Commercial revenue comprises amounts receivable from the utilization of the Manchester United brand through sponsorship and other commercial agreements, including minimum guaranteed revenue and fees generated by the Manchester United first team promotional tours.
Minimum guaranteed revenue is recognized over the term of the sponsorship agreement in line with the performance obligations included within the contract and based on the sponsorship benefits enjoyed by the individual sponsor. Certain sponsorship contracts include additional profit share arrangements based on cumulative profits earned from the utilization of the Manchester United brand.
Under the terms of sponsorship contracts that include profit share arrangements, such profit share may be recouped by the sponsor against future minimum guarantees should the future financial performance result in profits below the minimum guarantee. Any additional profit share on such arrangements is only recognized when a reliable estimate of the future performance of the contract can be obtained and only to the extent that the revenue is considered probable. When profit share is recognized it is recorded ratably over the term of the contract period.
In assessing whether any additional profit share is probable and should therefore be recognized, management carries out regular reviews of the contracts and future financial forecasts, having regard to the underlying risk factors such as team performance and general economic conditions. Such forecasts of future financial performance may differ from actual financial performance, which could result in a difference in the revenue recognized in a given year.
In respect of contracts with multiple elements, we allocate the total consideration receivable to each separately identifiable element based on their relative fair values, and then recognize the allocated revenue on a straight-line basis over the relevant period of each element.
We have yet to determine the appropriate revenue recognition policy for our recently announced agreement with adidas. See "Item 4. Information on the Company—Revenue Sectors—Commercial—Retail, Merchandising, Apparel & Product Licensing" for additional information regarding our agreement with adidas