UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F/A

(Amendment No. 1) 

☐ REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR 12(g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

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

For the fiscal year ended: December 31, 2020

OR

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

OR

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

Date of event requiring this shell company report

For the transition period from                     to                    

Commission file number: 001-38876

GLORY STAR NEW MEDIA GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Cayman Islands

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

22F, Block B, Xinhua Technology Building

No. 8 Tuofangying South Road

Jiuxianqian, Chaoyang District, Beijing China 100016

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

Perry Lu

Telephone: + 86-10-87700500

Email: lucong@yaoshixinghui.com

22F, Block B, Xinhua Technology Building

No. 8 Tuofangying South Road

Jiuxianqian, Chaoyang District, Beijing China 100016

(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

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

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act: None

Number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report: 57,886,352 ordinary shares were outstanding as of December 31, 2020

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

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§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 ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, 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 which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow. Item 17 ☐ Item 18 ☐

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934). Yes ☐ No ☒

Explanatory Note

Glory Star New Media Group Holdings Limited (the “Company”) is filing this Amendment No. 1 to Form 20-F/A (“Amendment”) to its annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2020 (“Original Form 20-F”), as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 29, 2021 (“Original Filing Date”). On May 25, 2021, the Company filed a Current Report on Form 6-K with the SEC disclosing the determination by the board of directors, based on the recommendation of and after consultation with the audit committee of the Board of Directors and management, that the Company will restate previously issued consolidated financial statements and related disclosures as of and for the year ended December 31, 2020. Please refer to Note 1, Restatement of Consolidated Financial Statements, of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements of this Amendment for additional information. The relevant unaudited interim financial information for three months ended March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2020, as well as the six months ended June 30, 2020 is also being restated. The impact of such restatements is included herein. Refer to Note 18, Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited), of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements of this Amendment.

As a result of the above, the Company is amending Items 3, 5, 15, 18 and 19 to its Original Form 20-F. Other than the Items amended, disclosures in the Original Form 20-F remain unchanged. The Company has not modified or updated disclosures presented in the Original Form 20-F, except as required to reflect the effects of the restatement and the inclusion of the Part III information. Accordingly, this Amendment should be read in conjunction with the Original Form 20-F and does not reflect events occurring after the Original Filing Date of the Original Form 20-F other than as described herein and no attempt has been made in this Amendment to modify or update other disclosures as presented in the Original Form 20-F, except as specifically referenced herein. Accordingly, this Amendment and the Original Form 20-F should be read in conjunction with the Company’s filings with the SEC subsequent to the filing of the Original Form 20-F.

PART I

Item 3. KEY INFORMATION

A. Selected Financial Data

The following table sets forth selected historical statements of operations data for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, and selected balance sheet data as of December 31, 2019 and 2020, which have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this amended annual report. The following selected historical statements of operations data for the year ended December 31, 2018 (for the period from February 5, 2018 (Inception) through December 31, 2018) and selected balance sheet data as of December 31, 2018 have been derived from TKK’s audited consolidated financial statements not included in this annual report but can be found in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2020. The consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. Historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results for any future periods.

Selected Balance Sheet Information:

Selected Key Metrics

In addition to other financial measures presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), we monitor the following key metrics to manage our business:

CHEERS App Downloads

The table below sets forth the total number of downloads of the CHEERS App for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, respectively:

Daily Active Users (DAUs)

The table below sets forth the DAUs on our CHEES APP for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, respectively:

Gross Merchandise Value (GMV)

The table below sets forth the total GMV for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, respectively:

B. Capitalization and Indebtedness

Not Applicable.

C. Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

Not Applicable.

D. Risk Factors

You should consider carefully all of the following risk factors and all the other information contained in this report, including the financial statements. This report also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of specific factors, including the risks described below. The risk factors described below are not necessarily exhaustive and you are encouraged to perform your own investigation with respect to us and our business.

Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry

There are many risks and uncertainties that may affect our operations, performance, development and results. Many of these risks are beyond our control. The following is a description of the important risk factors that may affect our business. If any of these risks were to actually occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently consider to be immaterial may also materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

If we fail to anticipate user preferences and provide high-quality content, especially popular original content, in a cost-effective manner, we may not be able to attract and retain users to remain competitive.

Our success depends on our ability to maintain and grow users and user time spent on the CHEERS App. To attract and retain users and compete against our competitors, we must continue to offer high-quality content, especially popular original content that provides our users with a superior online entertainment experience. To this end, we must continue to produce new original content and source new talent and producers in a cost effective manner. Given that we operate in a rapidly evolving industry, we must anticipate user preferences and industry trends and respond to such trends in a timely and effective manner. If we fail to fulfill the needs and preferences of our users in order to deliver a superior user experience or control our costs in doing so, we may suffer from reduced user traffic, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

We currently rely on our in-house team of employees to generate creative ideas for original content and to supervise the original content origination and production process and intend to continue to invest our human and capital resources in such content production. We face fierce competition for qualified personnel in a limited pool of high-quality creative talent. If we are not able to compete effectively for highly qualified personnel or attract and retain top talent at reasonable costs, our original content production capabilities would be materially and adversely impacted. If we are unable to offer popular original content that addresses our users’ tastes and preferences in a cost effective manner, we may suffer a reduction in user traffic and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.  

We operate in a capital intensive industry and require a significant amount of cash to fund our operations and to produce or acquire high quality video content. If we fail to obtain sufficient capital to fund our operations, our business, financial condition and future prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

The operation of an internet video streaming content provider and producer of television shows requires significant and continuous investment in content production or acquisition and video production technology. Producing high-quality original content is costly and time-consuming and typically requires a long period of time in order to realize a return on investment, if at all. If we cannot obtain adequate capital to meet our capital needs, we may not be able to fully execute our strategic plans for growth and our business, financial condition and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

If our efforts to retain users and attract new users for our mobile and on-line video content and e-commerce products are not successful, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected.

In addition to our content production for television shows, we have experienced significant user growth for our mobile and on-line video and e-commerce products over the past several years. Our ability to continue to retain users and attract new users will depend in part on our ability to consistently provide our users with compelling content choices, as well as a quality experience for selecting and viewing video content. If we introduce new features or service offerings, or change the mix of existing features and services offerings, in a manner that is not favorably received by our users, we may not be able to attract and retain users and our business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.

If we fail to retain existing or attract new advertising customers to advertise within our mobile and online video content or on our e-commerce platform, maintain and increase our wallet share of advertising budget, or if we are unable to collect accounts receivable in a timely manner, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

We generate a substantial part of our revenues from advertising placed within our mobile and online video content and on our e-commerce platform. Our advertising customers are not under long term contracts, we may not be able to retain our advertising customers in the future, attract new advertising customers continuously or be able to retain our advertising customers at all. If our advertising customers find that they can generate better returns elsewhere, or if our competitors provide better online advertising services to suit the advertising customers’ goals, we may lose some or all of our advertising customers. In addition, third parties may develop and use certain technologies to block the display of online advertisements, and should this occur our members will be able to skip the viewing of our advertising customers’ advertisements, which may in turn cause us to lose advertising customers. If our advertising customers determine that their expenditures on internet video streaming platforms or our video content does not generate expected returns, they may allocate a portion or all of their advertising budgets to other advertising channels such as television, newspapers and magazines or other internet channels such as e-commerce and social media platforms, and reduce or discontinue business with us. Since most of our advertising customers are not bound by long-term contracts, they may easily reduce or discontinue advertising arrangements without incurring material liabilities. Failure to retain existing advertising customers or attract new advertising customers to advertise within the video content produced by us or on our e-commerce platform may materially and adversely affect our business, financial conditions and results of operations.

Our brand advertising customers typically enter into advertising agreements through various third-party advertising agencies. In China’s advertising industry, advertising agencies typically have good relationships and maintain longer periods of cooperation with the brand advertising customers they represent. In addition to entering into advertising contracts directly with advertising customers, we also enter into advertising contracts with third-party advertising agencies, which represent advertising customers, even if we have direct contact with such advertisers. As a result, we rely on third-party advertising agencies for sales to, and collection of payment from, our brand advertisers. The financial soundness of our advertising customers and advertising agencies may affect our collection of accounts receivable. We make a credit assessment of our advertising customers and advertising agencies to evaluate the collectability of the advertising service fees before entering into an advertising contract. However, we may not be able to accurately assess the creditworthiness of each advertising customer or advertising agency, and any inability of advertising customers or advertising agencies to pay us for our services in a timely manner would negatively affect our liquidity and cash flows and may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We operate in a highly competitive market and we may not be able to compete effectively.

We face significant competition in China in various sub-markets we operate, primarily from Alibaba (Nasdaq: BABA), Pin Duoduo (Nasdaq:PDD), Douyu (Nasdaq: DOYU), Qu Toutiao (Nasdaq: QTT), Mango Media (SZ.300413), and TVZone Media (SH.603721). We compete for users, usage time, advertising customers, and shoppers. Some of our competitors have a longer operating history and significantly greater financial resources than we do, and, in turn, may be able to attract and retain more users, usage time and advertising customers. Our competitors may compete with us in a variety of ways, including by conducting brand promotions and other marketing activities, and making investments in and acquisitions of our business partners. If any of our competitors achieves greater market acceptance than we do or are able to offer more attractive internet video content, our user traffic and our market share may decrease, which may result in a loss of advertising customers, shoppers, and users, as well as have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We also face competition for users and user time from major television stations, which are increasing their internet video offerings. We also face competition from users and user time from other internet media and entertainment services, such as internet and social media platforms that offer content in emerging and innovative media formats.

The success of our business depends on our ability to maintain and enhance our brand.

We believe that maintaining and enhancing our brand is of significant importance to the success of our business. Our well-recognized brand is critical to increasing our user base and, in turn, expanding our shoppers for our e-commerce platform and attractiveness to advertising customers and content providers. Since the internet video industry is highly competitive, maintaining and enhancing our brand depends largely on our ability to become and remain a market leader in China, which may be difficult and expensive to accomplish. To the extent our original content is perceived as low quality or otherwise not appealing to users, our ability to maintain and enhance our brand may be adversely impacted which in turn may result in a loss of users for our mobile and online video and e-commerce platform.

Increases in professionally-produced content, or PPC, by others may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We depend on the quality of our PPC for the success of our business model. The amount of PPC, especially TV series and movies, has recently increased significantly in China and may continue to increase in the future. Due to relatively robust online advertising budgets, internet video streaming platforms are generating more revenues and are competing aggressively to produce and license more PPC in general. As the demand for quality PPC grows, the number of PPC producers will likely grow, resulting in an increase in competition for our users and usage time, which in turn may result in a loss of advertising customers, users, and shoppers on our e-commerce platform. Any significant loss in advertising customers, users, or shoppers on our e-commerce platform would have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The continued and collaborative efforts of our senior management and key employees are crucial to our success, and any loss of senior management or key employees may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our success depends on the continued and collaborative efforts of our senior management, especially our executive officers, including our founder, Mr. Bing Zhang. If one or more of our executives or other key personnel are unable or unwilling to continue to provide their services, we may not be able to find suitable replacements easily or at all. Competition for management and key personnel is intense and the pool of qualified candidates is limited. We may not be able to retain the services of our executives or key personnel, or attract and retain experienced executives or key personnel in the future. If any of our executive officers or key employees joins a competitor or forms a competing business, we may lose crucial business secrets, technological know-how, advertisers and other valuable resources. Each of our executive officers and key employees has entered into an employment agreement, which contains non-compete provisions. However, we cannot assure you that they will abide by the employment agreements or that our efforts to enforce these agreements will be effective enough to protect our interests.

Our limited operating history makes it difficult to evaluate our business and prospects.

We expect to continue to grow our user and customer bases and explore new market opportunities. However, due to our limited operating history since 2016, our historical growth rate may not be indicative of our future performance. We cannot assure you that our growth rate will be the same as in the past. In addition, we may in the future introduce new services or significantly expand our existing services, including those that currently are of relatively small scale or with which we have little or no prior development or operating experience. If these new or enhanced services fail to engage users and customers, our business and operating results may suffer as a result. We cannot assure you that we will be able to recoup our investments in introducing these new services or enhancing existing smaller business lines, and we may experience significant loss and impairment of asset value due to such efforts. Furthermore, as a technology-based entertainment company, we frequently introduce innovative products and services to our users and advertising customers in order to capture new market opportunities. However, we cannot assure you that our products and services will be well received by our users and advertising customers. If our existing or new products and services are not well received by our users and customers, we may suffer damages to our brand image and may not be able to maintain or expand our user and customer base, which in turn may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. You should consider our prospects in light of the risks and uncertainties fast-growing companies with limited operating histories in a fast evolving industry.

We may not be able to manage our growth effectively.

We have experienced rapid growth since we launched our services in 2016. To manage the further expansion of our business and the growth of our operations and personnel, we need to continuously expand and enhance our infrastructure and technology, and improve our operational and financial systems, procedures, compliance and controls. We also need to expand, train and manage our growing employee base. In addition, our management will be required to maintain and expand our relationships with distributors, advertising customers, and other third parties. We cannot assure you that our current infrastructure, systems, procedures and controls will be adequate to support our expanding operations. If we fail to manage our expansion effectively, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

If we are unable to offer branded products at attractive prices to meet customer needs and preferences on our e-commerce platform, or if our reputation for selling authentic, high-quality products suffers, we may lose customers and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Our future growth on our e-commerce platform partially depends on our ability to continue to attract new customers as well as to increase the spending and repeat purchase rate of existing customers. Constantly changing consumer preferences have historically affected, and will continue to affect, the online retail industry. Consequently, we must stay abreast of emerging lifestyle and consumer preferences and anticipate product trends that will appeal to existing and potential customers.

As we implement our strategy to offer a personalized web-interface focusing on deep curation and targeted offerings desired by our customers, we expect to face additional challenges in the selection of products and services. We are focused on offering only authentic products on our e-commerce platform, as perception by our customers or prospective customers that any of our products are not authentic, or are lacking in quality, could cause our reputation to suffer. This is particularly important for cosmetics products, which we expect to account for an increasing proportion of our revenues. While our representatives generally check the products that are offered for sale on our e-commerce platform to confirm their authenticity and quality, there can be no assurance that our suppliers have provided us with authentic products or that all products that we sell are of the quality expected by consumers. If our customers cannot find desired products within our product portfolio at attractive prices, or if our reputation for selling authentic, high-quality products suffers, our customers may lose interest in our e-Mall and thus may visit our e-commerce platform less frequently or even stop visiting it altogether, which in turn, may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

User behavior on mobile devices is rapidly evolving, and if we fail to successfully adapt to these changes, our competitiveness and market position may suffer.

Buyers, sellers and other participants are increasingly using mobile devices in China for a wide range of purposes, including for e-commerce. While a significant and growing portion of participants access our e-commerce platform through mobile devices, this area is developing rapidly and we may not be able to continue to increase the level of mobile access to, or transactions on, our e-commerce platform by users of mobile devices. The variety of technical and other configurations across different mobile devices and platforms increases the challenges associated with this environment. our ability to successfully expand the use of mobile devices to access our e-commerce platform is affected by the following factors:

If we are unable to attract significant numbers of new mobile buyers and increase levels of mobile engagement, our ability to maintain or grow our business would be materially and adversely affected.

Our business prospects and financial results may be impacted by our relationship with third-party platforms.

In addition to our own e-commerce platform, we also distribute video content through third-party platforms. However, there can be no assurance that our arrangements with those platforms will be extended or renewed after their respective expiration or that we will be able to extend or renew such arrangements on terms and conditions favorable to us. In addition, if any such third-party platforms breach their obligations under any of the agreements entered into with us or refuses to extend or renew such agreements when their term expires, and we cannot find a suitable replacement on a timely basis, or at all, we may suffer significant losses to our user base and revenue streams, or lose the opportunity to expand our business through such platforms. Disputes may arise between us and third-party platforms with which we have used in the past that may adversely affect the relationship with such platforms which in turn may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face risks, such as unforeseen costs and potential liability in connection with content we produce, license and/or distribute through third-party platforms and our e-commerce platform.

