DIS, §1A diff (2019 → 2020)

ITEM 1A. Risk Factors For an enterprise as large and complex as the Company, a wide range of factors could materially affect future developments and performance. In addition to the factors affecting specific business operations identified in connection with the description of these operations and the financial results of these operations elsewhere in this report and our other filings with the SEC, the most significant factors affecting our business include the following: BUSINESS, ECONOMIC, MARKET and OPERATING CONDITION RISKS The adverse impact of COVID-19 on our businesses will continue for an unknown length of time and may continue to impact certain of our key sources of revenue. The impact of COVID-19 and measures to prevent its spread are affecting our businesses in a number of ways. Our theme parks were closed or operating at significantly reduced capacity for a significant portion of the year, cruise ship sailings, guided tours and stage play performances were suspended since late in the second quarter, and retail stores were closed for a significant portion of the year. In addition, we have delayed or, in some instances shortened or cancelled, theatrical releases and have experienced adverse impacts on advertising sales and on our merchandise licensing business. Many of our businesses have been closed or suspended consistent with government mandates or guidance. We have experienced disruptions in the production and availability of content, including the deferral or cancellation of certain sports events and suspension of production of most film and television content. We have continued to pay for certain sports rights, including for certain events that have been deferred or canceled. The impacts to our content have resulted in decreased viewership and advertising revenues, and demands for affiliate fee reductions related to certain of our television networks. These impacts are likely to be exacerbated the longer such content is not available, including if sports content should become unavailable again in the future. Other of our offerings will be exposed to additional financial impacts in the event of future significant unavailability of content. COVID-19 impacts could also hasten the erosion of our historical sources of revenue at our Media Networks businesses. We have significantly reduced numbers of reservations at our hotels and cruises. We have granted rent waivers to some of our tenants, and they have not paid rent while certain of our facilities have been closed. We have experienced increased returns and refunds and customer requests for payment deferrals. Collectively, our impacted businesses have historically been the source of the majority of our revenue. Some of our businesses remain closed and those that are open are operating subject to restrictions and increased expenses. These and other impacts of COVID-19 on our businesses will continue for an unknown length of time. COVID-19 impacts that have subsided may again impact our businesses in the future and new impacts may emerge, particularly given the rise of COVID-19 cases following the end of fiscal 2020. For example, some of our parks have closed due to government mandates or guidance following their initial reopening. Consumers may change their behavior and consumption patterns in response to the prolonged suspension of certain of our businesses, such as subscription to pay television packages (which have experienced accelerated decline during COVID-19) or theater-going to watch movies. Certain of our customers, including individuals as well as businesses such as theatrical distributors, affiliates, licensees of rights to use our programming and intellectual property, advertisers and others, have been negatively impacted by the economic downturn caused by COVID-19, which may result in decreased purchases of our goods and services even after certain operations resume. Some industries in which our customers operate, such as theatrical distribution, retail and travel, could experience contraction, which could impact the profitability of our businesses going forward. Additionally, we have and will continue to incur incremental costs to implement health and safety measures, reopen our parks and restart our halted construction projects. As we have resumed production of film and television content, including live sporting events, we have incurred costs to implement health and safety measures and productions will generally take longer to complete. Our mitigation efforts in response to the impacts of COVID-19 on our businesses have had, or may have, negative impacts. The Company (or our Board of Directors, as applicable) significantly increased cash balances through the issuance of senior notes in March and May 2020, and we entered into an additional $5.0 billion credit facility in April 2020, did not declare a dividend with respect to fiscal year 2020 operations; suspended certain capital projects; reduced certain discretionary expenditures (such as spending on marketing); temporarily reduced management compensation; temporarily eliminated Board of Director retainers and committee fees; furloughed over half of our employees (some of whom remain furloughed and continue to receive Company provided medical benefits); and reduced our employee population. Such mitigation measures have resulted in the delay or suspension of certain projects in which we have invested, particularly at our parks and resorts and Studio Entertainment segment. We may take additional mitigation actions in the future such as raising additional financing; not declaring future dividends; reducing, or not making, certain payments, such as some contributions to our pension and postretirement medical plans; further suspending capital spending; reducing film and television content investments; or implementing additional furloughs or reductions in force. These and other of our mitigating actions may have an adverse impact on our businesses. Additionally, there are certain limitations on our ability to mitigate the adverse financial impact of COVID-19, including the fixed costs of our theme park business and the impact COVID-19 may have on capital markets and our cost of borrowing. Further, the benefit of certain mitigation efforts will not continue to be available going forward. For example, as our employees return from furlough, the cost reductions of the related furloughs will no longer be available. Even our operations that were not suspended or that have resumed continue to be adversely impacted by government mandated restrictions (such as density limitations and travel restrictions); measures we voluntarily