Eterna Therapeutics Inc. - Annual Report: 2019 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2019

Commission File Number 1-11460

NTN Buzztime, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(760) 438-7400

(Registrant’s telephone number, including Area Code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes [  ] No [X]

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes [  ] No [X]

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 filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes [X] No [  ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes [X] No [  ]

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

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. Yes [  ] No [X]

The aggregate market value of the common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter (June 28, 2019), computed by reference to the closing sale price of the common stock on the NYSE American on such date, was approximately $6.4 million. Shares of common stock held by each executive officer and director and by each person who owns 10% or more of the outstanding common stock have been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. The determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes.

As of March 16, 2020, the registrant had 2,914,744 shares of common stock outstanding.

Documents Incorporated by Reference.

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement relating to its 2020 annual meeting of stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this report where indicated. Such proxy statement will be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year to which this report relates.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents incorporated herein by reference contain “forward-looking statements” – that is statements related to future events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities, including statements related to our strategic plans and targets, revenue generation, product availability and offerings, capital needs, capital expenditures, industry trends and our financial position. Forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to us, on our current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about the industries in which we operate and on the beliefs and assumptions of management. Forward looking statements often contain words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “could,” “targets,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “may,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions. In addition, any statements that refer to projections of our future financial performance, our anticipated growth and trends in our business, and other characterizations of future events or circumstances, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. For us, particular factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include (1) our ability to raise capital on favorable terms, if at all, to allow us to meet our debt service obligations and to fund our working capital needs; (2) the effect that the recent COVID-19 pandemic may have on our ability to raise capital and on our business; (3) our ability to maintain or grow our revenue and successfully implement our other business strategies to make up for the revenue we have historically received from Buffalo Wild Wings corporate-owned restaurants and its franchisees after our existing relationships with them terminated in November 2019; (4) the negative impact that measures we recently implemented and may implement to reduce our operating expenses and planned capital expenses (including investments in our business) may have on our ability to effectively manage and operate our business; (5) our ability to comply with our financial covenants in our loan and security agreement with Avidbank and its right to declare a default if we do not, which could lead to all payment obligations becoming immediately due and payable; (6) our ability to compete effectively within the highly competitive interactive games, entertainment and marketing services industries, including our ability to successfully commercially launch attractive product offerings, and the impact of new products and technological change, especially in the mobile and wireless markets, on our operations and competitiveness; (7) our ability to adequately protect our proprietary rights and intellectual property; and (8) the other risks and uncertainties described in Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” of this report and described in other documents we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Readers are urged not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this report or incorporated by reference herein, which speak only as of the date of this report. Except as required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking statement to reflect future events or circumstances.

PART I

ITEM 1. Business

About Our Business and How We Talk About It

We deliver interactive entertainment and innovative technology to our partners in a wide range of verticals – from bars and restaurants to casinos and senior living centers. By enhancing the overall guest experience, we believe we help our hospitality partners acquire, engage, and retain patrons.

Through social fun and friendly competition, our platform creates bonds between our hospitality partners and their patrons, and between patrons themselves. We believe this unique experience increases dwell time, revenue, and repeat business for venues – and has also created a large and engaged audience which we connect with through our in-venue TV network. Over 1 million hours of trivia, card, sports and arcade games are played on our network each month.

We generate revenue by charging subscription fees to our partners for access to our 24/7 trivia network, by charging equipment fees to select partners for use of tablets and other equipment, by selling and leasing tablet and hardware equipment for custom usage beyond trivia/entertainment, by selling digital-out-of-home (DOOH) advertising direct to advertisers and on national ad exchanges, by licensing our entertainment and trivia content to other parties, and by providing professional services such as custom game design or development of new platforms on our existing tablet form factor. Up until February 1, 2020, we also generated revenue by hosting live trivia events. (See Note 18 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this report.)

We own several trademarks and consider the Buzztime®, Playmaker®, Mobile Playmaker, and BEOND Powered by Buzztime trademarks to be among our most valuable assets. These and our other registered and unregistered trademarks used in this document are our property. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Unless otherwise indicated, references in this report: (a) to “Buzztime,” “NTN,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to NTN Buzztime, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries; (b) to “network subscribers,” “customers,” or “partners” refer to venues that subscribe to our network service; (c) to “consumers,” “patrons” or “players” refer to the individuals that engage in our games, events, and entertainment experiences available at venues and (d) to “venues” or “sites” refer to locations (such as a bar or restaurant) of our customers at which our games and entertainment experiences are available to consumers.

Recent Developments

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the restaurant and bar industry has been rapid and its scope and magnitude is uncertain at this time. Various levels of governmental authorities have recommended or mandated restrictions on the business operations of restaurants and bars across the United States. We have been and will continue to evaluate steps we can take in an effort to mitigate these effects on our business.

On March 12, 2020, we entered into an amendment to the loan and security agreement that we entered into with Avidbank in September 2018 for a $4,000,000 four-year term loan. In connection with entering into the amendment, we made a $433,000 payment on our term loan, which includes the $83,333 monthly principal payment plus accrued interest for March 2020 and a $350,000 principal prepayment, thereby reducing the outstanding principal balance of our term loan to $2.0 million. Additionally, under the terms of the amendment, the maturity date of our term loan was changed from September 28, 2022 to December 31, 2020, and the amount and timing of our payment obligations accelerated significantly. See “PART II—Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Avidbank Term Loan,” below, for additional information.

In January 2020, we sold all of our assets used to conduct the live hosted knowledge-based trivia events known as Stump! Trivia and OpinioNation for approximately $1.4 million in cash.

Since January 1, 2020, we have reduced our headcount by 35 to reduce expenses and operational cash uses. As of March 16, 2020, we have 38 full time employees and 1 part time employee.

In November 2019, our relationship with Buffalo Wild Wings corporate-owned restaurants and most of its franchisees terminated in accordance with the terms of our agreements with Buffalo Wild Wings and such franchisees.

Strategic Process

Our board of directors continues to explore and evaluate strategic alternatives focused on maximizing shareholder value, while also exploring and evaluating financing alternatives to increase the likelihood that we will be able to successfully execute our current long-term operating and strategic plan in the event the strategic process does not result in a transaction. Our board of directors has not set a timetable for the strategic process nor has it made any decisions relating to any strategic alternatives at this time, and no assurance can be given as to the outcome of the process. We do not intend to disclose additional details regarding the strategic process unless and until further disclosure is appropriate or necessary.

Our Strategy

Our focus for 2020 is to enhance the player experience of our product offering, expand the audience for our product offering, maximize the social impact of our network, and monetize our network.

Buzztime Basic. Our tablet product offering has repeatedly been proven to have a positive business impact for the venues who offer it to their customers. We call that impact the Buzztime Network Effect. However, we have had challenges acquiring new venues because delivering the robust, real time, multi-player experience available through our tablet product offering requires extensive amounts of equipment and expertise to deploy. That equipment and expertise results in a relatively high entry price point, which limits our market opportunity.

To address this problem, following months of development and research, during the second quarter of 2019 we began field testing a lower cost, entry-level product that we call Buzztime Basic. We believe that this capital-light, entry-level offering will enable customers to achieve the Buzztime Network Effect with less financial risk. To date, we have deployed Buzztime Basic on a market-by-market basis and are currently in more than approximately 150 locations.

The brains behind Buzztime Basic is Site Hub, our redesigned personal computer, about the size of a deck of cards, that streams our content to television screens within the venue. Currently, a majority of our trivia content is available for streaming through Site Hub. Following the launch of our mobile app in 2019, players may now play our trivia games on their mobile phones through our mobile app.

Mobile App. During 2019, we released an open beta version of our mobile app, and we continue to release updates as we receive feedback from our customers and evaluate how to improve both the experience and social hooks to enable more viral growth in today’s environment. To this end, during the first quarter of 2020, we launched a social login integration and have seen an increase in player registrations as a result. During 2020, we expect to launch player promotions focused on driving increased mobile downloads and on targeted audience programs such as Trivia for Charity. The app can be found in both the Apple App store and Google Play. Our app allows players to use their own mobile device to play along with most of our network trivia games within our customer’s venues. The app is a complement to our tablet platform experience and is the primary means of playing our trivia games in Buzztime Basic.

Hardware. We have a core competency in designing, manufacturing, deploying and supporting tablet-enabled solutions for our partners. We believe our tablets are more durable than off-the-shelf tablets available to consumers, and we can customize our tablets to meet the needs of our customers. As previously announced, in the third quarter of 2019, we signed a second order with our partner that services the correctional facility industry for approximately $3,000,000. We began delivering tablets under that order in the fourth quarter of 2019, which will continue into the first quarter of 2021. During the third quarter of 2019 we also signed an agreement with Spendgo, a leading digital marketing and loyalty platform, to use our tablets in its customer locations. We began fulfilling initial orders from Spendgo during the fourth quarter of 2019, and we anticipate a steady pace of re-orders. Lastly, we have two hardware pilot opportunities with large casual dining organizations that could result in tablet orders during 2020.

Advertising. During the first quarter of 2019, we rolled out our new, modernized ad platform to a subset of our customers. We completed the rollout to all existing customers in the second quarter. This new advertising system gives us access to ad buying platforms where digital advertising inventory is bought and sold on public exchanges and private marketplaces. We continue to work with advertising sales companies to help us improve our advertisement sales and with an advertisement technology company to improve our ad loading, management, and delivery and testing capabilities. We can use advertising to monetize Buzztime Basic, as well as our entire network. We had quarter-over-quarter advertising revenue growth during 2019. We recognized approximately $50,000 of revenue during the third quarter of 2019 and more than $75,000 in the fourth quarter of 2019. Although we have approximately 40% fewer sites during the first quarter of 2020 than we did for most of 2019, we expect to recognize approximately $180,000 in advertising revenue on the public exchange during for the first quarter of 2020. If we successfully expand our market reach, we expect that our network will become more attractive to third parties who desire to advertise in the venues in which our network is available, thereby further increasing our advertising revenue.

Products and Services

Our principal product and service is our interactive entertainment system that offers trivia, card, sports and arcade games through an extended network platform. Generally, as part of the subscription to our platform, we provide the equipment for the platform to network subscribers (including tablets, cases and charging trays for the tablets), though we have also leased such equipment to certain network subscribers. We also monetize our network by offering it as an advertising platform through which parties can advertise their products and services across the thousands of TV and tablet screens in our network. In 2017, we began licensing our content to customers to be installed on equipment they obtain from other parties. In 2018, we began selling the tablets, cases and charging trays for the tablets used in our platform to customers who may not subscribe to our network but who can use the equipment in their business for other purposes. In 2019, we released our mobile trivia app, allowing our customers’ patrons to play our trivia games on their mobile devices in addition to on our tablets.