As a producer, licensor and distributor of content, we face potential liability for negligence, copyright and trademark infringement, or other claims based on the content that we produce, license, provide and/or distribute. We also may face potential liability for content used in promoting our service, including marketing materials and features on our platform such as user reviews. We are responsible for the production costs and other expenses of our original content. Litigation to defend these claims could be costly and the expenses and damages arising from any liability or unforeseen production risks could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. We may not be indemnified against claims or costs of these types and we may not have insurance coverage for these types of claims.

Videos and other content produced by us or displayed on our e-commerce platform may be found objectionable by PRC regulatory authorities and may subject us to penalties and other administrative actions.

We are subject to PRC regulations governing internet access and the distribution of videos and other forms of information over the internet. Under these regulations, internet content providers and internet publishers are prohibited from posting or displaying over the internet any content that, among other things, violates PRC laws and regulations, impairs the national dignity of China or the public interest, or is obscene, superstitious, frightening, gruesome, offensive, fraudulent or defamatory. Furthermore, as an internet video streaming producer, we are not allowed to (i) produce or disseminate programs that distort, parody or vilify classic literary works; (ii) re-edit, re-dub or re-caption the subtitles of classic literary works, radio and television programs, and network-based original audio-video programs, (iii) intercept program segments and splice them into new programs; or (iv) disseminate edited pieces of works that distort the originals. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in monetary penalties, revocation of licenses to provide internet content or other licenses, suspension of the concerned platforms and reputational harm. In addition, these laws and regulations are subject to interpretation by the relevant authorities, and it may not be possible to determine in all cases the types of content that could cause us to be held liable as an internet content provider.

To the extent that PRC regulatory authorities find any content produced by us or displayed on our e-commerce platform objectionable, they may require us to limit or eliminate the dissemination of such content on our platform in the form of take-down orders or otherwise.

We operate in a rapidly evolving industry. If we fail to keep up with the technological developments and users’ changing requirements, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

The internet video streaming industry is rapidly evolving and subject to continuous technological changes. Our success will depend on our ability to keep up with the changes in technology and user behavior resulting from the technological developments. As we make our services available across a variety of mobile operating systems and devices, we are dependent on the interoperability of our services with popular mobile devices and mobile operating systems that we do not control, such as Android and iOS. Any changes in such mobile operating systems or devices that degrade the functionality of our services or give preferential treatment to competitive services could adversely affect usage of our services. Further, if the number of mobile operating systems and devices increases, which is typically seen in a dynamic and fragmented mobile services market such as China, we will likely incur additional costs and expenses associated with developing tools and software necessary for access to our e-commerce platform by these devices and systems. If we fail to adapt our products and services to such changes in an effective and timely manner, we may suffer from decreased user traffic, which may result in a reduced user base. Furthermore, changes in technologies may require substantial capital expenditures in product development as well as in modification of products, services or infrastructure. We may not execute our business strategies successfully due to a variety of reasons such as technical hurdles, misunderstanding or erroneous prediction of market demand or lack of necessary resources. Failure to keep up with technological development may result in our products and services being less attractive, which, in turn, may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and prospects.

We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, and any failure to protect our intellectual property rights could adversely affect our revenues and competitive position.

We believe that trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights, and other intellectual property we use are critical to our business. We rely on a combination of trademark, copyright and trade secret protection laws in China and other jurisdictions, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions to protect our intellectual property and our brand. Protection of intellectual property rights in China may not be as effective as in the United States or other jurisdictions, and as a result, we may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, which could adversely affect our revenues and competitive position. In addition, any unauthorized use of our intellectual property by third parties may adversely affect our revenues and our reputation. Further, we may have difficulty addressing the threats to our business associated with piracy of our copyrighted content, particularly our original content. our content and streaming services may be potentially subject to unauthorized consumer copying and illegal digital dissemination without an economic return to us.

Furthermore, policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology is difficult and expensive, and we may need to resort to litigation to enforce or defend intellectual property or to determine the enforceability, scope and validity of our proprietary rights or those of others. Such litigation and an adverse determination in any such litigation could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.

Our business generates and processes a large amount of data, and the improper use or disclosure of such data could harm our reputation as well as have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.

Our e-commerce platform generates and processes a large quantity of personal, transaction, demographic and behavioral data. We face risks inherent in handling large volumes of data and in protecting the security of such data. In particular, we face a number of challenges relating to data from transactions and other activities on our platform, including:

Any systems failure or security breach or lapse that results in the release of user data could harm our reputation and brand and, consequently, our business, in addition to exposing us to potential legal liability.

Failure to maintain or improve our technology infrastructure could harm our business and prospects.

Adopting new software and upgrading our online infrastructure requires significant investments of time and resources, including adding new hardware, updating software and recruiting and training new engineering personnel. Maintaining and improving our technology infrastructure require significant levels of investment. Adverse consequences could include unanticipated system disruptions, slower response times, impaired quality of buyers’ and sellers’ experiences and delays in reporting accurate operating and financial information. In addition, much of the software and interfaces we use are internally developed and proprietary technology. If we experience problems with the functionality and effectiveness of our software, or are unable to maintain and constantly improve our technology infrastructure to handle our business needs, our business, financial condition, results of operation and prospects, as well as our reputation, could be materially and adversely affected.

We are subject to payment processing risk.

Our e-commerce customers pay for their services using a variety of different online payment methods. We rely on third parties to process such payments. Acceptance and processing of these payment methods are subject to certain rules and regulations and require payment of interchange and other fees. To the extent there are increases in payment processing fees, material changes in the payment ecosystem, such as delays in receiving payments from payment processors and/or changes to rules or regulations concerning payment processing, our revenues, operating expenses and results of operations could be adversely impacted.

The successful operation of our business depends upon the performance and reliability of the Internet infrastructure in China.

Other than the production of television shows that are transmitted via satellite television in China, our business depends on the performance and reliability of the Internet infrastructure in China. Almost all access to the Internet is maintained through state-owned telecommunications operators under the administrative control and regulatory supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China. In addition, the national networks in China are connected to the Internet through state-owned international gateways, which are the only channels through which a domestic user can connect to the Internet outside of China. We may not have access to alternative networks in the event of disruptions, failures or other problems with China’s Internet infrastructure. In addition, the Internet infrastructure in China may not support the demands associated with continued growth in Internet usage.

Security breaches and attacks against our internal systems and network, and any potential resulting breach or failure to otherwise protect confidential and proprietary information, could damage our reputation and negatively impact our business, as well as materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Although we have employed resources to develop security measures against unauthorized access to our systems and networks, our cybersecurity measures may not successfully detect or prevent all unauthorized attempts to access the data on our network or compromise and disable our systems. Unauthorized access to our network and systems may result in the misappropriation of information or data, deletion or modification of user information, or a denial-of-service or other interruption to our business operations. As techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to or sabotage systems change frequently and may not be known until launched against us or our third-party service providers, we may be unable to anticipate, or implement adequate measures to protect against these attacks. If we are unable to avert these attacks and security breaches, we could be subject to significant legal and financial liability, our reputation would be harmed and we could sustain substantial revenue loss from user dissatisfaction. We may not have the resources or technical sophistication to anticipate or prevent rapidly evolving types of cyber-attacks. Actual or anticipated attacks and risks may cause us to incur significantly higher costs, including costs to deploy additional personnel and network protection technologies, train employees, and engage third-party experts and consultants. Cybersecurity breaches would not only harm our reputation and business, but also could materially decrease our revenue and net income.

We rely upon our partners to make our service available through Internet Protocol Television (IPTV).

In the IPTV video streaming market, only a small number of qualified license holders can provide internet audio and visual program services to the TV terminal users via IPTV, set-top boxes and other electronic products. Most of those license holders are radio or TV stations. Private companies that wish to operate such businesses need to cooperate with those license holders to legally provide relevant services. If we are not successful in maintaining existing or creating new relationships, or if we encounter technological, content licensing, regulatory or other impediments to delivering our streaming content to our members via these devices, our ability to grow our business may be adversely impacted.

Disruption or failure of our IT systems could impair our users’ online entertainment experience and adversely affect our reputation.

Our ability to provide users with a high-quality online entertainment experience on our e-commerce platform depends on the continuous and reliable operation of our IT systems. We cannot assure you that we will be able to procure sufficient bandwidth in a timely manner or on acceptable terms or at all. Failure to do so may significantly impair user experience on our platform and decrease the overall effectiveness of our platform to both users and advertisers.

If we experience frequent or persistent service disruptions, whether caused by failures of our own systems or those of third-party service providers, our users’ experience may be negatively affected, which in turn, may have a material and adverse effect on our reputation. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in minimizing the frequency or duration of service interruptions.

Undetected programming errors could adversely affect our user experience and market acceptance of our video content, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Video content produced by us or displayed on our e-commerce platform may contain programming errors that may only become apparent after our release. We generally have been able to resolve such programming errors in a timely manner. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to detect and resolve all of these programming errors effectively. Undetected audio or video programming errors or defects may adversely affect user experience which in turn may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

Our revenue and net income may be materially and adversely affected by any economic slowdown in China and indirectly by trade disputes between the United States and China that may contribute to uncertainties in economic outlook.

The success of our business depends on consumers spending from e-commerce, advertising fees, production costs and copyright payments from third parties which may be affected by consumer confidence and uncertainties in the outlook for economic growth within China. We derive substantially all of our revenue from China. As a result, our revenue and net income are impacted to a significant extent by economic conditions in China and globally, as well as economic conditions specific to online and mobile commerce and advertising of brands. The PRC government has in recent years implemented a number of measures to control the rate of economic growth, including by raising and lowering interest rates and adjusting deposit reserve ratios for commercial banks as well as by implementing other measures designed to tighten or loosen credit and liquidity. In the past, these measures have contributed to a slowdown of the PRC economy and although recently the PRC has taken steps to reduce interest rates and adjust deposit reserve ratios to increase the availability of credit in response to a weakening economy caused, in part, by the continuing trade dispute with the United States, no assurances can be given that the PRC’s efforts will result in more certainty in domestic economic outlook or an increase in consumer confidence. Any continuing or worsening slowdown could significantly reduce domestic commerce in China, including through the Internet generally and within our ecosystem. An economic downturn, whether actual or perceived, a further decrease in economic growth rates or an otherwise uncertain economic outlook in China or any other market in which we may operate could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face risks related to natural disasters, health epidemics and other outbreaks, which could significantly disrupt our operations.

We are vulnerable to natural disasters and other calamities. Fire, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, power loss, telecommunications failures, break-ins, war, riots, terrorist attacks or similar events may give rise to server interruptions, breakdowns, system failures, technology platform failures or internet failures, which could cause the loss or corruption of data or malfunctions of software or hardware as well as adversely affect our ability to produce video content or provide products and services on our e-commerce platform.

Our business operations could be disrupted if any of our employees are suspected of having Ebola virus disease, H1N1 flu, H7N9 flu, avian flu, SARS or other epidemic, since we could require our employees to be quarantined and/or our offices to be disinfected. In addition, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected to the extent that any of these epidemics harms the Chinese economy in general.

Our semi-annual operating results may fluctuate, which makes our results of operations difficult to predict and may cause our quarterly results of operations to fall short of expectations.

Our semi-annual operating results have fluctuated in the past and may continue to fluctuate depending upon a number of factors, many of which are out of our control. Our operating results tend to be seasonal. As a result, comparing our operating results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful. For example, online user numbers tend to be lower during school holidays and certain parts of the school year, and advertising revenues tend to be lower during the Chinese New Year season, which may negatively affect our cash flow for those periods.

We require highly qualified personnel to generate high quality video content and if we are unable to hire or retain qualified personnel, we may not be able to grow effectively and our business, financial condition, and results of operation may be materially and adversely affected.

We currently rely on our in-house team of employees to generate creative ideas for original content and to supervise the original content origination and production process and intends to continue to invest our human and capital resources in such content production. We face fierce competition for qualified personnel in a limited pool of high-quality creative talent. If we are not able to compete effectively for highly qualified personnel or attract and retain top talent at reasonable costs, our original content production capabilities would be materially and adversely impacted. If we are unable to offer popular original content that addresses our user’s tastes and preferences in a cost effective manner, we may suffer a reduction in user traffic and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Our future success also depends upon our ability to attract and retain highly qualified management personnel. Expansion of our business and our management will require additional managers and employees with industry experience, and our success will be highly dependent on our ability to attract and retain skilled management personnel and other employees. We may not be able to attract or retain highly qualified personnel. Competition for skilled management personnel is significant in China. This competition may make it more difficult and expensive to attract, hire and retain qualified managers and employees.

Our controlling shareholder will have substantial influence over us.

As of March 1, 2021, Happy Starlight Limited, which is controlled by Mr. Bing Zhang, our chairman, beneficially owns 17,066,863 of our ordinary shares, or 27.54%. In addition, Mr. Zhang also directly owns 760,000 of our ordinary shares, or 1.22%; therefore, Mr. Zhang may be deemed to beneficially own 17,826,863 of our ordinary shares, or 28.76%. As such, Mr. Zhang will have substantial influence over our business, including decisions regarding mergers, consolidations, the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, election of directors, declaration of dividends and other significant corporate actions. In addition, this concentration of ownership may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control which could deprive you of an opportunity to receive a premium for your ordinary shares as part of a sale of our company.

We do not foresee paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future and, as a result, our investors’ sole source of gain will depend on capital appreciation, if any.

We do not plan to declare or pay any cash dividends on our shares of ordinary shares in the foreseeable future and currently intend to retain any future earnings for funding growth. As a result, investors should not rely on an investment in our securities if they require the investment to produce dividend income. Capital appreciation, if any, of our shares may be our investors’ sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.

Glory Star Group’s bank accounts are in China and are not insured or protected against loss.

Glory Star Group maintains its cash primarily with major banks in China which is primarily owned by the Chinese government. Glory Star Group’s cash accounts are not insured or otherwise protected. Should any bank or trust company holding our cash deposits become insolvent, or if we are otherwise unable to withdraw funds, we could lose the cash on deposit with that particular bank or trust company or have our account frozen.

Our failure to protect our intellectual property rights could have a negative impact on our business.

We believe our brand, trade names, trademarks and other intellectual property are critical to our success. The success of our business depends substantially upon our continued ability to use our brand, trade names and trademarks to increase brand awareness and to further develop our brand. The unauthorized reproduction of our trade names or trademarks could diminish the value of our brand and our market acceptance, competitive advantages or goodwill. In addition, our proprietary information, which has not been patented or otherwise registered as our property, is a component of our competitive advantage and our growth strategy.

Monitoring and preventing the unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult. The measures we take to protect our brand, trade names, trademarks and other intellectual property rights may not be adequate to prevent their unauthorized use by third parties. In addition, the application of laws governing intellectual property rights in China and abroad is uncertain and evolving, and could involve substantial risks to us. To our knowledge, the relevant authorities in China historically have not protected intellectual property rights to the same extent as the United States. If we are unable to adequately protect our brand, trade names, trademarks and other intellectual property rights, we may lose these rights and our business may suffer materially. Further, unauthorized use of our brands, trade names or trademarks could cause brand confusion among advertisers and harm our reputation as a provider of high quality and comprehensive advertising services. If our brand recognition decreases, we may lose advertisers and fail in our expansion strategies, and our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

We may be named as a defendant in litigation, or may be joined as a defendant in litigation brought against our customers by third parties, our customers’ competitors, governmental or regulatory authorities or consumers, which could result in judgments against us and materially disrupt our business. These actions could involve claims alleging, among other things, that:

The damages, costs, expenses and attorneys’ fees arising from any of these claims could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects to the extent that we are not adequately indemnified by our customers. In any case, our reputation may be negatively affected by these allegations.

