$

186,658

27,494

172,238

62,673

27,031

163,059

67,758

38,824

206,605

79,843

Total net revenues (1)
(1) As a result of our adoption of ASC 606 effective January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method, prior period 
amounts have not been adjusted to conform with ASC 606 and therefore may not be comparable.

419,003

413,282

$

$

$

511,930

Other than the United States, no single country accounted for more than 10% of revenue for all periods presented.

Contract Asset 

Contract asset activity for the year ended December 31, 2018 was as follows (in thousands):

Contract asset at January 1, 2018

Revenue in excess of billings

Customer billings

Contract asset at December 31, 2018

December 31, 2018

$

$

6,579

34,504
(24,570)
16,513

The increase in contract assets during the year ended December 31, 2018 is due to (i) continued growth in our subscription offerings 
and (ii) the timing of payments due under our enterprise network agreements which predominately are payable annually whereas 
performance obligations are fulfilled on a continuous basis.

Deferred Revenue

Deferred revenue activity for the year ended December 31, 2018 was as follows (in thousands):

Deferred revenue at January 1, 2018

Billings deferred

Recognition of prior deferred revenue

Deferred revenue at December 31, 2018

December 31, 2018

$

$

97,923

80,979
(79,301)
99,601

A summary of the performance obligations included in deferred revenue as of December 31, 2018 is as follows (in thousands):

Product

Subscription

Support Contracts

Implied PCS

Professional services, training and other

Deferred revenue at December 31, 2018

89

December 31, 2018

$

$

6,138

1,006

69,384

16,470

6,603

99,601

 
 
 
Remaining Performance Obligations

For transaction prices allocated to remaining performance obligations, we apply practical expedients and do not disclose 
quantitative or qualitative information for remaining performance obligations (i) that have original expected durations of one year 
or less and (ii) where we recognize revenue equal to what we have the right to invoice and that amount corresponds directly with 
the value to the customer of our performance to date.

We have remaining performance obligations of $16.5 million attributable to Implied PCS recorded in deferred revenue as of 
December 31, 2018. We expect to recognize revenue for these remaining performance obligations of $6.8 million, $4.7 million, 
$2.8 million, $1.4 million and $0.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. 

As of December 31, 2018, we had approximately $53.0 million of transaction price allocated to remaining performance 
obligations for certain enterprise agreements that have not yet been invoiced and are therefore not recorded as deferred revenue on 
our balance sheet. Unbilled remaining performance obligations represent obligations we have to deliver for specific products and 
services in the future where there is not yet an enforceable right to invoice the customer.  Our unbilled remaining performance 
obligations do not include contractually committed minimum purchases that are common in our strategic purchase agreements 
with resellers since our specific obligations to deliver products or services is not yet known, as customers may satisfy such 
commitments by purchasing an unknown combination of current or future product offerings.  While the timing of fulfilling 
individual performance obligations under the contracts can vary dramatically based on customer requirements, we expect to 
recognize the $53.0 million in installments through 2026.

Remaining performance obligation estimates are subject to change and are affected by several factors, including terminations due 
to contract breach, contract amendments and changes in the expected timing of delivery.

P.  LONG-TERM DEBT AND CREDIT AGREEMENT

Long-term debt consisted of the following (in thousands):

Term Loan, net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $2,613 at December 31, 2018 and

$3,499 at December 31, 2017, respectively

Notes, net of unamortized original issue discount and debt issuance costs of $9,022 at

December 31, 2018 and $17,026 at December 31, 2017, respectively

Other long-term debt

Total debt

Less: current portion

Total long-term debt

December 31,
2018

December 31,
2017

$

122,811

$

102,751

97,731

1,453

221,995

1,405

105,974

1,679

210,404

5,906

$

220,590

$

204,498

The following table summarizes the maturities of our borrowing obligations as of December 31, 2018 (in thousands):

90

Fiscal Year

Term Loan

Notes

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Thereafter

$

$

1,275

2,231

4,781

6,375

110,762

—

106,753

—

—

—

—

Total before unamortized discount

Less: unamortized discount and issuance costs

Less: current portion of long-term debt

125,424

106,753

2,613

1,275

9,022

—

Other Long-
Term Debt
130

— $

$

Total

1,405

109,123

4,930

6,535

110,934

703

233,630

11,635

1,405

139

149

160

172

703

1,453

—

130

Total long-term debt

$

121,536

$

97,731

$

1,323

$

220,590

2.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2020

On June 15, 2015, we issued $125.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 2.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2020 (the 
“Notes”) in an offering conducted in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933.  The net proceeds from the 
offering were $120.3 million after deducting the offering expenses. 