implement; measures we are contractually obligated to implement; the distancing practices and health concerns of consumers, talent and production workers; and logistical limitations. Upon reopening our parks and resorts business we have seen lower demand. Geographic variation in government requirements and ongoing changes to restrictions have disrupted and could further disrupt our businesses, including our production operations. Our operations could be suspended or re-suspended by government action or otherwise in the future. For example, after Hong Kong Disneyland Resort reopened in June 2020, it closed again in July 2020 and Disneyland Paris opened July 2020 and closed again in October 2020. Some of our businesses have not yet been permitted to open, such as Disneyland Resort and our cruise business. Some of our employees who returned to work have been refurloughed. Our operations could be negatively impacted by a significant COVID-19 outbreak impacting our employees, customers or others interacting with our businesses, including our supply chain. In fiscal year 2020, we operated at a net loss. We have impaired goodwill and intangible assets at our International Channels businesses and written down the value of certain of our retail store assets. Certain of our other assets could also become impaired, including further impairments of goodwill and intangible assets; we have increased, and may further increase, allowances for credit losses; and there may be changes in judgments in determining the fair-value of assets; and estimates related to variable consideration may change due to increased returns, reduced usage of our products or services and decreased royalties. Our leverage ratios have increased and may remain elevated in the near-term as a result of COVID-19’s impact on our financial performance, causing certain of the credit rating agencies to downgrade our ratings. Our debt ratings may be further downgraded as a result of the COVID-19 impact, which may negatively impact our cost of borrowing. Due to reduced operating cash flow, we may utilize cash balances and/or future financings to fund a portion of our operations and investments in our businesses. Financial risks may be exacerbated by the timing of customer deposit refunds; liquidity issues among our key customers, particularly advertisers, television affiliates, theatrical exhibitors and distributors and licensees, which have impacted timely payments by such customers to the Company; loss or delay of receivables as a result of contractual performance short falls; and our contractual payment obligations. The Company has $13.1 billion in trade accounts receivable outstanding at October 3, 2020, with an allowance for credit losses of $0.5 billion. Our estimates and judgments with respect to the collectability of our receivables are subject to greater uncertainty due to the impacts of COVID-19. Economic or political conditions in a country outside the U.S. as a result of COVID-19 could also reduce our ability to hedge exposure to currency fluctuations in the country or our ability to repatriate revenue from the country. The impacts of COVID-19 to our business have generally amplified, or reduced our ability to mitigate, the other risks discussed herein. Our remediation efforts may not be successful. COVID-19 also makes it more challenging for management to estimate future performance of our businesses. COVID-19 has already adversely impacted our businesses and net cash flow, and we expect the ultimate magnitude of these disruptions on our financial and operational results will be dictated by the length of time that such disruptions continue which will, in turn, depend on the currently unknowable duration and severity of the impacts of COVID-19, and among other things, the impact and duration of governmental actions imposed in response to COVID-19 and individuals’ and companies’ risk tolerance regarding health matters going forward. If actual performance in our international markets significantly underperforms management’s forecasts, the Company could have foreign currency hedge gains/losses which are not offset by the realization of exposures, resulting in excess hedge gains or losses. While we cannot be certain as to the duration of the impacts of COVID-19, we expect impacts of COVID-19 to affect our financial results at least through fiscal 2021. Changes in U.S., global, and regional economic conditions are expected to have an adverse effect on the profitability of our businesses. A decline in economic activity in the U.S. and other regions of the world in which we do business can adversely affect demand for any of our businesses, thus reducing our revenue and earnings. Global economic activity has declined as a result of COVID-19. Past declines in economic conditions reduced spending at our parks and resorts, purchases of and prices for advertising on our broadcast and cable networks and owned stations, performance of our home entertainment releases, and purchases of Company-branded consumer products, and similar impacts can be expected should such conditions recur. The current decline in economic conditions could also reduce attendance at our parks and resorts, prices that MVPDs pay for our cable programming or subscription levels for our cable programming or direct-to-consumer products. Economic conditions can also impair the ability of those with whom we do business to satisfy their obligations to us. In addition, an increase in price levels generally, or in price levels in a particular sector such as the energy sector, could result in a shift in consumer demand away from the entertainment and consumer products we offer, which could also adversely affect our revenues and, at the same time, increase our costs. A decline in economic conditions could impact implementation of our expansion plans. Changes in exchange rates for foreign currencies may reduce international demand for our products or increase our labor or supply costs in non-U.S. markets, or reduce the U.S. dollar value of revenue we receive and expect to receive from other markets. Economic or political conditions in a country could also reduce our ability to hedge exposure to currency fluctuations in the country or our ability to repatriate revenue from the country. Changes in technology and in consumer consumption patterns may affect demand for our entertainment products, the revenue we can generate from these products or the cost of producing or distributing products. The media entertainment and internet businesses in which we participate increasingly depend on our ability to successfully adapt to shifting patterns of content consumption