We rely on computer software and hardware systems in our operations, the failure of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We are dependent upon our computer software and hardware systems in designing our advertisements and keeping important operational and market information. In addition, we rely on our computer hardware for the storage, delivery and transmission of data. Any system failure that causes interruptions to the input, retrieval and transmission of data or increase in service time could disrupt our normal operations. Although we have a disaster recovery plan that is designed to address the failures of our computer software and hardware systems, we may not be able to effectively carry out this disaster recovery plan or restore our operations within a sufficiently short time frame to avoid business disruptions. Any failure in our computer software or hardware systems could decrease our revenues and harm our relationships with advertisers, television channels and other media companies, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We do not maintain business liability or disruption, litigation or property insurance and any business liability or disruption, litigation or property damage we experience may result in substantial costs to us and the diversion of our resources.

The insurance industry in China is still at an early stage of development. Insurance companies in China offer limited business disruption, business liability or similar business insurance products. We have determined that the risks of disruption or liability from our business, the potential loss or damage to our property, including our facilities, equipment and office furniture, the cost of obtaining insurance coverage for these risks and the difficulties associated with obtaining such insurance on commercially reasonable terms, make it impractical for us to have obtained such insurance on terms and conditions that are commercially reasonable. As a result, we did not purchase any business liability, disruption, litigation or property insurance coverage for our operations in China. Any occurrence of an uninsured loss or damage to our property or litigation or business disruption may result in substantial costs to us and the diversion of our resources, which could have an adverse effect on our operating results.

Risks Related to our Corporate Structure

The PRC government may determine that the VIE Contracts are not in compliance with applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations.

To comply with applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, we conduct our operations in the PRC through the VIE Contracts, a series of contractual arrangements entered into among (i) WFOE, (ii) Glory Star and certain shareholders of Glory Star, (iii) Xing Cui Can and our shareholders, and (iv) Horgos and our shareholder, which consist of a business cooperation agreement, exclusive option agreement, proxy agreement and power of attorney, and share pledge agreement. As a result of these VIE Contracts, Glory Star manages and operates our value-added telecommunication services and certain other business through the WFOE, Xing Cui Can and Horgos pursuant to the rights it holds under the VIE Contracts. A majority of the economic benefit and almost all of the risks arising from the operations of Xing Cui Can and Horgos are ultimately enjoyed and undertaken by Glory Star under these agreements.

There are risks involved with the operation of our business in reliance on the VIE Contracts, including the risk that the VIE Contracts may be determined by PRC regulators or courts to be unenforceable. Although we believe that we are in compliance with current PRC regulations in the execution and implementation of the VIE Contracts, we cannot assure you the PRC government would agree that the VIE Contracts fully comply with existing PRC policies or with policies that may be adopted in the future. PRC laws and regulations governing the validity of these VIE Contracts are uncertain. If the VIE Contracts were for any reason determined to be in breach of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, the relevant regulatory authorities would have broad discretion in dealing with such breach, including:

Any of these actions would adversely affect our ability to manage, operate and gain the financial benefits of Horgos and Xing Cui Can, which would have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability to manage and operate Horgos and Xing Cui Can under the VIE Contracts may not be as effective as direct ownership.

We conduct our advertising operation, e-commerce and certain other business in the PRC and generate virtually all of our revenues for our business through the VIE Contracts. Our plans for future growth are based substantially on growing the operations of Horgos and Xing Cui Can. However, the VIE Contracts may not be as effective in providing us with control over Horgos and Xing Cui Can as direct ownership. Under the current VIE Contracts, if Horgos, Xing Cui Can or their shareholders fail to perform their obligations under these contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and resources to enforce such arrangements, and rely on legal remedies under PRC law, which it cannot be sure would be effective. Therefore, if we are unable to effectively control Horgos and Xing Cui Can, it may have an adverse effect on our ability to achieve our business objectives and grow our revenues.

As the VIE Contracts are governed by PRC law, we would be required to rely on PRC law to enforce our rights and remedies under them; PRC law may not provide us with the same rights and remedies as are available in contractual disputes governed by the law of other jurisdictions.

The VIE Contracts are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitral proceedings. If Horgos, Xing Cui Can or their shareholders fail to perform their obligations under the VIE Contracts, we would be required to resort to legal remedies available under PRC law, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, or claiming damages. We cannot be sure that such remedies would provide us with effective means of causing Horgos or Xing Cui Can to meet their obligations, or recovering any losses or damages as a result of non-performance. Further, the legal environment in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions. Uncertainties in the application of various laws, rules, regulations or policies in the PRC legal system could limit our liability to enforce the VIE Contracts and protect our interests.

The payment arrangement under the VIE Contracts may be challenged by the PRC tax authorities.

We generate our revenues through the payments we receive pursuant to the VIE Contracts. We could face adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that the VIE Contracts were not entered into based on arm’s length negotiations. For example, PRC tax authorities may adjust our income and expenses for PRC tax purposes, which could result in our being subject to higher tax liability, or cause other adverse financial consequences. According to the PRC Tax Administration and Collection Law, (中华人民共和国税收征收管理法), and Implementation Regulations for the Law of the PRC Tax Administration and Collection Law 《中华人民共和国税收征收管理法实施细则(2016修订), in the case of a transfer pricing related adjustment, the statute of limitation is three years normally and ten years in special instances.

We rely on the approval certificates and business license held by us for our advertising operation, e-commerce and certain other business and any deterioration of the relationship between Horgos and Xing Cui Can could materially and adversely affect our business operations.

We operate our advertising operation, e-commerce and certain other business in the PRC on the basis of the approval certificates, business license and other requisite licenses held by us. There is no assurance that we will be able to renew our licenses or certificates when their terms expire with substantially similar terms as the ones it currently holds.

Further, our relationship with Horgos and Xing Cui Can is governed by the VIE Contracts, which is intended to provide us with effective control over the business operations of Horgos and Xing Cui Can. However, the VIE Contracts may not be effective in providing control over the application for and maintenance of the licenses required for our business operations. If we violate the VIE Contracts, go bankrupt, suffer from difficulties in our business or otherwise become unable to perform our obligations under the VIE Contracts and, as a result, our operations, reputations and business could be severely harmed.

If the WFOE exercises the purchase option it holds over the share capital of Horgos or Xing Cui Can pursuant to the Exclusive Option Agreement, the payment of the purchase price could materially and adversely affect our financial position.

Under the Exclusive Option Agreement, the WFOE has the option to purchase up to 100% of the equity interest in Horgos and Xing Cui Can at a price equivalent to the lowest price then permitted under PRC law, provided that the acquisition will not violate any PRC laws or regulations in effect. As Horgos and Xing Cui Can are already our contractually controlled affiliates, the WFOE’s exercising of the options would not bring immediate benefit to it, and payment of the purchase price could adversely affect our financial position.

Risks Relating to Doing Business in China

We face risks related to the Coronavirus and health epidemics and other outbreaks, which could significantly disrupt our operations.

The spread of a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) around the world in the first quarter of 2020, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020, has caused significant volatility in China and international markets. In early 2020, in response to intensifying efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, the Chinese government took a number of actions, which included, among others, extending the Chinese New Year holiday, quarantining and otherwise treating individuals in China who had contracted COVID-19, asking residents to remain at home and to avoid gathering in public. Currently, there is no widely available vaccine or generally recognized anti-viral treatment for COVID-19. While such restrictive measures have been gradually lifted, relaxation of restrictions on economic and social life may lead to new cases which may lead to the re-imposition of restrictions. Re-imposition of restrictive measures could adversely affect our operations.

The COVID-19 outbreak has caused business slow-down for us in the first quarter of 2020, resulting in decrease of revenue and it may also impede our ability to file our reports with the SEC in a timely manner. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic may further impact our business and financial performance will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and largely beyond our control. Even if the economic impact of COVID-19 gradually recedes, the pandemic will have a lingering, long-term effect on business activities and consumption behavior. There is no assurance that we will be able to adjust our business operations to adapt to these changes and the increasingly complex environment in which we operate.

We are subject to PRC laws or regulations that govern our industry.

We are subject to administrative regulatory authorities and applicable laws in the PRC to operate our business. In order to operate our business we are required to obtain licenses and permits by various governmental agencies. We will not be able to operate some of our businesses if we lose our licenses and permits, which will adversely affect our business.

We are subject to risks relating to the nature of China’s advertising industry, including frequent and sudden changes in advertising proposals.

The nature of the advertising business in China is such that sudden changes in advertising proposals and actual advertisements are frequent. In China, television stations, as the advertising publisher, remain responsible for the content of advertisements, and as a result, television stations may reject or recommend changes to the content of advertisements. We strive to minimize problems related to work for clients by encouraging the conclusion of basic written agreements, but we are exposed to the risk of unforeseen incidents or disputes with advertising clients. In addition, similar to other companies in our industry in the PRC where relationships between advertising clients within a particular industry and advertising companies are not typically exclusive, we are currently acting for multiple clients within a single industry in a number of industries. If this practice in China is to change in favor of exclusive relationships and if our efforts to respond to this change are ineffective, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

China regulates media content extensively and it may be subject to government actions based on the advertising content it designs for advertising clients or services it provides to them.

PRC advertising laws and regulations require advertisers, advertising operators and advertising publishers, including our businesses, to ensure that the advertisements shall not contain any false or misleading content and their advertising activities shall be in full compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations. Violation of these laws, rules or regulations may result in penalties, including fines, confiscation of advertising fees, orders to cease dissemination of the advertisements and orders to publish an advertisement correcting the misleading information. In circumstances involving serious violations, the PRC government may revoke our business license. In addition, such non-compliance can constitute a violation of criminal law and criminal proceedings could be brought against us as a result.

Our business includes assisting advertising clients in designing and producing advertisements, as well as executing their advertising campaigns. We act as agent for our clients in dealing with television channels, or other media on whose platform our clients want to display their advertisements. Under our agreements with television channels or other media, we are typically responsible for the compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations with respect to advertising content that it provide to the media. In addition, some of our advertising clients provide completed advertisements for us to display on the television channels. Although these advertisements are subject to internal review and verification, their content may not fully comply with applicable laws, rules and regulations. Further, for advertising content related to special types of products and services, such as pharmaceuticals and medical procedures, pesticides and health products, we are required to confirm that our clients have obtained requisite government approvals. We endeavor to comply with such requirements, including by requesting relevant documents from the advertising clients and employing qualified advertising inspectors who are trained to review advertising content for compliance with applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations. However, we cannot assure you that violations or alleged violations of the content requirements will not occur with respect to our operations. If the relevant PRC governmental agencies determine the content of the advertisements that we represent violated any applicable laws, rules or regulations, we could be subject to penalties, which may harm our reputation and may divert significant amounts of our management’s time and other resources. It may be difficult and expensive to defend against such proceedings. Although our agreements with our clients normally require them to warrant the fairness, accuracy and compliance with relevant laws and regulations of their advertising content and agree to indemnify us for violations of these warranties, these contractual remedies may not cover all of our losses resulting from governmental penalties. Violations or alleged violations of the content requirements could also harm our reputation and impair our ability to conduct and expand our business.

Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to us.

The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike ordinary law systems, it is a system in which legal decisions have limited value as precedents. In the late 1970s, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past three decades has significantly increased the protections afforded to various forms of foreign or private-sector investment in the PRC. WFOE, our PRC operating subsidiary, is a wholly foreign-owned enterprise and is subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign investment in the PRC as well as laws and regulations applicable to foreign-invested enterprises. WFOE is a privately owned company and is subject to various PRC laws and regulations that are generally applicable to companies in the PRC. These laws and regulations are still evolving, and their interpretation and enforcement involve uncertainties. For example, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce the legal protections that we enjoy either by law or contract. However, since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we may enjoy in the PRC legal system than in more developed legal systems. These uncertainties may also impede our ability to enforce the contracts that we have entered into. As a result, these uncertainties could materially and adversely affect our business and operations.

Delays in issuing invoices due to China taxing authorities may materially and adversely affect our cash flow.

Companies operating in China may be required to obtain VAT invoices in advance from the Chinese tax authorities in order to collect the dues from our customers according to their contractual arrangement. To accomplish this, companies submit invoices to the Chinese tax authorities and await for the VAT invoices to be issued. Upon receipt, it sends the VAT invoices to the customers for payment. From time to time, the Chinese tax authority may delay issuing the VAT invoices because the amount of the company’s invoices exceeded the quotas previously granted for the VAT invoices for that period of time. Such quotas are set by the Chinese tax authorities based on the amount of invoices issued by the company over a period of time pursuant to the company’s past business operation, which quotas are adjusted periodically. As such, for fast growing companies like ours, our invoices may periodically exceed the current quota granted which results in a delay in obtaining VAT invoices impacting our ability to timely invoice and collect our accounts receivable from our clients. To address this challenge, we have taken an active role in reaching out to the Chinese tax authorities to explain the company’s fast growth which is outpacing the quota needed to timely obtain VAT invoices. In addition, we are working closely with our clients to receive payments before VAT invoices are issued. However, if we are unable to timely increase our quota resulting in delays in issuing VAT invoices or our clients are unable or unwilling to make payments before receipt of VAT invoices, it may suffer delays in collecting our accounts receivable and hence affect our cash flow.

Competition in our industry is growing and could cause us to lose market share and revenues in the future.

We may face growing competition in our industry and we believe that the market is becoming more competitive as this industry matures and begins to consolidate. Some of our competitors have larger and more established borrower bases and substantially greater financial, marketing and other resources than us. As a result, we could lose market share and our revenues could decline, thereby affecting our earnings and potential for growth.

Our business depends on the continuing efforts of our management. If it loses their services, our business may be severely disrupted.

Our business operations depend on the continuing efforts of our management, particularly the executive officers named in this document. If one or more of our management were unable or unwilling to continue their employment with us, we might not be able to replace them in a timely manner, or at all. We may incur additional expenses to recruit and retain qualified replacements. Our business may be severely disrupted and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. In addition, our management may join a competitor or form a competing company. We may not be able to successfully enforce any contractual rights we have with our management team, in particular in China, where all of these individuals reside and where our business is operated through a series of subsidiaries and the VIE Contracts. As a result, our business may be negatively affected due to the loss of one or more members of our management.

Our business may be materially adversely impacted by the global financial crisis and economic downturn.

We operate our business in the PRC. Any future global financial crisis and economic downturn may materially adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects in a number of ways, including:

These risks may be exacerbated in the event of a prolonged economic downturn or financial crisis.

A severe and prolonged global economic recession and the slowdown in the Chinese economy may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The growth of the Chinese economy has slowed down since 2012 compared to the previous decade and the trend may continue. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, China’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth was 2.3% in 2020. There is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the monetary and fiscal policies adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world’s leading economies, including the United States and China. In addition, there have also been concerns on the relationship between China and the U.S. following rounds of tariffs imposed by the U.S. and retaliatory tariffs imposed by China and concerns on the relationship among China and other Asian countries, which may result in or intensify potential conflicts in relation to territorial disputes. It is unclear whether these challenges and uncertainties will be contained or resolved, and what effects they may have on the global political and economic conditions in the long term. Economic conditions in China are sensitive to global economic conditions, as well as changes in domestic economic and political policies and the expected or perceived overall economic growth rate in China. Any prolonged slowdown in the global or Chinese economy may have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition, and continued turbulence in the international markets may adversely affect our ability to access the capital markets to meet liquidity needs.

