What changed in this filing

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis

2025-11-18 compared with 2024-11-19 · 146 added, 147 removed, 297 unchanged (50% of the section changed)

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MACROECONOMIC CONDITIONS

The current macroeconomic environment has negatively impacted many of our licensees and this directly impacts our financial results.

Our revenue has been impacted by macroeconomic conditions, including but not limited to, inflation, heightened interest rates, rising costs of material, increased shipping costs, international conflicts, labor disputes, reduced discretionary consumer spending, and reduced new product investment by our customers.

The macroeconomic conditions also impart substantial uncertainty into our operating environment, which presents additional challenges for our business.

These factors and the related uncertainty may cause delays or a decrease in the adoption or implementation of our technologies into new products by partners and licensees.

These conditions may impact consumer demand for devices and services and our partners’ ability to manufacture devices.

Our revenue can be negatively impacted by macroeconomic conditions, including but not limited to, the financial health of our licensees, inflation, heightened interest rates, foreign exchange rates, rising costs of material, increased shipping costs, tariffs and trade barriers, international conflicts, labor disputes, reduced discretionary consumer spending, and reduced new product investment by our customers.

In particular, the U.S.

has recently implemented tariffs on certain imports and some U.S.

trading partners have implemented or announced retaliatory tariffs or other trade barriers.

The situation is highly dynamic and the potential impacts are impossible to predict with certainty.

For example, any increases in tariffs or other trade barriers may, directly or indirectly, increase the cost of producing or delivering our products, increase the costs to our licensees of licensing our technology, and may decrease demand for our products and services.

If the costs or lead times required for our licensees to manufacture and export their products, such as consumer electronics products and cars, result in higher prices or longer lead times for end consumers, sales of those products may decrease and thus royalty payments payable to Dolby that are based on unit shipments may decrease.

Any of the foregoing impacts could negatively impact our revenue from licensing and product sales.

Macroeconomic conditions also impart substantial uncertainty into our operating environment and may lead to follow-on negative economic effects like recession or heightened inflation, each of which presents additional challenges for our business.

Uncertainty or an adverse economic climate may cause delays or a decrease in the adoption of our technologies into new products by partners and licensees, or lead manufacturers to discontinue including our technology in their products or to seek price reductions.

These conditions may impact consumer demand for our licensees’ products that incorporate our technology and for our own products and services.

Further, the noted macroeconomic conditions and related uncertainty may negatively impact transaction cycles and our recovery of revenue associated with past unauthorized or unreported usage.

The future implications of these macroeconomic conditions on our business, results of operations and overall financial position remain uncertain.

We continue to monitor the evolving macroeconomic environment and the impact on our business.

We continue to monitor the evolving macroeconomic environment, including the imposition of tariffs and other trade barriers, and the impact on our business.

Further discussion of the potential impacts of these macroeconomic effects on our business can be found in Part I, Item 1A " Risk Factors.

The majority of our revenue is derived from two licensing models:

Branded Technology Licensing, and Patent Licensing.

While each has had successes in fiscal 2024, they share certain challenges.

The majority of our revenue is derived from two licensing models, Branded Technology Licensing and Patent Licensing, each of which individually comprises a substantial portion of our revenue.

While each has had successes, they share certain challenges.

In particular, factors such as global supply constraints or device lifecycles may impact licensing revenue.

Further, in certain countries, we and other IP owners face difficulties enforcing contractual and IP rights, including instances in which our licensees fail to accurately report the shipment of products using our technologies.

Finally, we face geopolitical challenges including changes in diplomatic and trade relationships, trade protection measures, and import or export licensing requirements.

Finally, we face geopolitical challenges including changes in diplomatic and trade relationships, trade protection measures including the imposition of tariffs, and import or export licensing requirements.

Further discussion of the potential impacts of the key challenges on our business can be found in Part I, Item 1A " Risk Factors.

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Licenses include rights to software, patent rights, know-how, and the relevant Dolby brand .

Our branded technologies are primarily comprised of Branded Audio Codecs (DD+ and AC-4) and Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision (Dolby Atmos for audio, and Dolby Vision for imaging).

branded technologies are primarily comprised of Branded Audio Codecs (DD+ and AC-4) and Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision (Dolby Atmos for audio, and Dolby Vision for imaging).

Licensing revenue is primarily driven by the adoption of our technologies on devices and the number of devices shipped by licensees.

Our branded audio codecs have broad penetration across a diverse set of devices and end markets.

Revenue from these technologies is primarily driven by device shipments from licensees, and as such, is impacted by consumer spending The remaining portion of our branded licensing revenue is derived from Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.

Revenue from these technologies is primarily driven by device shipments from licensees, and as such, is impacted by consumer spending.

The remaining portion of our branded licensing revenue is derived from Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.

Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos have not been in the market as long as our branded audio codecs, thus revenue growth is driven by device shipments, increased adoption and the addition of new licensees.

We are focused on expanding our leadership in audio and imaging solutions for premium entertainment content by increasing the number of Dolby experiences that people can enjoy, which will drive revenue growth across the markets we serve.

We work across our ecosystem of partners including creators, distributors and device manufacturers to increase the number of Dolby experiences that people can enjoy by enhancing content, including

movies and TV, music and live sports, using Dolby branded technologies.

We work across our ecosystem of partners including creators, distributors and device manufacturers to increase the number of Dolby experiences that people can enjoy by enhancing content, including movies and TV, music and live sports, using Dolby branded technologies.