through the adoption and exploitation of new technologies. New technologies affect the demand for our products, the manner in which our products are distributed to consumers, ways we charge for and receive revenue for our entertainment products and the stability of those revenue streams, the sources and nature of competing content offerings, the time and manner in which consumers acquire and view some of our entertainment products and the options available to advertisers for reaching their desired audiences. This trend has impacted the business model for certain traditional forms of distribution, as evidenced by the industry-wide decline in ratings for broadcast television, the reduction in demand for home entertainment sales of theatrical content, the development of alternative distribution channels for broadcast and cable programming and declines in subscriber levels for traditional cable channels, including for a number of our networks. COVID-19 has accelerated this trend. In order to respond to these developments, we regularly consider, and from time to time implement changes to our business models, most recently by developing, investing in and acquiring DTC products and reorganizing our media and entertainment businesses to accelerate our DTC strategies. There can be no assurance that our DTC offerings and other efforts will successfully respond to these changes. We expect to forgo revenue from traditional sources, particularly as we expand our DTC offerings. There can be no assurance that the DTC model and other business models we may develop will ultimately be as profitable as our existing or historic business models. Misalignment with public and consumer tastes and preferences for entertainment and consumer products could negatively impact demand for our entertainment offerings and products and adversely affect the profitability of any of our businesses. Our businesses create entertainment, travel and consumer products whose success depends substantially on consumer tastes and preferences that change in often unpredictable ways. The success of our businesses depends on our ability to consistently create filmed entertainment and television programming, which may be distributed among other ways through broadcast, cable, internet or cellular technology, theme park attractions, hotels and other resort facilities and travel experiences and consumer products that meet the changing preferences of the broad consumer market and respond to competition from an expanding array of choices facilitated by technological developments in the delivery of content. The success of our theme parks, resorts, cruise ships and experiences, as well as our theatrical releases, depends on demand for public or out-of-home entertainment experiences. COVID-19 may impact consumer tastes and preferences. Many of our businesses increasingly depend on acceptance of our offerings and products by consumers outside the U.S., and their success therefore depends on our ability to successfully predict and adapt to changing consumer tastes and preferences outside as well as inside the U.S. Moreover, we must often invest substantial amounts in film production, television programming, other content production and acquisition, acquisition of sports rights, theme park attractions, cruise ships or hotels and other resort facilities before we know the extent to which these products will earn consumer acceptance. The impacts of COVID-19 are inhibiting and delaying our ability to earn returns on these and other investments. If our entertainment offerings and products, including our content offerings, modified as a result of COVID-19, do not achieve sufficient consumer acceptance, our revenue from advertising sales (which are based in part on ratings for the programs in which advertisements air), affiliate fees, subscription fees, theatrical film receipts, the license of rights to other distributors, theme park admissions, hotel room charges and merchandise, food and beverage sales, sales of licensed consumer products or from sales of our other consumer products and services, may decline, decline further or fail to grow to the extent we anticipate when making investment decisions and thereby further adversely affect the profitability of one or more of our businesses. The success of our businesses is highly dependent on the existence and maintenance of intellectual property rights in the entertainment products and services we create. The value to us of our intellectual property rights is dependent on the scope and duration of our rights as defined by applicable laws in the U.S. and abroad and the manner in which those laws are construed. If those laws are drafted or interpreted in ways that limit the extent or duration of our rights, or if existing laws are changed, our ability to generate revenue from our intellectual property may decrease, or the cost of obtaining and maintaining rights may increase. The unauthorized use of our intellectual property may increase the cost of protecting rights in our intellectual property or reduce our revenues. The convergence of computing, communication and entertainment devices, increased broadband internet speed and penetration, increased availability and speed of mobile data transmission and increasingly sophisticated attempts to obtain unauthorized access to data systems have made the unauthorized digital copying and distribution of our films, television productions and other creative works easier and faster and protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights more challenging. The unauthorized distribution and access to entertainment content generally continues to be a significant challenge for intellectual property rights holders. Inadequate laws or weak enforcement mechanisms to protect entertainment industry intellectual property in one country can adversely affect the results of the Company’s operations worldwide, despite the Company’s efforts to protect its intellectual property rights. COVID-19 may increase incentives and opportunities to access content in unauthorized ways, as negative economic conditions coupled with a shift in government priorities could lead to less enforcement. These developments require us to devote substantial resources to protecting our intellectual property against unlicensed use and present the risk of increased losses of revenue as a result of unlicensed distribution of our content. With respect to intellectual property developed by the Company and rights acquired by the Company from others, the Company is subject to the risk of challenges to our copyright, trademark and patent rights by third parties. Successful challenges to our