The Notes pay interest semi-annually on June 15 and December 15 of each year, beginning on December 15, 2015, at an annual 
rate of 2.00% and mature on June 15, 2020 unless earlier converted or repurchased in accordance with their terms prior to such 
date.  Additional interest may be payable upon the occurrence of certain events of default relating to our failure to deliver certain 
documents or reports to the Trustee, our failure to timely file any document or report required pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of 
the Exchange Act or if the Notes are not freely tradable as of one year after the last date of original issuance of the Notes.  The 
Notes are convertible into cash, shares of our common stock or a combination of cash and shares of common stock, at our 
election, based on an initial conversion rate, subject to adjustment, of 45.5840 shares per $1,000 principal amount of Notes, which 
is equal to an initial conversion price of $21.94 per share.  Prior to December 15, 2019, the Notes are convertible only in the 
following circumstances: (1) during any calendar quarter commencing after September 30, 2015, if the last reported sale price of 
our common stock is greater than or equal to 130% of the applicable conversion price for at least 20 trading days during a period 
of 30 consecutive trading days ending on the last trading day of the preceding calendar quarter; (2) during the five business day 
period after any five consecutive trading day period (the “Measurement Period”) in which the trading price per $1,000 principal 
amount of Notes for each trading day in the Measurement Period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price 
of our common stock and the conversion rate on such trading day; or (3) upon the occurrence of specified corporate transactions.  
On or after December 15, 2019 until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the 
maturity date, holders may convert their Notes at any time, regardless of the foregoing circumstances. We may not redeem the 
Notes prior to their maturity, which means that we are not required to redeem or retire the Notes periodically.  

The Notes are senior unsecured obligations.  Upon the occurrence of certain specified fundamental changes, the holders may 
require us to repurchase all or a portion of the Notes for cash at 100% of the principal amount of the Notes being purchased, plus 
any accrued and unpaid interest. 

In accounting for the Notes at issuance, we allocated proceeds from the Notes into debt and equity components according to the 
accounting standards for convertible debt instruments that may be fully or partially settled in cash upon conversion. The initial 
carrying amount of the debt component, which approximates its fair value, was estimated by using an interest rate for 
nonconvertible debt, with terms similar to the Notes. The excess of the principal amount of the Notes over the fair value of the 
debt component was recorded as a debt discount and a corresponding increase in additional paid-in capital.  The debt discount is 
accreted to the carrying value of the Notes over their term as interest expense using the interest method.  Upon issuance of the 
Notes, we recorded $96.7 million as debt and $28.3 million as additional paid-in capital in stockholders’ equity.  The effective 
interest rate used to estimate the fair value of the debt was 7.66%.  For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, we recorded 
debt discount accretion of $6.4 million and $6.1 million, respectively, as interest expense in our statement of operations.  Total 
interest expense for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 was $8.8 million and $8.6 million, respectively, reflecting the 
coupon and accretion of the discount.

91

We incurred transaction costs of $4.7 million relating to the issuance of the Notes. We adopted ASU No. 2015-03, Simplifying the 
Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs, which requires that debt issuance costs be classified as a reduction in the carrying value of 
the debt. In accounting for these costs, we allocated the costs of the offering between debt and equity in proportion to the fair 
value of the debt and equity recognized. The transaction costs allocated to the debt component of approximately $3.6 million were 
recorded as a direct deduction from the face amount of the Notes and are being amortized as interest expense over the term of the 
Notes using the interest method.  The transaction costs allocated to the equity component of approximately $1.1 million were 
recorded as a decrease in additional paid-in capital. 

During 2017, we purchased 2,000 of our 125,000 outstanding Notes and settled $2.0 million of the Notes for $1.7 million in cash. 
We recorded $2.0 million extinguishment of debt, an immaterial amount of equity reacquisition, and an immaterial loss on the 
extinguishment of debt.

During 2018, we purchased an additional 16,247 of our 123,000 outstanding Notes and settled another $16.2 million of the Notes 
for $14.7 million in cash. We recorded $16.2 million extinguishment of debt, an immaterial amount of equity reacquisition, and an 
immaterial gain on the extinguishment of debt.

On January 22, 2019, we purchased an additional 3,900 of our 106,753 outstanding Notes and settled another $3.9 million of the 
Notes for $3.6 million in cash. 