Our primary network subscribers are bars and restaurants in North America, which we target directly through our internal sales organization. In April 2016, we began offering our platform in adjacent markets, such as senior centers and casinos, which we target through third parties who have existing business relationships with potential customers in such markets.

We primarily develop the content and functionality available through our platform internally. We use an Android-based tablet customized to our specifications by a single unaffiliated third-party manufacturer. Such third-party also manufactures the cases and charging trays for the tablets and sources the raw materials used to manufacture those cases and trays. In 2019, we redesigned the personal computer installed in venues to stream our content to televisions and tablets within the venue. The redesigned personal computer, which we call Site Hub, has a smaller form factor (about the size of a deck of cards) compared to our historical personal computer.

Competition

We face direct competition in venues and face competition for total entertainment and marketing dollars in the marketplace from other companies offering similar content and services. A relatively small number of direct competitors are active in the hospitality marketing services and entertainment markets, including UpShow, The Chive and other broadcast entertainment service providers. Competing forms of technology, entertainment, and marketing available in hospitality venues include games, apps and other forms of entertainment offerings available directly to consumers on their smart phones and tablets, on-table bar and restaurant entertainment systems, music and video-based systems, live entertainment and live trivia games, cable, satellite and pay-per-view programming, coin-operated single-player games/amusements, and traffic-building promotions like happy hour specials.

Buzztime Significant Customer

Our customers range from small independently operated bars and restaurants to bars and restaurants operated by national chains in the U.S. and Canada (including Buffalo Wild Wings, Old Chicago Buffalo Wings & Rings, Old Chicago, Native Grill & Wings, Beef O’Brady’s, Boston Pizza, and Arooga’s). This results in diverse venue sizes and locations. As of December 31, 2018, 2,639 venues subscribed to our interactive entertainment network and approximately 56% of our network subscriber venues were affiliated with national and regional restaurant brands. As of December 31, 2019, those numbers declined to 1,440 venues and to approximately 26%, in each case, primarily due to the termination of our relationship with Buffalo Wild Wings corporate-owned restaurants and most of its franchisees in November 2019. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, revenue generated from all Buffalo Wild Wings corporate-owned restaurants and its franchisees was as follows:

As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, amounts included in accounts receivable from Buffalo Wild Wings corporate-owned restaurants and its franchisees was as follows:

Backlog

We generally do not have a significant backlog because we normally can deliver and install new systems within the delivery schedule requested by customers (generally within three to four weeks).

Licensing, Trademarks, Copyrights and Patents

A majority of the gaming content available on our platform is internally developed. The balance is licensed from third parties. We also license third party content for our pay-to-play and free-to-consumer games lobby. The amounts paid for such third-party licensed content was not material during either of the years ended December 31, 2019 or 2018.

Our intellectual property assets, including patents, trademarks, and copyrights, are important to our business and, accordingly, we actively seek to protect the proprietary technology we consider important to our business. No single patent or copyright is solely responsible for protecting our products.

We keep confidential as trade secrets our technology, know-how and software. Most of the hardware we use in our platform is purchased from a third party and customized for use with our service. We enter into agreements with third parties with whom we conduct business, which contain provisions designed to protect our intellectual property and to limit access to, and disclosure of, our proprietary information. We also enter into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements with our employees and contractors.

We believe the duration of our patents is adequate relative to the expected lives of our products. We consider the following United States and Canadian patents to be important to the protection of our products and service:

We have trademark protection for the names of our key proprietary programming, products, and services to the extent that we believe trademark protection is appropriate. We are expanding our efforts to protect these investments. We consider the Buzztime, Playmaker, Mobile Playmaker and PlayersPlus trademarks and our other related trademarks to be valuable assets, and we seek to protect them through a variety of actions. Our content, branding, and some of our game titles, such as Countdown, SIX, and Showdown are also protected by copyright and trademark law.

Government Contracts

We provide our content distribution services through our network to colleges, universities, and a few government agencies, typically military base recreation units. However, the number of government customers is small compared to our overall customer base. We provide our products and services to government agencies under contracts with substantially the same terms as are in place with non-government customers.

Government Regulations

The cost of compliance with federal, state, and local laws has not had a material effect on our capital expenditures, earnings, or competitive position to date. In December 2012, we received approval from the Federal Communications Commission, or the FCC, for our tablet charging trays, and in September 2015, we received FCC approval for our third-generation tablet cases with and without payment electronics. The tablets we currently use have been certified by its manufacturer.

In addition to laws and regulations applicable to businesses generally, we are also subject to laws and regulations that apply directly to the interactive entertainment and product marketing industries. Additionally, state and federal governments may adopt additional laws and regulations that address issues related to certain aspects of our business such as:

As part of our service, we operate games of chance and skill, including several interactive card games, such as Texas Hold’em poker. These games are subject to regulation in many jurisdictions, and some games are restricted in certain jurisdictions. The laws and regulations that govern these games, however, vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and are subject to legislative and regulatory change, as well as law enforcement discretion. Most of our games are played solely for fun and winner recognition, however, we recently began awarding nominal cash prizes to winners of certain trivia competitions. We may find it necessary to eliminate, modify, or cancel certain of our offerings in certain jurisdictions based on changes in law, regulations and law enforcement discretion, which could result in additional development costs and/or the possible loss of customers and revenue.

Web Site Access to SEC Filings

Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports, and proxy statements and other information we file or furnish pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act are available on our website at www.buzztime.com/business/investor-relations/ under the heading SEC Filings as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such reports with, or furnish them to, the SEC. In addition, we make available on that same website under the heading Corporate Governance our (i) our code of conduct and ethics; (ii) our corporate governance guidelines; and (iii) the charter of each active committee of our board of directors. We intend to disclose any amendment to, or a waiver from, a provision of our code of conduct and ethics that applies to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions and that relates to any element of the code of ethics definition enumerated in paragraph (b) of Item 406 of Regulation S-K by posting such information on that website.

The SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding our company that we file electronically with the SEC.

Employees

As of March 16, 2020, we had 38 full-time employees and 1 part-time employee. We also engage independent contractors for specific projects. None of our employees are represented by a labor union, and we believe our employee relations are satisfactory.

Our Corporate History

NTN Buzztime, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware in 1984 as Alroy Industries and changed its corporate name to NTN Communications, Inc. in 1985. The name was changed to NTN Buzztime, Inc. in 2005 to better reflect the growing role of the Buzztime consumer brand.

ITEM 1A. Risk Factors

Our business, financial condition and operating results can be affected by several factors, whether currently known or unknown, many of which are not exclusively within our control, including but not limited to those described below, any one or more of which could, directly or indirectly, cause our financial condition and operating results to differ materially from historical or anticipated future financial condition and operating results. Any of these factors, in whole or in part, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results and stock price. We urge investors to carefully consider the risk factors described below in evaluating our stock and the information in this report.

Risk Factors That May Affect Our Business

We need to raise capital to meet our debt service obligations to Avidbank and to fund our working capital needs. Our inability to raise sufficient capital would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and business.

As of December 31, 2019, we had cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $3,409,000. As of December 31, 2019, $2,750,000 was outstanding under our term loan with Avidbank, which is gross of any unamortized debt issuance costs that are recorded as a reduction of long-term debt. Since January 1, 2020, we paid $750,000 of the principal amount of our term loan, thereby reducing the principal amount outstanding as of March 19, 2020 to $2,000,000. The maturity date of our term loan is December 31, 2020 and we are required to make monthly principal payments ranging from $125,000 to $300,000 plus accrued interest beginning in April 2020. Subject to limited exceptions, our loan and security agreement with Avidbank prohibits us from borrowing additional amounts from other lenders.

We need to raise capital to meet our debt service obligations to Avidbank and fund our working capital needs. We currently have no arrangements for such capital and no assurances can be given that we will be able to raise such capital when needed, on acceptable terms, or at all. The effects of the recent COVID-19 pandemic on macroeconomic conditions and the capital markets will likely make it more challenging to raise capital. If we are unable to raise sufficient capital, we will need to implement additional measures to reduce operating expenses and to preserve capital, any of which may further adversely affect our operations. The going concern explanatory paragraph included in the report of our independent registered public accounting firm on our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2019 could also impair our ability to raise capital. See also, “The measures we recently implemented and may implement in the future to reduce operating expenses and to preserve capital could adversely affect our business and we may not realize the operational or financial benefits from such actions,” “If we fail to comply with our debt service obligations or with our financial covenants to Avidbank, it may declare a default, which could lead to all payment obligations becoming immediately due and payable and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and business,” and “Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our existing stockholders and may restrict our operations,” below.

Due to the termination of our relationships with Buffalo Wild Wings corporate-owned restaurants and most of its franchisees in November 2019, we expect our future revenue to materially decrease and, for at least the foreseeable future, our operating results and cash flows to be adversely effected. In addition, the recent COVID-19 pandemic could further decrease our revenues and our operating results and cash flows could be further adversely effected.

For the year ended December 31, 2019, Buffalo Wild Wings corporate-owned restaurants and its franchisees accounted for approximately 34%, or $6,820,000, of our total revenue. We continue to seek to add network subscribers and other sources of revenue to offset the revenue we lost as a result of the termination of our relationships with Buffalo Wild Wings corporate-owned restaurants and most of its franchisees in November 2019, however, we have not yet been successful in doing so and there is no assurance that we will be.

In addition, the effect of the recent COVID-19 pandemic on the restaurant and bar industry has been rapid and its scope and magnitude is uncertain at this time. Various levels of governmental authorities have recommended or mandated restrictions on the business operations of restaurants and bars across the United States. The extent to which the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects our business and operating results is uncertain at this time and will depend on many factors and future developments, including the scope and nature of future governmental guidelines, recommendations, restrictions or orders. The businesses of restaurants and bars that subscribe to our service or of those considering subscribing to our service will likely be adversely affected by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which could result in such restaurants and bars deciding to terminate or suspend our service or to not subscribe to it, any of which would, at a minimum, adversely affect our near-term revenues and could result in a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations.

If we fail to comply with our debt service obligations or with our financial covenants to Avidbank, it may declare a default, which could lead to all payment obligations becoming immediately due and payable and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and business.