rights in intellectual property may result in increased costs for obtaining rights or the loss of the opportunity to earn revenue from the intellectual property that is the subject of challenged rights. Protection of electronically stored data is costly, and if our data is compromised in spite of this protection, we may incur additional costs, lost opportunities and damage to our reputation. We maintain information necessary to conduct our business, including confidential and proprietary information as well as personal information regarding our customers and employees, in digital form. Data maintained in digital form is subject to the risk of unauthorized access, modification and exfiltration. We develop and maintain information security systems in an effort to prevent this, but the development and maintenance of these systems is costly and requires ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies change and efforts to overcome security measures become more sophisticated. Accordingly, despite our efforts, unauthorized access, modification and exfiltration of data cannot be eliminated entirely, and the risks associated with a potentially material incident remain. In addition, we provide confidential, proprietary and personal information to third parties when it is necessary to pursue business objectives. While we obtain assurances that these third parties will protect this information and, where we believe appropriate, monitor the protections employed by these third parties, there is a risk the confidentiality of data held by third parties may be compromised. If our information security systems or data are compromised in a material way, our ability to conduct our business may be impaired, we may lose profitable opportunities or the value of those opportunities may be diminished and, as described above, we may lose revenue as a result of unlicensed use of our intellectual property. If personal information of our customers or employees is misappropriated, our reputation with our customers and employees may be damaged resulting in loss of business or morale, and we may incur costs to remediate possible harm to our customers and employees and/or to pay fines or take other action with respect to judicial or regulatory actions arising out of the incident. A variety of uncontrollable events may reduce demand for or consumption of our products and services, impair our ability to provide our products and services or increase the cost or reduce the profitability of providing our products and services. Demand for and consumption of our products and services, particularly our theme parks and resorts, is highly dependent on the general environment for travel and tourism. The environment for travel and tourism, as well as demand for and consumption of other entertainment products, can be significantly adversely affected in the U.S., globally or in specific regions as a result of a variety of factors beyond our control, including: adverse weather conditions arising from short-term weather patterns or long-term change, catastrophic events or natural disasters (such as excessive heat or rain, hurricanes, typhoons, floods, tsunamis and earthquakes); health concerns (including as it has been by COVID-19); international, political or military developments; and terrorist attacks. These events and others, such as fluctuations in travel and energy costs and computer virus attacks, intrusions or other widespread computing or telecommunications failures, may also damage our ability to provide our products and services or to obtain insurance coverage with respect to some of these events. An incident that affected our property directly would have a direct impact on our ability to provide goods and services and could have an extended effect of discouraging consumers from attending our facilities. Moreover, the costs of protecting against such incidents, including the costs of protecting against the spread of COVID-19, reduces the profitability of our operations. For example, COVID-19 and measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are currently impairing our ability to provide our products and services and reducing consumption of those products and services. Further, prior to COVID-19, events in Hong Kong impacted profitability of our Hong Kong operations and may continue to do so, and past hurricanes have impacted the profitability of Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and future hurricanes may also do so. The negative economic consequences of COVID-19 may be particularly challenging in markets where individuals and local businesses have limited access to government supported “safety nets”, which could lead to political instability and unrest, and further depress demand for our products and services over a longer timeframe. In addition, we derive affiliate fees and royalties from the distribution of our programming, sales of our licensed goods and services by third parties, and the management of businesses operated under brands licensed from the Company, and we are therefore dependent on the successes of those third parties for that portion of our revenue. A wide variety of factors could influence the success of those third parties and if negative factors significantly impacted a sufficient number of those third parties, the profitability of one or more of our businesses could be adversely affected. Impacts of COVID-19 on third parties’ liquidity have impacted timely payments by such third parties to the Company. We obtain insurance against the risk of losses relating to some of these events, generally including physical damage to our property and resulting business interruption, certain injuries occurring on our property and some liabilities for alleged breach of legal responsibilities. When insurance is obtained it is subject to deductibles, exclusions, terms, conditions and limits of liability. The types and levels of coverage we obtain vary from time to time depending on our view of the likelihood of specific types and levels of loss in relation to the cost of obtaining coverage for such types and levels of loss and we may experience material losses not covered by our insurance. For example, we expect some losses related to impacts of COVID-19 will not be covered by insurance available to us and insurers may contest coverage. Changes in our business strategy or restructuring of our businesses may increase our costs or otherwise affect the profitability of our businesses or the value of our assets. As changes in our business environment occur we have adjusted, and may further adjust our business strategies to meet these changes and we may otherwise decide