Increased content in these areas increases our value proposition across our end markets.

In movies and TV, thousands of movie titles and tens of thousands of TV episodes have been created and released in Dolby Atmos and/or Dolby Vision.

Major streaming partners and services such as Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, Amazon, Max, Paramount+, and other streaming partners and services internationally, continue to enhance content in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.

In Music, exiting fiscal 2024, over 90% of Billboard’s Top 100 Global artists are releasing music in Dolby Atmos, 20 music streaming services now support Dolby Atmos, and over 1,000 music studios globally have been enabled with Dolby Atmos.

In sports, the 2024 Summer Olympic Games coverage was available in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, as were the T20 Cricket World Cup, UEFA EURO 2024, Wimbledon, and the NHL and NBA post season.

In India, the BGMI Master Series Grand Finals premiered in Dolby Atmos on Disney Star 4K.

Also, US streaming provider Max announced that it will stream all of its live sports content in Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision.

In eGaming, in China, the League of Legends Summer Finals streamed live in Dolby Atmos.

Major streaming partners and services such as Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, Amazon, HBO Max, Paramount+, and other streaming partners and services internationally, continue to enhance content in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.

In sports, the Super Bowl, March Madness, FIFA Club World Cup soccer, the Stanley Cup Finals, the French Open, the Indian Premier League playoffs and finals, and the World Test Cricket Championship Final were available in Dolby.

Also, Peacock currently streams its NFL Sunday Night Football games and NBA games in Dolby Atmos.

Patent Licensing

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Revenue generated through our patent licensing model is driven primarily by our royalty share within patent pools, licensee penetration, device shipments, and the introduction of new standardized technologies and patent programs.

This year we, together with our patent pool partners, had success renewing existing licensees and increasing licensee penetration in established programs across multiple end markets.

For example, with respect to audio, we benefited from significant AAC renewals with Sony, Apple, Amazon and Samsung among others.

In video, new HEVC video licensees added include Nvidia, Acer, ASUS, and, in the first quarter of fiscal 2025, TCL.

We also saw traction for several of our newer programs, with new licensees added for the Opus audio program and the VP9/AV1 video program.

In fiscal 2024 we also completed the acquisition of GE Licensing, which will strengthen our position in existing programs, most notably the HEVC video program.

The GE Licensing transaction also yielded an increased ownership interest in Access Advance, a patent pool administrator.

Income from our ownership interest in Access Advance is reflected as other income in our consolidated statements of operations.

Revenue from our patent licensing depends on the adoption and use of the standardized technologies in which we participate by device manufacturers.

As in any technology licensing business, it is possible that changing partner preferences, consumer preferences, or other market dynamics could lead to adoption and use of alternative technologies.

Revenue derived from our patent licensing programs also depends on the success of the patent pools in which we participate, which is driven by licensee, licensor, and program renewals.

In fiscal 2025, we expanded our imaging program footprint by participating as a licensor in the launch of the new Video Distribution Program administered by Access Advance.

This patent pool expands the growth opportunity for imaging patents beyond device makers to content distributors.

While still in the early phase of development, the pool has already secured 33 licensors, including notable licensors like Mitsubishi, Philips, Hyundai, Alibaba and Oppo, and five licensees, including ByteDance, Kuaishou, NTT Docomo and Tencent.

We expect to start generating revenue from the program in fiscal 2026 and, as streaming continues to grow in popularity, we expect this new patent pool will be an important growth driver for Dolby.

In fiscal 2024, we acquired GE Licensing (as defined below), which strengthened our position in existing programs, most notably in modern video codecs like HEVC.

In fiscal 2025 we completed the integration of GE Licensing by incorporating people, processes, and core assets into Dolby while divesting non-core programs and other assets.

In fiscal 2025, we, together with our patent pool partners, renewed existing licensees and increased licensee penetration in established imaging programs across multiple end markets.

Access Advance entered into 32 new licenses for its HEVC program, including licenses with HP, TCL and Adobe.

In October 2025, Microsoft and Google joined Via LA’s HEVC/VVC patent pool as licensees.

Via LA continued to make progress adding new licensees to its AAC patent pool, in which we are a licensor.

Vectis added Panasonic, Ford, Epson, and ALPS Alpine as new licensees to their OPUS Patent Pool, in which we are a licensor.

Revenue from our patent licensing is driven, in part, by the adoption and use of the standardized technologies in which we participate by device manufacturers.

As in any technology licensing business, it is possible that changing partner preferences, consumer preferences, or other market dynamics could lead to increased or decreased adoption, or the use of alternative technologies.

Revenue derived from our patent licensing programs is also driven by the success of the patent pools in which we participate, which is driven by licensee, licensor, and program renewals.

The revenue we derive from patent pools also depends significantly on the patent pool administrators’ success in negotiating licenses with companies already using the relevant standard (i.e.

licensee penetration).

Additionally, our revenue from patent pools is also impacted by the royalty share among pool licensors, which is determined based on the value of the patents each licensor contributes to the pool, as governed by allocation rules negotiated among the pool licensors.

Additionally, our licensing revenue from patent pools is driven,

in part, by the royalty share among pool licensors, which is determined based on the value of the patents each licensor contributes to the pool, as governed by allocation rules negotiated among the pool licensors.

The standardized technologies at the core of our patent licensing are intended for broad use across all device categories that play back audio and visual content.

OEMs typically negotiate and acquire the patent rights for these technologies for implementation across all their device categories and product lines in their applicable end markets.