Any adverse changes in political policies of the PRC government could negatively impact China’s overall economic growth, which could materially adversely affect our business.

The Company is a holding company and all of our operations are entirely conducted in the PRC. China’s economy differs from the economies of most other countries in many respects, including the amount of government involvement in the economy, the general level of economic development, growth rates and government control of foreign exchange and the allocation of resources. The PRC government exercises significant control over China’s economic growth by allocating resources, controlling the payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. Any actions and policies adopted by the PRC government could negatively impact the Chinese economy, which could materially adversely affect our business.

Substantial uncertainties and restrictions with respect to the political and economic policies of the PRC government and PRC laws and regulations could have a significant impact upon the business we may be able to conduct in the PRC and accordingly on the results of our operations and financial condition.

Our business operations may be adversely affected by the current and future political environment in the PRC. The Chinese government exerts substantial influence and control over the manner in which we must conduct our business activities. Our ability to operate in China may be adversely affected by changes in Chinese laws and regulations. Under the current government leadership, the government of the PRC has been pursuing economic reform policies that encourage private economic activities and greater economic decentralization. However, the government of the PRC may not continue to pursue these policies, or may significantly alter these policies from time to time without notice.

There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the laws and regulations governing our business, or the laws and regulations applicable to foreign investments in China. Only after 1979 did the Chinese government begin to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws that regulate economic affairs in general, deal with economic matters such as foreign investment, corporate organization and governance, commerce, taxation and trade, as well as encourage foreign investment in China. Although the influence of the law has been increasing, China has not developed a fully integrated legal system and recently enacted laws and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China. Also, because these laws and regulations are relatively new, and because of the limited volume of published cases and judicial interpretation and their lack of force as precedents, interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations involve significant uncertainties. New laws and regulations that affect existing and proposed future businesses may also be applied retroactively. In addition, there have been constant changes and amendments of laws and regulations over the past 30 years in order to keep up with the rapidly changing society and economy in China. Because government agencies and courts provide interpretations of laws and regulations and decide contractual disputes and issues, their inexperience in adjudicating new business and new polices or regulations in certain less developed areas causes uncertainty and may affect our business. Consequently, we cannot clearly foresee the future direction of Chinese legislative activities with respect to either businesses with foreign investment or the effectiveness on enforcement of laws and regulations in China. The uncertainties, including new laws and regulations and changes of existing laws, as well as judicial interpretation by inexperienced officials in the agencies and courts in certain areas, may cause possible problems to foreign investors.

The Second Session of the Thirteen National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China voted to adopt the Foreign Investment Law of the People’s Republic of China (“the Foreign Investment Law”) on March 15, 2019, which came into effect on January 1, 2020. The current three major foreign investment laws (the Sino-Foreign Equity Joint Venture Law, Sino-Foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Law and Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise Law) were replaced by the Foreign Investment Law on January 1, 2020.

The Foreign Investment Law expressly stipulated that “the State protects foreign investors’ investment, earnings and other legitimate rights and interests within the territory of China pursuant to the present Law;” “foreign investors may, according to the present Law, freely remit into or out of China, in Renminbi or any other foreign currency, their contributions, profits, capital gains, income from asset proposal, intellectual property royalties, lawfully acquired compensation, indemnity or liquidation income and so on within the territory of China;” “Foreign investors shall not invest in any field with investment prohibited by the negative list for foreign investment access. Foreign investors shall meet the investment conditions stipulated under the negative list for any field with investment restricted by the negative list for foreign investment access;” “In formulating normative documents concerning foreign investment, the people’s governments at all levels and their departments concerned shall comply with laws and regulations, and if there are no laws or administrative regulations to serve as the basis, they shall not impair foreign-invested enterprises’ legitimate rights and interests or increase their obligations, set any market access and exit conditions, or intervene the normal production and operation activities of any foreign-invested enterprise.”

It is unclear how the Foreign Investment Law will be implemented in practice by the PRC government authorities. Comparing with the Draft Foreign Investment Law of the People’s Republic of China published in 2015, the Foreign Investment Law does not include the following expression of ‘control or acquire equities of an enterprise within the territory of China through contractual arrangements, including but not limited to contracts and trust agreements.’ Whether the offshore companies controlled by the PRC investors through variable interest entities structure will be deemed a foreign investment remains to be seen.

Fluctuations in the foreign currency exchange rate between U.S. Dollars and Renminbi could adversely affect our financial condition.

The value of the RMB against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate. Exchange rates are affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions and the foreign exchange policy adopted by the PRC government. On July 21, 2005, the PRC government changed our policy of pegging the value of the RMB to the U.S. dollar. Under the new policy, the RMB is permitted to fluctuate within a narrow and managed band against a basket of foreign currencies. Following the removal of the U.S. dollar peg, the RMB appreciated more than 20% against the U.S. dollar over three years. From July 2008 until June 2010, however, the RMB traded stably within a narrow range against the U.S. dollar. There remains significant international pressure on the PRC government to adopt a more flexible currency policy, which could result in a further and more significant appreciation of the RMB against foreign currencies. On June 20, 2010, the PBOC announced that the PRC government would reform the RMB exchange rate regime and increase the flexibility of the exchange rate. On August 11, 2015, the PBOC led central parity quoting banks to further improve the formation mechanism of the RMB against the US dollar, indicating that the central parity quoting price shall be decided with reference to the closing price on the previous trading day. On December 11, 2015, the China Foreign Exchange Trade System launched the RMB exchange-rate index, which strengthened the reference to a currency basket to better maintain the stability of the RMB exchange rate against the currencies in the basket. As a result, the CNY/USD central parity formation mechanism of “closing rate + exchange-rate movements of a basket of currencies” was developed. In June 2016, the Foreign Exchange Self-Disciplinary Mechanism was established, allowing financial institutions to play a more important role in maintaining orderly operations in the foreign-exchange market and in an environment for fair competition. In February 2017, the Foreign Exchange Self-Disciplinary Mechanism adjusted the reference period for the central parity against the currency basket from 24 hours ahead of submitting the quotes to 15 hours between the closing on the previous trading day and the submission of the quotes, which avoided repeated references to the daily movements of the USD exchange rate in the central parity of the following day. In general, the RMB exchange-rate central parity formation mechanism has been improving, which has effectively improved the rule-based, transparent, and market-oriented nature of RMB exchange-rate policies and has played an active role in stabilizing exchange-rate expectations. The flexibility of the RMB exchange rate against the US dollar was further strengthened, exhibiting larger two-way fluctuations. We cannot predict how this new policy and mechanism will impact the RMB exchange rate.

Our revenues and costs are mostly denominated in the RMB, and a significant portion of our financial assets are also denominated in the RMB. Any significant fluctuations in the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar may materially adversely affect our cash flows, revenues, earnings and financial position, and the amount of and any dividends, if any, it may pay on our ordinary shares in U.S. dollars. In addition, any fluctuations in the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar could result in foreign currency conversion losses for financial reporting purposes.

It may be difficult to protect interests and exercise rights as a shareholder since we conduct all of our operations in China, and all of our officers and our Chairman reside outside of the United States.

The Company was incorporated in the Cayman Islands and it conducts all of our operations in China through Horgos, Xing Cui Can and their subsidiaries, our consolidated VIEs in China. In addition, all of our officers and our chairman reside outside of the United States and substantially all of the assets of those persons are located outside of the United States. As a result of all of the above, shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests through actions against our management, or major shareholders than would shareholders of a corporation doing business entirely or predominantly within the United States.

Future inflation in China may inhibit economic activity and adversely affect our operations.

The Chinese economy has experienced periods of rapid expansion in recent years, which can lead to high rates of inflation or deflation. This has caused the PRC government to, from time to time, enact various corrective measures designed to restrict the availability of credit or regulate growth and contain inflation. High inflation may in the future cause the PRC government to once again impose controls on credit and/or prices, or to take other action, which could inhibit economic activity in China. Any action on the part of the PRC government that seeks to control credit and/or prices may materially adversely affect our business operations.

PRC regulation of loans to, and direct investments in, PRC entities by offshore holding companies may delay or prevent us from using proceeds from future financing activities to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC operating subsidiaries.

As an offshore holding company with PRC subsidiaries, we may transfer funds to our PRC subsidiaries or finance our operating entity by means of shareholder loans or capital contributions. Any loans to our PRC subsidiaries, which are foreign-invested enterprises, shall be limited to within the margin between the total investment and registered capital approved by the examination and approval authorities. Within the scope of the aforementioned margin, foreign-invested enterprises may voluntarily contract foreign debts. Where the margin is exceeded, the original examination and approval authorities shall re-conduct appraisal and determination of total investment. Such loan shall be registered with SAFE, or their local counterparts. Furthermore, any capital increase contributions we make to our PRC subsidiaries, which are foreign-invested enterprises, shall be subject to record-filing via the Comprehensive Management System of MOFCOM. We may not be able to obtain these government registrations or approvals on a timely basis, if at all. If we fail to receive such registrations or approvals, our ability to provide loans or capital increase contributions to our PRC subsidiaries may be negatively affected, which could adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

In addition, SAFE promulgated a Notice on Further Improving and Adjusting the Foreign Exchange Administration Policies on Direct Investments on November 19, 2012, or Circular 59 (《国家外汇管理局关于进一步改进和调整直接投资外汇管理政策的通知》(汇发[2012]59号)), which became effective on December 17, 2012, and was further amended on May 4, 2015 and October 10, 2018, respectively, requires the authenticity of settlement of net proceeds from offshore offerings to be closely examined and the net proceeds to be settled in the manner described in the offering documents. Furthermore, SAFE promulgated a Notice on Reforming the Administrative Approach Regarding the Settlement of the Foreign Exchange Capitals of Foreign-invested Enterprises, or Circular 19 (《国家外汇管理局关于改革外商投资企业外汇资本金结汇管理方式的通知》(汇发[2015]19号)), promulgated on March 30, 2015, and took effect from June 1, 2015, pursuant to which the foreign-invested enterprises shall be allowed to settle their foreign exchange capitals on a discretionary basis, the RMB funds obtained by foreign-invested enterprises from the discretionary settlement of their foreign exchange capitals shall be managed under the accounts for foreign exchange settlement pending payment, and a foreign-invested enterprise shall truthfully use their capital for their own operational purposes within the scope of business and it shall not, unless otherwise prescribed by laws and regulations, use the foregoing funds for investment in securities etc. Besides, SAFE further promulgated a Notice on Reforming and Standardizing the Administrative Provisions on Capital Account Foreign Exchange Settlement, or Circular 16 (《国家外汇管理局关于改革和规范资本项目结汇管理政策的通知》(汇发〔2016〕16号)), on June 9, 2016, according to which a domestic institution shall use foreign exchange earnings under capital account within the company’s business scope and in a truthful manner for proprietary purposes and a bank shall not process foreign exchange settlement or payment formalities for a domestic institution that applies for the payment and settlement of all of their foreign exchange earnings under capital account in one lump-sum or the payment of all RMB funds in their Account for Foreign Exchange Settlement Pending Payment, if the domestic institution is unable to provide relevant materials in proof of transaction authenticity.

On October 23, 2019, the SAFE released the Circular on Further Promoting Cross-border Trade and Investment Facilitation (《国家外汇管理局关于进一步促进跨境贸易投资便利化的通知》(汇发〔2019〕28号)), or Circular 28, according to which a non-investment foreign-invested enterprise is permitted to make domestic equity investments with its capital funds provided that such investments do not violate the Negative List and the target investments are genuine and in compliance with laws. On April 10, 2020, the SAFE promulgated the Circular on Optimizing Administration of Foreign Exchange to Support the Development of Foreign-related Business (《关于优化外汇管理支持涉外业务发展的通知》(汇发〔2020〕8号)), or Circular 8, under which eligible enterprises are allowed to make domestic payments by using their capital funds, foreign loans and the income under capital accounts of overseas listing, without providing the evidentiary materials concerning authenticity of each expenditure in advance, provided that their capital use shall be authentic, and conform to the prevailing administrative regulations on the use of income under capital accounts. Considering that Circular 28 and Circular 8 are often principle-oriented and subject to the detailed interpretations by the enforcement bodies to further apply and enforce such laws and regulations in practice, it is unclear how they will be implemented, and there can be high uncertainties with respect to its interpretation and implementation by government authorities and banks.

The disclosures about us in reports and other filings with the SEC and our other public pronouncements are not subject to the scrutiny of any regulatory bodies in the PRC.

Information about us in SEC filings and other disclosure and public pronouncements are not subject to the review or scrutiny of any PRC regulatory authority. For example, the disclosure by us in SEC reports and other filings are not subject to the review by CSRC, a PRC regulator that is tasked with oversight of the capital markets in China. Accordingly, you should review information about us in SEC reports, filings and our other public pronouncements with the understanding that no local regulator has done any review of information about us in SEC reports, other filings or any of our other public pronouncements.

We did not seek approval of the CSRC for the Business Combination which may be required; the failure to obtain this approval, if required, could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and reputation.

On August 8, 2006, six PRC regulatory agencies, including the MOFCOM, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the State Administration for Taxation, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the CSRC and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, jointly adopted the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, which became effective on September 8, 2006, and were amended on June 22, 2009 (《关于外国投资者并购境内企业的规定(2009修订)》). The M&A Rules, among other things, include provisions that purport to require an offshore special purpose vehicle incorporated for the purpose of acquiring PRC domestic companies and controlled by PRC individuals to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. On September 21, 2006, the CSRC published on their official website procedures regarding approval of overseas listings by special purpose vehicles. The CSRC approval procedures require the filing of an application and supporting documents with the CSRC.

Based on the advice of our PRC legal advisor at the time, we believe that no specific CSRC approval was required in the context of Business Combination because (i) the CSRC has not issued any definitive rules or interpretations concerning whether the Business Combination is subject to the CSRC approval procedures under the M&A Rules; (ii) WFOE was established by us as a wholly foreign-owned enterprise, and we have not acquired any equity interest or assets of a PRC domestic company owned by PRC companies or individuals as defined under the M&A Rules that are our beneficial owners after the effective date of the M&A Rules, (iii) no provision in the M&A Rules clearly classifies the contractual arrangements among Horgos and Xing Cui Can, our VIEs and their shareholders as a type of acquisition transaction subject to the M&A Rules, and (iv) the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether the Business Combination falls under the M&A Rules. There can be no assurance that the relevant PRC government agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as our PRC counsel, and hence we may face regulatory actions or other sanctions from the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies. In that case, the relevant regulatory agencies may impose fines and penalties on our operations in the PRC, limit our operating privileges in the PRC, or take other actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects.

The M&A Rules set forth complex procedures for acquisitions conducted by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult to pursue growth through acquisitions.

The M&A Rules established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex, including requirements in some instances that the MOFCOM be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise. In the future, we may grow our business in part by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of this regulation to complete such transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the MOFCOM, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions. Any delay or inability to obtain applicable approvals to complete acquisitions could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share. In addition, in the future, if any of our acquisitions were subject to the M&A Rules and were found not to be in compliance with the requirements of the M&A Rules, relevant PRC regulatory agencies may impose fines and penalties on our operations in the PRC, limit our operating privileges in the PRC, or take other actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects.

PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents and PRC citizens may increase the administrative burden we face and may subject our PRC resident beneficial owners or employees who are share option holders to personal liabilities, limit our subsidiary’s abilities to increase our registered capital or distribute profits to us, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiary, or may otherwise expose us to liability under PRC law.