As of March 19, 2020, the outstanding principal balance of our term loan with Avidbank is $2,000,000. Under our loan and security agreement with Avidbank, as amended, the maturity date of our term loan is December 31, 2020, we are required to make monthly principal payments ranging from $125,000 to $300,000 plus accrued interest beginning in April 2020, our asset coverage ratio must be no less than 1.25 to 1.00 as of the last day of each calendar month and at all times our minimum liquidity must be not less than the outstanding principal of our term loan. See “PART II—ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Avidbank Term Loan,” below. There can be no assurance we will be able to meet our term loan debt service obligations and fund our working capital needs or that we will be in compliance with our financial covenants in the future or that Avidbank will waive any non-compliance in the future. Among other factors, fluctuations in our operating results, could result in violation of these covenant. See “Due to the termination of our relationships with Buffalo Wild Wings corporate-owned restaurants and most of its franchisees in November 2019, we expect our future revenue to materially decrease and, for at least the foreseeable future, our operating results and cash flows to be adversely effected. In addition, the recent COVID-19 pandemic could further decrease our revenues and our operating results and cash flows could be further adversely effected,” above.

If we default on our monthly payment obligations to Avidbank or if we fail to comply with our financial covenants, Avidbank may declare a default, which could lead to all payment obligations becoming immediately due and payable, which would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and business. Avidbank has a first-priority security interest in all our personal property and may foreclose on our personal property to satisfy our payment obligations.

The measures we recently implemented and may implement in the future to reduce operating expenses and to preserve capital could adversely affect our business and we may not realize the operational or financial benefits from such actions.

We recently implemented measures to reduce operating expenses and to preserve capital. For example, since January 1, 2020, we reduced our headcount from 74 to 39 employees, and we eliminated certain capital expenditures and investments in our business that we planned to make during 2020. We may implement additional measures and further eliminate planned capital expenditures and investments in our business in the future. In addition to distracting management from the core operations of our business, any of these actions may negatively impact our ability to effectively manage, operate and grow our business, to introduce new offerings to our customers, to increase market awareness and encourage the adoption of the Buzztime brand and our Buzztime network, to retain customers, and to generate revenue. For example, the reduction in headcount resulted in the loss of a number of long-term employees, the loss of institutional knowledge and expertise and the reallocation and combination of certain roles and responsibilities across the organization, all of which could adversely affect our operations. In addition, we may not be able to effectively realize all the cost savings anticipated by the reductions in operational costs and we may incur unanticipated charges or make cash payments as a result that were not previously contemplated which could result in an adverse effect on our business or results of operations.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operating results of our Canadian business could result in a goodwill impairment charge in 2020, which could adversely affect our future operating results.

We have goodwill resulting from the excess of costs over the fair value of assets we acquired in 2003 related to our Canadian business.  As of December 31, 2019, that goodwill was $696,000. Goodwill and intangible assets acquired in a purchase combination that are determined to have an indefinite useful life are not amortized, but instead are assessed annually, or at interim periods, for impairment based on qualitative factors, such as macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, cost factors, overall financial performance and other relevant events, to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the Reporting Unit is less than its carrying amount. If there are indications of impairment, then we perform a quantitative impairment test.

If the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is significant to the operating results of our Canadian business, the recorded goodwill relating to our Canadian business may be impaired, which would result in a non-cash impairment charge in future periods. We cannot accurately predict the amount and timing of any impairment charge at this time, however, any such impairment charge could have an adverse effect on our financial results.

Our success depends on our ability to recruit and retain skilled professionals.

The success of our business depends on our ability to identify, hire, and retain knowledgeable and experienced programmers, creative designers, application developers, and sales and marketing personnel. If we cannot motivate and retain knowledgeable and experienced professionals, our business, financial condition, and results of operations will suffer. There is significant competition from other businesses for individuals with the experience and skills required to successfully operate our business and the recent reductions in headcount and other measures we recently implemented to reduce operating expenses may decrease the morale of our remaining employees and make retaining them more challenging. Moreover, in light of the small number of employees on our staff to manage our key functions, we may not be able to adequately support current and future business initiatives or attract or retain customers, which risk could be increased if we are unable to retain existing personnel.

We cannot assure you that our exploration of strategic alternatives will result in us pursuing a transaction or that any such transaction would be successfully completed, and there may be negative impacts on our business and stock price as a result of the process of exploring strategic alternatives.

In December 2018, we announced that our board of directors was exploring and evaluating strategic alternatives focused on maximizing shareholder value, and that we engaged a financial advisor to assist in the process. Although our engagement with the financial advisor has ended, the strategic process is ongoing. Our board of directors has not set a timetable for the strategic process nor has it made any decisions relating to any strategic alternatives at this time. No assurance can be given as to the outcome of the process, including whether the process will result in a transaction or that any transaction that is agreed to will be completed. Whether the process will result in a transaction, and our ability to complete a transaction, if our board of directors decides to pursue one, will depend on numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control, including the interest of potential acquirers or strategic partners in a potential transaction with our company, the value potential acquirers or strategic partners attribute to our business and its prospects, market conditions, and industry trends. Our stock price may be adversely affected if the process does not result in a transaction or if a transaction is not completed. Even if a transaction is completed, there can be no assurance that it will be successful or have a positive effect on shareholder value. Our board of directors may also determine that no transaction is in the best interest of our stockholders.

In addition, our financial results and operations have been and may continue to be adversely affected by the strategic process and by the uncertainty regarding its outcome. The attention of management and of our board of directors has been diverted from our core business operations to the process and we have diverted capital and other resources to the process that otherwise could have been used in our business operations, and we will continue to do so until the process is completed. We could incur substantial expenses associated with identifying and evaluating potential strategic alternatives, including those related to employee retention payments, equity compensation, severance pay and legal, accounting and financial advisor fees. In addition, the process could lead us to lose or fail to attract, retain and motivate key employees, and to lose or fail to attract customers or business partners, and could expose us to litigation. The public announcement of a strategic alternative may also yield a negative impact on operating results if prospective or existing service providers are reluctant to commit to new or renewal contracts or if existing customers decide to move their business to a competitor.

We do not intend to disclose developments or provide updates on the progress or status of the strategic process until our board of directors deems further disclosure is appropriate or required. Accordingly, speculation regarding any developments related to the review of strategic alternatives and perceived uncertainties related to the future of our company could cause our stock price to fluctuate significantly.

We have experienced significant losses and expect to incur significant losses in the future.

We have a history of significant losses, including net losses of $2,047,000 and $259,000 for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and have an accumulated deficit of $131,457,000 as of December 31, 2019. We expect to incur future operating and net losses, due in part to expenditures required to continue to implement our business strategies, including the continued development and implementation of our technology platform and product line. Despite significant expenditures, we may not achieve or maintain profitability. Even if we achieve profitability, the level of profitability cannot be predicted and may vary significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. See also “—Risks Relating to the Market for Our Common Stock— Our common stock could be delisted or suspended from trading on the NYSE American if we are determined to be non-compliant with any of the NYSE American continued listing standards,” below.

We may not compete effectively within the highly competitive and evolving interactive games, entertainment and marketing services industries.

We face intense competition in the markets in which we operate. For example, we face significant competition in the hospitality market from companies offering services that compete with ours. Our services also compete with games, apps and other forms of entertainment offerings available directly to consumers on their mobile devices. See “ITEM 1. Business—Competition,” above. Many of our current and potential competitors enjoy substantial competitive advantages, including greater financial resources that they can deploy for content development, research and development, strategic acquisitions, alliances, joint ventures, and sales and marketing. As a result, our current and potential competitors may respond more quickly and effectively than we can to new or changing opportunities, technologies, standards, or consumer preferences.

With the rapid pace of change in product and service offerings, we must also be able to compete in terms of technology, content, and management strategy. If we fail to provide competitive, engaging, quality services and products, it will be challenging to gain new customers and we will lose customers to competitors. Increased competition may also result in price reductions, fewer customer orders, reduced gross margins, longer sales cycles, reduced revenue, and loss of market share.

New products and rapid technological change may render our operations obsolete or noncompetitive.

The emergence of new entertainment products and technologies, changes in consumer preferences, the adoption of new industry standards, and other factors may limit the life cycle and market penetration of our technologies, products, and services. Our future performance depends on our ability to:

Our inability to succeed in one or more of the above areas would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and business.

In addition, we have to incur substantial costs to modify or adapt our products or services to respond to developments, customer needs, and changing preferences. We must be able to incorporate new technologies into the products we design and develop to address the increasingly complex and varied needs of our customer base. Any significant delay or failure in developing new or enhanced technology, including new product and service offerings, would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and business.

A disruption in the supply of equipment or in our advertising exchange network could negatively impact our revenue.

An unaffiliated third party manufactures an Android-based tablet customized to our specifications and our tablet equipment—tablet charging trays and tablet cases. We have no alternative manufacturing source for our customized tablet or tablet equipment or alternatives for the tablet equipment.

If our sole manufacturer is delayed in delivering tablets to us, becomes unavailable, has product quality issues, or shortages occur, besides not realizing the benefits of having a tablet manufactured to our specifications, we would need to return to third-party tablets or find an alternative device. Similarly, if our sole manufacturer is delayed in delivering the tablet equipment to us, becomes unavailable, has product quality issues, or shortages occur, we may not timely obtain replacement tablet equipment. Delays, unavailability of the tablet or tablet equipment, product quality issues and shortages could damage our reputation and customer loyalty, cause subscription cancellations, increase our expense and reduce our revenue. See also “Our business could be adversely impacted if the sole manufacturer of our customized tablet and tablet equipment is not able to meet our manufacturing quality standards.”

If our sole manufacturer and/or suppliers were to go out of business or otherwise become unable to meet our needs for reliable equipment, locating and qualifying alternate sources could take months, during which time our production could be delayed, and may, in some cases, require us to redesign our products and systems. Such delays and potentially costly re-sourcing and redesign could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

In addition, the revenue we receive from the sale of advertisements that are shown on the screens throughout our network depends on the advertisements being properly aired in our network. We rely on the technology of an unaffiliated third party to air the advertisements on the screens in our network. If that third party technology has interruptions in service or if the advertisements are otherwise not properly airing on our network, the revenue we receive from the sale of advertisements will decrease.

Our business could be adversely impacted if the sole manufacturer of our customized tablet and tablet equipment cannot meet our manufacturing quality standards.