Device manufacturers typically negotiate and acquire the patent rights for these technologies for implementation across all their device categories and product lines in their applicable end markets.

For a discussion of certain risks related to our patent licensing model, please refer to Part I, Item 1A " Risk Factors " in this annual report on Form 10-K, in particular the sections under the headings " Technology Standards " and " Intellectual Property.

Licensing End Markets

The following are highlights from our fiscal 2024 and key challenges related to Dolby’s licensing businesses, by market.

The following are highlights and key challenges related to Dolby’s licensing businesses, by market.

We have an established global presence and broad adoption of our branded audio and patent licensing technologies in broadcast services and devices, which primarily include TVs and STBs.

In fiscal 2024, Australia selected AC-4 as part of its new broadcast STB specification.

We work with many TV OEMs and strategic partners to enable and promote Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos experiences within their TV lineups.

We have strong attach rates for Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision with high end TVs and continue to grow adoption on mid-range TVs.

We estimate that Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision were on approximately 30% of all 4K TVs shipped during fiscal 2024,

and many partners continue to expand their support of the combined Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos experience.

Throughout 2024, TCL and HiSense continued to adopt Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos deeper within their TV lineups.

Additionally, Polytron, an Indonesian TV OEM, launched a new TV that supports Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision.

Xiaomi announced new 4K QLED TVs that support Dolby Vision.

Many partners continue to expand their support of the combined Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos experience.

In fiscal 2025, we announced Dolby Vision 2, which is expected to improve picture quality and unleash the full capabilities of modern TVs, by automatically adjusting contrast via ambient light detection, optimizing motion control for sports and gaming content, and tone mapping that enables creators to take full advantage of the latest advancements in higher end TV displays.

Hisense and TCL announced that they will release TVs that support Dolby Vision 2.

Key Challenges

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We continue to promote adoption of our technologies across major mobile ecosystems, including Apple and Android.

Our patent licensing technologies are adopted broadly throughout the mobile device ecosystem, and we completed several important renewals this year, including with Vivo.

Our patent licensing technologies are adopted broadly throughout the mobile device ecosystem.

Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision are included throughout the Apple device line-up and in Apple TV, and Dolby Atmos is included in Apple Music.

Dolby Vision Capture has been supported on all iPhones since the iPhone 12 and iOS 18 recent release unlocked support for higher frame rates.

Dolby Vision Capture has been supported on all iPhones since the iPhone 12.

We have strong adoption of Dolby Atmos and our branded audio codecs across high-end Android mobile devices and are focused on growing our presence on low and mid-tier phones.

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The breadth of mobile devices supporting Dolby technologies continues to increase globally.

In fiscal 2024, Transsion, a global mobile device maker, announced that their latest smartphones will support Dolby Atmos.

Xiaomi began shipping its premium smartphone enabled with Dolby Vision Capture, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos in India.

Honor launched the Magic 6 Pro smartphone that supports Dolby Vision and Lava Mobiles launched its new Blaze Curve 5G smartphone in India that supports Dolby Atmos.

Oppo recently announced that they introduced five new phones supporting Dolby Vision Capture.

Also in fiscal 2024 Transsion added a Dolby enabled low cost phone for consumers in Malaysia.

Additionally, Sharp Singapore launched the R8s Pro smartphone series with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos and Realme launched the GT6, the first smartphone to support Dolby Vision video capture in telephoto video.

Also, Apple launched the iPhone 16, which supports Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision, and records in Dolby Vision.

In fiscal 2025, device manufacturers such as OPPO, Motorola, and Xiaomi released new mobile devices supporting Dolby technologies such as Dolby Vision, Dolby Vision Capture, and Dolby Atmos.

Additionally, Douyin, known in many parts of the world as TikTok, has made Dolby Vision available to it users in China and has offered their users the ability to capture, share and edit content in Dolby Vision.

Instagram for iOS is now the first Meta app to support Dolby Vision.

Key Challenges

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Consumer Electronics

We have an established presence in the home entertainment market across devices such as wireless and smart speakers, soundbars, DMAs (devices that connect a computer to a home media system), and AVRs, through the inclusion of our branded audio codecs, and increasingly through the inclusion of Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision.

We have an established presence in the home entertainment market across devices such as wireless and smart speakers, soundbars, DMAs (devices that connect a home media system to the internet), and AVRs, through the inclusion of our branded audio codecs, and increasingly through the inclusion of Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision.

Our patent licensing technologies also have broad adoption in the home entertainment market.

We continue to focus on expanding the availability of Dolby technologies to new devices.

In fiscal 2024 Sonos launched headphones that support Dolby Head Tracking with Dolby Atmos.

Additionally, VIZIO announced integration of Dolby Atmos across its entire 2024 soundbar lineup.

Finally, Meta announced support for Dolby Atmos across its MetaQuest headset device lineup.

In fiscal 2025, several new soundbars featuring Dolby technologies such as Dolby Atmos were introduced from various manufacturers including Harman Kardon, Samsung, LG, and Sonos.

Key Challenges

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Dolby's presence in these browsers enables us to reach more users through various types of content, including streaming video entertainment.

A number of personal computers from partners such as Apple, Lenovo, Dell, Samsung, Microsoft and ASUS also support Dolby Vision and/or Dolby Atmos, with continued expansion of applications through music, streaming, and gaming.

At CES in January 2024, Alienware and ASUS announced their first gaming PC monitors to support Dolby Vision, and Dell announced that its latest XPS laptops will offer the combined Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos experience.