SAFE has promulgated regulations that require PRC residents and PRC corporate entities to register with local branches of SAFE in connection with their direct or indirect offshore investment activities. These regulations may apply to our shareholders who are PRC residents and may apply to any offshore acquisitions that it make in the future. In accordance with the Circular on Relevant Issues Relating to Domestic Resident’s Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37 (《国家外汇管理局关于境内居民通过特殊目的公司境外投融资及返程投资外汇管理有关问题的通知》(汇发[2014]37号) ), any PRC resident who is a direct or indirect shareholder of an offshore company is required to update his or her registration with the relevant SAFE branches, with respect to that offshore company, any material change involving an increase or decrease of capital, transfer or swap of shares, merger, division or other material event. SAFE promulgated the Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving the Administration of the Foreign Exchange Concerning Direct Investment in February 2015, which took effect on June 1, 2015. This notice has amended SAFE Circular 37 requiring PRC residents or entities to register with qualified banks rather than SAFE or their local branch in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or financing.

There is uncertainty concerning under what circumstances residents of other countries and regions can be classified as a PRC resident. The PRC government authorities may interpret our beneficial owners’ status differently or their status may change in the future. Moreover, we may not be fully informed of the identities of our beneficial owners and we cannot assure you that all of our PRC resident beneficial owners will comply with SAFE regulations. The failure of our beneficial owners who are PRC residents to make any required registrations may subject us to fines and legal sanctions, and prevent us from being able to make distributions or pay dividends, as a result of which our business operations and our ability to distribute profits to you could be materially adversely affected.

Restrictions on foreign exchange under PRC laws may limit our ability to convert cash derived from our operating activities into foreign currencies and may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment.

Substantially all of our revenues and operating expenses are denominated in Renminbi. Under the relevant foreign exchange regulations in the PRC, conversion of the Renminbi is permitted, without the need for SAFE approval, for “current account” transactions, which includes dividends, trade, and service-related foreign exchange transactions, subject to procedural requirements including presenting relevant documentary evidence of such transactions and conducting such transactions at designated foreign exchange banks within China who have the licenses to carry out foreign exchange business. Under our current structure, our source of funds primarily consists of dividend payments from our subsidiary in the PRC. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet all of our foreign currency obligations or to remit profits out of China. If future changes in relevant regulations were to place restrictions on the ability of our subsidiaries to remit dividend payments, our liquidity and ability to satisfy our third-party payment obligations and our ability to distribute dividends could be materially adversely affected.

We may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our wholly-owned subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, and any limitation on the ability of our subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.

The Company is a holding company, and it may rely on dividends from our wholly-owned subsidiaries and service, license and other fees paid to our wholly-owned subsidiary in China by Horgos and Xing Cui Can for our cash requirements, including any debt it may incur. Current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, our PRC subsidiaries, Xing Cui Can and Horgos, are required to set aside at least 10% of their after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of their registered capital, and each of our subsidiaries is required to further set aside a portion of our after-tax profits to fund the employee welfare fund at the discretion of our board of directors. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. Furthermore, if our PRC subsidiaries, Xing Cui Can and Horgos, incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other payments to us. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may require us to adjust our taxable income under the contractual arrangements we currently have in place in a manner that would materially and adversely affect our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends and other distributions to us. Any limitation on the ability of our subsidiaries to distribute dividends to us or on the ability of Horgos and Xing Cui Can to make payments to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

We may be treated as a resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes under the EIT Law, which may subject us to PRC income tax for our global income and withholding for any dividends it pay to our non-PRC shareholders.

Under the Enterprise Income Tax Law (“EIT Law”), enterprises established outside of China whose “de facto management bodies” are located in China are considered “resident enterprises,” and will generally be subject to the uniform 25% enterprise income tax rate for their global income. Although the term “de facto management bodies” is defined as “management bodies which have substantial and overall management and control power on the operation, human resources, accounting and assets of the enterprise,” the circumstances under which an enterprise’s “de facto management body” would be considered to be located in China are currently unclear. A circular issued by the State Administration of Taxation (《国家税务总局关于境外注册中资控股企业依据实际管理机构标准认定为居民企业有关问题的通知》) on April 22, 2009, provides that a foreign enterprise controlled by a PRC company or a PRC company group will be classified as a “resident enterprise” with “de facto management bodies” located within China if the following requirements are satisfied: (1) the senior management and core management departments in charge of daily operations function mainly in the PRC; (2) financial and human resources decisions are subject to determination or approval by persons or bodies in the PRC; (3) major assets, accounting books, company seals, and minutes and files of board and shareholders’ meetings are located or kept in the PRC; and (4) at least half of the enterprise’s directors or senior management with voting rights reside in the PRC. In addition, the State Administration of Taxation recently promulgated the Interim Provisions on Administration of Income Tax of Chinese-Controlled Resident Enterprise Registered Overseas (《境外注册中资控股居民企业所得税管理办法(试行 )》), effective from September 1, 2011, which clarified certain matters concerning the determination of resident status, administrative matters following this determination, and competent tax authorities. These interim provisions also specify that, when an enterprise that is both Chinese-controlled and incorporated outside of mainland China, receives PRC-sourced incomes such as dividends and interests, no PRC withholding tax is applicable if such enterprise has obtained a certificate evidencing its status as a PRC resident enterprise that is registered overseas and controlled by Chinese.

Most members of our management team are based in China and are expected to remain in China. Although our offshore holding companies are not controlled by any PRC company or company group, we cannot assure you that it will not be deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the EIT Law and our implementation rules. If we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise, we will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on our global income. In that case, however, dividend income that we receive from our PRC subsidiaries may be exempt from PRC enterprise income tax because the EIT Law and our implementation rules generally provide that dividends received by a PRC resident enterprise from our directly invested entity that is also a PRC resident enterprise is exempt from enterprise income tax. Accordingly, if we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise and earn income other than dividends from our PRC subsidiaries, a 25% enterprise income tax on our global income could significantly increase our tax burden and materially and adversely affect our cash flow and profitability. In addition, the EIT Law and implementation rules are relatively new and ambiguities exist with respect to the interpretation of the provisions relating to identification of PRC-sourced income. If we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise, dividends distributed to our non-PRC entity investors by us, or the gain our non-PRC entity investors may realize from the transfer of our ordinary shares, may be treated as PRC-sourced income and therefore be subject to a 10% PRC withholding tax pursuant to the EIT Law and, as a result, the value of your investment may be materially and adversely affected.

We may have exposure to greater than anticipated tax liabilities.

Under PRC laws and regulations, arrangements and transactions among business entities may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax authorities. The tax laws applicable to our business activities are subject to interpretation. We could face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that some of our business activities are not based on arm’s-length prices and adjust our taxable income accordingly. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment fees and other penalties to us for under-paid taxes. Our consolidated net profits in the future may be materially and adversely affected if we are subject to greater than anticipated tax liabilities.

The PRC legal system has inherent uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations which could limit the legal protections available to investors.

Substantially all of our operations are conducted in the PRC. The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes, and prior court decisions can only be cited as reference and have almost no precedential value. Since 1979, the PRC government has been developing a comprehensive system of laws, rules and regulations in relation to economic matters, such as foreign investment, corporate organization and governance, commerce, taxation and trade. However, because of the limited volume of published cases and their non-binding nature, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws, rules and regulations involve some degree of uncertainty, which may lead to additional restrictions and uncertainty for our business and uncertainty with respect to the outcome of any legal action investors may take against us in the PRC. In addition, we cannot predict the effect of future developments in the PRC legal system, including the promulgation of new laws, changes to existing laws or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, or the pre-emption of local regulations by national laws. Any changes to such laws and regulations may materially increase our costs and regulatory exposure in complying with them.

If we become directly subject to the recent scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity involving U.S.-listed Chinese companies, it may have to expend significant resources to investigate and resolve any related issues, which could materially adversely impact our business operations and reputation.

Certain U.S. public companies that have substantially all of their operations in China have been the subject of intense scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity by investors, financial commentators and regulatory agencies, such as the SEC. Much of the scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity has been centered around financial and accounting irregularities and mistakes, a lack of effective internal controls over financial accounting, inadequate corporate governance policies or a lack of adherence thereto and, in many cases, allegations of fraud. As a result of the scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity, the publicly traded stock of certain U.S.-listed Chinese companies has sharply decreased in value. Certain companies are now subject to shareholder lawsuit and SEC enforcement actions and are conducting internal and external investigations into the allegations. It is not clear what effect this scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity may have on our business. If we become the subject of any unfavorable allegations, whether such allegations are proven to be true or untrue, it will have to expend significant resources to investigate such allegations and/or defend. This situation will be costly and time consuming and distract our management from growing our business. Such allegations may materially adversely impact our business operations and reputation.

The risk of discontinuation of our Preferential Tax Treatments.

Currently, Horgos, Horgos Glary Wisdom Marketing Planning Co., Ltd., Horgos Glary Prosperity Culture Co., Ltd., are eligible to be exempted from income tax from 2017 to 2020, and will be eligible for certain tax rebates from local taxing authorities from 2021 to 2025. Glory Star (Horgos) Media Technology Co., Ltd. is eligible to be exempted from income tax from 2020 to 2024, and will be eligible for certain tax rebates from local taxing authorities from 2025 to 2029, If such preferential tax is no longer available to us, the income tax rate may increase up to 25%, which could have an adverse effect on financial condition and results of operations.

As a result of the Business Combination, we will face uncertainty with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their non-PRC holding companies.

On February 3, 2015, the SAT issued the Circular on Issues of Enterprise Income Tax on Indirect Transfers of Assets by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises, or Circular 7. Pursuant to Circular 7, an “indirect transfer” of assets, including equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise, by non-PRC resident enterprises, may be re-characterized and treated as a direct transfer of PRC taxable assets, if such arrangement does not have a reasonable commercial purpose and is established for the purpose of avoiding payment of PRC enterprise income tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax. When determining whether there is a “reasonable commercial purpose” of the transaction arrangement, considerations include, inter alia, (i) whether the main value of the equity interest of the relevant offshore enterprise derives directly or indirectly from PRC taxable assets; (ii) whether the assets of the relevant offshore enterprise mainly consist of direct or indirect investment in China or if income is mainly derived from China; and (iii) whether the offshore enterprise and subsidiaries directly or indirectly holding PRC taxable assets have real commercial nature evidenced by their actual function and risk exposure. According to Circular 7, where the payer fails to withhold any or sufficient tax, the transferor shall declare and pay such tax to the tax authority by itself within the statutory time limit. Late payment of applicable tax will subject the transferor to default interest. Circular 7 does not apply to transactions of sales of shares by investors through a public stock exchange where such shares were acquired on a public stock exchange. On October 17, 2017, the SAT issued the Circular on Issues of Tax Withholding regarding Non-PRC Resident Enterprise Income Tax, or Circular 37, which further elaborates the relevant implemental rules regarding the calculation, reporting and payment obligations of the withholding tax by the non-resident enterprises. Nonetheless, there remain uncertainties as to the interpretation and application of Circular 7. Circular 7 may be determined by the tax authorities to be applicable to our offshore transactions or sales of our shares or those of our offshore subsidiaries where non-resident enterprises, being the transferors, were involved.

Accordingly, as a result of the Business Combination, if a holder of our ordinary shares purchases our ordinary shares in the open market and sells them in a private transaction, or purchases our ordinary shares in a private transaction and sells them in the open market, and fails to comply with the SAT Circular 7, the PRC tax authorities may take actions, including requesting us to provide assistance for their investigation or impose a penalty on us, which could have a negative impact on our business operations. In addition, since we may pursue acquisitions as one of our growth strategies, and may conduct acquisitions involving complex corporate structures, the PRC tax authorities might impose taxes on capital gains or request that we submit certain additional documentation for their review in connection with any potential acquisitions, which may incur additional acquisition costs, or delay our acquisition timetable.

The PRC tax authorities have discretion under Circular 7 to make adjustments to the taxable capital gains based on the difference between the fair value of the equity interests transferred and the cost of investment. We may pursue acquisitions in the future that involve complex corporate structures. If we are considered a non-resident enterprise under the EIT Law and if the PRC tax authorities make adjustments to the taxable income of these transactions under Circular 7, our income tax expenses associated with such potential acquisitions will be increased, which may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

New legislation or changes in the PRC labor laws or regulations may affect our business operations.

Relevant PRC labor laws or regulations could be amended or updated from time to time, and new laws or regulations may be enacted. We may be required to change our business practices in order to comply with the new or revised labor laws and regulations or adapt to policy changes. There can be no assurance that we will be able to change our business practices in a timely or efficient manner pursuant to such new requirements. Any such failure may subject us to administrative fines or penalties or other adverse consequences which could materially and adversely affect our brand name, reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our net revenues effectively and affect the value of your investment.

The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the Renminbi (RMB) into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, on the remittance of currency out of China. We receive all of our revenues in Renminbi. Under our current corporate structure, we will primarily rely on dividend payments from the WFOE to fund any cash and financing requirements that we may have, or for the possible payment of dividends. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval of SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. Specifically, under the existing exchange restrictions, without prior approval of SAFE, cash generated from the operations of the WFOE may be used to pay dividends to us. However, approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. As a result, we need to obtain SAFE approval to use cash generated from the operations of the WFOE and VIE to pay off their respective debt in a currency other than Renminbi owed to entities outside China, if any, or to make other capital expenditure payments outside China in a currency other than Renminbi. The PRC government may at their discretion restrict access to foreign currencies for current account transactions in the future. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demands, the value of your investment may be affected.

The trading prices of our ordinary shares are likely to be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to our shareholders and investors.

The trading prices of our ordinary shares are likely to be volatile and could fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. This may happen because of broad market and industry factors, like the performance and fluctuation in the market prices or the underperformance or deteriorating financial results of other similarly situated companies that have listed their securities in the U.S. in recent years. The securities of some of these companies have experienced significant volatility since their initial public offerings, including, in some cases, substantial price declines in the trading prices of their securities. The trading performances of these companies’ securities after their offerings may affect the attitudes of investors toward such companies listed in the United States, which consequently may affect the trading performance of our ordinary shares, regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition, securities markets may from time to time experience significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to our operating performance, such as the large decline in share prices in the United States and other jurisdictions.

In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for our ordinary shares may be highly volatile for factors specific to our own operations including the following:

Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the trading volume and the price at which our ordinary shares will trade. In the past, shareholders of a public company often brought securities class action suits against the listed company following periods of instability in the market price of that company’s securities. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our management’s attention and other resources from our business and operations, which could harm our results of operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the market price for our ordinary shares and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our ordinary shares will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our industry. If research analysts do not establish and maintain adequate research coverage or if the analysts who cover us downgrade our ordinary shares or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our industry, the market price for our ordinary shares might decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the market price or trading volume for our ordinary shares to decline.

While the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) currently has access to inspect the auditor’s work papers and practices of Glory Star Group, new laws or restrictions imposed by the Chinese government may limit or restrict the PCAOB inspection which would deprive you of the benefit of such inspection.

Our independent registered public accounting firm, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the U.S. and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is required by the laws of the U.S. to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess our compliance with the laws of the U.S. and the relevant professional standards. The PCAOB currently has access to inspect the working papers of our auditors, however, new laws or restrictions may be imposed in China that may place new restrictions on PCAOB access to auditor’s work papers for Chinese companies. If new restrictions by the Chinese government limits or restricts the ability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors who perform audits in China and/or for Chinese companies, it would make it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our auditors’ audit procedures or quality control procedures. Investors may lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures and the quality of our financial statements if the PCAOB access to our auditors is limited or restricted.

Risks Relating to our Ordinary Shares

Future sales or other dilution of our equity could depress the market price of our ordinary shares.