to further restructure our operations or particular businesses or assets. For example, in October 2020 we announced a reorganization of our media and entertainment businesses to accelerate our direct-to-consumer strategies. Our new organization and strategies may not produce the anticipated benefits, such as supporting our growth strategies and enhancing shareholder value. Our new organization and strategies could be less successful than our previous organizational structure and strategies. In addition, external events including changing technology, changing consumer patterns, acceptance of our theatrical offerings and changes in macroeconomic conditions may impair the value of our assets. When these changes or events occur, we may incur costs to change our business strategy and may need to write-down the value of assets. For example, current conditions, including COVID-19 and our business decisions, have reduced the value of some of our assets. We have impaired goodwill and intangible assets at our International Channels businesses and written down the value of certain of our retail store assets. We may write-down other assets as our strategy evolves to account for the current business environment. We also make investments in existing or new businesses, including investments in international expansion of our business and in new business lines. In recent years, such investments have included expansion and renovation of certain of our theme parks, expansion of our fleet of cruise ships, the acquisition of TFCF and investments related to direct-to-consumer offerings. Some of these investments may have returns that are negative or low, the ultimate business prospects of the businesses related to these investments may be uncertain, these investments may impact the profitability of our other businesses, and these risks are exacerbated by COVID-19. In any of these events, our costs may increase, we may have significant charges associated with the write-down of assets or returns on new investments may be lower than prior to the change in strategy or restructuring. Increased competitive pressures may reduce our revenues or increase our costs. We face substantial competition in each of our businesses from alternative providers of the products and services we offer and from other forms of entertainment, lodging, tourism and recreational activities. This includes, among other types, competition for human resources, programming and other resources we require in operating our business. For example: •Our studio operations and media businesses compete to obtain creative, performing and business talent, sports and other programming, story properties, advertiser support and market share with other studio operations, broadcast and cable networks, SVOD providers and other new sources of broadband delivered content. •Our broadcast and cable networks and stations and direct-to-consumer offerings compete for the sale of advertising time with other broadcast, cable and satellite services, as well as with newspapers, magazines, billboards and radio stations. In addition, we increasingly face competition for advertising sales from internet and mobile delivered content, which offer advertising delivery technologies that are more targeted than can be achieved through traditional means. •Our cable networks compete for carriage of their programming with other programming providers. •Our theme parks and resorts compete for guests with all other forms of entertainment, lodging, tourism and recreation activities. •Our studio operations compete for customers with all other forms of entertainment. •Our consumer products business competes with other licensors and creators of intellectual property. •Our direct-to-consumer businesses compete for customers with competitors’ direct-to-consumer offerings, all other forms of media and all other forms of entertainment, as well as for technology, creative, performing and business talent and for content. Competition in each of these areas may increase as a result of technological developments and changes in market structure, including consolidation of suppliers of resources and distribution channels. Increased competition may divert consumers from our creative or other products, or to other products or other forms of entertainment, which could reduce our revenue or increase our marketing costs. Competition for the acquisition of resources can increase the cost of producing our products and services or deprive us of talent necessary to produce high quality creative material. Such competition may also reduce, or limit growth in, prices for our products and services, including advertising rates and subscription fees at our media networks, parks and resorts admissions and room rates, and prices for consumer products from which we derive license revenues. Our results may be adversely affected if long-term programming or carriage contracts are not renewed on sufficiently favorable terms. We enter into long-term contracts for both the acquisition and the distribution of media programming and products, including contracts for the acquisition of programming rights for sporting events and other programs, and contracts for the distribution of our programming to content distributors. As these contracts expire, we must renew or renegotiate the contracts, and if we are unable to renew them on acceptable terms, we may lose programming rights or distribution rights. Even if these contracts are renewed, the cost of obtaining programming rights may increase (or increase at faster rates than our historical experience) or programming distributors, facing pressures resulting from increased subscription fees and alternative distribution challenges, may demand terms (including pricing and the breadth of distribution) that reduce our revenue from distribution of programs (or increase revenue at slower rates than our historical experience). Moreover, our ability to renew these contracts on favorable terms may be affected by consolidation in the market for program distribution, the entrance of new participants in the market for distribution of content on digital platforms and the impacts of COVID-19. With respect to the acquisition of programming rights, particularly sports programming rights, the impact of these long-term contracts on our results over the term of the contracts depends on a number of factors, including the strength of advertising markets, subscription levels and rates for programming, effectiveness of marketing efforts and the size of viewer audiences. There can be no assurance that revenues from programming based on these rights will exceed the cost of the rights plus