Also in fiscal 2024, Lenovo launched several new flagship products that support Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos - including the Yoga Air, moto razr and moto S50 Neo.

Lenovo's new Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition supports Dolby Vision, and its Thinkbook 16 Gen7+ and Thinkbook 16 Gen 7 supports Dolby Atmos.

Several of our patent licensing technologies have significant presence in this market, and we benefited from significant new agreements this year with Lenovo, Acer, Asus, and (in October 2024) HP for HEVC.

A number of PCs from partners such as Apple, Lenovo, Dell, Samsung, Microsoft, and ASUS also support Dolby Vision and/or Dolby Atmos, with continued expansion of applications through music, streaming, and gaming.

Key Challenges

Demand for personal computers has fluctuated significantly in recent years.

We must continuously collaborate and maintain our key partnerships with personal computer manufacturers to incorporate our technologies, and we must continue to support the development and distribution of Dolby content via various ecosystems.

To the extent that personal computer manufacturers do not incorporate our technologies in current and future products, our revenue could be impacted.

Beginning with PCs shipping with Windows 11, version 24H2, Microsoft is changing the way Dolby’s DD and DD+ decoders are provided to third party personal computer OEMs.

For such devices, Dolby has begun distributing those codecs directly to personal computer OEMs instead of through Microsoft’s Windows operating system.

We do not expect this change to have a material impact on our revenue.

Demand for PCs has fluctuated significantly in recent years.

We must continuously collaborate and maintain our key partnerships with PC manufacturers to incorporate our technologies, and we must continue to support the development and distribution of Dolby-enabled content via various ecosystems.

To the extent that PC manufacturers do not incorporate our technologies in current and future products, our revenue could be impacted.

Other Markets

We generate revenue from the automotive industry primarily through the adoption of Dolby Atmos in cars.

During fiscal 2024, we increased the number of auto OEM customers from 10 to over 20.

New partners during the year include Hyundai, Mahindra and Cadillac, the latter of whom announced the 2025 OPTIQ EV with Dolby Atmos.

In addition, Mercedes continued to increase the number of models that support Dolby Atmos.

Additionally, Rivian launched the second generation of its flagship vehicles, the R1S SUV and R1T pickup, that feature support for Dolby Atmos.

In fiscal 2025, many car manufacturers announced or launched new models that support Dolby Atmos, such as Porsche, Cadillac, Volvo, Xiaomi, Hyundai, and Audi.

NIO, ZEEKR, and Li Auto announced new car models that support Dolby Vision.

Also, Pioneer, the biggest manufacturer of after-market car audio systems, demonstrated how Dolby Atmos could be used in an aftermarket solution using a 4-channel speaker system, expanding the market opportunity for Dolby Atmos in the car.

Samsung Display is working with Dolby to pre tune its OLED displays for autos to ease manufacturers' adoption of Dolby Vision, and Texas Instruments launched its new family of chips for automakers which support Dolby Atmos.

Gaming consoles such as the Sony PlayStation and the Microsoft Xbox use DD+ to support gaming content and streaming for movie and television content.

The PlayStation 5 supports compatible Dolby Atmos-enabled living room devices.

The PlayStation 5 supports compatible Dolby Atmos-enabled living room

The Xbox Series X and Series S gaming consoles support Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for streaming and gaming content.

Additionally, our technologies continue to be incorporated into the latest headphones by various OEMs.

In fiscal 2024, Alienware released 27 4K Dual Resolution Gaming Monitor that supports Dolby Atmos.

Key Challenges

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and internationally.

The breadth of movie content for Dolby Cinema continues to grow with films available in Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision accounting for over 80% of U.S.

Box Office revenue in fiscal 2024.

In the third quarter of fiscal 2024 Melco Resorts & Entertainment opened Studio City Cinema, which is the first Dolby Cinema in the Hong Kong Macau Region.

In fiscal 2025, we announced with AMC that we will add an additional 40 Dolby Cinemas at AMC locations in the U.S.

through the end of calendar year 2027.

We also announced that we are launching Dolby Cinema in India this year, beginning with six exhibitors that are expected to be open by the end of fiscal 2026.

We increased the number of Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision theaters or exhibitors in South Korea, Taiwan, and Europe.

Key Challenges:

Although the premium large format market for the cinema industry has been growing, Dolby Cinema competes with other existing offerings.

Our success depends on our partners and their success, and our

ability to differentiate our offering and deploy new sites.

Although the PLF market for the cinema industry has been growing, Dolby Cinema competes with other existing offerings.

Our success depends on our partners and their success, and our ability to differentiate our offering and deploy new sites.

In addition, the success of our Dolby Cinema offering is tied to global movie production and box office performance generally.

For example, the strikes by the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists ("SAG-AFTRA") in 2023 effectively halted the production, release and promotion of certain films for an extended period.

That disruption resulted in, and similar disruptions to movie production and exhibition in the future may lead to, decreases in box office receipts and our cinema-related revenue.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

A majority of our Products and Services revenue is derived from the sale of audio and imaging products for the cinema industry.

Revenue from Dolby.io is also included in products and services.

Revenue from Dolby OptiView is also included in products and services.

Cinema Products and Services

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A significant portion of our growth opportunity lies in international markets, which are subject to geopolitical risks.

Additionally, weakness in general economic conditions due to inflation, recession, pandemic or other worsening economic conditions could have a negative impact on our cinema-related revenue due to reduced consumer discretionary spending.