On February 24, 2021, we completed a underwritten public offering of an aggregate of 3,810,976 ordinary shares of the Company, together with warrants to purchase 3,810,976 ordinary shares of the Company, at a public offering price of $3.28 per share and associated warrant (“Public Offering”). In addition, we granted the underwriters a 45-day option (the “Over-Allotment Option”) to purchase up to an additional 571,646 ordinary shares and warrants to purchase up to 571,646 ordinary shares at the Public Offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. On March 25, 2021, and in connection with the Public Offering, the underwriters fully exercised and closed on their over-allotment option to purchase an additional 571,646 ordinary shares, together with warrants to purchase up to 571,646 ordinary shares, at the Public Offering price. Future sales of our ordinary shares, preferred shares, warrants, debt securities, units consisting of ordinary shares, preferred shares, warrants, or debt securities, or any combination of the foregoing securities in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could negatively impact the price of our ordinary shares. We have a number of shareholders that own significant blocks of our ordinary shares. If one or more of these shareholders were to sell large portions of their holdings in a relatively short time, for liquidity or other reasons, the prevailing market price of our ordinary shares could be negatively affected.

In addition, the issuance of additional shares of our ordinary shares, securities convertible into or exercisable for our ordinary shares, other equity-linked securities, including warrants or any combination of the securities pursuant to the shelf registration statement will dilute the ownership interest of our shareholders and could depress the market price of our ordinary shares and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities.

We may need to seek additional capital. If this additional financing is obtained through the issuance of equity securities, debt convertible into equity or options or warrants to acquire equity securities, our existing shareholders could experience significant dilution upon the issuance, conversion or exercise of such securities.

Certain shareholders have piggy back and demand registration rights with respect to their ordinary shares which we have not yet complied with. Sales of a number of ordinary shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our ordinary shares and the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to raise capital in the future.

Some of our initial shareholders are entitled to piggy back registration rights and/or demand registration rights that we register the sale of their insider shares at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which their shares may be released from escrow. Additionally, the purchasers of the private warrants and certain of our shareholders, officers and directors are entitled to piggy back registration rights and/or demand registration rights that we register the sale of the shares underlying the private warrants and private warrants and any securities such shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us or issued in connection with the Business Combination. Under these registration rights agreements, we are obligated to file a registration statement to registered with the SEC approximately 52.2 million ordinary shares owned by certain insiders and others as expeditiously as possible. In connection with our filing of a shelf registration statement that was declared effective on September 14, 2020, we did not register the ordinary shares held by shareholders with piggy back and/or demand registration rights. Further, on December 29, 2020, one of the investors demanded the registration of their ordinary shares. Pursuant to the registration rights agreements, we have given notice to the other investors and owners of our intent to file a registration statement and whether or not they wish to have their ordinary shares also registered with the SEC. In connection with the Public Offering, we have agreed not to file such demand registration statement with the SEC prior to April 30, 2021.

No assurance can be given that we will not be exposed to potential damages because we have not yet file the registration statement pursuant to the registration rights. Further, the registration of a significant number of ordinary shares and the ability of the holders thereof to sell their ordinary shares could have the effect of depressing our ordinary share price.

The sales of a significant number of our ordinary shares in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could depress the market price of our ordinary shares.

The sales of a substantial number of our ordinary shares in the public market could depress the market price of our ordinary shares and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We have registered with the SEC $130 million of our securities pursuant to a shelf registration statement in which we may issue from time to time, depending on market conditions. The issuance of such securities may depress the market price of our ordinary shares and we cannot predict the effect that future sales of our ordinary shares would have on the market price of our ordinary shares.

You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited, because the Company is incorporated under Cayman Islands Companies Act.

We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or executive officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.

Our corporate affairs are governed by our Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Cayman Islands Companies Act and the ordinary law of the Cayman Islands. We will also be subject to the federal securities laws of the United States. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the ordinary law of the Cayman Islands. The ordinary law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English ordinary law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a Federal court of the United States.

We have been advised by Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.

As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.

If we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of internal control to remediate our material weakness over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our results of operations, meet our reporting obligations or prevent fraud.

Prior to our Business Combination with TKK, Glory Star was a private company with limited accounting personnel and other resources with which to address our internal control over financial reporting. Glory Star’s management has not completed an assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting, and its independent registered public accounting firm has not conducted an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Following the Business Combination and in the course of auditing our combined and consolidated financial statements included in this annual report, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, which relate to a lack of sufficient financial reporting and accounting personnel with appropriate knowledge of the generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) and SEC reporting requirements to properly address complex U.S. GAAP accounting issues and to prepare and review our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures to fulfill U.S. GAAP and SEC financial reporting requirements. Subsequent to the filing of our Original Annual Report on Form 20-F on March 29, 2021, management identified an error in the accounting for private warrants issued in connection with the initial public offering of TKK and recorded to the Company’s consolidated financial statements as a result of the Company’s merger with TKK and the reverse recapitalization that occurred on February 14, 2020. Such error is considered as connected with the above material weakness related to our lack of sufficient financial reporting and accounting personnel with appropriate knowledge of the U.S. GAAP to properly address complex U.S. GAAP accounting issues and to prepare and review our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures to fulfill U.S. GAAP and SEC financial reporting requirements. Following the identification of the material weakness, we have taken measures, and plan to continue to take measures, to remediate these control deficiencies. See “Item 15. Controls and Procedures — Changes to Internal Control Over Financial Reporting”. However, the implementation of these measures may not fully address these deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting, and we cannot conclude that they have been fully remediated. Our failure to correct these control deficiencies or our failure to discover and address any other control deficiencies could result in inaccuracies in our financial statements and impair our ability to comply with applicable financial reporting requirements and related regulatory filings on a timely basis. Moreover, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could significantly hinder our ability to prevent fraud.

As a public company, we are subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, requires that we include a report from management on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 20-F. In addition, once we cease to be an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our management may conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective. Moreover, even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm, after conducting its own independent testing, may issue a report that is qualified if it is not satisfied with our internal control or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us. In addition, our reporting obligations may place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future. We may be unable to timely complete our evaluation testing and any required remediation.

During the course of documenting and testing our internal control procedures, in order to satisfy the requirements of Section 404, we may identify other weaknesses and deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, if we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, as these standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404. If we fail to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment, we could suffer material misstatements in our financial statements and fail to meet our reporting obligations, which would likely cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. This could in turn limit our access to capital markets, harm our results of operations, and lead to a decline in the trading price of our ordinary shares. Additionally, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could expose us to increased risk of fraud or misuse of corporate assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we list, regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions. We may also be required to restate our financial statements for prior periods.

We are committed to remediating its material weakness as promptly as possible. However, there can be no assurance as to when this material weakness will be remediated or that additional material weaknesses will not arise in the future. If we are unable to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, our ability to record, process and report financial information timely and accurately could be adversely affected, which could subject us to litigation or investigations, require management resources, increase our expenses, negatively affect investor confidence in our financial statements and adversely impact our stock price.

Certain judgments obtained against the Company by our shareholders may not be enforceable.

The Company is a Cayman Islands exempted company and all of our assets are located outside of the United States. Substantially all of our current operations are conducted in the PRC. In addition, all of the Company’s directors and officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States. A substantial portion of the assets of these persons are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against the Company or against these individuals in the United States in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the United States federal securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of the PRC may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers.

Nasdaq could delist our ordinary shares, which could limit investors’ ability to transact in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.

Our securities are listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market, a national securities exchange. We cannot assure you that we will be able to remain in compliance with The Nasdaq listing requirements. If The Nasdaq Capital Market delists our securities, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

If our ordinary shares become subject to the SEC’s penny stock rules, broker-dealers may experience difficulty in completing customer transactions, and trading activity in our securities may be adversely affected.

If at any time we have net tangible assets of $5,000,001 or less and our ordinary shares have a market price per share of less than $5.00, transactions in our ordinary shares may be subject to the “penny stock” rules promulgated under the Exchange Act. Under these rules, broker-dealers who recommend such securities to persons other than institutional accredited investors must:

If our ordinary shares become subject to these rules, broker-dealers may find it difficult to effectuate customer transactions and trading activity in our securities may be adversely affected. As a result, the market price of our securities may be depressed, and you may find it more difficult to sell our securities.

We are an “emerging growth company” and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our securities less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. We will remain an “emerging growth company” for up to five years. However, if our non-convertible debt issued within a three-year period exceeds $1.0 billion or revenues exceed $1.07 billion, or the market value of our ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million on the last day of the second fiscal quarter of any given fiscal year, we would cease to be an emerging growth company as of the following fiscal year. As an emerging growth company, we are not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we have reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and we are exempt from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. Additionally, as an emerging growth company, we have elected to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until those standards apply to private companies. As such, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates. We cannot predict if investors will find our shares less attractive because we may rely on these provisions. If some investors find our shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our shares and our share price may be more volatile.

Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, will not adopt the new or revised standard until the time private companies are required to adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accountant standards used.

We were a “shell company” and are subject to additional restrictions under Rule 144 on resales of our restricted securities.

The following is a quotation from subparagraph (i)(B)(2) of Rule 144: “Notwithstanding paragraph (i)(1), if the issuer of the securities previously had been an issuer described in paragraph (i)(1)(i) but has ceased to be an issuer described in paragraph (i)(1)(i); is subject to the reporting requirements of section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; has filed all reports and other materials required to be filed by section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the issue was required to file such reports and materials), other than Form 8-K reports (§249.308 of this chapter); and has filed current “Form 10 information” with the Commission reflecting its status as an entity that is no longer an issuer described in paragraph (i)(1)(i), then those securities may be sold subject to the requirements of this section after one year has elapsed from the date that the issuer filed “Form 10 information” with the Commission.” As a “shell company” immediately prior to the Business Combination, we will be subject to additional restrictions under Rule 144 which provides that no sales of our restricted securities could be sold until we have complied with subparagraph (i)(B)(2) of Rule 144.

Item 5. OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS

Explanatory Note

For the purpose this Item 5 Operating and Financial Review and Prospects, we have omitted the discussion of historical information for the year ended December 31, 2018 as our predecessor TKK was a blank check company prior to the Business Combination and the Business Combination was completed on February 14, 2020. The Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations for Glory Star can be found in our Current Report on Form 8-K/A (Amendment No. 2) filed with the SEC on March 31, 2020 and the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations for TKK can be found in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 31, 2020.

This Operation and Financial Review has been amended and restated to give effect to the restatement of our previously issued consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2020 as more fully described in the Explanatory Note and in Note 1 – Restatement of Consolidated Financial Statements in our accompanying consolidated financial statements.

Overview

Prior to the Business Combination, TKK was a blank check company incorporated on February 5, 2018 as a Cayman Islands exempted company and incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses.

On February 14, 2020, our predecessor, TKK, consummated a Business Combination contemplated by the Share Exchange Agreement dated as of September 6, 2019, as amended (“Share Exchange Agreement”), by and among TKK, Glory Star New Media Group Limited, a Cayman Islands exempted company (“Glory Star”), Glory Star New Media (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd., a wholly foreign-owned enterprise limited liability company (“WFOE”) incorporated in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) and indirectly wholly-owned by Glory Star, Xing Cui Can, Horgos, each of Glory Star’s shareholders (collectively, the “Sellers”), TKK Symphony Sponsor 1, TKK’s sponsor (the “Sponsor”), in the capacity as the representative from and after the closing of the Business Combination for TKK’s shareholders other than the Sellers, and Bing Zhang, in the capacity as the representative for the Sellers thereunder, pursuant to which Glory Star New Media Group Holdings Limited (“GS Holdings”) acquired 100% of the equity interests of Glory Star from the Sellers.

Upon the close of the Business Combination, we acquired all of the issued and outstanding securities of Glory Star in exchange for approximately 46,204,025 of our ordinary shares, which includes 5,000,000 ordinary shares that were issued to the former shareholders of Glory Star because certain financial performance targets were attained for the 2019 fiscal year. The former shareholders of Glory Star will have the right to an additional 5,000,000 of our ordinary shares if we meet certain financial performance targets for the 2020 fiscal year.

In connection with the Share Exchange Agreement:

- TKK entered into a Registration Rights Agreement (“Registration Rights Agreement”) with the Sponsor and the Sellers pursuant to which TKK will grant certain registration rights to the Sellers with respect to the registration of the Closing Payment Shares and Earn out Shares.

- TKK entered into a Lock-Up Agreement (“Lock-Up Agreement”) with certain Sellers that directly or indirectly own in excess of 10% of Glory Star Group equity prior to the Closing pursuant to which each Seller party thereto agreed that such Seller will not, during the period from the Closing and ending on the earlier of (i) with respect to 50% of the Closing Payment Shares (including Escrow Shares) and Earn out Shares (“Restricted Securities”), (x) the six month anniversary of the date of the Closing, (y) the date on which the Closing sale price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.50 per share for any 20 trading days within any 30 trading day period commencing after the Closing, and (z) the date after the Closing on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction with an unaffiliated third party (a “Subsequent Transaction”), and (ii) with respect to the remaining 50% of the Restricted Securities, (x) the one year anniversary of the date of the Closing and (y) the date after the Closing on which we consummate a Subsequent Transaction, sell, transfer, assign, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, the Restricted Securities, or publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing. The Lock-Up Agreement expired February 14, 2021.

- TKK entered into a Non-Competition and Non-Solicitation Agreement (“Non-Competition Agreement”) with certain Sellers that directly or indirectly own in excess of 30% of Glory Star’s equity prior to the Closing (including Glory Star Group’s chairman) and their principal shareholders (together with the applicable Seller, the “Subject Parties”). Under the Non-Competition Agreements, for a period of three (3) years after the Closing, each Subject Party and our affiliates will not, without our prior written consent, anywhere in the PRC or any other markets directly or indirectly engage in which we are engaged, or are actively contemplating to become engaged, in the Business (as defined below) (or own, manage, finance or control, or become engaged or serve as an officer, director, employee, member, partner, agent, consultant, advisor or representative of, an entity that engages in) of online media and entertainment services (collectively, the “Business”). However, the Subject Parties and their respective affiliates may own passive investments of no more than 3% of any class of outstanding equity interests in a competitor that is publicly traded, so long as the Subject Parties and their affiliates and their respective directors, officers, managers and employees who were involved with the our business, and the immediate family members of the Subject Parties or their respective affiliates, are not involved in the management or control of such competitor. Under the Non-Competition Agreements, during such restricted period, the Subject Parties also will not, without our prior written consent, (i) solicit or hire our employees, consultants or independent contractors as of the Closing (or during the year prior to the Closing) or otherwise interfere with our relationships with such persons, (ii) solicit or divert our customers as of the Closing (or during the year prior to the Closing) relating to the Business or otherwise interfere with our contractual relationships with such persons, or (iii) interfere with or disrupt any of our vendors, suppliers, distributors, agents or other service providers for a purpose competitive with us as it relates to the Business. The Subject Parties will also agree in each Non-Competition Agreement to not disparage us and to keep confidential and not use our confidential information.

Immediately after the Business Combination, our public shareholders own approximately 5.05% of GS Holdings, TKK’s former directors, officers and initial shareholders, including the Sponsor, and EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. (“EBC”) own approximately 12.16% of GS Holdings, and the Sellers own approximately 82.79% of GS Holdings.

As a result of the Business Combination, Sellers became the controlling shareholders of the Company. The Business Combination was accounted for as a reverse merger, wherein Glory Star is considered the acquirer for accounting and financial reporting purposes and the transaction was treated as a reverse recapitalization of Glory Star.

Key Factors that Affect Operating Results 

The continuation of the global COVID-19 pandemic may negatively affect our business and content production capacity, which could significantly disrupt our business and affect out operating results.