As discussed above, one unaffiliated third-party manufactures our customized tablet and tablet equipment. Continued improvement in supply-chain management and in manufacturing of our customized tablet and tablet equipment and manufacturing quality and product testing are important to our business. Flaws in the design and manufacturing of our customized tablet or tablet equipment or both (by us or our supplier) could result in substantial delays in shipment and in substantial repair, replacement or service costs, could damage our reputation and customer loyalty, could cause subscription cancellations, and could increase our expense and reduce our revenue. Costs associated with tablet or tablet equipment defects due to, for example, problems in our design and manufacturing processes, could include: (a) writing off the value of inventory; (b) disposing of items that cannot be fixed; (c) recalling items that have been shipped; and (d) providing replacements or modifications. These costs could be significant and may increase expenses and lower gross margin. There can be no assurance that our efforts to monitor, develop, modify and implement appropriate test and manufacturing processes for our tablet and related equipment will be sufficient to permit us to avoid quality issues. Significant quality issues could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

In addition, the third-party manufacturer of our customized tablet and tablet equipment manufactures in China using a significant number of Chinese-sourced parts. While our inventory is currently robust, we are experiencing delays from suppliers who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A disruption in the supply chain for our tablet and tablet equipment for whatever reason, including resulting from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, could adversely impact our ability to deliver our products and services. It may not be possible to find replacement products or supplies and significant delays could adversely affect our business. We are experiencing delays from suppliers who have been affected more directly by the outbreak.

If we do not adequately protect our proprietary rights and intellectual property or we are subjected to intellectual property claims by others, our business could be seriously damaged.

We rely on a combination of trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secret laws to protect our proprietary rights in our products. We have a few patents and patent applications pending in jurisdictions related to our business activities. Our pending patent applications and any future applications might not be approved. Moreover, our patents might not provide us with competitive advantages. Third parties might challenge our patents or trademarks or attempt to use infringing technologies or brands which could harm our ability to compete and reduce our revenues, as well as create significant litigation expense. In addition, patents and trademarks held by third parties might have an adverse effect on our ability to do business and could likewise result in significant litigation expense. Furthermore, third parties might independently develop similar products, duplicate our products or, to the extent patents are issued to us, design around those patents. Others may have filed and, in the future may file, patent applications similar or identical to ours. Such third-party patent applications might have priority over our patent applications. To determine the priority of inventions, we may have to participate in interference proceedings declared by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which could result in substantial cost to us.

We believe that the success of our business also depends on such factors as the technical expertise and innovative capabilities of our employees. It is our policy that all employees and consultants sign non-disclosure agreements and assignment of invention agreements. Our competitors, former employees, and consultants may, however, misappropriate our technology or independently develop technologies that are as good as or better than ours. Our competitors may also challenge or circumvent our proprietary rights. If we have to initiate or defend against an infringement claim to protect our proprietary rights, the litigation over any such claim, with or without merit, could be time-consuming and costly to us.

From time to time, we hire or retain employees or consultants who may have worked for other companies developing products similar to those that we offer. These other companies may claim that our products are based on their products and that we have misappropriated their intellectual property. Any such claim, with or without merit, could be time-consuming and costly to us, adversely affecting our financial condition.

We may be liable for the content and services we make available on our Buzztime network and the internet.

We make content and entertainment services available on our Buzztime network and the internet which includes games and game content, software, and a variety of other entertainment content. The availability of this content and services and our branding could result in claims against us based on a variety of theories, including defamation, obscenity, negligence, or copyright or trademark infringement. We could also be exposed to liability for third-party content accessed through the links from our websites to other websites. Federal laws may limit, but not eliminate, our liability for linking to third-party websites that include materials that infringe copyrights or other rights. We may incur costs to defend against claims related to either our own content or that of third parties, and our financial condition could be materially adversely affected if we are found liable for information that we make available. Implementing measures to reduce our exposure may require us to spend substantial resources and may limit the attractiveness of our services to users which would harm our business.

Our products and services are subject to government regulations that may restrict our operations or cause demand for our products to decline significantly.

In addition to laws and regulations applicable to businesses generally, we are also subject to laws and regulations that apply specifically to the interactive entertainment and product marketing industries. In addition, we operate games of chance and skill, and we award nominal cash prizes to winners of certain games and may provide items of nominal value (e.g., key chains, etc.) to venues who may award such items to consumers. These games are regulated in many jurisdictions and the laws and regulations vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. See “ITEM 1. BUSINESS—Government Regulations.” We may find it necessary to eliminate, modify, suspend, or cancel certain features of our offerings (including the games we offer) in certain jurisdictions based on the adoptions of new laws and regulations or changes in law or regulations or the enforcement thereof, which could result in additional development costs and/or the loss of customers and revenue.

Communication or other system failures could result in customer cancellations and a decrease in our revenues.

We rely on the continuous operation of our information technology and communications systems and those of third parties to communicate with and to distribute our services to the locations of our network subscribers. We currently transmit our data to our customers via broadband internet connections including telephone and cable TV networks. Our systems and those of third parties on which we rely are vulnerable to damage or interruption from many causes, including earthquakes, terrorist attacks, floods, storms, fires, power loss, telecommunications and other network failures, equipment failures, computer viruses, computer denial of service or other attacks. These systems are also subject to break-ins, sabotage, vandalism, and to other disruptions, for example if we or the operators of these systems and system facilities have financial difficulties. Some of our systems are not fully redundant, and our system protections and disaster recovery plans cannot prevent all outages, errors, or data losses. In addition, our services and systems are highly technical and complex and may contain errors or other vulnerabilities. Any errors or vulnerabilities in our products and services, damage to or failure of our systems, any natural or man-made disaster, or other unanticipated problems at our facilities or those of a third party, could result in lengthy interruptions in our service to our customers, which could reduce our revenues and cash flow, and damage our brand. Any interruption in communications or failure of proper hardware or software function at our or our customers’ venues could also decrease customer loyalty and satisfaction and result in a cancellation of our services.

We have incurred significant net operating loss carryforwards that we will likely be unable to use.

At December 31, 2019, we had net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforwards of approximately $63,354,000 available for federal income tax purposes, which will continue expiring in 2020, and of approximately $29,195,000 available for state income tax purposes, which will continue expiring in 2020. We believe that our ability to utilize our NOL carryforwards may be substantially restricted by the passage of time and the limitations of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code, which apply when there are certain changes in ownership of a corporation. To the extent we begin to realize significant taxable income, these Section 382 limitations may result in our incurring federal income tax liability notwithstanding the existence of otherwise available NOL carryforwards. We performed a Section 382 analysis through December 31, 2018 to determine the impact of any changes in ownership. This analysis indicated that no ownership change occurred that would limit the use of the NOLs. We do not believe there has been a material change in our ownership between the Section 382 analysis completed through December 31, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2019 that would indicate a limit on the use of the NOLs. We established a full valuation allowance for substantially all of our deferred tax assets, including the NOL carryforwards, since we do not believe we are likely to generate future taxable income to realize these assets.

Risks Relating to the Market for Our Common Stock

Our common stock could be delisted or suspended from trading on the NYSE American if we are determined not to be in compliance with any of the NYSE American continued listing standards.

After the filing of this report, the NYSE Regulation may notify us that we are not in compliance with Section 1003(a)(iii) of the NYSE American Company Guide because our stockholders’ equity was less than $6 million as of December 31, 2019 (it was $5,091,000) and because we had net losses in five of our most recent fiscal years ended December 31, 2019. If we are determined not to be in compliance with Section 1003(a)(iii) of the NYSE American Company Guide or any other NYSE American continued listing standard, we will become subject to the procedures and requirements of Section 1009 of the Company Guide or the NYSE Regulation may immediately initiate delisting proceedings.

If we receive a notice of non-compliance from NYSE Regulation, we can give no assurances that we will be able to address it successfully, or even if we do, that we will be able to maintain the listing of our common stock on the NYSE American. In addition, we may determine to pursue business opportunities or grow our business at levels or on timelines that further reduces our stockholders’ equity below the level required to maintain compliance with NYSE American continued listing standards. The delisting of our common stock for whatever reason could, among other things: substantially impair our ability to raise additional capital; result in a loss of institutional investor interest and fewer financing opportunities for us; result in claims for breaches of representations or covenants in agreements relating to our compliance with applicable listing requirements; materially impair our stockholders’ ability to buy and sell shares of our common stock; and have an adverse effect on the market price of, and the efficiency of the trading market for, our common stock.

If our common stock were delisted and determined to be a “penny stock,” a broker-dealer may find it more difficult to trade our common stock and an investor may find it more difficult to acquire or dispose of our common stock in the secondary market.

If our common stock were delisted or suspended from trading on the NYSE American, it may be subject to the so-called “penny stock” rules. The SEC has adopted regulations that define a “penny stock” to be any equity security that has a market price per share of less than $5.00, subject to certain exceptions, such as any securities listed on a national securities exchange. For any transaction involving a “penny stock,” unless exempt, the rules impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers, subject to certain exceptions. If our common stock were delisted and determined to be a “penny stock,” a broker-dealer may find it more difficult to trade our common stock and an investor may find it more difficult to acquire or dispose of our common stock.

The market price of our common stock historically has been and likely will continue to be highly volatile and our common stock is thinly traded.

The market price for our common stock historically has been highly volatile, and the market for our common stock has from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations, based both on our operating performance and for reasons that appear to us unrelated to our operating performance. Our stock is also thinly traded, which can affect market volatility, which could significantly affect the market price of our common stock without regard to our operating performance. In addition, the market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to several factors, including:

The realization of any of the foregoing could have a dramatic and adverse impact on the market price of our common stock.

Future sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market or the anticipation of such sales could have a material adverse effect on then-prevailing market prices.

As of December 31, 2019, there were approximately (1) 142,000 shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding stock options at exercise prices ranging from $2.43 to $30.50 per share, (2) 57,000 shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon the settlement of outstanding restricted stock units, and (3) 156,000 shares of our Series A Preferred Stock outstanding which, based on their current conversion price, would convert into approximately 11,000 shares of common stock. Registration statements registering the shares of common stock underlying the outstanding options and restricted stock units are currently effective. Generally, the shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock, which the holders may do at any time, may be sold under Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933. Accordingly, a significant number of shares of our common stock could be sold at any time. Depending upon market liquidity at the time our common stock is resold by the holders thereof, such resales could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline. In addition, the sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock, or anticipation of such sales, could make it more difficult for us to obtain future financing. To the extent the trading price of our common stock at the time any of our outstanding options are exercised exceeds their exercise price or at the time any of our outstanding shares of Series A Preferred stock are converted exceeds their conversion price, such exercise or conversion will have a dilutive effect on our stockholders.

Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our existing stockholders and may restrict our operations.

We may raise additional capital at any time and may do so through one or more financing alternatives, including public or private sales of equity or debt securities directly to investors or through underwriters or placement agents. See also “Our ability to raise capital may be limited by applicable laws and regulations,” below. Raising capital through the issuance of common stock (or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of our common stock) may depress the market price of our stock and may substantially dilute our existing stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may issue preferred stock with rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of the holders of our common stock. Debt financings could involve covenants that restrict our operations. These restrictive covenants may include limitations on additional borrowing and specific restrictions on the use of our assets, as well as prohibitions on our ability to create liens or make investments and may, among other things, preclude us from making distributions to stockholders (either by paying dividends or redeeming stock) and taking other actions beneficial to our stockholders. In addition, investors could impose more one-sided investment terms on companies that have or are perceived to have limited remaining funds or limited ability to raise additional funds. The lower our cash balance, the more difficult it is likely to be for us to raise additional capital on commercially reasonable terms, or at all.

Our ability to raise capital may be limited by applicable laws and regulations.

Over the past few years we have raised capital through the sale of our equity securities. The offerings we completed in April 2014, November 2016, March 2017, April 2017 and June 2018 were equity offerings conducted under a “shelf” registration statement on Form S-3. Using a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 to raise additional capital generally takes less time and is less expensive than other means, such as conducting an offering under a Form S-1 registration statement. However, our ability to raise capital using a shelf registration statement may be limited by, among other things, SEC rules and regulations. Under SEC rules and regulations, we must meet certain requirements to use a Form S-3 registration statement to raise capital without restriction as to the amount of the market value of securities sold thereunder. One such requirement is that we periodically evaluate the market value of our outstanding shares of common stock held by non-affiliates, or public float, and if, at an evaluation date, our public float is less than $75.0 million, then the aggregate market value of securities sold by us or on our behalf under the Form S-3 in any 12-month period is limited to an aggregate of one-third of our public float. Based on the closing price of our common stock on March 16, 2020, the highest closing price of our common stock within the past 60 days, our public float is approximately $7.6 million and therefore we are currently subject to the one-third of our public float limitation. Assuming our public float remains the same amount the next time we must evaluate it, we will only be able to sell up to approximately $2.5 million if we seek to use a shelf registration statement. If our ability to use a shelf registration statement for a primary offering of our securities is limited to one-third of our public float, we may conduct such an offering pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act or under a Form S-1 registration statement, and we would expect either alternative to increase the cost of raising additional capital relative to utilizing a Form S-3 registration statement.

In addition, under SEC rules and regulations, our common stock must be listed and registered on a national securities exchange in order to utilize a Form S-3 registration statement (i) for a primary offering, if our public float is not at least $75.0 million as of a date within 60 days prior to the date of filing the Form S-3 or a re-evaluation date, whichever is later, and (ii) to register the resale of our securities by persons other than us (i.e., a resale offering). While currently our common stock is listed on the NYSE American, there can be no assurance we can maintain such listing. See also “Our common stock could be delisted or suspended from trading on the NYSE American if we are determined to be non-compliant with any of the NYSE American continued listing standards,” above.

Our ability to timely raise sufficient additional capital also may be limited by the NYSE American’s stockholder approval requirements for transactions involving the issuance of our common stock or securities convertible into our common stock. For instance, the NYSE American requires that we obtain stockholder approval of any transaction involving the sale, issuance or potential issuance by us of our common stock (or securities convertible into our common stock) at a price less than the greater of book or market value, which (together with sales by our officers, directors and principal stockholders) equals 20% or more of our then outstanding common stock, unless the transaction is considered a “public offering” by the NYSE American staff. In addition, certain prior sales by us may be aggregated with any offering we may propose in the future, further limiting the amount we could raise in any future offering not considered a public offering by the NYSE American staff and involves the sale, issuance or potential issuance by us of our common stock (or securities convertible into our common stock) at a price less than the greater of book or market value. The NYSE American also requires that we obtain stockholder approval if the issuance or potential issuance of additional shares will be considered by the NYSE American staff to result in a change of control of our company.

Obtaining stockholder approval is a costly and time-consuming process. If we must obtain stockholder approval for a potential transaction, we would expect to spend substantial additional money and resources. In addition, seeking stockholder approval would delay our receipt of otherwise available capital, which may materially and adversely affect our ability to execute our business strategy, and there is no guarantee our stockholders ultimately would approve a proposed transaction. A public offering under the NYSE American rules typically involves broadly announcing the proposed transaction, which often depresses the issuer’s stock price. Accordingly, the price at which we could sell our securities in a public offering may be less, and the dilution existing stockholders experience may in turn be greater, than if we were able to raise capital through other means.

Our charter contains provisions that may hinder or prevent a change in control of our company, which could result in our inability to approve a change in control and potentially receive a premium over the current market value of your stock.

Certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if such a change in control would benefit our stockholders, or to make changes in our board of directors. For example, our certificate of incorporation (i) prohibits stockholders from filling vacancies on our board of directors, calling special stockholder meetings, or taking action by written consent, and (ii) requires a supermajority vote of at least 80% of the total voting power of our outstanding shares, voting together as a single class, to remove our directors from office or to amend provisions relating to stockholders taking action by written consent or calling special stockholder meetings.

Additionally, our certificate of incorporation and restated bylaws contain provisions that could delay or prevent a change of control of our company. Some provisions:

These provisions could discourage third parties from taking control of our company. Such provisions may also impede a transaction in which you could receive a premium over then current market prices and your ability to approve a transaction that you consider in your best interest.

In addition, we are governed by Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporate Law, which may prohibit certain business combinations with stockholders owning 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock. These and other provisions in our certificate of incorporation, restated bylaws and Delaware law could make it more difficult for stockholders or potential acquirers to obtain control of our board of directors or initiate actions that are opposed by the then-current board of directors, including delaying or impeding a merger, tender offer, or proxy contest involving our company. Any delay or prevention of a change of control transaction or changes in our board of directors could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

ITEM 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

We do not have any unresolved comments issued by the SEC Staff.

ITEM 2. Properties

We lease two properties, both of which are material to our business. We believe that our leased properties meet our current needs and that we will be able to renew these leases when needed on acceptable terms or find alternative facilities. As a result of recent reductions in headcount, we are exploring subleasing a portion of our office space in Carlsbad, California to help reduce our lease expense.

ITEM 3. Legal Proceedings

From time to time, we become subject to legal proceedings and claims, both asserted and unasserted, that arise in the ordinary course of business. Litigation in general, and securities litigation in particular, can be expensive and disruptive to normal business operations. Moreover, the results of legal proceedings are difficult to predict. An unfavorable resolution of one or more legal proceedings could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, or financial condition. In addition, defending any claim requires resources, including cash to pay legal fees and expenses, and our limited financial resources could severely impact our ability to defend any such claim.

Also, from time to time, state and provincial tax agencies have made, and we anticipate will make, inquiries as to whether our service offerings are subject to taxation in their jurisdictions. Many states have expanded their interpretation of their sales and use tax statutes, which generally had the effect of increasing the scope of activities that may be subject to such statutes. We evaluate inquiries from state and provincial tax agencies on a case-by-case basis and have favorably resolved the majority of these inquiries in the past, though we can give no assurances as to our ability to favorably resolve such inquiries in the future. Any such inquiry could, if not resolved favorably to us, materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, or financial condition.

ITEM 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not Applicable.

PART II

ITEM 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Our common stock is listed on the NYSE American under the symbol “NTN.”

On March 16, 2020, the closing price for our common stock as reported on the NYSE American was $1.73 and there were approximately 342 holders of record.

We have 156,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock issued and outstanding. The Series A Preferred Stock provides for a cumulative annual dividend of 10 cents per share, payable in semi-annual installments in June and December. Dividends may be paid in cash or in shares of our common stock. In 2018, we paid approximately $16,000 in cash dividends to the holders of our Series A Preferred Stock. We expect to pay the dividends on our Series A Preferred Stock in accordance with its terms, though we may elect to pay the dividend in shares of our common stock in the future.

ITEM 6. Selected Financial Data

Under SEC rules and regulations, as a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide the information otherwise required by this item.

ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Introduction

Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations (“MD&A”) should be read in conjunction with the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements and notes, included in Item 8 of this report, to help provide an understanding of our financial condition, the changes in our financial condition and our results of operations. You should also see the section entitled “Forward-Looking Statements” at the beginning of this report. All dollar amounts in MD&A are rounded to the nearest thousand. Our MD&A is organized as follows:

Overview

We deliver interactive entertainment and innovative technology to our partners in a wide range of verticals – from bars and restaurants to casinos and senior living centers. By enhancing the overall guest experience, we believe we help our hospitality partners acquire, engage, and retain patrons.

Through social fun and friendly competition, our platform creates bonds between our hospitality partners and their patrons, and between patrons themselves. We believe this unique experience increases dwell time, revenue, and repeat business for venues – and has also created a large and engaged audience which we connect with through our in-venue TV network. Over 1 million hours of trivia, card, sports and arcade games are played on our network each month.

Results of Operations

We generated a net loss of $2,047,000 for the year ended December 31, 2019, compared to a net loss of $259,000 for the year ended December 31, 2018.

Revenue

We generate revenue by charging subscription fees to our partners for access to our 24/7 trivia network, by charging equipment fees to select partners for use of tablets and other equipment, by selling and leasing tablet and hardware equipment for custom usage beyond trivia/entertainment, by selling digital-out-of-home (DOOH) advertising direct to advertisers and on national ad exchanges, by licensing our entertainment and trivia content to other parties, and by providing professional services such as custom game design or development of new platforms on our existing tablet form factor. Up until February 1, 2020, we also generated revenue by hosting live trivia events. (See Note 18 to the consolidated financial statements included in item 8 of this report.) The table below summarizes the type of revenue we generated for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018:

Subscription Revenue

The decrease in subscription revenue year-over-year was primarily due to lower average site count and lower average revenue per site in 2019 compared to 2018. In November 2019, our agreements with Buffalo Wild Wings corporate-owned restaurants and most of its franchisees terminated in accordance with their terms. As a result of the foregoing and if we do not add network subscribers or other revenue sources to sufficiently offset the subscription revenue we received in recent years from Buffalo Wild Wings corporate-owned restaurants and its franchisees, our subscription revenue will materially decrease beginning in the first quarter of 2020. In addition, our subscription revenue could be further adversely affected as a result of the effects of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. See “ITEM 1A., Risk Factors—Risk Factors That May Affect Our Business—Due to the termination of our relationships with Buffalo Wild Wings corporate-owned restaurants and most of its franchisees in November 2019, we expect our future revenue to materially decrease and, for at least the foreseeable future, our operating results and cash flows to be adversely effected. In addition, the recent COVID-19 pandemic could further decrease our revenues and our operating results and cash flows could be further adversely effected.”