the other costs of producing and distributing the programming. Changes in regulations applicable to our businesses may impair the profitability of our businesses. Our broadcast networks and television stations are highly regulated, and each of our other businesses is subject to a variety of U.S. and overseas regulations. These regulations include: •U.S. FCC regulation of our television and radio networks, our national programming networks and our owned television stations. See Item 1 - Business - Media Networks, Federal Regulation. •Federal, state and foreign privacy and data protection laws and regulations. •Regulation of the safety and supply chain of consumer products and theme park operations, including potential regulation regarding the sourcing, importation and sale of goods. •Environmental protection regulations. •Imposition by foreign countries of trade restrictions, restrictions on the manner in which content is currently licensed and distributed, ownership restrictions, currency exchange controls or film or television content requirements, investment obligations or quotas. •Domestic and international labor laws, tax laws or currency controls Changes in any of these regulations or regulatory activities in any of these areas may require us to spend additional amounts to comply with the regulations, or may restrict our ability to offer products and services in ways that are profitable. For example, in January 2019 India implemented regulation and tariffs impacting certain bundling of channels and in November 2020 potential U.S. legislation is pending prohibiting importation of goods from certain regions. Public health and other regional, national, state and local regulations and policies are impacting our ability to operate our businesses at all or in accordance with historic practice. In addition to the government requirements that have closed or impacted most of our businesses as a result of COVID-19, government requirements may continue to be extended and new government requirements may be imposed. Our operations outside the U.S. may be adversely affected by the operation of laws in those jurisdictions. Our operations in non-U.S. jurisdictions are in many cases subject to the laws of the jurisdictions in which they operate rather than U.S. law. Laws in some jurisdictions differ in significant respects from those in the U.S. These differences can affect our ability to react to changes in our business, and our rights or ability to enforce rights may be different than would be expected under U.S. law. Moreover, enforcement of laws in some overseas jurisdictions can be inconsistent and unpredictable, which can affect both our ability to enforce our rights and to undertake activities that we believe are beneficial to our business. In addition, the business and political climate in some jurisdictions may encourage corruption, which could reduce our ability to compete successfully in those jurisdictions while remaining in compliance with local laws or U.S. anti-corruption laws applicable to our businesses. As a result, our ability to generate revenue and our expenses in non-U.S. jurisdictions may differ from what would be expected if U.S. law governed these operations. Damage to our reputation or brands may negatively impact our business across segments and regions. Our reputation and globally recognizable brands are integral to the success of our businesses. Because our brands engage consumers across our businesses, damage to our reputation or brands in one business may have an impact on our other businesses. Because some of our brands are globally recognized, brand damage may not be locally contained. Maintenance of the reputation of our Company and brands depends on many factors including the quality of our offerings, maintenance of trust with our customers and our ability to successfully innovate. Significant negative claims or publicity regarding the Company or its operations, products, management, employees, practices, business partners, business decisions, social responsibility and culture may damage our brands or reputation, even if such claims are untrue. Damage to our reputation or brands could impact our sales, business opportunities, profitability, recruiting and valuation of our securities. Risks that impact our business as a whole may also impact the success of our direct-to-consumer (DTC) business. We may not successfully execute on our DTC strategy. Consumers may not be willing to pay for an expanding set of DTC services, potentially exacerbated by an economic downturn. We face competition for creative talent and may not be successful in recruiting and retaining talent. Government regulation, including revised foreign content and ownership regulations, may impact the implementation of our DTC business plans. Poor quality broadband infrastructure in certain markets may impact our customers’ access to our DTC products and may diminish our customers’ experience with our DTC products. These and other risks may impact the profitability and success of our DTC businesses. Volatility in the financial markets and our debt ratings have impacted our cost of borrowing and could impede access to, or increase the cost of, financing our operations and investments. U.S. and global markets have experienced significant volatility. Past disruptions in the U.S. and global credit and equity markets made it more difficult for many businesses to obtain financing on acceptable terms. These conditions tended to increase the cost of borrowing and if they recur, our cost of borrowing could increase and it may be more difficult to obtain financing for our operations or investments. In addition, our borrowing costs can be affected by short- and long-term debt ratings assigned by independent rating agencies that are based, in part, on the Company’s performance as measured by credit metrics such as leverage and interest coverage ratios. Since April 2020, Standard and Poor’s has downgraded our long-term debt ratings by two notches to BBB+, downgraded our short-term debt ratings by one notch to A-2 and placed our long-term debt ratings on Negative Outlook. In May 2020, Fitch downgraded our long- and short-term credit ratings by one notch to A- and, respectively, and placed our long-term ratings on Negative Outlook. On November 18, 2020, Standard and Poor’s lowered the Company’s long-term rating to BBB+ and placed the Company’s long-term ratings on Negative Outlook. These ratings actions have increased, and any potential future downgrades could further increase, our cost of borrowing and/or make it more difficult for us to obtain financing. Past disruptions in the global financial