The COVID-19 outbreak has caused business slow-down for us and affected our content production capacity in the first quarter of 2020, resulting in decrease of revenue from our media sector. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic may further impact our business and financial performance will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and largely beyond our control. Even if the economic impact of COVID-19 gradually recedes, the pandemic will have a lingering, long-term effect on business activities and consumption behavior. There is no assurance that we will be able to adjust our business operations to adapt to these changes and the increasingly complex environment in which we operate. While we have resumed business operations, there remain significant uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak. We cannot assure you that the COVID-19 pandemic can be eliminated or contained in the near future, or will not occur again. Hence, the extent of the business disruption and the related impact on our financial results and outlook cannot be reasonably assured at this time.

We operate in a capital intensive industry and require a significant amount of cash to fund our operations and to produce or acquire high quality video content. If we fail to obtain sufficient capital to fund our operations, our business, financial condition and future prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

The operation of an internet video streaming content provider and producer of television shows requires significant and continuous investment in content production or acquisition and video production technology. Producing high-quality original content is costly and time-consuming and typically requires a long period of time in order to realize a return on investment, if at all. If we cannot obtain adequate capital to meet our capital needs, we may not be able to fully execute our strategic plans for growth and our business, financial condition and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

If our efforts to retain users and attract new users for our mobile and on-line video content and e-commerce products are not successful, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected.

In addition to our content production for television shows, we have experienced significant user growth for our mobile and on-line video and e-commerce products over the past several years. Our ability to continue to retain users and attract new users will depend in part on our ability to consistently provide our users with compelling content choices, as well as a quality experience for selecting and viewing video content. If we introduce new features or service offerings, or change the mix of existing features and services offerings, in a manner that is not favorably received by our users, we may not be able to attract and retain users and our business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.

We operate in a highly competitive market and we may not be able to compete effectively.

We face significant competition in China in various sub-markets we operate, primarily from Alibaba (Nasdaq: BABA), Pin Duoduo (Nasdaq:PDD), Douyu (Nasdaq: DOYU), Qu Toutiao (Nasdaq: QTT), Mango Media (SZ.300413), and TVZone Media (SH.603721). We compete for users, usage time, advertising customers, and shoppers. Some of our competitors have a longer operating history and significantly greater financial resources than we do, and, in turn, may be able to attract and retain more users, usage time and advertising customers. Our competitors may compete with us in a variety of ways, including by conducting brand promotions and other marketing activities, and making investments in and acquisitions of our business partners. If any of our competitors achieves greater market acceptance than we do or are able to offer more attractive internet video content, our user traffic and our market share may decrease, which may result in a loss of advertising customers, shoppers, and users, as well as have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We also face competition for users and user time from major television stations, which are increasing their internet video offerings. We also face competition from users and user time from other internet media and entertainment services, such as internet and social media platforms that offer content in emerging and innovative media formats.

The success of our business depends on our ability to maintain and enhance our brand.

We believe that maintaining and enhancing our brand is of significant importance to the success of our business. Our well-recognized brand is critical to increasing our user base and, in turn, expanding our shoppers for our e-commerce platform and attractiveness to advertising customers and content providers. Since the internet video industry is highly competitive, maintaining and enhancing our brand depends largely on our ability to become and remain a market leader in China, which may be difficult and expensive to accomplish. To the extent our original content is perceived as low quality or otherwise not appealing to users, our ability to maintain and enhance our brand may be adversely impacted which in turn may result in a loss of users for our mobile and online video and e-commerce platform.

Increases in professionally-produced content, or PPC, by others may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We depend on the quality of our PPC for the success of our business model. The amount of PPC, especially TV series and movies, has recently increased significantly in China and may continue to increase in the future. Due to relatively robust online advertising budgets, internet video streaming platforms are generating more revenues and are competing aggressively to produce and license more PPC in general. As the demand for quality PPC grows, the number of PPC producers will likely grow, resulting in an increase in competition for our users and usage time, which in turn may result in a loss of advertising customers, users, and shoppers on our e-commerce platform. Any significant loss in advertising customers, users, or shoppers on our e-commerce platform would have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may not be able to manage our growth effectively.

We have experienced rapid growth since we launched our services in 2016. To manage the further expansion of our business and the growth of our operations and personnel, we need to continuously expand and enhance our infrastructure and technology, and improve our operational and financial systems, procedures, compliance and controls. We also need to expand, train and manage our growing employee base. In addition, our management will be required to maintain and expand our relationships with distributors, advertising customers, and other third parties. We cannot assure you that our current infrastructure, systems, procedures and controls will be adequate to support our expanding operations. If we fail to manage our expansion effectively, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

We are subject to risks relating to the nature of China’s advertising industry, including frequent and sudden changes in advertising proposals.

The nature of the advertising business in China is such that sudden changes in advertising proposals and actual advertisements are frequent. In China, television stations, as the advertising publisher, remain responsible for the content of advertisements, and as a result, television stations may reject or recommend changes to the content of advertisements. We strive to minimize problems related to work for clients by encouraging the conclusion of basic written agreements, but we are exposed to the risk of unforeseen incidents or disputes with advertising clients. In addition, similar to other companies in our industry in the PRC where relationships between advertising clients within a particular industry and advertising companies are not typically exclusive, we are currently acting for multiple clients within a single industry in a number of industries. If this practice in China is to change in favor of exclusive relationships and if our efforts to respond to this change are ineffective, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

A. Operating Results

Our operating results are affected by the competitive environment both in media and online retail industries, our ability to retain customer stickiness and increase market shares which plays a vital role. In the first quarter of 2020, our content production capacity was adversely impacted by the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, resulting our revenues from media sector were so affected. However, our online retail has experienced an uptick due to the growing number of online shoppers. In addition, our operating results are also determined by the economic recovery in China.

COVID-19 Affecting Our Results of Operations

In December 2019, COVID-19 started to spread in China, and then to other parts of the world in early 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in quarantines, travel restrictions, and temporary closure of stores and facilities in China and elsewhere.

With the rapid spread of COVID-19, the global economy is under tremendous pressure and has triggered unprecedented policy changes in governments around the world. However, if the epidemic is not controlled in a timely manner, this could adversely affect businesses in China. We are closely monitoring the development of COVID-19 and continuously evaluate the potential impact on our industry and Company.

Although the COVID-19 outbreak may materially adversely affect the global economic, there is a high rapid growth in the online entertainment and online consumption due to the restrictions on outdoor activities. We have seen a rapid growth in its mobile and online operation during this period. As of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, the number of downloads of our CHEERS App has increased by 98%, DAUs has increased by 180% and the average playback length of each video has increased by 39%.

Our e-Mall has also experienced a rapid growth. As of December 31, 2020, our e-Mall has carried 24,975 SKUs in total compared to 13,180 as of December 31, 2019, and the GMV of our e-Mall also increased by 581% as compared to the GMV of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019.

We have confidence in our overall market positioning and strategy. With a strong and efficient execution, we believe that our operating net income will continue to increase and we will be able to provide more valuable content and products to our users and customers.

Results of Operations

The following table summarizes our consolidated results of operations in absolute amount and as a percentage of our total net revenues for the periods indicated. Period-to-period comparisons of historical results of operations should not be relied upon as indicative of future performance.

NM – Not Meaningful

Revenues

We primarily have four broad categories of revenues: copyright licensing, advertising, customized content production and CHEERS e-Mall market service.

Our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020 increased by $58.0 million, or 88.2%, to $123.8 million compared to $65.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, which was mainly due to the increase in advertising revenue. The advertising revenue for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $104.7 million, representing an increase of $56.3 million, or 116%, as compared with that of the year ended December 31, 2019.

We distribute and promote our professionally-produced content on our CHEERS App and on a variety of online video platforms, mobile apps, IPTV and television channels, where we generate advertising revenues from traditional pre-video, in-video, and pop-up advertisements. We also generate revenues from soft product placements that are incorporated into our original video content, including our online short videos. In addition, our e-Mall suppliers and distributors have the option to enter into separate advertising agreements for displaying their products in our live streaming shows. Our increase in revenues during fiscal year of 2020 were driven by the following factors:

Operating expenses

Operating expenses consists of cost of revenues, selling and marketing, general and administrative and research and development expense.

Cost of revenues consists primarily of production cost of TV series, short stream video, live stream and network drama, labor cost and related benefits, payments to various channel owners for broadcast, purchase cost of goods and copyrights and costs associated with the operation of our online game and shopping platform CHEERS App such as bandwidth cost and amortization of intangible assets. Our cost of revenues increased by $6.6 million, or 20.63%, to $38.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 from $31.9 million for year ended December 31, 2019, mainly attributed by the increase of production cost associated with content to improve diversity, quantity and content richness and the bandwidth cost. When compared to our increase in revenues, our cost of revenues was effectively controlled due to economies of scale and substantial improvement of the operating efficiency of our CHEERS application.

Our sales and marketing expenses primarily consist of salaries and benefits of sales department, user acquisition expense, advertising fee, travelling expense and CHEERS e-Mall marketing expense. Our sales and marketing expenses increased by $40.7 million, or 1289.66% to $43.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 from $3.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Such increase was primarily due to (1) an increase of $40.9 million advertising fees associated with our marketing and user acquisition activities based on our continuation strategy in enhancing our brand recognition to attract new customers for our CHEERS application and CHEERS e-Mall, (2) an increase of $0.35 million in share-based compensation expenses.

Our general and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and benefits for members of our management and bad debt provision expense for accounts receivable and professional service fees. Our general and administrative expenses increased by $7.0 million, or 222.11%, to $10.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 from $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Such increase was mainly due to the increase of $4.6 million of share-based compensation for our employees in management functions, and the increase of $1.8 million of share-based compensation to non-employees providing professional services related to the Business Combination.

Our research and development expenses consist primarily of salaries and benefits for our research and development department. Research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020 were $0.7 million and $0.7 million, respectively.

Other expense, net

Other expenses, net for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $0.2 million, which mainly presents our interest expense, net of our non-operating income. Other income, net for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $20.0 million, mainly includes the change in fair value of warrant liability in the amount of $19.7 million and subsidy income from local tax authority, net of interest expense.

The change in fair value of warrant liability for the year ended December 31, 2020 represents a net remeasurement gain of $19.7 million as restated for the private placement warrants. The private placement warrants were issued in connection with the initial public offering of TKK Symphony Acquisition Corporation (“TKK”) and recorded to the Company’s consolidated financial statements as a result of the Company’s merger with TKK and the reverse recapitalization that occurred on February 14, 2020. As of February 14, 2020, TKK had 13,000,000 of private placement warrants outstanding and there was no change to the number of outstanding private warrants through December 31, 2020. The fair value of the private warrants as of February 14, 2020 and December 31, 2020 was estimated to be $20.5 million and $0.8 million, respectively, by using the binomial option valuation model. The change in fair value as of December 31, 2020 as compared to that of February 14, 2020 amounted to $19.7 million, which was recognized in the consolidated statements of operations.

Income tax expense, net

Income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2019 was net of $0.2 million, as compared to net of $1.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Net Income

As a result of the foregoing, we had a net income of $49.0 million (as restated to recognized the revaluation gain of warrant liability related to private warrants) in 2020, as compared to a net income of $26.4 million in 2019.

Segment information

We have two operating segments, namely Cheers APP Internet Business and Traditional Media Businesses. Our Cheers APP Internet Business generates advertising revenue from broadcasting IP short videos, live streaming and APP advertising through our Cheers APP and service revenue from our Cheers E-mall marketplace. Our Traditional Media Business mainly contributes to the advertising revenue from our Cheers TV-series, copyright revenue, customized content production revenue and others. The CODM measures the performance of each segment based on metrics of revenues and earnings from operations and uses these results to evaluate the performance of, and to allocate resources to, each of the segments.

Critical Accounting Policies

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements. These financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of our assets and liabilities and revenues and expenses, to disclose contingent assets and liabilities on the dates of the consolidated financial statements, and to disclose the reported amounts of revenues and expenses incurred during the financial reporting periods. The most significant estimates and assumptions include the valuation of accounts receivable, the recoverability of long-lived assets, unamortized produced content, revenue recognition and Share-based compensation. We continue to evaluate these estimates and assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. We rely on these evaluations as the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Since the use of estimates is an integral component of the financial reporting process, actual results could differ from those estimates as a result of changes in our estimates.

The following critical accounting policies rely upon assumptions and estimates and were used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements:

Accounts Receivable, net

Accounts receivable represent the amounts that the Company has an unconditional right to consideration (including billed and unbilled amount) when the Company has satisfied its performance obligation. The Company does not have any contract assets since revenue is recognized when control of the promised services is transferred and the payment from customers is not contingent on a future event. The Company maintains allowance for potential credit losses on accounts receivable. Management reviews the composition of accounts receivable and analyses historical bad debt, customer concentrations, customer credit worthiness, current economic trends and changes in customer payment patterns to estimate the allowance. Past due accounts are generally written off against the allowance for bad debts only after all collection attempts have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is considered remote.

Unamortized produced content

Produced content includes direct production costs, production overhead and acquisition costs and is stated at the lower of unamortized cost or estimated fair value. Produced content also includes cash expenditures made to enter into arrangements with third parties to co-produce certain of its productions.

The Company uses the individual-film-forecast-computation method and amortizes the produced content based on the ratio of current period actual revenue (numerator) to estimated remaining unrecognized ultimate revenue as of the beginning of the fiscal year (denominator) in accordance with ASC 926. Ultimate revenue estimates for the produced content are periodically reviewed and adjustments, if any, will result in prospective changes to amortization rates. When estimates of total revenues and other events or changes in circumstances indicate that a film or television series has a fair value that is less than its unamortized cost, a loss is recognized currently for the amount by which the unamortized cost exceeds the film or television series’ fair value. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, $17.2 million and $16.0 million were amortized to the cost of sales, respectively, and as of December 31, 2019 and 2020, no impairment allowance was recorded.

Impairment of long-lived Assets

In accordance with ASC Topic 360, the Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable, or at least annually. The Company recognizes an impairment loss when the sum of expected undiscounted future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset. The amount of impairment is measured as the difference between the asset’s estimated fair value and its book value. The Company did not record any impairment charge for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020.

Warrants

The Company evaluates the public and private warrants under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 815-40, Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity. Warrants recorded as equity are recorded at their fair value determined at the issuance date and are not remeasured after that. Warrants recorded as liabilities are recorded at their fair value and remeasured on each reporting date with change in estimated fair value of common stock warrant liability in the consolidated statement of operations.

Revenue Recognition

The Company early adopted the new revenue standard Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, on January 1, 2017. The core principle of this new revenue standard is that a company should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The following five steps are applied to achieve that core principle:

The Company mainly offers and generates revenue from the copyright licensing of self-produced content, advertising and customized content production and others. Revenue recognition policies are discussed as follows:

Copyright revenue

The Company self produces or coproduces TV series featuring lifestyle, culture and fashion, and licenses the copyright of the TV series on an episode basis to the customer for broadcast over a period of time. Generally, the Company signs a contract with a customer which requires the Company to deliver a series of episodes that are substantially the same and that have the same pattern of transfer to the customer. Accordingly, the delivery of the series of episodes is defined as the only performance obligation in the contract.

For the TV series produced solely by the Company, the Company satisfies its performance obligation over time by measuring the progress toward the delivery of the entire series of episodes which is made available to the licensee for exhibition after the license period has begun. Therefore, the copyright revenue in a contract is recognized over time based on the progress of the number of episodes delivered.

The Company also coproduces TV series with other producers and licenses the copyright to third-party video broadcast platforms for broadcast. For TV series produced by Glory Star Group with co-producers, the Company satisfies its performance obligations over time by the delivery of the entire series of episodes to the customer, and requires the customer to pay consideration based on the number and the unit price of valid subsequent views of the TV series that occur on a broadcast platform. Therefore, the copyright revenue is recognized when the later of the valid subsequent view occurs or the performance obligation relating to the delivery of a number of episodes has been satisfied.