Capped Call Transaction

In connection with the offering of the Notes, on June 9, 2015, we entered into a capped call derivative transaction with a third 
party (the “Capped Call”).  The Capped Call is expected generally to reduce the potential dilution to the common stock and/or 
offset any cash payments we may be required to make in excess of the principal amount upon conversion of the Notes in the event 
that the market price per share of the common stock is greater than the strike price of the Capped Call.  The Capped Call has a 
strike price of $21.94 and a cap price of $26.00 and is exercisable by us when and if the Notes are converted.  If, upon conversion 
of the Notes, the price of our common stock is above the strike price of the Capped Call, the counterparty will deliver shares of 
common stock and/or cash with an aggregate value approximately equal to the difference between the price of the common stock 
at the conversion date (as defined, with a maximum price for purposes of this calculation equal to the cap price) and the strike 
price, multiplied by the number of shares of common stock related to the portion of the Capped Call being exercised.  The Capped 
Call expires on June 15, 2020.  We paid $10.1 million for the Capped Call and recorded the payment as a decrease to additional 
paid-in capital. 

In connection with the repurchase of 18,247 of the Notes in 2017 and 2018, we entered into Partial Unwind Agreements with the 
third party, as a result of which the number of options under the original Capped Call transaction was reduced from 125,000 to 
106,753. We received an immaterial amount of cash from the third party in connection with such unwind agreements.

Term Loan and Credit Facilities

On February 26, 2016, we entered into a Financing Agreement (the “Financing Agreement”) with Cerberus Business Finance, 
LLC, as collateral and administrative agent, and the lenders party thereto (the “Lenders”). The Lenders agreed to provide us with 
(a) a term loan in the aggregate principal amount of $100 million (the “Term Loan”) and (b) a revolving credit facility (the “Credit 
Facility”) of up to a maximum of $5.0 million in borrowings outstanding at any time. We granted a security interest on 
substantially all of our assets to secure the obligations under the Credit Facility and the Term Loan. We may prepay all or any 
portion of the Term Loan prior to its stated maturity, subject to the payment of certain fees based on the amount repaid. The Term 
Loan also requires us to use 50% of excess cash, as defined in the Financing Agreement, to repay outstanding principal of the 
loans under the Financing Agreement. The Financing Agreement contains customary representations and warranties, covenants, 
mandatory prepayments, and events of default under which our payment obligations may be accelerated. 

On November 9, 2017, we entered into an amendment to the Financing Agreement. The amendment extended an additional $15.0 
million term loan to us, thereby increasing the aggregate principal amount of the term loan to $115.0 million. The amendment also 
increased the amount of available revolving credit by $5.0 million to an aggregate amount of $10.0 million. The additional $15.0 
million term loan must be repaid in quarterly principal payments of $0.2 million commencing in March 2018. The amendment 

92

also granted us the ability to use up to $15.0 million to purchase Notes and modified the definition of consolidated EBITDA used 
in the Leverage Ratio calculation to adjust for expected changes in deferred revenue due to the adoption of ASC 606.

On May 10, 2018, we entered into an amendment to the Financing Agreement that extended the maturity of the Financing 
Agreement to May 2023, and increased the Term Loan by $22.7 million and the amount available under the Credit Facility by 
$12.5 million to an aggregate amount of $22.5 million. Under the terms of the amendment, aggregate quarterly principal 
repayments beginning September 30, 2018 through June 30, 2020 are equal to $318,750, then from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 
2021 are equal to $796,875, finally from July 1, 2021 through May 10, 2023 are equal to $1,593,750. Following the amendment 
effective date, interest accrues on outstanding borrowings under the Term Loan and Credit Facility (each as defined in the 
Financing Agreement) at a rate of either the LIBOR Rate (as defined in the Financing Agreement) plus 6.625% or a Reference 
Rate (as defined in the Financing Agreement) plus 5.625%, at our option. The amendment modified the covenant requiring us to 
maintain a Leverage Ratio (defined to mean the ratio of (a) the sum of indebtedness under the Term Loan and Credit Facility, 
capitalized leases and non-cash collateralized letters of credit to (b) consolidated EBITDA) of no greater than 3.00:1.00 for the 
four quarters ended June 30, 2018 through December 31, 2018, 2.50:1.00 for the four quarters ending March 31, 2019 through 
December 31, 2019, 2.25:1.00 for the four quarters ending March 31, 2020 through March 31, 2021, 2.00:1.00 for the four 
quarters ending June 30, 2021 through December 31, 2022, respectively, and thereafter declining to 1.50:1.00.  

The maximum available credit under the Credit Facility is $22.5 million. There were no amounts outstanding under the Credit 
Facility as of December 31, 2018. We were in compliance with the Financing Agreement covenants as of December 31, 2018. We 
recorded $10.8 million of interest expense on the Term Loan for the year ended December 31, 2018, of which $2.9 million related 
to the quarter ended December 31, 2018.

Q.   QUARTERLY RESULTS (UNAUDITED)

The following information has been derived from unaudited consolidated financial statements that, in the opinion of management, 
include all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of such information.