markets also impacted some of the financial institutions with which we do business. A similar decline in the financial stability of financial institutions could affect our ability to secure credit-worthy counterparties for our interest rate and foreign currency hedging programs, could affect our ability to settle existing contracts and could also affect the ability of our business customers to obtain financing and thereby to satisfy their obligations to us. Labor disputes may disrupt our operations and adversely affect the profitability of any of our businesses. A significant number of employees in various parts of our businesses are covered by collective bargaining agreements, including employees of our theme parks and resorts as well as writers, directors, actors, production personnel and others employed in our media networks and studio operations. In addition, the employees of licensees who manufacture and retailers who sell our consumer products, and employees of providers of programming content (such as sports leagues) may be covered by labor agreements with their employers. In general, a labor dispute involving our employees or the employees of our licensees or retailers who sell our consumer products or providers of programming content may disrupt our operations and reduce our revenues, and resolution of disputes may increase our costs. The seasonality of certain of our businesses and timing of certain of our product offerings could exacerbate negative impacts on our operations. Each of our businesses is normally subject to seasonal variations and variations in connection with the timing of our product offerings, including as follows: •Revenues in our Media Networks segment are subject to seasonal advertising patterns, changes in viewership levels and timing of program sales. In general, advertising revenues are somewhat higher during the fall and somewhat lower during the summer months. Affiliate fees are typically recognized ratably throughout the year. •Revenues in our Parks, Experiences and Products segment fluctuate with changes in theme park attendance and resort occupancy resulting from the seasonal nature of vacation travel and leisure activities and seasonal consumer purchasing behavior, which generally results in increased revenues during the Company’s first and fourth fiscal quarters. Peak attendance and resort occupancy generally occur during the summer months when school vacations occur and during early winter and spring holiday periods. Our parks, resorts, stores and experiences are operating at diminished capacity or closed during these periods as a result of COVID-19. In addition, licensing revenues fluctuate with the timing and performance of our theatrical releases and cable programming broadcasts, many of which have been delayed, canceled or modified. •Revenues in our Studio Entertainment segment fluctuate due to the timing and performance of releases in the theatrical, home entertainment and television markets. Release dates are determined by several factors, including competition, the timing of vacation and holiday periods and closing of theaters and impacts on attendance due to COVID-19. •Direct-to-Consumer & International revenues fluctuate based on: changes in subscriber levels; the timing and performance of releases of our digital media content; viewership levels on our cable channels and digital platforms; and the demand for sports and our content. Each of these may depend on the availability of content, which varies from time to time throughout the year based on, among other things, sports seasons, content production schedules and league shut downs. Accordingly, negative impacts on our business occurring during a time of typical high seasonal demand could have a disproportionate effect on the results of that business for the year. Examples include the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on various high seasons or hurricane damage to our parks during the summer travel season. Sustained increases in costs of pension and postretirement medical and other employee health and welfare benefits may reduce our profitability. With approximately 203,000 employees, our profitability is substantially affected by costs of pension and current and postretirement medical benefits. We may experience significant increases in these costs as a result of macroeconomic factors, which are beyond our control, including increases in the cost of health care. Impacts of COVID-19 may lead to an increase in the cost of medical insurance and expenses. In addition, changes in investment returns and discount rates used to calculate pension and postretirement medical expense and related assets and liabilities can be volatile and may have an unfavorable impact on our costs in some years. Our pension and postretirement medical plans were remeasured at the end of fiscal 2020, and as a result, the underfunded status and fiscal 2021 costs increased. These macroeconomic factors as well as a decline in the fair value of pension and postretirement medical plan assets may put upward pressure on the cost of providing pension and postretirement medical benefits and may increase future funding requirements. There can be no assurance that we will succeed in limiting cost increases, and continued upward pressure could reduce the profitability of our businesses. The alteration or discontinuation of LIBOR may adversely affect our borrowing costs. Certain of our interest rate derivatives and a portion of our indebtedness bear interest at variable interest rates, primarily based on LIBOR, which may be subject to regulatory guidance and/or reform that could cause interest rates under our current or future debt agreements to perform differently than in the past or cause other unanticipated consequences. In July 2017, the Chief Executive of the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced that the FCA will no longer persuade or compel banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021. Such announcement indicates that the continuation of LIBOR on the current basis cannot and will not be guaranteed after 2021. The Alternative Reference Rates Committee (ARCC), which was convened by the Federal Reserve Board and the New Your Fed, has identified the Secured Oversight Financing Rate (SOFR) as the recommended risk-free alternative rate for USD LIBOR. At this time, it is not possible to predict the effect any discontinuance, modification or other reforms to LIBOR, or the establishment of alternative reference rates such as SOFR, or any other reference rate, will have on the Company. However, if LIBOR ceases to exist or if the methods of calculating LIBOR change