Advertising revenue

The Company generates revenue from sales of various forms of advertising on its TV series and streaming content by way of 1) advertisement displays, or 2) the integration of promotion activities in TV series and content to be broadcast. Advertising contracts are signed to establish the different contract prices for different advertising scenarios, consistent with the advertising period. The Company enters into advertising contracts directly with the advertisers or the third-party advertising agencies that represent advertisers.

For the contracts that involve the third-party advertising agencies, the Company is principal as the Company is responsible for fulfilling the promise of providing advertising services and has the discretion in establishing the price for the specified advertisement. Under a framework contract, the Company receives separate purchase orders from advertising agencies before the broadcast. Accordingly, each purchase order is identified as a separate performance obligation, containing a bundle of advertisements that are substantially the same and that have the same pattern of transfer to the customer. Where collectability is reasonably assured, revenue is recognized monthly over the service period of the purchase order.

For contracts signed directly with the advertisers, the Company commits to display a series of advertisements which are substantially the same or similar in content and transfer pattern, and the display of the whole series of advertisements is identified as the single performance obligation under the contract. The Company satisfies its performance obligations over time by measuring the progress toward the display of the whole series of advertisements in a contract, and advertising revenue is recognized over time based on the number of advertisements displayed.

Payment terms and conditions vary by contract types, and terms typically include a requirement for payment within a period from 6 to 9 months. Both direct advertisers and third-party advertising agencies are generally billed at the end of the display period and require the Company to issue VAT invoices in order to make their payments.

Customized content production revenue

The Company produces customized short streaming videos according to its customers’ requirement, and earns fixed fees based on delivery. Revenue is recognized upon the delivery of short streaming videos.

CHEERS e-Mall marketplace service revenue

The Company through CHEERS E-mall, an online e-commerce platform, enables third-party merchants to sell their products to consumers in China. The Company charges fees for platform services to merchants for sales transactions completed on the Cheer E-Mall including but not limited to products displaying, promotion and transaction settlement services. The Company does not take control of the products provided by the merchants at any point in the time during the transactions and does not have latitude over pricing of the merchandise. Transaction services fee is determined as the difference between the platform sales price and the settlement price with the merchants. CHEERS E-mall marketplace service revenue is recognized at a point of time when the Company’s performance obligation to provide marketplace services to the merchants are determined to have been completed under each sales transaction upon the consumers confirming the receipts of goods. Payments for services are generally received before deliveries.

The Company provides coupons to consumers at our own discretion as incentives to promote CHEERS E-mall marketplace with validity usually around or less than one week, which can only be used in future purchases of eligible merchandise offered on CHEERS E-mall to reduce purchase price that are not specific to any merchant. Consumers are not customers of the Company, therefore incentives offered to consumers are not considered consideration payable to customers. As the consumers are required to make future purchases of the merchants’ merchandise to redeem these coupons, the Company does not accrue any expense for coupons when granted and recognizes the amounts of redeemed coupons as marketing expenses when future purchases are made.

Other Revenues

Other revenue primarily consists of copyrights trading of purchased and produced TV-series and the sales of products on Taobao platform. For copyright licensing of purchased and produced TV-series, the Company recognize revenue on net basis at a point of time upon the delivery of master tape and authorization of broadcasting right. For sales of product, the company recognize revenue upon the transfer of products according to the fixed price and production amount in sales orders. 

The following table identifies the disaggregation of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, respectively:

The Company applied a practical expedient to expense costs as incurred for costs to obtain a contract with a customer when the amortization period would have been one year or less. The Company does not have any significant incremental costs of obtaining contracts with customers incurred and/or costs incurred in fulfilling contracts with customers within the scope of ASC Topic 606, that shall be recognized as an asset and amortized to expenses in a pattern that matches the timing of the revenue recognition of the related contract.

Share-based compensation

The Company periodically grants restricted ordinary shares to eligible employees and non-employee consultants. The Group accounts for share-based awards issued to employees and non-employee consultants in accordance with ASC Topic 718 Compensation – Stock Compensation. The share-based awards are measured at the grant date fair value of the awards and recognized as expenses a) immediately at grant date if no vesting conditions are required; or b) using the straight line method over the requisite service period, which is the vesting period.

Share-based compensation in relation to the restricted ordinary shares is measured based on the fair value of its ordinary shares on the date of the grant. The Group recognizes the compensation cost, net of estimated forfeitures, over a vesting term for service-based restricted shares. Forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant and revised in the subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset/liability method prescribed by ASC 740, “Income Taxes.” Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates that will be in effect in the period in which the differences are expected to reverse. The Company records a valuation allowance to offset deferred tax assets if, based on the weight of available evidence, it is more-likely-than-not that some portion, or all, of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The effect on deferred taxes of a change in tax rates is recognized as income or loss in the period that includes the enactment date.

The provisions of ASC 740-10-25, “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes,” prescribe a more-likely-than not threshold for consolidated financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken (or expected to be taken) in a tax return. This interpretation also provides guidance on the recognition of income tax assets and liabilities, classification of current and deferred income tax assets and liabilities, accounting for interest and penalties associated with tax positions, and related disclosures. The Company does not believe that there was any uncertain tax position at December 31, 2019 and 2020.

The Company’s operating subsidiaries in PRC are subject to examination by the relevant tax authorities. According to the PRC Tax Administration and Collection Law, the statute of limitations is three years if the underpayment of taxes is due to computational errors made by the taxpayer or the withholding agent. The statute of limitations is extended to five years under special circumstances, where the underpayment of taxes is more than RMB 100,000 ($14,364). In the case of transfer pricing issues, the statute of limitation is ten years. There is no statute of limitation in the case of tax evasion. As of December 31, 2020, the tax years ended December 31, 2017 through December 31, 2020 for the Company’s PRC subsidiaries remain open for statutory examination by PRC tax authorities.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, “Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (Topic 326)”, which significantly changes the way entities recognize impairment of many financial assets by requiring immediate recognition of estimated credit losses expected to occur over their remaining life, instead of when incurred. In November 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-19, “Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses”, which amends Subtopic 326-20 (created by ASU No.2016-13) to explicitly state that operating lease receivables are not in the scope of Subtopic 326-20. Additionally, in April 2019, the FASB issued ASU No.2019-04, “Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses, Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging, and Topic 825, Financial Instruments”, in May 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-05, “Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Targeted Transition Relief”, and in November 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-10, “Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326), Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815), and Leases (Topic 842): Effective Dates”, and ASU No. 2019-11, “Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses”, to provide further clarifications on certain aspects of ASU No. 2016-13 and to extend the nonpublic entity effective date of ASU No. 2016-13. The changes (as amended) are effective for the Company for annual and interim periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, and the Company is in the process of evaluating the potential effect on its consolidated financial statements.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes” (“ASU 2019-12”), which is intended to simplify various aspects related to accounting for income taxes. ASU 2019-12 removes certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 and also clarifies and amends existing guidance to improve consistent application. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact of adopting this standard, but based on a preliminary assessment, does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Other accounting standards that have been issued or proposed by FASB that do not require adoption until a future date are not expected to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements upon adoption. The Company does not discuss recent pronouncements that are not anticipated to have an impact on or are unrelated to its consolidated financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or disclosures.

B. Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of December 31, 2019, and 2020, our principal sources of liquidity were cash of approximately $6.9 million and $17.7 million, respectively. Working capital at December 31, 2020 was $67.8 million. We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents and our anticipated cash flows from operations will be sufficient to meet our anticipated working capital requirements and capital expenditures for the next 12 months. If we determine that our cash requirements exceed the amount of cash and cash equivalents we have on hand at the time, we may seek to issue equity or debt securities or obtain credit facilities. The issuance and sale of additional equity would result in further dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased fixed obligations and could result in operating covenants that might restrict our operations. We cannot assure you that financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

Substantially all of our cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2020 were held in China, of which all are denominated in Renminbi (RMB). In addition, we are a holding company with no material operations of our own. We conduct our operations primarily through our subsidiaries and VIEs in China. As a result, our ability to pay dividends, if any, depends upon dividends paid by our wholly-owned subsidiaries. We do not anticipate to pay any dividends in the future as any net income earned will be reinvested in the Company. In addition, our WFOE is permitted to pay dividends to us only out of their retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Under PRC law, our WFOE and each of its consolidated entities is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital. Although the statutory reserves can be used, among other ways, to increase the registered capital and eliminate future losses in excess of retained earnings of the respective companies, the reserve funds are not distributable as cash dividends except in the event of liquidation. Remittance of dividends by a wholly foreign-owned company out of China is subject to examination by the banks designated by the SAFE. We currently plan to reinvest all earnings from our WFOE to business development and do not plan to request dividend distributions from the WFOE.

If we experiences an adverse operating environment or incurred anticipated capital expenditure requirement, or if we accelerate our growth, then additional financing may be required. No assurance can be given, however, that the additional financing, if required, would be on favorable terms or available at all. Such financing may include the use of additional debt or the sale or additional securities. Any financing, which involves the sale of equity securities or instruments that are convertible into equity securities, could result in immediate and possibly significant dilutions to our existing shareholders.

Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our cash flows for the years indicated:

We primarily fund our operations from our net revenues and bank loans. During the past two fiscal years, our account receivables have increased and we have had to supplement our cash flow. We intend to continue focusing on timelier collections of account receivable which should enhance our cash flows. We anticipate that the major capital expenditure in the near future is for the further enhancement of our CHEERS App. To enhance its proposed growth, we anticipate raising capital through the issuance of equity or debt securities or obtain credit facilities. The issuance and sale of additional equity would result in further dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased fixed obligations and could result in operating covenants that might restrict our operations. We cannot assure you that financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities was $26.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. This consisted primarily of net income of $26.4 million, and a decrease of prepayment of $4.5 million due to the decrease of the purchase of production content from third party and the increase of own produce content, a decrease of unamortized produced content of $1.3 million, an increase of accounts payable of $3.9 million; partially offset by an increase of accounts receivable in the amount of $12.7 million as a result of the increased revenue.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $8.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. This consisted primarily of net income of $49.0 million, and an increase in accounts payable of $2.8 million, an increase in accrued liabilities and other payables of $5.2 million mainly arising from the cash receipt in advance from Cheers e-Mall marketplace; partially offset by an increase of remeasurement gain of warrant liability related to private warrants in the amount of $19.7 million, an increase of accounts receivable in the amount of $24.0 million that are in line with our reported increased revenue for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2019, as well as the increase of prepayment of $19.3 million that was mainly due to the increase of prepayments for two co-produced TV series amounted to $17.5 million and the prepayment for software development amounted to $3.1 million.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities was $15.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, which was primarily derived from the payments to the acquisition of intangible assets and the purchases of equipment, which was acquired to enhance the shopping, game, media functions of CHEERS App for the future growth of business and operation.

Net cash used in investing activities was $4.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, which was primarily derived from the $2.7 million payments for the acquisition of intangible assets, and payments for short term investment of $1.6 million.

Financing Activities

Net cash used in financing activities was $6.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, consisted of the repayments of bank loans of $9.4 million due to the maturity of bank loans; offset by the capital contribution of $3.2 million from Glory Star Group shareholders.

Net cash provided by financing activities was $5.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, consisted of the withdraw of bank loans of $5.5 million; partially offset by the payment of loan origination fees in the amount of $0.1 million.

C. Research and development

We have a team of experienced engineers who are primarily based at our headquarters in Beijing. We compete aggressively for engineering talent and work closely with top IT firms through outsourcing to address challenges such as AI recommended search engine, block chain scoring e-mall, network games battle platform, data warehouse, social networking E-commence V3.0, video media warehouse. In 2019 and 2020, our research and development expenditures were $0.7 and $0.7 million, respectively. In addition, intangible asset increased by $2,8 million, as research and development expenditures can be capitalized. The company continues investing and improving the current Cheers APP to further increase user friendliness, functionality and efficiency to the next level.

D. Trend information

See “—A. Operating Results” of this Item 5 and “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors” of this annual report.

E. Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

Glory Star Group did not have during the periods presented, and it does not currently have, any off-balance sheet financing arrangements or any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, including entities sometimes referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities, that were established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes.

F. Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations

The following is a schedule, by years, of our commitments and obligations as of December 31, 2020:

1) Our capital commitments primarily relate to the further development of our CHEERS application for user friendliness and the development of more technical applications.

2) We lease offices which are classified as operating leases in accordance with ASC Topic 842. As of December 31, 2020, our future lease payments totaled $2.0 million.

3) Loan principal and interest expense obligation represents the amounts due to various banks.

G. Safe Harbor

See “Cautionary Language Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Item 15. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in company reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

As required by Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2020. Based upon that evaluation, our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has concluded that, due to the material weakness described below, as of December 31, 2020, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective. We will undertake the remedial steps to address the material weakness in our disclosure controls and procedures as set forth below under “Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting.”

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) in the United States of America and includes those policies and procedures that

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risks that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

As required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and related rules as promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, our management including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer assessed the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020 using the criteria set forth in the report “Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013)” published by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (known as COSO).

A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. During our assessment of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, we identified a material weakness related to our lack of sufficient financial reporting and accounting personnel with appropriate knowledge of the generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) and SEC reporting requirements to properly address complex U.S. GAAP accounting issues and to prepare and review our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures to fulfill U.S. GAAP and SEC financial reporting requirements.

Because of the material weakness described above, our management has concluded that we had not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by COSO, at the time our Original Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2020 was filed.

Subsequent to the filing of our Original Annual Report on Form 20-F on March 29, 2021, management identified an error in the accounting for private warrants issued in connection with the initial public offering of TKK and recorded to the Company’s consolidated financial statements as a result of the Company’s merger with TKK and the reverse recapitalization that occurred on February 14, 2020. Such error is considered as connected with the above material weakness related to our lack of sufficient financial reporting and accounting personnel with appropriate knowledge of the U.S. GAAP to properly address complex U.S. GAAP accounting issues and to prepare and review our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures to fulfill U.S. GAAP and SEC financial reporting requirements. The identified material weakness resulted in the failure to prevent a material error in the accounting for private warrants and the resulting restatement of our previously issued financial statements

Attestation Report of the Registered Public Accounting Firm

This annual report on Form 20-F does not include an attestation report of internal controls from our independent registered public accounting firm due to our status as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

In preparing our consolidated financial statements, a material weakness described above was identified in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020. As defined in standards established by the PCAOB, a “material weakness” is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

To remedy our identified material weakness in connection with preparation of our consolidated financial statements, we plan to adopt several measures to improve our internal control over financial reporting, including (i) hiring additional accounting personnel with experience in U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting requirements, and (ii) providing more regular training on an ongoing basis to our accounting personnel that cover a broad range of accounting and financial reporting topics.

Other than as described above, no changes in our internal controls over financial reporting occurred during the period covered by this annual report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial reporting.

Our management has worked, and will continue to work to strengthen our internal controls over financial reporting. There were no other changes in our internal control over financial reporting that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Item 18. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The consolidated financial statements of Glory Star New Media Group Holdings Limited, and its subsidiaries are included at the end of this annual report.

Item 19. EXHIBITS

EXHIBIT INDEX

SIGNATURES

The registrant hereby certifies that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form 20-F and that it has duly caused and authorized the undersigned to sign this amendment to annual report on its behalf.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of

Glory Star New Media Group Holdings Limited

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Glory Star New Media Group Holdings Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”) as of December 31, 2019 and 2020, and the related consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2020, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2019 and 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2020, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 Restatement of 2020 Financial Statements

As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the 2020 consolidated financial statements have been restated to correct a misstatement.

Basis for Opinion

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

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated 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 consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

GLORY STAR NEW MEDIA GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In U.S. dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)

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

GLORY STAR NEW MEDIA GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME/(LOSS)

(In U.S. dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)

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

GLORY STAR NEW MEDIA GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(In U.S. dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)