The table below provides a geographic breakdown of our site count as of the date indicated:

Hardware Revenue

The decrease in hardware revenue year-over-year was primarily due to decreased sales-type lease arrangements in 2019 compared to 2018, offset by increased sales of our tablets to a third-party using our tablets and operating system to deliver its services in jails. We do not expect to continue recognizing hardware revenue under sales-type lease arrangements during 2020 or thereafter. We expect to continue recognizing hardware revenue throughout 2020 under our existing contract from our jail services partner. We are uncertain if we will enter into another equipment sale contract with our jail services partner or any other party.

Other Revenue

The decrease in other revenue year-over-year was primarily due to a decrease in revenue for professional services performed in 2019 compared to 2018, partially offset by increased advertising and licensing revenue in 2019 compared to 2018. Our advertising revenue could be adversely affected as a result of the effects as a result of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, including because of a decrease in advertising sales arising from a slowdown in consumer traffic of the restaurant and bars that subscribe to our service. See “ITEM 1A., Risk Factors—Risk Factors That May Affect Our Business—Due to the termination of our relationships with Buffalo Wild Wings corporate-owned restaurants and most of its franchisees in November 2019, we expect our future revenue to materially decrease and, for at least the foreseeable future, our operating results and cash flows to be adversely effected. In addition, the recent COVID-19 pandemic could further decrease our revenues and our operating results and cash flows could be further adversely effected.”

Direct Costs and Gross Margin

The following table compares the direct costs and gross margin for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018:

The decrease in direct costs year-over-year was primarily due to decreased (i) equipment expense of approximately $823,000 related to lower hardware revenue, (ii) service provider and freight expense of $384,000 and (iii) license fees of $137,000, partially offset by increased (a) equipment expense of approximately $676,000 related to writing off certain older tablets and the related cases during the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2019 for which we did not expect to generate future cash flows, (b) depreciation expense of $69,000 and (c) other miscellaneous expense of $13,000.

Operating Expenses

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

The decrease in selling, general and administrative expenses year-over-year was primarily due to decreased (i) payroll and related expense of $980,000, (ii) professional fees of $303,000 due to fewer consulting and legal expenses and (iii) occupancy expense of $150,000 related to the lease for our new headquarters that we moved to in December 2018. These decreases were partially offset by increased (a) bad debt expense of $118,000, (b) marketing expense of $87,000 and (c) miscellaneous expenses of $61,000. In light of the recent measures we implemented to reduce operating expenses and to preserve capital, we expect our selling, general and administrative expenses to decrease in 2020. However, such actions, and any similar actions we may implement in the future, could adversely affect our business and we may not realize the operation or financial benefits of such actions. See “ITEM 1A., Risk Factors—Risk Factors That May Affect Our Business—The measures we recently implemented and may implement in the future to reduce operating expenses and preserve capital could adversely affect our business and we may not realize the operational or financial benefits from such actions,” above.

Impairment of Capitalized Software

Impairment of capitalized software increased for the year ended December 31, 2019 as a result of abandoning certain capitalized software development projects that we concluded were no longer a current strategic fit or for which we determined that the marketability of the content had decreased due to obtaining additional information regarding the specific purpose for which the content was intended.

Impairment of Goodwill

We have goodwill resulting from the excess of costs over the fair value of assets we acquired in 2003 related to our Canadian business (the “Reporting Unit”). Goodwill and intangible assets acquired in a purchase combination that are determined to have an indefinite useful life are not amortized, but instead are assessed annually, or at interim periods, for impairment based on qualitative factors, such as macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, cost factors, overall financial performance and other relevant events, to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the Reporting Unit is less than its carrying amount. If there are indications of impairment, then we perform a quantitative impairment test. We performed the quantitative impairment test of our goodwill in each of the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, as we determined that because of declines in revenue of the Reporting Unit, the decline in our stock price and other general market conditions, it was more likely than not that there were indications of impairment. We used three methods of determining the fair value of the Reporting Unit: the public company market method, the transaction market method and the income method. Each method was equally weighted to calculate the total estimated fair value of the Reporting Unit, and then we compared this fair value to the carrying value of the Reporting Unit. The impairment test performed during 2018 resulted in the carrying value exceeding the fair value. Accordingly, we recognized a goodwill impairment loss of $261,000 during the year ended December 31, 2018. The impairment test performed during 2019 resulted in the fair value exceeding the carrying value. Therefore, we did not record any goodwill impairment for the year ended December 31, 2019.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operating results of our Canadian business could be an event that requires us to assess at interim periods in 2020 whether the recorded goodwill related to our Canadian business is impaired, and if impaired, we would be required to record a non-cash impairment charge.

Depreciation and Amortization

The increase in depreciation and amortization expense year-over-year was primarily due to our leasehold improvement asset we recognized as a result of our move to our new headquarters in December 2018. The leasehold improvement asset is being depreciated over the term of the lease, which is 89 months

Other (Expense) Income, Net

The decrease in other expense, net was primarily related to decreased interest expense resulting from lower debt balances and gains from the sale of equipment, partially offset by increased foreign currency losses related to the operations of our Canadian subsidiary for the year ended December 31, 2019 when compared to 2018.

Income Taxes

We expect to incur state income tax liability in 2019 related to our U.S. operations. We also expect to incur an income tax liability in 2019 in Canada due to the profitability of our Canadian subsidiary. During the year ended December 31, 2018, an impairment to goodwill resulted in a deferred tax benefit under generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), which resulted in a net tax benefit in Canada.

EBITDA—Consolidated Operations

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, is not intended to represent a measure of performance in accordance with GAAP. Nor should EBITDA be considered as an alternative to statements of cash flows as a measure of liquidity. We include EBITDA because we believe it is a measure of operating performance that financial analysts, lenders, investors and other interested parties find to be a useful tool for analyzing companies like us that carry significant levels of non-cash depreciation and amortization charges compared to their net income or loss calculation in accordance with GAAP.

The reconciliation of our consolidated net loss calculated in accordance with GAAP to EBITDA for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 is shown in the table below. EBITDA should not be considered as substitutes for, or superior to, net loss calculated in accordance with GAAP.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of December 31, 2019, we had cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $3,409,000 compared to cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $2,786,000 as of December 31, 2018. In January 2020, we sold all our assets used to conduct the live hosted knowledge-based trivia events known as Stump! Trivia and OpinioNation for approximately $1.4 million in cash.

In connection with preparing our financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2019, our management evaluated whether there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that are known and reasonably knowable that would raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern through twelve months after the date that such financial statements are issued. During the year ended December 31, 2019, we incurred a net loss of $2,047,000, and as a result of the debt reclassification described below, the Company’s current liabilities exceeded its current assets at December 31, 2019 by $25,000. As of December 31, 2019, we had $3,209,000 of unrestricted cash and total debt outstanding of $2,750,000, which was the outstanding principal balance of our term loan with Avidbank. Since January 1, 2020, Avidbank required us to pay $750,000 of the principal balance of our term loan, thereby reducing it to $2,000,000 as of March 19, 2020. Under the terms of the amendment to our loan and security agreement that we entered into with Avidbank on March 12, 2020, during 2020 we will be required to make monthly payments that, if made in accordance with their terms, will result in us paying off our term loan by December 31, 2020. Based on this amendment, $1,750,000 of debt outstanding has been reclassified as a current liability in the accompanying balance sheet at December 31, 2019. As a result of the accelerated payments required on our term loan, and taking into account our current financial condition and our existing sources of revenue, our management concluded there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern through March 19, 2021.

Since January 1, 2020, we reduced headcount by approximately $2.2 million in annualized salaries and implemented measures to preserve capital. We may implement additional measures designed to reduce operating expenses and/or preserve capital. We need to raise capital to meet our debt service obligations to Avidbank and to fund our working capital needs. We continue to explore and evaluate opportunities to raise capital, including through equity financings, alternative sources of debt, and strategic transactions, which may include selling a portion or all of our assets. However, none of these potential sources of capital are currently assured, and the actions to reduce operating expenses we implemented may not sufficiently mitigate the conditions and events that raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern through March 19, 2021. See “ITEM 1A, Risk Factors—Risk Factors That May Affect Our Business—“We need to raise capital to meet our debt service obligations to Avidbank and to fund our working capital needs. Our inability to raise sufficient capital would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and business,” above.

In addition, any actions we implemented or may implement in the future designed to reduce operating expenses and to preserve capital may not cover our capital needs and may negatively impact our ability to effectively manage, operate and grow our business, to introduce new offerings to our customers, to increase market awareness and encourage the adoption of the Buzztime brand and the Buzztime network, to retain customers, and to generate revenue. See “ITEM 1A, Risk Factors—Risk Factors That May Affect Our Business—“The measures we recently implemented and may implement in the future to reduce operating expenses and to preserve capital could adversely affect our business and we may not realize the operational or financial benefits from such actions,” above.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going-concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. The accompanying consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the recoverability and classification of assets or the amounts and classifications of liabilities that may result from uncertainty related to our ability to continue as a going concern.

Avidbank Term Loan

Under a loan and security agreement we entered into with Avidbank in September 2018, or the Original LSA, we borrowed $4,000,000 in the form of a 48-month term loan, all of which we used to pay-off the $4,050,000 of principal borrowed from our then-existing lender. As of December 31, 2019, $2,750,000 was outstanding under the term loan. We recorded debt issuance costs of $23,000, which includes a $20,000 facility fee. The debt issuance costs are being amortized to interest expense using the effective interest rate method over the life of the loan. The unamortized balance of the debt issuance costs as of December 31, 2019 was $11,000 and is recorded as a reduction of long-term debt.