(In thousands, except per share data)

2018

2017

Quarter Ended

Dec. 31

Sept. 30

June 30 Mar. 31

Dec. 31

Sept. 30

June 30 Mar. 31

$112,684

$104,046

$ 98,615

$ 97,937

$107,258

$105,265

$102,373

$104,107

Net revenues (1)

Cost of revenues

Amortization of intangible assets

Gross profit

Operating expenses:

   Research and development

   Marketing and selling

   General and administrative

   Amortization of intangible assets

   Restructuring costs (recoveries), net

   Total operating expenses

Operating income (loss)

Interest and other expense, net

Income (loss) before income taxes

Provision for (benefit from) income taxes

Net income (loss)

44,220

1,950

66,514

14,836

23,921

13,574

361

1,747

54,439

12,075

41,485

1,950

60,611

15,873

23,461

13,660

363

226

53,583

7,028

(5,725)

(5,725)

6,350

447

$

5,903

1,303

425

878

$

$

40,333

1,950

56,332

15,985

27,759

14,041

363

268

40,280

1,950

55,707

15,685

26,132

13,955

363

2,907

58,416

59,042

(2,084)

(6,278)

(8,362)

144

(3,335)

(5,359)

(8,694)

255

46,862

1,950

58,446

16,308

25,776

10,624

362

595

53,665

4,781

42,957

1,950

60,358

16,025

25,652

15,193

362

(582)

56,650

3,708

(5,203)

(4,701)

40,670

1,950

59,753

16,991

29,018

13,644

363

6,063

66,079

(6,326)

(3,918)

38,598

1,950

63,559

18,888

25,811

14,431

363

983

60,476

3,083

(4,846)

(1,763)

(422)

459

(993)

(10,244)

(1,065)

587

152

$ (8,506) $ (8,949) $

(881) $

72

$ (10,831) $ (1,915)

Net income (loss) per share – basic and diluted

$

0.14

0.02

$

(0.20) $

(0.22) $

(0.02) $

0.00

$

(0.26) $

(0.05)

Weighted-average common shares outstanding – basic

Weighted-average common shares outstanding – diluted

41,860

42,430

41,792

42,226

41,587

41,587

41,404

41,404

41,216

41,216

41,133

41,355

40,953

40,953

40,772

40,772

93

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(1) As a result of our adoption of ASC 606 effective January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method, prior period 
amounts have not been adjusted to conform with ASC 606 and therefore may not be comparable.

94

ITEM 9. 

CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL 
DISCLOSURE

Not applicable.

ITEM 9A.   CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, with the participation and supervision of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, is 
responsible for our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act.  
Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be 
disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the 
time periods specified under SEC rules and forms.  Disclosure controls and procedures include controls and procedures designed 
to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated 
to our principal executive officer and our principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required 
disclosure.

Our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, carried out an evaluation of the 
effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2018.  Management recognizes that any controls and 
procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and 
management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. 
Based on this evaluation, our management concluded that, as of December 31, 2018, these disclosure controls and procedures 
were effective at a reasonable level of assurance.

Management's Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in 
Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision 
of, our principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by our board of 
directors, management, and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and 
the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the 
United States of America (“GAAP”) and includes those policies and procedures that:

(1)  Pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and 

dispositions of our assets; 

(2)  Provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial 

statements in accordance with GAAP, and our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with 
authorizations of our management and directors; and

(3)  Provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or 

disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of inherent limitations, no matter how well designed and operated, internal control over financial reporting may not 
prevent or detect misstatements and can only provide reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In 
addition, the design of internal control over financial reporting must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and that 
management is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.

Our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have performed an evaluation of our internal control over financial
reporting under the framework in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013), issued by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission. The objective of this assessment was to determine whether our internal control over
financial reporting was effective at December 31, 2018. Based on the results of this evaluation, we have concluded that our 
internal control over financial reporting was effective at December 31, 2018.

95

Our independent registered public accounting firm, BDO USA, LLP, has audited our consolidated financial statements and has 
issued an attestation report on our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018, which report is included 
herein.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended December 31, 2018 that have 
materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Inherent Limitation on the Effectiveness of Internal Controls

The effectiveness of any system of internal control over financial reporting is subject to inherent limitations, including the 
exercise of judgment in designing, implementing, operating, and evaluating the controls and procedures, and the inability to 
eliminate misconduct completely. Accordingly, any system of internal control over financial reporting can only provide 
reasonable, not absolute, assurances. In addition, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the 
risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or 
procedures may deteriorate. We intend to continue to monitor and upgrade our internal controls as necessary or appropriate for 
our business, but cannot assure that such improvements will be sufficient to provide us with effective internal control over 
financial reporting.