from their current form, the Company’s borrowing costs may be adversely affected. TFCF ACQUISITION RISKS Our consolidated indebtedness increased substantially following completion of the TFCF acquisition and may increase in connection with impacts of the COVID-19. This increased level of indebtedness could adversely affect us, including by decreasing our business flexibility. Our consolidated indebtedness and cash and cash equivalents as of September 29, 2018 were approximately $20.9 billion and $4.2 billion, respectively. With the completion of the TFCF acquisition, our consolidated indebtedness and cash and cash equivalents as of September 28, 2019 were approximately $47.0 billion and $5.4 billion, respectively. As of October 3, 2020 our consolidated indebtedness and cash and cash equivalents were approximately $58.6 billion and $17.9 billion, respectively. The increased indebtedness could have the effect of, among other things, reducing our financial flexibility and reducing our flexibility to respond to changing business and economic conditions, such as those presented by COVID-19, among others. Increased levels of indebtedness could also reduce funds available for capital expenditures, share repurchases and dividends, and other activities and may create competitive disadvantages for us relative to other companies with lower debt levels. Since April 2020, Standard and Poor’s has downgraded our long-term debt ratings by two notches to BBB+, downgraded our short-term debt ratings by one notch to A-2 and placed our long-term debt ratings on Negative Outlook. In May 2020, Fitch downgraded our long- and short-term credit ratings by one notch to A- and, respectively, and placed our long-term ratings on Negative Outlook. Our financial flexibility may be further constrained by the issuance of shares of common stock in the TFCF acquisition, to the extent we determine to make dividend payments in the future. We could fail to realize all of the benefits anticipated in the TFCF acquisition. If we are not able to realize the strategic value of the TFCF assets, the anticipated benefits of the TFCF acquisition may not be realized fully or may take longer than expected to be realized, and these risks could be exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19. Further, there could be loss of key employees, loss of customers, disruption of ongoing businesses or unexpected issues, higher than expected costs and an overall post-acquisition process that takes longer than originally anticipated. Specifically, the following issues, among others, must be addressed in order to realize the anticipated benefits of the TFCF acquisition so the combined company performs as we hope: •combining the businesses of the Company and TFCF in a manner that permits us to achieve the synergies anticipated to result from the TFCF acquisition, the failure of which would result in the anticipated benefits of the TFCF acquisition not being realized in the time frame currently anticipated or at all; •maintaining existing agreements with customers, distributors, providers, talent and vendors and avoiding delays in entering into new agreements with prospective customers, distributors, providers, talent and vendors; and •developing products and technology that allow value to be unlocked in the future. Consummation of the TFCF acquisition has increased our exposure to the risks of operating internationally. We are a diversified entertainment company that offers entertainment, travel and consumer products worldwide. Although many of our businesses increasingly depend on acceptance of our offerings and products by consumers outside of the U.S., the combination with TFCF has increased the importance of international operations to our future operations, growth and prospects. Our risks of operating internationally have increased following the completion of the TFCF acquisition and as a result of COVID-19. The TFCF acquisition and integration may result in additional costs and expenses. We have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs, expenses and fees for professional services and other transaction costs in connection with the TFCF acquisition and integration. We may also incur accounting and other costs that were not anticipated at the time of the TFCF acquisition, including costs for which we have established reserves or which may lead to reserves in the future. Such costs could negatively impact the Company’s free cash flow. GENERAL RISKS The Company’s amended and restated bylaws provide to the fullest extent permitted by law that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for certain legal actions between the Company and its stockholders, which could increase costs to bring a claim, discourage claims or limit the ability of the Company’s stockholders to bring a claim in a judicial forum viewed by the stockholders as more favorable for disputes with the Company or the Company’s directors, officers or other employees. The Company’s amended and restated bylaws provide to the fullest extent permitted by law that unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for any (i) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action or proceeding asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer or stockholder of the Company to the Company or the Company’s stockholders, (iii) any action or proceeding asserting a claim arising pursuant to, or seeking to enforce any right, obligation or remedy under, any provision of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws (as each may be amended from time to time), (iv) any action or proceeding as to which the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, (v) or any action or proceeding asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine. The choice of forum provision may increase costs to bring a claim, discourage claims or limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with the Company or the Company’s directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against the Company or the Company’s directors, officers and other employees. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in the Company’s amended and restated bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, the Company may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions. The exclusive forum provision in the Company’s amended and restated bylaws will not preclude or contract the scope of exclusive federal or concurrent jurisdiction for actions brought under the federal securities laws including the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the respective rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. ITEM 1B.