Additionally, weakness in general economic conditions due to inflation, recession, the imposition of tariffs and other trade barriers, or other unfavorable economic conditions could have a negative impact on our cinema-related revenue due to reduced consumer discretionary spending.

We may also be faced with pricing pressures or competing technologies, which would affect our revenue.

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Long lead times and increased cost of materials due to the macroeconomic conditions, including higher interest rates have also negatively impacted the financial health of our cinema customers and partners, leading to reduced new product investment and lower demand .

In addition, the strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA in 2023 effectively halted the production, release and promotion of certain films for an extended period.

The resulting impacts of those stoppages have resulted in, and may continue to lead to, decreased box office receipts in the near term, which could potentially impact exhibitors' willingness and ability to invest in our cinema products .

Our strategy for Dolby.io is to bring Dolby’s audio and video technologies to a broader range of media content and digital experiences.

Dolby OptiView

Our strategy for Dolby OptiView is to bring Dolby’s audio and video technologies to a broader range of media content and digital experiences.

We are expanding our addressable market by offering solutions to companies building real-time digital experiences that increase audience engagement.

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Key Challenges

Dolby.io is an early-stage business, and it is uncertain when or if it will be a material revenue driver.

Dolby OptiView is an early-stage business, and it is uncertain when or if it will be a material revenue driver.

Our success in this market will depend on adoption by companies building real-time digital experiences that increase audience engagement, the volume of usage of the services and our ability to monetize our services.

In addition, the development and maintenance needed to provide a reliable and scalable platform may require us to incur additional costs to develop new skills within our existing employee base or hire external specialized talent.

Although the market for real-time experiences has been growing, Dolby.io competes with other offerings.

Although the market for real-time experiences has been growing, Dolby OptiView competes with other offerings from third parties.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

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The unit-based sales data that triggers the royalty obligation is generally reported to us in the quarter after triggering the royalty obligation.

We apply the royalty exception to these arrangements, which requires that we recognize sales-based royalties at the later of when the sales occur based on our estimates or the completion of our performance obligations.

We apply the royalty exception to these arrangements, which requires that we recognize sales-based royalties when the sales occur based on our estimates.

Our estimates of royalty-based revenue take into consideration the macroeconomic effect of global events, such as inflation, elevated interest rates, economic impacts related to industry challenges, or other economic conditions, which may impact supply chain activities as well as demand for shipments.

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Generally, our estimates represent the current period’s shipments for which we expect our licensees to submit royalty statements in the following quarter.

Upon receipt of royalty statements from the licensees with the actual reporting of sales-based royalties that we previously estimated, we record a favorable or unfavorable adjustment based on the difference, if any, between estimated and actual sales.

We also enter into fixed and guaranteed licensing fees arrangements, that require the licensee to pay a fixed, non-refundable fee.

Upon receipt of royalty statements from the licensees with the

actual reporting of sales-based royalties that we previously estimated, we record a favorable or unfavorable adjustment based on the difference, if any, between estimated and actual sales.

We also enter into fixed and guaranteed licensing fee arrangements, that require the licensee to pay a fixed, non-refundable fee.

In these cases, control is transferred and the transaction price - the amount we expect to be entitled to in exchange for the license right - is recognized upon the later of contract execution or the effective date.

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Cost of licensing 83,619 67,204 16,415 24 %

Gross profit 1,164,398 1,114,590 49,808 4 %

Gross margin 93 % 94 %

Gross margin percentage 94 % 95 %

Fiscal Year Ended

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Factor Licensing Revenue Gross Margin

Broadcast â Lower revenue primarily due to timing of minimum volume commitments in imaging patents, lower recoveries, lower true-up impacting foundational technologies and imaging patents, and lower STB unit shipments, partially offset by adoption of Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos ßà No significant fluctuations

Mobile â Lower revenue primarily due to timing of minimum volume commitments in our audio patent programs partially offset by timing of minimum volume commitments in our imaging patent programs and Dolby Vision adoption

CE â Lower revenue from unit shipments, including lower true up, and timing of minimum volume commitments in imaging patents, partially offset by higher recoveries

PC á Higher revenue from timing of minimum volume commitments in imaging patents, higher true-up, and higher recoveries

Other á Higher revenue from imaging patent pool administrative fees and higher automotive revenue driven by adoption of Dolby Atmos, partially offset by lower gaming revenue driven by lower unit shipments

Mobile á Higher revenue from our imaging patent programs due to the GE Licensing acquisition and timing of our audio patent minimum volume commitments á Higher licensing revenue, partially offset by higher intangible asset amortization expense from recent business combinations

Broadcast á Higher revenue from timing of minimum volume commitments, adoption of Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, and higher revenue from our imaging patent programs

Other á Higher automotive revenue due to adoption of Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision and higher Dolby Cinema revenue due to better box office receipts and additional Dolby Cinema sites, partially offset by lower gaming revenue due to timing of minimum volume commitments

CE â Lower revenue from audio patent minimum volume commitments, lower recoveries, and lower unit shipments

PC á Higher revenue from our imaging patent programs and higher recoveries, partially offset by lower revenue from our foundational audio technologies

Products and Services

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Services revenue also includes PCS for products sold and equipment installed at Dolby Cinema theaters operated by exhibitor partners and support for the implementation of our technologies into products manufactured by our licensees.

Also included in services revenue are amounts generated through Dolby.io.

Also included in Services revenue are amounts generated through Dolby OptiView.

Cost of services consists of personnel and personnel-related costs for providing our professional services, software maintenance and support, external contractors, and other direct expenses incurred on behalf of customers.