96

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Shareholders and Board of Directors 
Avid Technology, Inc. 
Burlington, Massachusetts

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited Avid Technology, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company’s”) internal control over financial reporting as of 
December 31, 2018, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of 
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the “COSO criteria”). In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all 
material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018, based on the COSO criteria. 

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) 
(“PCAOB”), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the related consolidated 
statements of operations and comprehensive (loss) income, stockholders’ deficit, and cash flows for each of the three years in the 
period ended December 31, 2018, and the related notes and our report dated  March 14, 2019 expressed an unqualified opinion 
thereon.

Basis for Opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its 
assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Item 9A, 
“Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting”. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the 
Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the 
PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with U.S. federal securities laws and the 
applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit of internal control over financial reporting in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those 
standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over 
financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over 
financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating 
effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such other procedures as we 
considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the 
reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally 
accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that 
(1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of 
the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of 
financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the 
company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide 
reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s 
assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, 
projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate 
because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. 

97

/s/ BDO USA, LLP

Boston, Massachusetts
March 14, 2019 

ITEM 9B.  OTHER INFORMATION

Not Applicable.

98

PART III

ITEM 10.  DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to all our employees, including our principal executive 
officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer.  We will provide any person, without charge, with a copy of 
our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics upon written request to Avid, 75 Network Drive, Burlington, MA 01803, 
Attention:  Corporate Secretary.  Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is also available in the Investor Relations section of 
our website at www.avid.com.  If we were to amend or waive any provision of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics 
applicable to any of our principal executive officers, our principal financial officer, our principal accounting officer or any person 
performing similar functions, we intend to satisfy our disclosure obligations with respect to any such waiver or amendment by 
posting such information on our Internet website set forth above rather than by filing a Form 8-K.

The remainder of the response to this item will be contained in our Proxy Statement for our 2019 Annual Meeting of 
Stockholders, or the 2019 Proxy Statement, under the captions “Directors,” “Executive Officers,” “Section 16(a) Beneficial 
Ownership Reporting Compliance,” “Board Committees” and “Director Nomination Process,” all of which is incorporated herein 
by reference.

ITEM 11.  EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The response to this item will be contained in our 2019 Proxy Statement under the captions “Director Compensation,” “Executive 
Compensation,” “Compensation Committee Report” and “Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation” and is 
incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 12.  SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED 

STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

The response to this item will be contained in our 2019 Proxy Statement under the caption “Security Ownership of Certain 
Beneficial Owners and Management” and is incorporated herein by reference.

The disclosures required for securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans will be contained in the 2019 
Proxy Statement under the caption “Equity Compensation Plan Information” and are incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 13.  CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

The response to this item will be contained in our 2019 Proxy Statement under the captions “Board Committees” and “Related 
Person Transaction Policy” and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 14.  PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

The response to this item will be contained in our 2019 Proxy Statement under the caption “Independent Registered Public 
Accounting Firm Fees” and is incorporated herein by reference.

99

ITEM 15.  EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

PART IV

(a) 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The following consolidated financial statements are included in Item 8:

-  Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firms
-  Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 
-  Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive (Loss) Income for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 
-  Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2018 and 2017 
-  Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Deficit for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 
-  Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 
-  Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(a) 3. LISTING OF EXHIBITS.  The list of exhibits, which are filed or furnished with this report or are incorporated herein by

reference, is set forth in the Exhibit Index immediately preceding the exhibits and is incorporated herein by reference.

100

Exhibit
No.
3.1

3.2

3.3

4.1

4.2

4.3

10.1

10.2

#10.3

#10.4

#10.5

#10.6

#10.7

#10.8

#10.9

#10.10

#10.11

#10.12

#10.13

#10.14

EXHIBIT INDEX

Incorporated by Reference

  Filed with
this Form
10-K

Form or
Schedule  
8-K

SEC Filing
Date
July 27, 2005

SEC File
Number
  000-21174

  10-Q   November 14, 2005   000-21174

8-K

  October 21, 2011

  000-21174

S-1

  March 11, 1993*

  033-57796

8-K

January 7, 2014

  000-21174

8-K

January 7, 2014

000-21174

8-K

  November 25, 2009   000-21174

8-K

  November 25, 2009   000-21174

Description
Certificate of Amendment of the Third Amended 
and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the 
Registrant

Third Amended and Restated Certificate of 
Incorporation of the Registrant

Amended and Restated By-Laws of the Registrant, 
as amended

Specimen Certificate representing the Registrant’s
Common Stock

Rights Agreement, dated as of January 6, 2014, 
between Registrant and Computershare Trust 
Company, N.A. as Rights Agent, including all 
exhibits thereto