On March 12, 2020, we entered into an amendment to the Original LSA. We refer to the Original LSA, as amended, as the Avidbank LSA. In connection with entering into the amendment, we made a $433,000 payment on our term loan, which includes the $83,333 monthly principal payment plus accrued interest for March 2020 and a $350,000 principal prepayment, thereby reducing the outstanding principal balance of our term loan to $2.0 million. Under the terms of the amendment, our financial covenants were changed, the maturity date of our term loan was changed from September 28, 2022 to December 31, 2020 (and as a result, we classified the total outstanding principal balance as a current liability on our balance sheet as of December 31, 2019), and commencing on April 30, 2020, we must make principal plus accrued interest payments on the last day of each month, such that our term loan will be repaid by December 31, 2020. The principal payment we must make each month will be $125,000 for each of April, May and June, $300,000 for each of July, August, September, October and November, and $125,000 for December.

Under the terms of the Original LSA, our EBITDA was required to be at least $1,000,000 for the trailing six-month period as of the last day of each fiscal quarter and the aggregate amount of unrestricted cash we had in deposit accounts or securities accounts maintained with Avidbank must be not less than $2,000,000 at all times. As of December 31, 2019, we were in compliance with both of those covenants.

Under the terms of the amendment, the minimum EBITDA covenant was replaced with a monthly minimum asset coverage ratio covenant, which we refer to as the ACR covenant, and the minimum liquidity covenant was amended to provide that the aggregate amount of unrestricted cash we have in deposit accounts or securities accounts maintained with Avidbank must be at all times not less than the principal balance outstanding under our term loan. Under the ACR covenant, the ratio of (i) our unrestricted cash at Avidbank as of the last day of a calendar month plus 75% of our outstanding accounts receivable accounts that are within 90 days of invoice date to (ii) the outstanding principal balance of our term loan on such day must be no less than 1.25 to 1.00.

Under the Avidbank LSA, subject to customary exceptions, we are prohibited from borrowing additional indebtedness. We granted and pledged to Avidbank a first-priority security interest in all our existing and future personal property.

The Avidbank LSA includes customary representations, warranties and covenants (affirmative and negative), including restrictive covenants that, subject to specified exceptions, limit our ability to: dispose of our business or property; merge or consolidate with or into any other business organization; incur or prepay additional indebtedness; create or incur any liens on its property; declare or pay any dividend or make a distribution on any class of our stock; or enter specified material transactions with our affiliates. The Avidbank LSA also includes customary events of default, including: payment defaults; breaches of covenants following any applicable cure period; material breaches of representations or warranties; the occurrence of a material adverse effect; events relating to bankruptcy or insolvency; and the occurrence of an unsatisfied material judgment against us. Upon the occurrence of an event of default, Avidbank may declare all outstanding obligations immediately due and payable, do such acts as it considers necessary or reasonable to protect its security interest in the collateral, and take such other actions as are set forth in the Avidbank LSA.

Strategic Process

Our board of directors continues to explore and evaluate strategic alternatives focused on maximizing shareholder value, while also exploring and evaluating financing alternatives to raise the capital we need to successfully execute our current operating and strategic plan in the event the strategic process does not result in a transaction. Our board of directors has not set a timetable for the strategic process nor has it made any decisions relating to any strategic alternatives at this time, and no assurance can be given as to the outcome of the process. We do not intend to disclose additional details regarding the strategic process unless and until further disclosure is appropriate or necessary. See also “PART I—ITEM 1A. Risk Factors—Risk Factors That May Affect Our Business—We cannot assure you that our exploration of strategic alternatives will result in us pursuing a transaction or that any such transaction would be successfully completed, and there may be negative impacts on our business and stock price as a result of the process of exploring strategic alternatives,” above.

Working Capital

As of December 31, 2019, we had negative working capital (current liabilities in excess of current assets) of $25,000 compared to working capital (current assets in excess of current liabilities) of $2,761,000 as of December 31, 2018. The following table shows our change in working capital from December 31, 2018 to December 31, 2019.

Cash Flows

Cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities, as reflected in the accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows, are summarized as follows:

Net cash provided by operations. The increase in cash provided by operating activities was due to a decrease in cash used for operating assets and liabilities of $2,447,000, partially offset by an increase in net loss of $853,000, after giving effect to adjustments made for non-cash transactions during 2019 compared to 2018.

Our largest use of cash is payroll and related costs. Cash used for payroll and related costs decreased $764,000 to $9,296,000 for 2019 from $10,060,000 for 2018, primarily due to reduced headcount. In light of the recent measures we implemented to reduce operating expenses and to preserve capital, we expect our selling, general and administrative expenses to decrease in 2020. See “—Results of Operations—Operating Expenses,” above.

Our primary source of cash is cash we generate from customers. Cash received from customers decreased $2,030,000 to $19,790,000 for 2019 from $21,820,000 for 2018. This decrease was primarily related to decreased subscription and hardware revenue. If we do not add network subscribers or other revenue sources to sufficiently offset the subscription revenue we received in recent years from Buffalo Wild Wings corporate-owned restaurants and its franchisees, our subscription revenue will materially decrease beginning in the first quarter of 2020. See “—Results of Operations—Revenues,” above.

Net cash used in investing activities. The $514,000 decrease in cash used in investing activities was primarily due to decreased capital expenditures.

Net cash used in financing activities. During 2018, we received $4,000,000 under our term loan with Avidbank and we received $1,375,000 in net proceeds from a registered offering of our common stock. There were no similar financing activities during 2019. During 2019, we made $4,373,000 less in principal payments on long-term debt and $204,000 less in principal payments on our finance leases when compared to 2018.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no off-balance sheet arrangements that have, or are reasonably likely to have, a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in our financial condition, expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to deferred costs and revenues, depreciation of fixed assets, allowance for doubtful accounts, site equipment to be installed, investments, intangible assets, and contingencies. We base our estimates on a combination of historical experience and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates. Critical accounting policies and estimates are defined as those that are both most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results and require management’s most subjective judgments.

We believe the following critical accounting policies affect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts—We maintain allowances for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from nonpayment by our customers. We reserve for all accounts that have been suspended or terminated from our Buzztime network services and for customers with balances that are greater than a predetermined number of days past due. We analyze historical collection trends, customer concentrations and creditworthiness, economic trends and anticipated changes in customer payment patterns when evaluating the adequacy of our allowance for doubtful accounts for specific and general risks. Additional reserves may also be established if specific customers’ balances are identified as potentially uncollectible. If the financial condition of our customers were to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment of their ability to make payments, additional allowances may be required.

Site Equipment to be Installed—Site equipment to be installed consists of fixed assets related to our tablet platform that have not yet been placed in service and are stated at cost. These assets remain in site equipment to be installed until installed at our customer sites. For tablet platform customers that are under sales-type lease arrangements, the cost of the equipment is recognized in direct costs upon installation. For all other tablet platform customers, the cost of the equipment is reclassified to fixed assets upon installation and depreciated over its estimated useful life. We evaluate the recoverability of site equipment to be installed for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of such assets may not be recoverable. Recoverability is measured by comparing the carrying amount of an asset or asset group to estimated undiscounted future net cash flows expected to be generated. If the carrying amount of the asset or asset group is not recoverable on an undiscounted cash flow basis, an impairment is recognized to the extent that the carrying amount exceeds its fair value. Fair value is determined through various valuation techniques including discounted cash flow models, quoted market values, and third-party independent appraisals, as considered necessary.

Following the termination of our relationship with Buffalo Wild Wing corporate-owned restaurants and most of its franchisees in November 2019, we took back title to all of the tablets, cases and charging trays located at sites that terminated service with us at zero cost to us other than for shipping and related charges of approximately $175,000. We received approximately 45,000 tablets and cases and approximately 4,500 charging trays during the fourth quarter of 2019. Many of these items are our newer technology tablets and cases that can be redeployed to our customer sites or used in other possible partnerships. Although we have not yet completed our assessment of the items we received to determine how many we will ultimately retain, we determined that we would no longer have a future use for certain older tablets and cases we received. Accordingly, during the quarter ended December 31, 2019, we recognized a loss of approximately $580,000 for the disposition of those older tablets and related cases recorded in site equipment to be installed for which we did not expect to generate future cash flows. Total loss for the disposition of site equipment for the year ended December 31, 2019 was approximately $591,000. There were no indications of impairment for the year ended December 31, 2018.

Fixed Assets—Fixed assets are recorded at cost. Equipment under finance leases is recorded at the present value of future minimum lease payments. We evaluate the recoverability of our fixed assets for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of such assets may not be recoverable. If the carrying amount of the asset or asset group is not recoverable on an undiscounted cash flow basis, an impairment is recognized to the extent that the carrying amount exceeds its fair value. As discussed above, we determined that we would no longer have a future use for certain older tablets and cases we received from Buffalo Wild Wing corporate-owned restaurants and its franchisees. Accordingly, during the quarter ended December 31, 2019, we recognized a loss of approximately $96,000 primarily for the disposition of those older tablets and the related cases recorded in fixed assets for which we did not expect to generate future cash flows. Total loss for the disposition of fixed assets for the year ended December 31, 2019 was approximately $127,000. There were no indications of impairment for the year ended December 31, 2018.

Depreciation of fixed assets is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Depreciation of leasehold improvements and fixed assets under finance leases is computed using the straight-line method over the shorter of the estimated useful lives of the assets or the lease period.

We incur a relatively significant level of depreciation expense in relation to our operating income. The amount of depreciation expense in any fiscal year is largely related to the equipment located at our customers’ sites that are not under sales-type lease arrangements. Such equipment includes the Classic Playmaker, tablet, other associated electronics and the computers located at customer’s sites (collectively, “Site Equipment”). The components within Site Equipment are depreciated over one to three years based on the shorter of the contractual finance lease period or the estimated useful life, which considers anticipated technology changes. Machinery and equipment is depreciated over three to five years, furniture and fixtures is depreciated over five to seven years and the vehicle is depreciated over five years. If our fixed assets turn out to have longer lives, on average, than estimated, then our depreciation expense would be significantly reduced in those future periods. Conversely, if the fixed assets turn out to have shorter lives, on average, than estimated, then our depreciation expense would be significantly increased in those future periods. As of December 31, 2019, we determined there were no changes to the estimated useful lives for any of our assets.