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Cost of products and services 76,513 73,292 3,221 4 %

Gross profit 24,600 18,635 5,965 32 %

Gross margin 24 % 20 %

Gross margin percentage 20 % 14 %

Factor Products and Services Revenue Gross Margin

Products â Lower cinema products revenue as compared to the prior year á Higher gross margin due to higher inventory reserve provision in prior year

Services ßà No significant fluctuations ßà No significant fluctuations

Products ßà No significant fluctuations ßà No significant fluctuations

Services á Higher Dolby OptiView revenue as compared to the prior year á Higher gross margin due to higher Services revenue

Operating Expenses

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Category Key Drivers

Other â Lower contractor spend, stock-based compensation expense, depreciation, salaries, bonus and other miscellaneous expenses

Research and Development ßà No significant fluctuations

Sales and Marketing

S&M expenses consist primarily of employee compensation and benefits expenses, stock-based compensation, marketing and promotional expenses for events such as trade shows and conferences, marketing campaigns, travel-related expenses, contractor fees, facilities costs, depreciation and amortization, information technology expenses, and legal costs associated with the protection of our IP.

Fiscal Year Ended Change

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Category Key Drivers

Compensation & Benefits â Lower costs of $9.3 million in payroll salaries due to lower headcount resulting from restructuring activities

Tradeshows â Lower costs of $7.2 million primarily due to non-repeating events in the prior year

Contractors â Lower costs of $4.6 million primarily due to lower patent litigation expenses

Other á Higher costs of $5.0 million primarily due to larger marketing activations in the current year

Legal, Professional, and Contractors á Higher costs of $14.3 million primarily due to litigation activities

Compensation & Benefits á Higher costs of $11.7 million due to bonus achievement, benefits and wage taxes, and higher salaries expense

Marketing â Lower costs of $7.4 million primarily due to non-repeating marketing activities in the prior year

Stock-based compensation á Higher costs of $4.4 million primarily due to increase in RSU share count and lower benefit from forfeitures due to restructuring activities in the prior year

General and Administrative

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Category Key Drivers

Legal, Professional, and Contractors á Higher costs of $6.9 million in legal and professional services largely due to M&A activities

Other á Higher costs of $2.7 million in stock-based compensation expense, and higher depreciation expense

Credit Loss Expense á Higher costs of $4.7 million due to an increase in aged receivables

Other á Higher stock-based compensation, salaries expense, and bonus achievement

Restructuring Charges

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Percentage of total revenue 1% 1%

Fiscal 2025 Restructuring Events

In September 2025, we initiated restructuring actions in order to centralize teams into fewer locations to provide better access to talent pools, encourage multi-disciplinary collaboration, and simplify operations.

In connection with this plan, we recorded expense in fiscal 2025 of $6.1 million in severance and other related benefits.

The remaining components of this plan are expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2026, resulting in an additional charge of approximately $10 million in severance and other termination benefits.

Cash payment of the severance and other termination benefits are expected to be substantially completed by the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2026.

These activities are expected to result in estimated gross pre-tax operating income savings of approximately $20 million in fiscal 2026, due to estimated savings in compensation and benefits of impacted employees.

The impact of these estimated savings on our operating expenses will be mostly offset by increased investment in our strategic priorities and the effects of inflation on our remaining expenses.

In November 2024, we initiated restructuring actions with the purpose of aligning our R&D resources, and to a lesser extent our S&M resources, with our highest strategic priorities.

In connection with this plan, we recorded expense in fiscal 2025 of $9.2 million in severance and other related benefits .

The remaining components of this plan were substantially completed by the end of fiscal 2025.

Cash payment of the severance and other termination benefits were substantially completed by the end of fiscal 2025.

These activities resulted in estimated gross pre-tax operating income savings of approximately $20 million in fiscal 2025, due to estimated savings in compensation and benefits of impacted employees, which was consistent with our expectations.

The impact of these estimated savings on our operating expenses was mostly offset by increased investment in our strategic priorities and the effects of inflation on our remaining expenses.

Fiscal 2024 Restructuring Events

In April 2024, we initiated restructuring actions with the purpose of focusing our resources on our highest strategic priorities.

In connection with this plan, we recorded an expense in the third quarter of fiscal 2024 of $4.6 million in severance and other related benefits.

Cash payment of the severance and other termination benefits were substantially completed by the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024.

These activities resulted in gross pre-tax operating income savings of approximately $3 million in fiscal 2024 and are expected to result in savings of approximately $11 million within fiscal 2025.

The impact of these estimated savings on our operating expenses have been and will be mostly offset by increased investment in our strategic priorities and the effects of inflation on our remaining expenses.

In connection with this plan, we recorded an expense in fiscal 2024 of $4.6 million in severance and other related benefits.

Cash payment of the severance and other termination benefits were substantially completed by the end of fiscal 2024.

These activities resulted in gross pre-tax operating income savings of approximately $3 million in fiscal 2024 and resulted in savings of approximately $11 million within fiscal 2025, which was consistent with our expectations.

The impact of these estimated savings on our operating expenses was mostly offset by increased investment in our strategic priorities and the effects of inflation on our remaining expenses.

Fiscal 2023 Restructuring Events

In September 2023, we initiated a restructuring plan with the purpose of focusing our resources on our highest strategic priorities.

In connection with this plan, we recorded an expense in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023 of $13.4 million in severance and other related benefits and an impairment loss of $16.9 million related primarily to internally developed software for projects we are no longer pursuing.