Amended Certificate of Designations, Preferences 
and Rights of Series A Junior Participating 
Preferred Stock

Network Drive at Northwest Park Office Lease 
dated as of November 20, 2009 between Avid 
Technology, Inc. and Netview 5 and 6 LLC (for 
premises at 65 Network Drive, Burlington, 
Massachusetts)

Network Drive at Northwest Park Office Lease 
dated as of November 20, 2009 between Avid 
Technology, Inc. and Netview 1,2,3,4 & 9 LLC 
(for premises at 75 Network Drive, Burlington, 
Massachusetts)

1993 Director Stock Option Plan, as amended

  10-K   February 29, 2008

  000-21174

Second Amended and Restated 1996 Employee 
Stock Purchase Plan, as amended 

Amendment No #2 to Second Amended and 
Restated 1996 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as 
amended

  10-K   March 16, 2010

  000-21174

10-K

September 12, 2014

001-36254

1997 Stock Option Plan

  10-K   March 27, 1998

  000-21174

1997 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended

  10-Q   May 14, 1997

  000-21174

Second Amended and Restated Non-Qualified 
Deferred Compensation Plan

  10-K   February 29, 2008

  000-21174

1998 Stock Option Plan

  10-K   March 16, 2005

  000-21174

Amended and Restated 1999 Stock Option Plan

  10-K   March 16, 2005

  000-21174

Amended and Restated 2005 Stock Incentive Plan 

  10-Q   August 7, 2008

  000-21174

Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated 2005 
Stock Incentive Plan

Form of Incentive Stock Option Agreement under 
the Registrant’s Amended and Restated 2005 Stock 
Incentive Plan

Form of Nonstatutory Stock Option Agreement 
under the Registrant’s Amended and Restated 2005 
Stock Incentive Plan

101

10-K

September 12, 2014

001-36254

10-K

September 12, 2014

001-36254

10-K

September 12, 2014

001-36254

 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
#10.15

#10.16

#10.17

#10.18

#10.19

#10.20

#10.21

#10.22

#10.23

#10.24

#10.25

#10.26

#10.27

#10.28

#10.29

#10.30

#10.31

#10.32

#10.33

10.34

10.35

Form of Nonstatutory Stock Option Agreement for 
Outside Directors under the Registrant’s Amended 
and Restated 2005 Stock Incentive Plan

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement under 
the Registrant’s Amended and Restated 2005 Stock 
Incentive Plan

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for 
Outside Directors under the Registrant’s Amended 
and Restated 2005 Stock Incentive Plan

Form of Stock Option Agreement for UK 
Employees under the HM Revenue and Customs 
Approved Sub-Plan for UK Employees under the 
Registrant’s Amended and Restated 2005 Stock 
Incentive Plan

Form of Nonstatutory Stock Option Grant Terms 
and Conditions (under the 1997 Stock Incentive 
Plan)

Form of Incentive Stock Option Grant Terms and 
Conditions (under the 1997 Stock Incentive Plan)

2014 Stock Incentive Plan

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement under 
the Registrant’s Amended and Restated 2014 Stock 
Incentive Plan

Form of NSO Agreement under the Registrant’s 
2014 Stock Incentive Plan

Form of ISO/NSO Agreement under the 
Registrant’s 2014 Stock Incentive Plan

Separation Agreement dated February 6, 2013 
between Registrant and Gary G. Greenfield

Consulting and Separation Agreement dated April 
22, 2013 between the Registrant and Kenneth A 
Sexton
Amended and Restated Executive Employment 
Agreement dated December 22, 2010 between the 
Registrant and Christopher C. Gahagan

Form of Executive Officer Employment Letter as 
of January 1, 2012

Summary of 2013 Annual Executive Incentive 
Program
Executive Employment Agreement dated February 
11, 2013 between the Registrant and Louis 
Hernandez, Jr.

Amended and Restated Executive Employment 
Agreement dated April 22, 2013 between the 
Registrant and John Frederick

2013 Remediation Bonus Plan

Summary of 2014 Annual Executive Incentive 
Program
Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of April 
12, 2015, by and among Orad Hi-Tech Solutions
Form of Voting and Support Agreement between 
Avid Technology, Inc. and certain shareholders of 
Orad Hi-Tech Solutions Ltd.