Goodwill—Goodwill represents the excess of costs over fair value of assets of businesses acquired. Goodwill acquired in a purchase combination determined to have an indefinite useful life are not amortized, but instead are assessed annually, or at interim periods, for impairment based on qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. Such qualitative factors include macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, cost factors, overall financial performance and other relevant events. If after assessing the totality of events or circumstances we determine it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then we must perform the step one quantitative impairment test outlined in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) No. 350, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other.

We have goodwill resulting from the excess of costs over the fair value of assets we acquired in 2003 related to our Canadian business (the “Reporting Unit”). We performed the quantitative impairment test of our goodwill in each of the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, as we determined that because of declines in revenue of the Reporting Unit, the decline in our stock price and other general market conditions, it was more likely than not that there were indications of impairment. We used three methods of determining the fair value of the Reporting Unit: the public company market method, the transaction market method and the income method. Each method was equally weighted to calculate the total estimated fair value, and then we compared this fair value to the carrying value of the Reporting Unit. The impairment test performed during 2018 resulted in the carrying value exceeding the fair value. Accordingly, we recognized a goodwill impairment loss of approximately $261,000 during the year ended December 31, 2018. The impairment test performed during 2019 resulted in the fair value exceeding the carrying value. Therefore, we did not record any goodwill impairment for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Revenue Recognition—In accordance with ASC No. 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, we recognize revenue when we transfer promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to receive in exchange for those goods or services.

We generate revenue by charging subscription fees to customers for access to our 24/7 trivia network, charging equipment fees to certain customers for use of tablets and other equipment, by selling and leasing tablet and hardware equipment for custom usage beyond trivia/entertainment, by selling DOOH advertising direct to advertisers and on national ad exchanges, by licensing our entertainment and trivia content to other parties, and by providing professional services such as custom game design or development of new platforms on our existing tablet form factor. Up until February 1, 2020, the Company also generated revenue from hosting live trivia events.

In general, when multiple performance obligations are present in a customer contract, we allocated the transaction price to the individual performance obligation based on the relative stand-alone selling prices, and recognize the revenue when or as each performance obligation has been satisfied. We treat discounts as a reduction to the overall transaction price and allocate the discount to the performance obligations based on the relative stand-alone selling prices. We recognize revenue net of sales tax we collect from the customer.

Software Development Costs—We capitalize costs related to the development of certain software products in accordance with ASC No. 350. We recognize amortization of costs related to interactive programs on a straight-line basis over the programs’ estimated useful lives, generally two to three years. Amortization expense relating to capitalized software development costs totaled $519,000 and $382,000 for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, approximately $177,000 and $1,296,000, respectively, of capitalized software costs were not subject to amortization as the development of various software projects was not complete.

We performed our annual review of software development projects for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, and determined to abandon various software development projects that we concluded were no longer a current strategic fit or for which we determined that the marketability of the content had decreased due to obtaining additional information regarding the specific industry for which the content was intended. As a result, for the quarter ended December 31, 2019, we recognized an impairment charge of $498,000. There was no impairment charge for the quarter ended December 31, 2018. For the year ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, we recognized an impairment charge of $550,000 and $23,000, respectively. Impairment of capitalized software is shown separately on our consolidated statement of operations.

Income Taxes—Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases, and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.

ASC No. 740, Income Taxes, defines the threshold for recognizing the benefits of tax return positions in the financial statements as “more-likely-than-not” to be sustained by the taxing authority. A tax position that meets the “more-likely-than-not” criterion is measured at the largest amount of benefit that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. We have reviewed our tax positions and determined that an adjustment to the tax provision is not considered necessary nor is a reserve for income taxes required.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2019, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740) – Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. This ASU enhances and simplifies various aspects of the income tax accounting guidance, including requirements such as tax basis step-up in goodwill obtained in a transaction that is not a business combination, ownership changes in investments, methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period when a year-to-date loss exceeds the anticipated loss for the year and interim-period accounting for enacted changes in tax law. The amendment will be effective for public companies with fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020 (which will be January 1, 2021 for us); early adoption is permitted. We are currently assessing the impact of this pronouncement to our consolidated financial statements.

In November 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-08, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718) and Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (“ASU No. 2019-08”). This ASU requires that an entity measure and classify share-based payment awards granted to a customer by applying the guidance in Topic 718. The amount recorded as a reduction of the transaction price is required to be measured on the basis of the grant-date fair value of the share-based payment award in accordance with Topic 718. The grant date is the date at which a grantor (supplier) and a grantee (customer) reach a mutual understanding of the key terms and conditions of a share-based payment award. The classification and subsequent measurement of the award are subject to the guidance in Topic 718 unless the share-based payment award is subsequently modified and the grantee is no longer a customer. The standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 (which was January 1, 2020 for us). The adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In November 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-18, Collaborative Arrangements (Topic 808): Clarifying the Interaction between Topic 808 and Topic 606. This ASU requires certain transactions between participants in a collaborative arrangement to be accounted for as revenue under the new revenue standard when the participant is a customer. The standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 (which was January 1, 2020 for us). The adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That is a Service Contract. This ASU aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. The standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 (which was January 1, 2020 for us) and can be applied either retrospectively or prospectively to all implementation costs incurred after the date of adoption. The adoption of this ASU is not expected to have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. This ASU modifies certain disclosure requirements on fair value measurements. The standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 (which was January 1, 2020 for us). The adoption of this ASU is not expected to have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which supersedes current guidance requiring recognition of credit losses when it is probable that a loss has been incurred. The ASU requires an entity to establish an allowance for estimated credit losses on financial assets, including trade and other receivables, at each reporting date. This ASU will result in earlier recognition of allowances for losses on trade and other receivables and other contractual rights to receive cash. For smaller reporting companies, the effective date for this standard has been delayed and will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022 (which will be January 1, 2023 for us). We are evaluating the impact that the adoption of this standard will have on our consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842); in July 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-11, Leases (Topic 842): Targeted Improvements; and in December 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-20, Leases (Topic 842) – Narrow-Scope Improvements for Lessors, (collectively “Topic 842”). Topic 842 primarily requires lessees to recognize at the lease commencement date a lease liability, which is the lessee’s obligation to make lease payments arising from a lease, measured on a discounted basis, and a right-of-use asset, which is an asset that represents the lessee’s right to use, or control the use of, a specified asset for the lease term. Topic 842 was effective for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2018 (which was January 1, 2019 for us), including interim periods within those fiscal years. Lessees and lessors must either (i) apply a modified retrospective transition approach for leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements or (ii) recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption. Applying a full retrospective transition approach is not allowed. We have elected to use the cumulative-effect transition method upon adoption.

Topic 842 also allows lessees and lessors to elect certain practical expedients. We elected the following practical expedients:

Upon adoption of Topic 842, we recognized on our consolidated balance sheet as of January 1, 2019 approximately $3.5 million of operating lease liabilities, and approximately $2.3 million of corresponding operating right-of use assets, net of tenant improvement allowances. We also show the initial recognition of the leases as a supplemental noncash financing activity on the statement of cash flows and the amortization of the noncash lease expense in operating activities. The adoption of Topic 842 did not have a material impact on our consolidated statement of operations. (See Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this report for more information.)

ITEM 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Under SEC rules and regulations, as a smaller reporting company we are not required to provide the information otherwise required by this item.

ITEM 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

See “Index to Consolidated Financial Statements” on page F-1 for a listing of the Consolidated Financial Statements filed with this report.

ITEM 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

None

ITEM 9A. Controls and Procedures

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We maintain “disclosure controls and procedures,” as such term is defined under Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e), that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed, in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and our principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.

In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, we recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and we were required to apply our judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. We have carried out an evaluation as of the end of the period covered by this report under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Senior Vice President of Finance, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures.

Based on our evaluation and subject to the foregoing, our Chief Executive Officer and Senior Vice President of Finance concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this report in providing reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives.

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our 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.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Senior Vice President of Finance, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019. According to the guidelines established by the 2013 Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, one or more material weaknesses renders a company’s internal control over financial reporting ineffective. Based on this evaluation, we have concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2019.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting during the most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 9B. Other Information

Not Applicable.

PART III

ITEM 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

Information required by this item will be set forth under the headings “PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS,” “BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE,” “EXECUTIVE OFFICERS,” and “DELINQUENT SECTION 16(a) REPORTS” in our definitive proxy statement relating to our 2020 annual meeting of stockholders (the “Proxy Statement”), which we expect to filed no later than 120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, and is incorporated in this report by reference.

ITEM 11. Executive Compensation

The information required by this item will be set forth under the heading “EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION” in the Definitive Proxy Statement and is incorporated in this report by reference.

ITEM 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

The information required by this item will be set forth under the headings “SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT” and “EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION” in the Definitive Proxy Statement and is incorporated in this report by reference.

ITEM 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

The information required by this item will be set forth under the headings “PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS,” “BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE” and “CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS” in the Definitive Proxy Statement and is incorporated in this report by reference.

ITEM 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services

The information required by this item will be set forth under the headings “PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FIRM FEES” in the Definitive Proxy Statement and is incorporated in this report by reference.

PART IV

ITEM 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules

(a) The following documents are filed as a part of this report:

(1) Consolidated Financial Statements. The consolidated financial statements of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries are set forth in the “Index to Consolidated Financial Statements” on page F-1.

(2) Financial Statement Schedules. None

(3) Exhibits.

ITEM 16. Form 10-K Summary

None.

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.

Dated: March 19, 2020

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Allen Wolff and Sandra Gurrola, and each of them acting individually, as his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, each with full power to act alone, with full powers of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this annual report on Form 10-K, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully for all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them or their substitute or resubstitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

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.

NTN BUZZTIME, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of NTN Buzztime, Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of NTN Buzztime, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the years then ended, and the related notes to the consolidated financial statements (collectively, the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Change in Accounting Principle

As discussed in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed its method of accounting for leases in 2019 due to the adoption of Accounting Standards Codification Topic 842, Leases.

Going Concern Uncertainty

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 2 to the financial statements, the Company incurred a significant net loss for the year ended December 31, 2019 and as of December 31, 2019 had a negative working capital balance. In addition, in March 2020, the Company’s agreement with its secured creditor was amended requiring an acceleration of scheduled debt payments during the remainder of 2020. These factors raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters also are described in Note 2. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s 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 financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the 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 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 financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

SQUAR MILNER LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2013.

San Diego, California

March 19, 2020

NTN BUZZTIME, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands, except par value amount)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

NTN BUZZTIME, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

NTN BUZZTIME, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018

(in thousands)