In continuation with this plan, we recorded an expense in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 of $7.4 million in severance and other related benefits.

Cash payment of the severance and other termination benefits were substantially completed by the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2024.

In continuation with this plan, we recorded an expense in fiscal 2024 of $7.4 million in severance and other related benefits.

Cash payment of the severance and other termination benefits were substantially completed by the end of fiscal 2024.

These activities resulted in gross pre-tax operating income savings of approximately $40 million within fiscal 2024, which was consistent with our expectations.

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In June 2023, we implemented a focused restructuring plan, primarily consisting of workforce reductions and facility consolidations to improve execution in alignment with our strategy and to reduce our cost structure through improved utilization of our global infrastructure.

As a result of these actions, we recorded expense in the third quarter of fiscal 2023 of $10.9 million in severance and other related benefits and expense of $6.9 million related to a facility consolidation in New York, NY.

Actions and expenses related to this plan were substantially completed by the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2024.

Actions and expenses related to this plan were substantially completed by the end of fiscal 2024.

These activities resulted in gross pre-tax operating income savings of approximately $20 million in fiscal 2024, which was consistent with our expectations.

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Other Income/Expense

Other income/expense primarily consists of interest income earned on cash and investments and the net gains or losses from foreign currency transactions, derivative instruments, our proportionate share of net income or losses from our equity method investment in Access Advance, and gains and losses on the sales of marketable securities from our investment portfolio.

Other income/expense primarily consists of interest income earned on cash and investments and the net gains or losses from foreign currency transactions, derivative instruments, our proportionate share of net income or losses from our equity method investments, and gains and losses on the sales of marketable securities from our investment portfolio.

Fiscal Year Ended Change

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2025 September 27,

Interest income $34,077 $28,086 $5,991 21%

Interest income/(expense), net $15,376 $34,077 $(18,701) (55)%

Other income, net 23,150 20,076 3,074 15%

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Category Key Drivers

Other Income á Higher income from an equity method investment in the current year

Interest Income á Higher yields on invested cash balance

Our effective tax rate is based on our fiscal year results and is affected by several factors.

These include the current statutory rates in our domestic and foreign jurisdictions, the relative income earned in our foreign jurisdictions, and nonrecurring items such as changes to our unrecognized tax benefits that may occur in but are not necessarily consistent between periods.

Interest Income â Lower yields on invested cash balances

Other Income á Higher income from our equity method investments in the current year

Our effective tax rate is based on our fiscal year results and is affected each period end by several factors.

These include differences from projected fiscal year results, changes to tax rates, the relative mix of income earned in our domestic and foreign jurisdictions, as well as discrete items such as changes to our uncertain tax benefits that may occur but are not necessarily consistent between periods.

For additional information related to effective tax rates, see Note 12 " Income Taxes" to our consolidated financial statements.

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2025 September 27,

Provision for income taxes $(48,163) $(48,409)

Provision for income taxes (in thousands) $(46,993) $(48,163)

Effective tax rate 15% 15%

Factor Impact On Effective Tax Rate

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 â Current year benefit related to lower Transition Tax liability under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 resulting from the application of a recent Tax Court opinion in Varian Medical Systems, Inc.

Tax Contingencies â Higher benefit from the lapse in statute of limitations

Tax Contingencies â Higher benefit from the expiration of the statute of limitations

Research and Development â Higher benefit from R&D tax credits

Foreign Operations á Lower benefit from foreign earned income

Stock-based Compensation á Lower benefit related to the settlement of stock-based awards.

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 á Prior year benefit related to lower Transition Tax liability under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 ("Transition Tax") resulting from recent Tax Court opinion in Varian Medical Systems, Inc.

LIQUIDITY, CAPITAL RESOURCES, AND FINANCIAL CONDITION

Our principal sources of liquidity are cash, cash equivalents, and investments, as well as cash flows from operations.

We also have additional access to liquidity under a revolving credit facility, as noted in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on November 19, 2024.

We believe that these sources will be sufficient to satisfy our currently anticipated cash requirements through at least the next twelve months.

As of September 27, 2024, we had cash and cash equivalents of $482.0 million, which consisted of cash.

In addition, we had long-term investments of $89.3 million, which primarily consisted of an equity method investment and an equity security without a readily determinable value.

As of September 26, 2025, we had cash and cash equivalents of $701.9 million, which consisted of cash and highly liquid money market funds.

In addition, we had short and long-term investments of $80.9 million, which primarily consisted of equity method investments and equity securities without a readily determinable value.

The following table presents selected financial information as of September 26, 2025 and September 27, 2024 (in thousands):

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We continue to invest in S&M and R&D to promote the overall growth of our business and technological innovation.

During fiscal 2024, we purchased all of the issued and outstanding equity interests of GE Intellectual Property Licensing, LLC and GE Technology Development, Inc, which, collectively with each of their subsidiaries, comprise GE Licensing, an intellectual property licensing business primarily targeting the consumer digital media and electronics sectors, for an aggregate cash purchase price of $443.6 million, subject to certain purchase price adjustments.

Our cash and cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments declined significantly as result of this acquisition.

We continue to retain sufficient cash holdings to support our operations and we also have historically purchased investment-grade securities diversified among security types, industries, and issuers.

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Stock Repurchase Program.

Our stock repurchase program was approved in fiscal 2010, and since then we have completed approximately $2.9 billion of stock repurchases under the program.

The Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS and Science Act were signed into law in August 2022.