102

8-K

July 8, 2008

  000-21174

8-K

July 8, 2008

000-21174

8-K

July 8, 2008

000-21174

8-K

July 8, 2008

  000-21174

8-K

  February 21, 2007

  000-21174

8-K

  February 21, 2007

  000-21174

10-K   March 16, 2015

  001-36254

10-K

March 16, 2015

  001-36254

  10-K   March 16, 2015

  001-36254

  10-K

March 16, 2015

  001-36254

8-K/A

February 12, 2013

000-21174

10-Q

September 12, 2014

001-36254

  10-K   March 14, 2011

  000-21174

  10-K

February 29, 2012

000-21174

10-K

September 12, 2014

001-36254

8-K/A

February 12, 2013

000-21174

10-Q

September 12, 2014

001-36254

8-K

10-Q

8-K

8-K

July 25, 2013

000-21174

September 23, 2014

001-36254

April 13, 2015

001-36254

April 13, 2015

001-36254

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10-Q

May 8, 2015

001-36254

8-K/A

June 16, 2015

001-36254

8-K/A

June 16, 2015

001-36254

10-Q

November 6, 2015

001-36254

10-K

March 15, 2016

001-36254

8-K

March 20, 2017

001-36254

8-K

February 21, 2018

001-36254

10-K

March 16, 2018

001-36254

10-K

March 16, 2018

001-36254

8-K

May 15, 2018

001-36254

8-K

December 7, 2018

001-36254

8-K

December 7, 2018

001-36254

#10.36

10.37

10.38

#10.39

10.40

10.41

10.42

10.43

10.44

10.45

10.46

10.47

21

23.1

31.1

31.2

32.1

Summary of Avid Technology, Inc.’s 2015 
Executive Bonus Plan

Indenture, dated as of June 15, 2015, between Avid 
Technology, Inc. and Wells Fargo Bank, National 
Association (including the form of 2.00% 
Convertible Senior Notes due 2020)

Base capped call transaction confirmation, dated as 
of June 9, 2015, by and between Jefferies 
International Limited and Avid Technology, Inc., in 
reference to the 2.00% Convertible Senior Notes 
due 2020

Second Amended and Restated 1996 Employee 
Stock Purchase Plan, as amended July 2015

Financing Agreement, dated February 26, 2016, 
among Avid Technology, Inc., the Lenders named 
therein

Amendment No. 1 to Financing Agreement, dated 
February 26, 2016, among Avid Technology, Inc., 
the Lenders named therein
Standstill Agreement, dated February 16, 2018, 
among Avid Technology, Inc., and Cove Street 
Capital, LLC 

Amendment No. 2 to Financing Agreement, dated 
February 26, 2016, among Avid Technology, Inc., 
the Lenders named therein

Amendment No. 3 to Financing Agreement, dated 
February 26, 2016, among Avid Technology, Inc., 
the Lender named therein

Amendment No. 4 to Financing Agreement, dated 
February 26, 2016, among Avid Technology, Inc., 
the Lender named therein

Amendment No. 1 to Network Drive at Northwest 
Park Office Lease, dated as of December 3, 2018 
between Avid Technology Inc. and Network Drive 
Owner LLC (for premises at 75 Network Drive, 
Burlington, Massachusetts)

Amendment No. 1 to Network Drive at Northwest 
Park Office Lease, dated as of December 3, 2018 
between Avid Technology Inc. and Network Drive 
Owner LLC (for premises at 65 Network Drive, 
Burlington, Massachusetts)

Subsidiaries of the Registrant

Consent of BDO USA, LLP

Certification of Principal Executive Officer 
pursuant to Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14 under the 
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted 
pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act 
of 2002

Certification of Principal Financial Officer 
pursuant to Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14 under the 
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted 
pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act 
of 2002
Certifications pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, 
as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the 
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

103

X

X

X

X

X

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
**101.INS

XBRL Instance Document

**101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

**101.CAL XBRL Taxonomy Calculation Linkbase Document

**101.DEF XBRL Taxonomy Definition Linkbase Document

**101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Label Linkbase Document

**101.PRE XBRL Taxonomy Presentation Linkbase

X

X

X

X

X

X

Document

______________________________________

#

*

**

Management contract or compensatory plan identified pursuant to Item 15(a)3.

Effective date of Form S-1.
Pursuant to Rule 406T of Regulation S-T, XBRL (Extensible Business Reporting Language) information is
deemed not filed or a part of a registration statement or prospectus for purposes of sections 11 or 12 of the
Securities Act of 1933, is deemed not filed for purposes of section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and
otherwise is not subject to liability under these sections.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report 
to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

AVID TECHNOLOGY, INC.
(Registrant)

By:

/s/ Jeff Rosica                        
Jeff Rosica
President and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)

Date: March 14, 2019

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons 
on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

By:

/s/ Jeff Rosica                        
Jeff Rosica
President and Chief Executive 
Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)

  By:

/s/ Kenneth Gayron                            
Kenneth Gayron   
Executive Vice President and 
Chief Financial Officer 
(Principal Financial Officer)

  By:

/s/ Ryan H. Murray                   
Ryan H. Murray
Vice President of Finance, 
Chief Accounting Officer and 
Corporate Treasurer
(Principal Accounting Officer)

Date: March 14, 2019

  Date: March 14, 2019

  Date: March 14, 2019

104

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons 
on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

                 NAME

/s/ Peter Westley                    
Peter Westley

/s/ Jeff Rosica                        
Jeff Rosica

/s/ Robert M. Bakish             
Robert M. Bakish

/s/ Paula E. Boggs                 
Paula E. Boggs

/s/ Elizabeth M. Daley          
Elizabeth M. Daley

/s/ John P. Wallace         
John P. Wallace

/s/ John H. Park                    
John H. Park

/s/ Nancy Hawthorne                 
Nancy Hawthorne

/s/ Daniel B. Silvers                   
Daniel B. Silvers

TITLE

DATE

Chairman of the Board of Directors

March 14, 2019

President and Chief Executive Officer

March 14, 2019

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

March 14, 2019

March 14, 2019

March 14, 2019

March 14, 2019

March 14, 2019

March 14, 2019

March 14, 2019

105

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Consolidated Statements of Operations Data 
(in thousands except per share data)

Year ended December 31,  

2018 

2017 

2016

Net revenues 

Net (loss) income  

$413,282 

$419,003  

$511,930

($10,674) 

($13,555)  

$48,219

Net (loss) income per share (basic and diluted) 

($0.26) 

($0.33)  

$1.20

Board of Directors
Peter M. Westley

Chair, Avid Technology, Inc.; and

Managing Partner, Blum Capital Partners, LP

Robert M. Bakish

President and Chief Executive Officer

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data
(in thousands except employee data)

As of December 31, 
Cash and cash equivalents  
Total assets 
Total stockholders’ - deficit 
Employees  

2018 
$56,103 
$265,843 
($166,661) 
1,446 

2017 
$57,223  
$234,684  
($268,570)  
1,458  

2016
$44,948
$249,581 
($269,911)
1,591

Avid Corporate Headquarters 
75 Network Drive 

Worldwide Offices
Beijing

Burlington, MA 01803  

tel 978 640 6789 

www.avid.com

Independent Registered  
Public Accountants 
BDO USA, LLP

Boston, MA

Transfer Agent and Registrar 
Computershare 

P.O. Box 30170 

Brussels

Burlington

Cologne

Dubai

Dublin

Helsinki

Hilversum

Montreal

Munich

New York

Paris

Singapore

Stockholm

Sydney 

Szczecin

Kaiserslautern

Taguig City

Kfar Saba

London

Tokyo

Washington, D.C.

Los Angeles

Wroclaw

College Station, TX 77842-3170

Madrid

Shareholder website

www.computershare.com

Shareholder online inquiries

www.computershare.com

Common Shares 
Traded on The Nasdaq Global Select Market  
under the symbol “AVID”

Shareholder Inquiries 
Inquiries related to the Company, its activities, 

or its securities should be addressed to:

Whit Rappole

Vice President of Investor Relations

75 Network Drive

Burlington, MA 01803

Tel 978 275 2032

ir@avid.com

Viacom

Paula E. Boggs

Owner, Boggs Media LLC

Dr. Elizabeth M. Daley

Dean, University of Southern California

School of Cinematic Arts

Nancy Hawthorne 

Partner, Hawthorne Financial Advisors

John H. Park
Partner, Jackson Park Capital, LLC

Jeff Rosica

Chief Executive Officer and President  

Avid Technology, Inc.

Daniel B. Silvers 

Managing Member  

Matthews Lane Capital Partners LLC

John P. Wallace

President and Chief Executive Officer

Deluxe Entertainment Service Group, Inc.

Executive Officers
Jeff Rosica

Chief Executive Officer and President 

Ken Gayron

Executive Vice President and  

Chief Financial Officer

Jason Duva

Executive Vice President and

Chief Legal and Administrative Officer 

Dana Ruzicka

Senior Vice President and  

Chief Product Officer

Tom Cordiner

Senior Vice President and

Chief Revenue Officer

Ryan Murray

Vice President of Finance,  

Chief Accounting Officer and  
Corporate Treasurer

© 2019 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features, specifications, system requirements and availability are subject to change without notice. Avid, the Avid logo, and other Avid 
trademarks are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. Oscar is a trademark and service mark of the 
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Emmy is a registered trademark of ATAS/NATAS. Grammy is a trademark of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Inc. The name 
Interplay is used with the permission of Interplay Entertainment Corp., which bears no responsibility for the product. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Avid  
75 Network Drive 
Burlington, MA 01803 USA 
www.avid.com