The Inflation Reduction Act introduced a one percent non-deductible excise tax on certain public company stock buybacks made after December 31, 2022.

We do not currently expect the excise tax to have a material impact on our results of operations or financial position, and its ongoing impact will be dependent on the extent of our future net stock repurchase activities.

Our stock repurchase program was originally approved in fiscal 2010, and since then we have completed approximately $3.0 billion of stock repurchases under the program.

Quarterly Dividend Program.

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For fiscal 2025, quarterly dividends of $0.33 per share were paid on our Class A and Class B common stock to eligible stockholders of record.

On November 18, 2025, we announced a dividend in the amount of $0.36 per share, payable on December 10, 2025, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on December 2, 2025.

Cash Flows Analysis

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Net cash provided by operating activities $ 472,198 $ 327,252

Net cash provided by operating activities decreased $39.8 million in fiscal 2024 compared to fiscal 2023, primarily due to the following:

Net cash provided by operating activities increased $144.9 million in fiscal 2025 compared to fiscal 2024, primarily due to the following:

Factor Impact On Cash Flows

Operating assets and liabilities â Lower inflows due to higher accounts receivable and lower non-current liabilities, offset by higher accounts payable and accrued liabilities

Net Income á Lower restructuring charges, offset by lower revenue

Operating assets and liabilities á Higher inflows due to higher accounts payable and accrued liabilities, lower contract assets, and lower prepaids and other assets, offset by lower income taxes payable

Investing Activities

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2025 September 27,

Net cash provided by/(used in) investing activities $ (286,292) $ 54,206

Net cash provided by/(used in) investing activities was $340.5 million lower in fiscal 2024 compared to fiscal 2023, primarily due to the following:

Net cash used in investing activities $ (10,586) $ (286,292)

Net cash used in investing activities was $275.7 million lower in fiscal 2025 compared to fiscal 2024, primarily due to the following:

Factor Impact On Cash Flows

Business Combinations â Higher outflows due to business combinations

Proceeds from Investments á Higher inflows from the sale of marketable investment securities

Business Combinations á Lower outflows due to business combinations in the prior year

Proceeds from Investments â Lower inflows from the sale and maturity of marketable investment securities

Purchase of Investments á Lower outflows for the purchase of marketable investment securities

Financing Activities

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Net cash used in financing activities $ (247,238) $ (287,814)

Net cash used in financing activities was $51.0 million higher in fiscal 2024 compared to fiscal 2023, primarily due to the following:

Net cash used in financing activities was $40.6 million lower in fiscal 2025 compared to fiscal 2024, primarily due to the following:

Factor Impact On Cash Flows

Share Repurchases á Lower outflows due to lower common stock repurchases

Dividend Payments â Higher outflows for the payment of our quarterly cash dividend to common stockholders primarily as a result of a $0.03 per share increase compared to the prior fiscal year

Share Repurchases â Higher outflows due to higher common stock repurchases

Purchase of non-controlling interest in business combination â Higher outflows related to acquiring a portion of the noncontrolling interest in our consolidated subsidiary

Shares Repurchased for Tax Withholdings â Higher outflows due to higher fair value of shares withheld for taxes

Common Stock Issuance â Lower inflows from employee stock option exercises

Purchase of non-controlling interest in business combination á Lower outflows related to acquiring a portion of the noncontrolling interest in our consolidated subsidiary in the prior fiscal year

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

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Dolby Live is a fully integrated performance venue offering live concerts in Dolby Atmos.

As of September 27, 2024, we had $79.4 million remaining on these agreements, with $13.1 million due during fiscal 2025.

As of September 26, 2025, we had $66.3 million remaining to be paid under agreements, with $13.5 million due during fiscal 2026.

For additional details regarding our naming rights commitments, see Note 14 " Commitments and Contingencies " to our consolidated financial statements.

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Purchase Obligations

Purchase obligations primarily consist of our non-cancelable commitments made under agreements to purchase goods and services related to Dolby Cinema and for purposes that include information technology and telecommunications, marketing and professional services, and manufacturing and other R&D activities.

Purchase obligations primarily consist of our non-cancelable commitments made under agreements to purchase goods and services related to Dolby Cinema and related to information technology and telecommunications, marketing and professional services, and manufacturing and other R&D activities.

As of September 26, 2025, we had $126.7 million remaining on these commitments, with $36.9 million due during fiscal 2026.

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Our donation commitments relate to non-cancelable obligations that consist of maintenance services and installation of audio and imaging products in exchange for various marketing, branding, and publicity benefits.

As of September 27, 2024, we had $1.4 million remaining on these commitments, with $0.2 million due during fiscal 2025.

As of September 26, 2025, we had $1.2 million remaining under these commitments, with $0.2 million due during fiscal 2026.

For additional details regarding our donation commitments, see Note 14 " Commitments and Contingencies " to our consolidated financial statements.

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As of September 26, 2025, we had an accrued liability for unrecognized tax benefits without interest, penalties, and related deferred tax assets, totaling $83.7 million.

We are unable to estimate when any cash settlement with a taxing authority might occur and, therefore, have not reflected these anticipated future outflows in the table above.

We are unable to estimate when any cash settlement with a taxing authority might occur.

Indemnification Clauses

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Compared sentence by sentence after normalising whitespace, quotation marks, case and digits, so re-formatting and restated figures do not read as changed language. Wording changes appear as one removal and one addition. The current filing and the prior one are authoritative.

What changed 10-K

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis