ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. The SEC requires that we identify risks that are specific to our business and our financial condition. You should carefully consider the following risk factors and the other information in this Annual Report before investing in our securities. Our business and results of operations could be seriously harmed by any of the following risks. The risks set out below are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, reputation, financial condition, results of operations, revenue and future prospects could be materially adversely affected and you could lose all or part of your investment in our securities. In such case, the value of our securities could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Business, Operations and Our Industry
We have incurred losses in prior periods, may not be profitable in the future, and our plans to maintain and increase liquidity may not be successful.
Our ability to achieve profitability will depend upon our ability to generate and sustain substantially increased revenues. We may continue to incur operating losses in the future as we execute our growth strategy. The likelihood that we will generate net income in the future must be considered in light of the difficulties facing the television broadcasting and content publication industry as a whole, economic conditions and the competitive environment in which we operate. Our operating results for future periods are subject to numerous uncertainties, and we may not achieve sufficient revenues to sustain or increase profitability. In addition, we may be unable to successfully achieve or maintain our growth strategy and may need to raise additional capital to fund our future operations.
Changes in consumer behavior and evolving technologies and distribution platforms may adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
The ways in which consumers view content and technology and business models in the Company’s industry continue to rapidly evolve and new distribution platforms and increased competition from new entrants and emerging technologies have added to the complexity of maintaining predictable revenue streams. Technological advancements have driven changes in consumer behavior as consumers seek more control over when, where and how they consume content and have affected advertisers’ options for reaching their target audiences. Consumer preferences have evolved towards digital services and other subscription services and there has been a substantial increase in the availability of programming with reduced advertising or without advertising at all. Examples include the convergence of television telecasts and digital delivery of programming to televisions and other devices, video-on-demand platforms, user-generated content sites, and simultaneous streaming of telecast content that allows viewers to consume content on demand and in remote locations while avoiding traditional advertisements or subscription payments. In addition, consumers are increasingly using time-shifting and advertising-blocking technologies that enable them to fast-forward or circumvent advertisements. Substantial use of these technologies could impact the attractiveness of Newsmax Media’s programming to advertisers and adversely affect our advertising revenues.
Changes in consumer behavior and technology have also had an adverse impact on traditional MVPDs that deliver Newsmax Media’s broadcast and cable networks to consumers. Consumers are increasingly turning to alternative offerings, including Subscription Video on Demand (“SVOD”) and Advertising Video on Demand (“AVOD”) services and mobile and social media platforms, which has contributed to industry-wide declines in subscribers to traditional MVPD services over the last several years. These declines are expected to continue and possibly accelerate in the future. If consumers increasingly favor alternative offerings over traditional MVPD subscriptions, Newsmax Media may experience a decline in viewership and ultimately demand for the programming on its traditional linear networks, which could lead to lower affiliate fee and advertising revenues. Changing distribution models may also negatively impact Newsmax Media’s ability to negotiate affiliation agreements on favorable terms, which could have an adverse effect on Newsmax Media’s business, financial condition or results of operations, including a decline in advertising revenues if one or more MVPDs declines to renew an affiliation agreement with Newsmax Media.
If Newsmax Media fails to protect and exploit the value of its content while responding to, and developing new technology and business models to take advantage of, technological developments and consumer preferences, it could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
Declines in advertising expenditures could cause the Company’s revenues and operating results to decline significantly in any given period or in specific markets.
Newsmax Media derives substantial revenues from the sale of advertising, and its ability to generate advertising revenues depends on a number of factors. The strength of the advertising market can fluctuate in response to the economic prospects of specific advertisers or industries, advertisers’ spending priorities and the economy in general. In addition, pandemics, natural and other disasters, acts of terrorism, and political uncertainties or hostilities can also lead to a reduction in advertising expenditures as a result of economic uncertainty, disrupted programming and services or reduced advertising spots due to preemptions.
Major events, such as the state, congressional and presidential elections cycles also may cause Newsmax Media’s advertising revenues to vary substantially from year to year. Political advertising expenditures are impacted by the ability and willingness of candidates and political action campaigns to raise and spend funds on advertising and the competitive nature of the elections affecting viewers in markets featuring our programming. Moreover, regulatory or other third-party intervention impacting where and when advertisements may be placed may result in a decline in our advertising revenues.
Advertising expenditures may also be affected by changes in consumer behavior and evolving technologies and platforms. There is increasing competition for the leisure time of audiences and demand for Newsmax Media’s programming as measured by ratings points is a key factor in determining advertising rates. In addition, as described above, newer technologies and platforms are increasing the number of media and entertainment choices available to audiences. Some of these technologies and platforms allow users to view programming from a remote location or on a time-delayed basis and provide users the ability to fast-forward, rewind, pause and skip programming and advertisements, which could negatively affect the attractiveness of the Company’s offerings to advertisers. The pricing and volume of advertising may also be affected by shifts in spending toward digital and mobile offerings, which can deliver targeted advertising more promptly, from traditional media, or toward newer ways of purchasing advertising, some or all of which may not be as beneficial to Newsmax Media as traditional advertising methods. Newsmax Media also generates advertising revenues through its OTT platforms.
The market for OTT advertising campaigns is relatively new and evolving and if this market develops slower or differently than we expect, it could adversely affect our advertising revenues.
A decrease in advertising expenditures, reduced demand for Newsmax Media’s programming could lead to a reduction in pricing and advertising spending, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition or results of operations.
Advertising revenue is largely dependent on audience measurement, which can be difficult to measure.
Because advertising sales largely depend on audience measurement, they could be negatively affected if measurement methodologies do not accurately reflect actual viewership levels. Although Nielsen’s statistical sampling method is the primary measurement methodology used for Newsmax Media’s linear television advertising sales, Newsmax Media measures and monetizes its digital platforms based on a combination of internal and third-party data. A consistent, broadly accepted measure of multiplatform audiences across the industry remains to be developed. Although we expect multiplatform measurement innovation and standards to benefit us as the video advertising market continues to evolve, we are still partially dependent on third parties to provide these solutions.
Seasonal fluctuations in advertising activity could have a material impact on our revenue, cash flow and operating results.
Historically, our advertising revenues have been subject to seasonality and cyclicality as a result of the impact of state, congressional and presidential election cycles. We have experienced relatively higher revenues and cash flow during years when congressional and presidential elections are held, with relatively lower revenues and cash flow in the years between these events, when interest in national political news is lower. Our historical revenue growth has masked the impact of seasonality, but if our growth rate declines or seasonal spending becomes more pronounced, seasonality could have a material impact on our revenue, cash flow and operating results from period to period.
Because Newsmax Media derives a significant portion of its revenues from a limited number of distributors, the failure to enter into or renew affiliation and carriage agreements on favorable terms, or at all, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition or results of operations.
Newsmax Media depends on affiliation and distribution arrangements that enable it to reach a large percentage of households through MVPDs and third party-owned television stations. The inability to enter into or renew MVPD arrangements on favorable terms, or at all, or the loss of carriage on MVPDs’ basic programming tiers could reduce the distribution of Newsmax Media’s owned and operated television stations and broadcast and cable networks, which could adversely affect Newsmax Media’s revenue estimates from affiliate fees and its ability to sell national and local advertising time. The loss of favorable MVPD packaging, positioning, pricing or other marketing opportunities could also negatively impact Newsmax Media’s revenue estimates from affiliate fees. These risks are exacerbated by consolidation among traditional MVPDs, their increased vertical integration into the cable or broadcast network business and their use of alternative technologies to offer their subscribers access to local broadcast network programming, which have provided traditional MVPDs with greater negotiating leverage. In addition, if Newsmax Media and an MVPD reach an impasse in contract renewal negotiations, Newsmax Media’s networks and owned and operated television stations could become unavailable to the MVPD’s subscribers (i.e., “go dark”), which, depending on the length of time and the size of the MVPD, could have a negative impact on Newsmax Media’s revenues from affiliate fees and advertising.
Newsmax Media also depends on the maintenance of affiliation agreements and license agreements with third party-owned television stations to distribute the Newsmax TV. Consolidation among television station group owners could increase their negotiating leverage and reduce the number of available distribution partners. There can be no assurance that these affiliation and license agreements will be renewed in the future on terms favorable to Newsmax Media. The inability to enter into affiliation or licensing arrangements with third-party owned television stations on favorable terms could reduce distribution of Newsmax TV and the inability to enter into such affiliation or licensing arrangements for Newsmax TV on favorable terms could adversely affect Newsmax Media’s affiliate fee revenues and its ability to sell national advertising time.
In addition, Newsmax Media has arrangements through which it makes its content available for viewing through third-party online video platforms. If these arrangements are not renewed on favorable or commercially reasonable terms or at all, it could adversely affect the Company’s revenues and operating results.
Changes to Newsmax Media’s existing content and services could fail to attract traffic, viewers and advertisers or fail to generate revenue.
Newsmax Media may introduce significant changes to our existing content. The success of our new content depends substantially on consumer tastes and preferences that change in often unpredictable ways. If this new content fails to engage traffic and advertisers, we may fail to generate sufficient revenue or operating profit to justify our investments, and our business and operating results could be adversely affected. In addition, we have launched and expect to continue to launch strategic initiatives, which do not directly generate revenue but which we believe will enhance our attractiveness to traffic and advertisers. In the future, we may invest in new content, products, services, and initiatives to generate revenue, but there is no guarantee these approaches will be successful or that the costs associated with these efforts will not exceed the revenue generated. If Newsmax Media’s strategic initiatives do not enhance our ability to monetize our existing content or enable us to develop new approaches to monetization, we may not be able to maintain or grow our revenue or recover any associated development costs and our operating results could be adversely affected.
Newsmax Media’s businesses operate in a highly competitive industry.
Newsmax Media competes with other companies for high-quality content to reach large audiences and to generate advertising revenue. Newsmax Media also competes for distribution on MVPDs and other third-party digital platforms. Newsmax Media’s ability to attract viewers and advertisers and obtain favorable distribution depends in part on its ability to provide popular programming and adapt to new technologies and distribution platforms, which are increasing the number of content choices available to audiences. The consolidation of advertising agencies, distributors and television service providers also has increased their negotiating leverage and made competition for audiences, advertising revenue, and distribution more intense. Competition for audiences and/or advertising comes from a variety of sources, including broadcast television networks; cable television systems and networks; Internet-delivered platforms such as live streaming, SVOD and AVOD services and mobile, gaming and social media platforms; audio programming; and print and other media. Other television stations or cable networks may change their formats or programming, a new station or new network may adopt a format to compete directly with Newsmax Media’s stations or networks, or stations or networks might engage in aggressive promotional campaigns. Increased competition in the acquisition of programming may also
affect the scope of rights we are able to acquire and the cost of such rights, and the future value of the rights we acquire or retain cannot be predicted with certainty. Entering into or renewing contracts for programming rights or acquiring additional rights may result in increased costs to Newsmax Media. There can be no assurance that revenue from acquired rights contracts will exceed Newsmax Media’s costs for the rights, as well as the other costs of producing and distributing the programming. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that Newsmax Media will be able to compete successfully in the future against existing or potential competitors or that competition or consolidation in the marketplace will not have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition or results of operations.
In addition, with respect to our digital offerings, competition for traffic and engagement with our content, products and services is intense. Newsmax Media competes against many companies to attract and engage traffic, including companies that have greater financial resources and larger user bases, and companies that offer a variety of Internet and mobile device-based content, products and services. As a result, Newsmax Media’s competitors may acquire and engage traffic at the expense of the growth or engagement of our traffic, which would negatively affect Newsmax Media’s business. Newsmax Media believes that its ability to compete effectively for traffic depends upon many factors both within and beyond its control, including, but not limited to:
• the popularity, usefulness and reliability of Newsmax Media’s content compared to that of its competitors;
• the timing and market acceptance of Newsmax Media’s content;
• the continued expansion and adoption of Newsmax Media’s content;
• Newsmax Media’s ability, and the ability of its competitors, to develop new content and enhancements to existing content and to attract, develop and retain talent;
• the frequency, relative prominence and appeal of the advertising displayed by Newsmax Media or its competitors;
• public perceptions about the predominance of certain political viewpoints on our platform, regardless of whether those perceptions are accurate;
• changes mandated by, or that we elect to make to address, legislation, regulatory constraints or litigation, including settlements and consent decrees, some of which may have a disproportionate impact on us;
• the costs of developing and procuring new content, relative to those of its competitors;
• acquisitions or consolidation within our industry, which may result in more formidable competitors; and
• Newsmax Media’s reputation and brand strength relative to its competitors.
Newsmax Media also faces significant competition for advertiser spending. Newsmax Media competes against online and mobile businesses and traditional media outlets, such as television, radio and print, for advertising budgets. In determining whether to buy advertising, our advertisers will consider the demand for our content, demographics of our traffic, advertising rates, results observed by advertisers, and alternative advertising options. The increasing number of digital media options available, through social networking tools and news aggregation websites, has expanded consumer choice significantly, resulting in traffic fragmentation and increased competition for advertising. In addition, some of our larger competitors have substantially broader content, product or service offerings than us and leverage their relationships based on other products or services to gain additional share of advertising budgets. Newsmax Media will need to continue to innovate and improve the monetization capabilities of its websites and mobile products in order to remain competitive. Newsmax Media believes that its ability to compete effectively for advertiser spend depends upon many factors both within and beyond its control, including, but not limited to:
• the size and composition of its user base relative to those of its competitors;
• Newsmax Media’s ad targeting capabilities, and those of its competitors;
• Newsmax Media’s ability, and the ability of its competitors, to adapt its model to the increasing power and significance of influencers to the advertising community;
• the timing and market acceptance of its advertising content and advertising products, and those of its competitors;
• Newsmax Media’s marketing and selling efforts, and those of its competitors;
• public perceptions about the predominance of certain political viewpoints on our platform, regardless of whether those perceptions are accurate;
• the pricing for its advertising products and services relative to those of its competitors;
• the return our advertisers receive from our advertising products and services, and those of our competitors; and
• Newsmax Media’s reputation and the strength of its brand relative to its competitors.
The levels of our traffic and engagement with our brands and content are critical to Newsmax Media’s success.
If Newsmax Media fails to increase its traffic, or if traffic engagement or ad engagement declines, its revenue, business and operating results may be harmed. Newsmax Media’s financial performance has been and will continue to be significantly determined by its success in increasing traffic and the overall level of engagement with its content as well as increasing the number and quality of ad engagements. Newsmax Media anticipates that its traffic growth rate will slow over time as the level of our traffic increases. To the extent our traffic growth rate slows, our success will become increasingly dependent on our ability to increase levels of ad engagement on Newsmax Media. If people do not perceive our content to be useful, reliable and entertaining, Newsmax Media may not be able to attract traffic or increase the frequency of engagement on its websites and applications and the ads that it displays. There is no guarantee that Newsmax Media will not experience a similar erosion of its engagement levels as its traffic growth rate slows.
The inability to renew programming rights on sufficiently favorable terms, or at all, could cause Newsmax Media’s advertising and affiliate fee revenues to decline significantly in any given period or in specific markets.
Newsmax Media enters into long-term contracts for both the acquisition and the distribution of media programming and products, including contracts for the acquisition of programming rights and for the distribution of its programming to content distributors. Programming rights agreements, retransmission consent agreements, carriage contracts and affiliation agreements have varying durations and renewal terms that are subject to negotiation with other parties, the outcome of which is unpredictable. In addition, competition for popular programming rights that are licensed from third parties is intense, and the licenses have varying duration and renewal terms. As these contracts expire, Newsmax Media may seek renewals on favorable terms; however, third parties may outbid Newsmax Media for the rights contracts. The loss of rights or renewal on less favorable terms could impact the quality or quantity of Newsmax Media’s programs and could adversely affect Newsmax Media’s advertising and affiliate fee revenues. Upon renewal, Newsmax Media’s results could be adversely affected if escalations in programming rights costs are unmatched by increases in advertising and affiliate fee revenues. In addition, if Newsmax Media does not obtain exclusive rights to the programming it distributes, it could negatively impact Newsmax Media’s advertising and affiliate fee revenues.
Acceptance of Newsmax Media’s content by the public is difficult to predict, which could lead to fluctuations in revenues.
Revenues derived from the distribution of television content depends primarily upon its acceptance by the public, which is difficult to predict. Low public acceptance of Newsmax Media’s content will adversely affect Newsmax Media’s results of operations. The commercial success of our programming also depends upon the quality and acceptance of other competing programming, the growing number of alternative forms of entertainment and leisure activities, general economic conditions and their effects on consumer spending and other tangible and intangible factors, all of which can change and cannot be predicted with certainty. Moreover, Newsmax Media must often invest substantial amounts in programming before they learn the extent to which the content will earn consumer acceptance. Competition for popular content is intense, and Newsmax Media may need to increase the price it pays for popular content rights. Newsmax Media’s failure to obtain or retain rights to popular content, or a decline in the ratings or popularity of Newsmax Media’s news television programming, which could be a result of the loss of talent or rights to certain programming, could adversely affect advertising revenues in the near term and, over a longer period of time, adversely affect affiliate fee revenues
Damage to our brand or reputation could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The Company’s brands, particularly the Newsmax Media brand, are among its most valuable assets. Newsmax Media believes that its brand image, awareness and reputation strengthen its relationship with consumers and contribute
significantly to the success of its business. Maintaining, further enhancing and extending our brands may require us to make significant investments in marketing, programming or new products, services or events; however, these investments may not be successful. Newsmax Media may introduce new programming that is not popular with its consumers and advertisers, which may negatively affect its brands. To the extent its content, in particular its live news programming, is not compelling to consumers, our ability to maintain a positive reputation may be adversely impacted. Governmental scrutiny and fines and significant negative claims or publicity regarding Newsmax Media or its operations, content, products, management, employees, practices, advertisers, business partners and culture, including individuals associated with content we create or license, may damage Newsmax Media’s reputation and brands, even if such claims are untrue. Furthermore, to the extent our marketing, customer service and public relations efforts are not effective or result in negative consumer reaction, our ability to maintain a positive reputation may likewise be adversely impacted. If Newsmax Media is not successful in maintaining or enhancing the image or awareness of its brands, or if its reputation is harmed for any reason, it could have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition and results of operations.
The Company’s strategic investments in new businesses, products, services and technologies presents many risks, and the Company may not realize the financial and strategic goals it had contemplated, which could adversely affect its business, financial condition and results of operations.
The Company has invested in, and expects to continue investing in, new businesses, products, services and technologies that complement, enhance or expand its current businesses or otherwise offer it growth opportunities. Such strategic investments may involve significant risks and uncertainties, including insufficient revenues from an investment to offset any new liabilities assumed and expenses associated with the investment; a failure of the investment to perform as expected, meet financial projections or achieve strategic goals; unidentified issues not discovered in its due diligence that could cause the Company not to realize anticipated benefits or to incur unanticipated liabilities; the diversion of management attention from current operations; and compliance with new regulatory regimes. Because investments are inherently risky and their anticipated benefits or value may not materialize, the Company’s investments may adversely affect its business, financial condition and results of operations.
We face risks, such as unforeseen costs and potential liability in connection with content we acquire, produce, license and/or distribute through our service.
As a distributor of content, Newsmax Media may face potential liability for negligence, copyright and trademark infringement, or other claims based on the nature and content of materials that its acquires, produces, licenses and/or distributes. Newsmax Media may also face potential liability for content used in promoting its service, including marketing materials. Newsmax Media devotes significant resources toward the development, production, marketing and distribution of original programming. Newsmax Media believes that original and exclusive programming can help differentiate its service from other offerings, enhance its brand and otherwise attract and retain members. To the extent Newsmax Media’s programming does not meet its expectations, in particular, in terms of costs, viewing and popularity, Newsmax Media’s business, including the brand and results of operations may be adversely impacted. Further, negotiations or renewals related to the entertainment industry collective bargaining agreements have, and in the future, could negatively impact timing and costs associated with our productions. Newsmax Media contracts with third parties related to the development, production, marketing and distribution of our original programming. Newsmax Media may face potential liability or may suffer significant losses in connection with these arrangements, including, but not limited to, if such third parties violate applicable law, become insolvent or engage in fraudulent behavior. To the extent Newsmax Media creates and sells physical or digital merchandise relating to its programming, and/or license such rights to third parties, Newsmax Media could become subject to product liability, intellectual property or other claims related to such merchandise. Newsmax Media may decide to remove content from its service, not to place licensed or produced content on its service or discontinue or alter production of original content if Newsmax Media believes such content might not be well received by its viewers, is prohibited by law, or could be damaging to its brand or business.
To the extent Newsmax Media does not accurately anticipate costs or mitigate risks, including for content that it obtains but ultimately does not appear on or is removed from its service, or if Newsmax Media becomes liable for content it acquires, produces, licenses and/or distributes, its business may suffer. Litigation to defend these claims could be costly and the expenses and damages arising from any liability or unforeseen production risks could harm the results of the Company’s operations. The Company may not be indemnified against claims or costs of these types and the Company may not have insurance coverage for these types of claims.
Newsmax Media’s future growth depends in part on the acceptance and growth of OTT advertising and OTT advertising platforms.
Many advertisers continue to devote a substantial portion of their advertising budgets to traditional advertising, such as linear TV, radio, and print, and to advertising through digital and social media platforms. While Newsmax TV generates revenues from linear TV and distribution fees paid by MVPDs, the future growth of Newsmax Media's business may depend in part on the growth of OTT advertising and on advertisers increasing their spend on advertising on its network. Although traditional TV advertisers have showed growing interest in OTT advertising, Newsmax Media cannot be certain that their interest will continue to increase or that they will not revert to traditional TV advertising, especially if the Company’s customers no longer stream TV or significantly reduce the amount of TV they stream. If advertisers or their agency relationships do not perceive meaningful benefits of OTT advertising, the market may develop more slowly than Newsmax Media expects, which could adversely impact its operating results and materially impact a core segment of its business.
If the rate of decline in the number of subscribers to traditional MVPD services increases or these subscribers shift to other services or bundles that do not include Newsmax TV, there may be a material negative effect on Newsmax Media’s affiliation revenues once established.
During the last few years, the number of subscribers to traditional MVPD services in the U.S. has been declining, and the rate of decline has increased in recent periods. If traditional MVPD service offerings are not attractive to consumers due to pricing, increased competition from OTT services, increased dissatisfaction with the quality of traditional MVPD services, poor economic conditions or other factors, more consumers may (i) cancel their traditional MVPD service subscriptions or choose not to subscribe to traditional MVPD services, (ii) elect to instead subscribe to OTT services, which in some cases may be offered at a lower price-point and may not include our programming networks or (iii) elect to subscribe to smaller bundles of programming which may not include our programming networks. If the rate of decline in the number of traditional MVPD service subscribers increases or if subscribers shift to OTT services or smaller bundles of programming that do not include Newsmax Media’s programming networks, such a shift may have a material negative effect on Newsmax Media’s revenues.
The Company’s success depends on its ability to improve and scale its technical and data infrastructure and respond and adapt to changes in technology and consumer behavior.
The Company’s ability to attract and retain its users is dependent upon the reliable performance and increasing capabilities of its products and its underlying technical and data infrastructure. As the Company invests in its array of products and its digital business grows in size, scope and complexity, the Company must continue to invest in maintaining, integrating, improving and scaling its technical infrastructure. The Company’s failure to do so effectively, or any significant disruption in its service, could damage the Company’s reputation, result in a potential loss or ineffective monetization of users, and adversely affect its financial results.
Newsmax Media relies on a number of partners to make its service available on their devices.
Newsmax Media currently offers viewers the ability to receive streaming content through a host of internet-connected devices, including TVs, digital video players, TV set-top boxes and mobile devices. Newsmax Media has agreements with various cable, satellite, and telecommunications operators to make its service available through the TV set-top boxes of these service providers, some of which may compete directly with Newsmax Media or have investments in competing streaming content providers. In many instances, Newsmax Media’s agreements also include provisions by which the partner bills consumers directly for the Newsmax service or otherwise offers services or products in connection with offering its service. If partners or other providers do a better job of connecting consumers with content they want to watch, for example through multi-service discovery interfaces, Newsmax Media’s service may be adversely impacted. Newsmax Media intends to continue to broaden its relationships with existing partners and to increase its capability to stream its channels to other platforms and partners over time. If Newsmax Media is not successful in maintaining existing and creating new relationships, or if the Company encounters technological, content licensing, regulatory, business or other impediments to delivering its streaming content to its members via these devices, Newsmax Media’s ability to retain viewers and grow its business could be adversely impacted.
Newsmax Media’s business could be adversely affected if, upon expiration of agreements between Newsmax Media and its partners, a number of its partners do not continue to provide access to its service or are unwilling to do so on terms acceptable to Newsmax Media, which terms may include the degree of accessibility and prominence of our service. Furthermore, devices are manufactured and sold by entities and while these entities should be responsible for the devices’ performance, the connection between these devices and our service may nonetheless result in consumer dissatisfaction
toward us and such dissatisfaction could result in claims against Newsmax Media or otherwise adversely impact Newsmax Media’s business. In addition, technology changes to Newsmax Media’s streaming functionality may require that partners update their devices, or may lead Newsmax Media to stop supporting the delivery of Newsmax Media’s service on certain legacy devices. If partners do not update or otherwise modify their devices, or if we discontinue support for certain devices, Newsmax Media’s service and viewers’ use and enjoyment could be negatively impacted.
Newsmax Media’s traffic growth, engagement, and monetization depend in part upon effective operation within and compatibility with operating systems, networks, devices, web browsers and standards, including mobile operating systems, networks, and standards that it does not control.
Newsmax Media makes its content available across a variety of operating systems and through websites. Newsmax Media is dependent on the compatibility of its content with popular devices, streaming tools, desktop and mobile operating systems, connected TV systems, and web browsers that it does not control, such as Mac OS, Windows, Android, iOS, Chrome and Firefox. Any changes in such systems, devices or web browsers that degrade the functionality of its content or give preferential treatment to competitive content could adversely affect usage of its content.
A significant portion of Newsmax Media’s traffic accesses Newsmax Media’s content and services through mobile devices and, as a result, Newsmax Media’s ability to grow traffic, engagement and advertising revenue is increasingly dependent on its ability to generate revenue from content viewed and engaged with on mobile devices. A key element of its strategy is focusing on mobile devices and connected TV app, and Newsmax Media expects to continue to devote significant resources to the creation and support of developing new and innovative mobile and connected TV products, services and app. Newsmax Media is dependent on the interoperability of its content and its app with popular mobile operating systems, streaming tools, networks and standards that Newsmax Media does not control, such as the Android and iOS operating systems. Newsmax Media may not be successful in maintaining or developing relationships with key participants in the mobile and connected TV industries or in developing content that operates effectively with these technologies, systems, tools, networks, or standards. Any changes in such systems, or changes in its relationships with mobile operating system partners, handset and connected TV manufacturers, or mobile carriers, or in their terms of service or policies that reduce or eliminate our ability to distribute our content, impair access to our content by blocking access through mobile devices, make it difficult to readily discover, install, update or access Newsmax Media’s content and app on mobile devices and connected TVs, give preferential treatment to competitive, or their own, content or app, limit our ability to measure the effectiveness of branded content, or charge fees related to the distribution of our content or app could adversely affect the consumption and monetization of our content on mobile devices. Additionally, if the number of platforms for which Newsmax Media develops its product expands, it will result in an increase in its operating expenses. In the event that it is more difficult to access its content or use its app and services, particularly on mobile devices and connected TVs, or if its traffic chooses not to access its content or use its app on their mobile devices and connected TVs or chooses to use mobile products or connected TVs that do not offer access to our content or its app, or if the preferences of its traffic require Newsmax Media to increase the number of platforms on which its products are made available to its traffic, Newsmax Media’s traffic growth, engagement, ad targeting and monetization could be harmed and its business and operating results could be adversely affected.
New technologies have been developed that are able to block certain online advertisements or impair Newsmax Media’s ability to serve advertising, which could harm its operating results.
New technologies have been developed that could block or obscure the display of or targeting of Newsmax Media’s content. Additionally, some providers of consumer mobile devices and web browsers have implemented, or announced plans to implement, means to make it easier for Internet users to prevent the placement of cookies or to block other tracking technologies, which could, if widely adopted, result in the use of third-party cookies and other methods of online tracking becoming significantly less effective. An increase in the use of such new technologies could result in our inability to generate additional income from advertisements, which could harm our financial and operating results.
A financial crisis or deterioration in general economic, business or industry conditions could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Concerns over global economic conditions, instability in the banking sector, stock market volatility, energy costs, geopolitical issues, inflation and U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate increases in response, the availability and cost of credit, and slowing of economic growth in the United States and fears of a recession have contributed and may continue to contribute to economic uncertainty and diminished expectations for the global economy. Factors that affect economic conditions include the rate of unemployment, the level of consumer confidence, changes in consumer spending habits,
political and sociopolitical uncertainties and potential changes in trade relationships between the U.S. and other countries. The Company also faces risks associated with the impact of weak economic conditions on advertisers, affiliates, suppliers, wholesale distributors, retailers, insurers and others with which it does business. There was uncertainty during 2024 with potential economic downturns or recessions in parts of the United States and globally, which continued into 2025 and 2026 with global conflicts including conflicts between Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Hamas, and now the United States and Iran. Due to uncertainty in inflation, we may continue to see global, industry-wide supply chain disruptions and widespread shortages of labor, materials and services. We will also continue to monitor the impacts of inflation and commodity price volatility and the effects on our business, including to our customers and our partners.
The loss of key personnel, including talent, could disrupt the management or operations of the Company’s business and adversely affect its revenues.
The Company’s business depends upon the continued efforts, abilities and expertise of its Chief Executive Officer, Christopher Ruddy, and other key employees and news personalities. The Company believes that the unique combination of skills and experience possessed by its executive officers would be difficult to replace and that the loss of its executive officers could have a material adverse effect on the Company, including the impairment of the Company’s ability to execute successfully its business strategy. Additionally, the Company employs or independently contracts with several news personalities with significant, loyal audiences. News personalities are sometimes significantly responsible for the ranking of programming on a television station or cable network and, therefore, a significant influence on the ability of the station or network to sell advertising. The Company’s broadcast television channel delivers programming with highly regarded on-air talent who are important to attracting and retaining audiences for the distributed news content. There can be no assurance that these news personalities will remain with us or retain their current appeal, or that the costs associated with retaining this and new talent will be favorable or acceptable to us. If the Company fails to retain or attract these personalities and talent or they lose their current audiences or advertising partners, the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
The Company could suffer losses due to asset impairment charges for up-front costs related to programming.
The Company performs an annual impairment assessment of its recorded up-front costs. The Company also continually evaluates whether current factors or indicators, such as the prevailing conditions in the capital markets, require the performance of an interim impairment assessment of those assets, as well as other investments and other long-lived assets. Any significant shortfall, now or in the future, in advertising revenue and/or the expected popularity of our programming could lead to a downward revision in the fair value of certain reporting units. A downward revision in the fair value of a reporting unit, programming rights, investments or long-lived assets could result in a non-cash impairment charge. Any such charge could be material to the Company’s reported net earnings.
Adverse publicity or negative public perception regarding particular ingredients or products or the nutraceuticals industry in general could adversely affect the financial performance of those portions of the Company’s nutraceuticals business, Medix Select.
Purchasing decisions made by consumers of our nutraceuticals may be affected by adverse publicity or negative public perception regarding particular ingredients or products or the nutraceuticals industry in general. This negative public perception may include publicity regarding the risks, efficacy, legality or quality of particular ingredients or products in general or of other companies or our products or ingredients specifically. Negative public perception may also arise from regulatory investigations, regardless of whether those investigations involve Medix Select. Medix Select is highly dependent upon consumers’ perception of the safety and quality of products that contain Medix Select’s ingredients as well as similar products distributed by other companies. Thus, the mere publication of reports asserting that such products may be harmful could have a material adverse effect on us, regardless of whether these reports are scientifically supported. Publicity related to dietary supplements may also result in increased regulatory scrutiny of our industry. Adverse publicity may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
The nutraceuticals industry is highly competitive, and Medix Select’s failure to compete effectively could adversely affect its market share, financial condition, and future growth.
The industry of nutraceutical and wellness-related supplements and products we produce is highly competitive with respect to price, brand and product recognition and new product introductions. Several of Medix Select’s competitors are larger, more established and possess greater financial, personnel, distribution and other resources. Medix Select faces competition from large nationally known manufacturers, private label brands and many smaller manufacturers of dietary and nutrition supplements; and in the mass-market distribution channel from manufacturers, major private label manufacturers and others. Private label brands at mass-market chains represent substantial sources of income for these
merchants and the mass-market merchants often support their own labels at the expense of other brands. As such, the growth of Medix Selects’s current and planned products within the nutraceutical industry are highly competitive and uncertain. If Medix Select cannot compete effectively, Medix Select may not be profitable.
Any interruption to Medix Select’s distribution channels for its planned products or in its warehousing facilities could adversely affect its sales and results of operations.
Any interruption to Medix Select’s distribution channels for Medix Select’s products for any reason, such as disruption of distribution channels as a result of weather, terrorism or acts of war, fire, earthquake, or other national disaster, a work stoppage or other labor-related disruption, could adversely affect Medix Select’s sales and results of operations. Additionally, if there is any unexpected interruption to our warehousing facilities, for any reason, such as loss of certifications or licenses, as a result of weather, terrorism or acts of war, fire, earthquake, or other national disaster, a work stoppage or other labor-related disruption, electrical outages, or other events, it could result in significant reductions to our sales and margins and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
The purchase of many of Medix Select’s nutraceutical products are discretionary and may be negatively impacted by adverse trends in the general economy and make it more difficult for Medix Select to generate revenues.
Medix Selects’s business is affected by general economic conditions since Medix Select’s current and planned products are discretionary and Medix Select depends, to a significant extent, upon a number of factors relating to discretionary consumer spending. These factors include economic conditions and perceptions of such conditions by consumers, employment rates, the level of consumers’ disposable income, business conditions, interest rates, consumer debt levels and availability of credit. Consumer spending on Medix Select’s current and planned products may be adversely affected by changes in general economic conditions. Medix Select’s operating results are impacted by the health of the North American economies. Medix Select’s business and financial performance may be adversely affected by current and future economic conditions, such as a reduction in the availability of credit, financial market volatility or recession. Additionally, we may experience difficulties in scaling our operations to react to economic pressures in the United States.
Medix Select is subject to inherent risks relating to product liability and personal injury claims, its quality control processes may fail to detect issues in the ingredients used in its products and the Company’s product liability insurance may be insufficient to cover possible claims against us which would adversely affect operating results.
Medix Select sells nutraceuticals for human consumption or contact. These products involve risks such as contamination or spoilage, tampering, defects, and other adulteration. If the consumption or use of Medix Select’s products causes product damage, injury, illness, or death, we may be subject to liability, including class action lawsuits and other civil and governmental litigation. We are also subject to product liability claims involving products containing diacetyl and related chemicals. While Medix Select is covered by product liability insurance, the costs relating to any product liability claims could be substantial, and its insurance may not be sufficient to cover all losses related to any product liability claims. From time to time, we or Medix Select’s customers may withdraw or recall products in the event of contamination, product defects, or perceived quality problems. If Medix Select’s customers withdraw or recall products related to ingredients that we provide to them, as has occurred in the past, they may make claims against us.
Newsmax Inc.’s principal asset is its ownership interest in Newsmax Media and the revenue generated by such asset may not be sufficient to pay our expenses or dividends or make distributions or loans to enable us to pay dividends on our capital stock.
Newsmax Inc. has no direct operations and no significant assets other than its ownership of Newsmax Media. We depend on Newsmax Media for payments to generate the funds necessary to meet our financial obligations. We depend on Newsmax Media to pay our expenses as a publicly traded company and to pay any dividends with respect to our capital stock. The financial condition and operating requirements of Newsmax Media may limit our ability to obtain cash from Newsmax Media. The earnings from, or other available assets of, Newsmax Media might not be sufficient to pay dividends or make distributions or loans to enable us to pay any dividends on our capital stock or satisfy our other financial obligations.
We invest our cash on hand in various financial instruments which are subject to risks that could adversely affect our business, results of operations, liquidity and financial condition.
We invest our cash in a variety of financial instruments, principally government bonds, corporate debt securities, certificates of deposit and other marketable securities. All of these investments are subject to credit, liquidity, market and
interest rate risk. Such risks, including the failure or severe financial distress of the financial institutions that hold our cash, cash equivalents and investments, may result in a loss of liquidity, impairment to our investments, realization of substantial future losses, or a complete loss of the investments in the long-term, which may have an adverse effect on our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition.
Risks Related to Cybersecurity, Piracy, Privacy and Data Protection
The degradation, failure or misuse of the Company’s network and information systems and other technology could cause a disruption of services or improper disclosure of personal data or other confidential information, resulting in increased costs, liabilities or loss of revenue.
Cloud services, content delivery and other networks, information systems and other technologies that the Company or its vendors or other partners use, including technology systems used in connection with the production and distribution of our content (the “Systems”), are critical to the Company’s business activities, and shutdowns or disruptions of, and cybersecurity attacks on, the Systems pose increasing risks. Disruptions to the Systems, such as computer hacking and phishing, theft, computer viruses, ransomware, worms or other destructive software, process breakdowns, denial of service attacks or other malicious activities, as well as power outages, natural or other disasters (including extreme weather), terrorist activities or human error, may affect the Systems and could result in disruption of our services, misappropriation, misuse, alteration, theft, loss, leakage, falsification, and accidental or premature release or improper disclosure of confidential or other information, including intellectual property and personal data (of third parties, employees and users of our streaming services and other digital properties) contained on the Systems. While the Company continues to develop, implement and maintain security measures seeking to prevent unauthorized access to or misuse of the Systems, such efforts are costly, require ongoing monitoring and updating and may not be successful in preventing these events from occurring given that the techniques used to access, disable or degrade service or sabotage systems change frequently and become more sophisticated and targeted.
In addition, the Company’s recovery and business continuity plans may not be adequate to address any cybersecurity incidents that occur. The Company’s high profile programming and their extensive news coverage of elections, sociopolitical events and public controversies subject the Company to heightened cybersecurity risks. Although no cybersecurity incident has been material to the Company’s businesses as of the date of this Annual Report, we expect to continue to be subject to cybersecurity threats and there can be no assurance that we will not experience a material incident. Any cybersecurity incidents which result in the unauthorized access to or acquisition, use, or disclosure of personal information could result in a disruption of our operations, customer or advertiser dissatisfaction, damage to our reputation or brands, regulatory investigations, claims, lawsuits or loss of customers or revenue, and we may also be subject to liability under relevant contractual obligations and laws and regulations protecting personal data and may be required to expend significant resources to defend, remedy and/or address any incidents. The Company may not have adequate insurance coverage to compensate them for any losses that may occur, and in any event, insurance coverage would not address the reputational damage that could result from a security incident.
Technological developments may increase the threat of content piracy and signal theft and limit the Company’s ability to protect their intellectual property rights.
Content piracy and signal theft present a threat to the Company’s revenues from products and services, including television shows, cable and other programming. The Company seeks to limit the threat of content piracy as well as cable and direct broadcast satellite programming signal theft; however, policing unauthorized use of the Company’s products and services and related intellectual property is often difficult, and the steps taken by the Company may not in every case prevent infringement. Developments in technology, including digital copying, file compression technology, growing penetration of high-bandwidth Internet connections, increased availability and speed of mobile data networks, and new devices and applications that enable unauthorized access to content, increase the threat of content piracy by making it easier to access, duplicate, widely distribute and store high-quality pirated material. In addition, developments in software or devices that circumvent encryption technology and the falling prices of devices incorporating such technologies increase the threat of unauthorized use and distribution of direct broadcast satellite programming signals and the proliferation of user-generated content sites and live and stored video streaming sites, which deliver unauthorized copies of copyrighted content, including those emanating from other countries in various languages, may adversely impact the Company’s businesses. The proliferation of unauthorized distribution and use of the Company’s content could have an adverse effect on the Company’s businesses and profitability because it reduces the revenue that the Company could potentially receive from the legitimate sale and distribution of their products and services.
The Company takes a variety of actions to combat piracy and signal theft, both individually and, in some instances, together with industry associations, but the protection of the Company’s intellectual property rights depends on the scope and duration of the Company’s rights as defined by applicable laws in the U.S. and abroad and how those laws are construed. If those laws are interpreted in ways that limit the extent or duration of the Company’s rights or if existing laws are changed, the Company’s ability to generate revenue from intellectual property may decrease or the cost of obtaining and enforcing our rights may increase. A change in the laws of one jurisdiction may also have an impact on the Company’s overall ability to protect their intellectual property rights across other jurisdictions. The Company’s efforts to enforce their rights and protect their products, services and intellectual property may not be successful in preventing content piracy or signal theft. Further, while piracy and the proliferation of piracy-enabling technology tools continue to escalate, if any laws intended to combat piracy and protect intellectual property are repealed, weakened or not adequately enforced, or if the applicable legal systems fail to evolve and adapt to new technologies that facilitate piracy, we may be unable to effectively protect our rights and the value of our intellectual property may be negatively impacted, and our costs of enforcing our rights could increase.
The Company is subject to complex laws, regulations, rules, industry standards, and contractual obligations related to privacy and personal data protection, which are evolving, inconsistent and potentially costly.
The Company is subject to U.S. federal and state laws, as well as laws from other countries, relating to the collection, use, disclosure, and security of personal information. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, imposes broad obligations on businesses’ collection, use, handling, and disclosure of personal information of California residents and imposes fines for noncompliance. The potential effects of this legislation are far-reaching and may require us to modify our data processing practices and policies and incur substantial costs and expenses in compliance and potential litigation efforts. In addition to California, other states have passed or introduced similar privacy legislation, including Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Delaware, Utah, and Texas. We cannot yet determine the impact that these future laws and regulations may have on our business. In addition, the FTC and state attorneys general and other regulators have made privacy and data security an enforcement focus.
The European Union and other countries also have privacy and data security legislation, with significant penalties for violations, that apply to certain of the Company’s operations. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”) prohibits the transfer of personal data to countries outside of the European Economic Area (the “EEA”) such as the United States, which are not considered by the European Commission to provide an adequate level of data protection. Switzerland has adopted similar restrictions. Although there are legal mechanisms to allow for the transfer of personal data from the EEA and Switzerland to other countries, including the United States, they are subject to legal challenges and uncertainty about compliance with EU data protection and security laws remains. Such mechanisms may not be available or applicable with respect to the personal data processing activities necessary to research, develop, and market our products and services. For example, ongoing legal challenges in Europe to the mechanisms allowing companies to transfer personal data across national borders could result in further limitations on the ability to engage in cross-border data transfers, particularly if governments are unable or unwilling to reach new or maintain existing agreements that support such transfers. The GDPR allows EU member states to make additional laws and regulations further limiting the processing of genetic, biometric, health data, or other personal data. Failure to comply with these laws, where applicable, can result in the imposition of significant regulatory fines and penalties of up to the greater of €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover (revenue).
We must comply with the GDPR as implemented in the UK, which together with the amended United Kingdom Data Protection Act 2018 (together, the “UK GDPR”), retains in large part the GDPR in UK national law. The UK GDPR mirrors the fines under the GDPR, e.g., the Company could be fined up to the greater of €20 million/17.5 million pounds or 4% of global turnover under each regime. The relationship between the UK and the EU in relation to certain aspects of data protection law remains unclear, and it is unclear how UK data protection laws and regulations will develop in the medium- to longer-term following the UK government’s recent consultation on proposals for wide-ranging reform to the UK GDPR, and how data transfers to and from the UK will be regulated in the long term after expiry of the EU-UK adequacy decision in June 2025. These changes may lead to additional compliance costs and could increase the Company’s overall risk exposure.
Security breaches and other network and information systems disruptions could affect our ability to conduct our business effectively and damage our reputation.
The Company’s systems store and process confidential subscriber, employee and other sensitive personal and Company data, and therefore maintaining the Company’s network security is of critical importance. In addition, the
Company relies on the technology and systems provided by third-party vendors (including cloud-based service providers) for a variety of operations.
The Company regularly faces attempts by malicious actors to breach its security and compromise its information technology systems. These attackers may use a blend of technology and social engineering techniques (including denial of service attacks, phishing attempts intended to induce our employees and users to disclose information or unwittingly provide access to systems or data, and other techniques) to disrupt service or exfiltrate data. Information security threats are constantly evolving, increasing the difficulty of detecting and successfully defending against them. The Company and the third parties with which it works with may be more vulnerable to the risk from activities of this nature as a result of operational changes such as significant increases in remote working. As of the date of this Annual Report, no incidents have had, either individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
In addition, the Company’s systems, and those of the third parties with which it works with and on which it relies, may be vulnerable to interruption or damage that can result from the effects of natural disasters or climate change (such as increased storm severity and flooding); fires; power, systems or internet outages; acts of terrorism; pandemics (such as COVID-19); or other similar events.
The Company has implemented controls and taken other preventative measures designed to strengthen its systems against such incidents and attacks, including measures designed to reduce the impact of a security breach at the Company’s third-party vendors. Efforts to prevent hackers from disrupting our service or otherwise accessing our systems are expensive to develop, implement and maintain. These efforts require ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies change and efforts to overcome security measures become more sophisticated, and may limit the functionality of or otherwise negatively impact our products, services and systems. Although the costs of the controls and other measures we have taken to date have not had a material effect on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity, the costs and effort to respond to a security breach and/or to mitigate any security vulnerabilities that may be identified in the future could be significant.
There can also be no assurance that the actions, measures and controls the Company has implemented will be effective against future attacks or be sufficient to prevent a future security breach or other disruption to its network or information systems, or those of its third-party providers, and our disaster recovery planning cannot account for all eventualities. Such an event could result in a disruption of our services, improper disclosure of personal data or confidential information, or theft or misuse of our intellectual property, all of which could harm its reputation, require us to expend resources to remedy such a security breach or defend against further attacks, divert management’s attention and resources or subject us to liability under laws that protect personal data, or otherwise adversely affect our business. While the Company maintains cyber risk insurance, the costs relating to any data breach could be substantial, and its insurance may not be sufficient to cover all losses related to any future breaches of its systems, and in any event, insurance coverage would not address the reputational damage that could result from a security incident.
The Company is subject to payment processing risk.
The Company accepts payments through third parties using a variety of different payment methods, including credit and debit cards and direct debit. The Company relies on third parties’ systems as well as its own internal systems to process payments. Acceptance and processing of these payment methods are subject to certain certifications, rules, regulations and industry standards. To the extent that there are disruptions in its or third-party payment processing systems, errors in charges made to subscribers, material changes in the payment ecosystem such as large re-issuances of payment cards by credit card issuers, and/or changes to rules, regulations or industry standards concerning payment processing, we could experience increased costs and/or be subject to fines and/or civil liability, which could harm our reputation and adversely impact the Company’s revenue, operating expenses and results of operations.
In addition, the Company has experienced, and from time to time may continue to experience, fraudulent use of payment methods for subscriptions to its digital products. If the Company is unable to adequately control and manage this practice, it could result in inaccurately inflated subscription figures used for internal planning purposes and public reporting, which could adversely affect our ability to manage our business and harm its reputation. If the Company is unable to maintain its fraud and chargeback rate at acceptable levels, its card approval rate may be impacted and card networks could impose fines and additional card authentication requirements, or terminate its ability to process payments which would impact its business and results of operations as well as result in negative consumer perceptions of the Company’s brand. The Company has taken measures to detect and reduce fraud but these measures may not be effective
and may need to be continually improved as fraudulent schemes become more sophisticated. These measures may add friction to its subscription processes, which could adversely affect our ability to add new subscribers.
The termination of the Company’s ability to accept payments on any major payment method would significantly impair its ability to operate its business, including its ability to add and retain subscribers and collect subscription and advertising revenues, and would adversely affect the results of its operations.
Defects, delays or interruptions in the cloud-based hosting services we utilize could adversely affect the Company’s reputation and operating results.
The Company currently utilizes third-party subscription-based software services as well as public cloud infrastructure services to provide solutions for many of its computing and bandwidth needs. Any interruptions to these services generally could result in interruptions in service to its subscribers and advertisers and/or the Company’s critical business functions, notwithstanding any business continuity or disaster recovery plans or agreements that may currently be in place with some of these providers. This could result in unanticipated downtime and/or harm to our operations, reputation and operating results. A transition of these services to different cloud providers would be difficult to implement and cause us to incur significant time and expense. In addition, if hosting costs increase over time and/or if the Company requires more computing or storage capacity as a result of subscriber growth or otherwise, its costs could increase disproportionately.
Risks Related to Legal and Regulatory Matters
Changes in U.S. communications laws or other regulations, including restrictions on programming and content, may have an adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
The Company is subject to a variety of regulations in the jurisdictions in which its businesses operate. In general, the television broadcasting and traditional MVPD industries in the U.S. are highly regulated by federal laws and regulations issued and administered by various federal agencies. Our program services and online properties are subject to a variety of laws and regulations, including those relating to issues such as content regulation, user privacy and data protection, and consumer protection. Further, the United States Congress, the Federal Communications Commission and state legislatures currently have under consideration, and may in the future adopt, new laws, regulations and policies regarding a wide variety of matters, including technological changes and measures relating to network neutrality, privacy and data security, which could, directly or indirectly, affect the operations and ownership of the Company’s media properties. For example, ongoing legislative and regulatory developments regarding the FCC's 39% national television ownership cap, including potential actions by Congress or the FCC to increase or eliminate this limit, may lead to further industry consolidation and a concentration of market reach among dominant broadcast groups that could erode our relative bargaining position in securing or maintaining favorable distribution terms. Any restrictions on political or other advertising may adversely affect the Company’s advertising revenues. In addition, some policymakers maintain that traditional MVPDs should be required to offer a la carte programming to subscribers on a network by network basis or “family friendly” programming tiers. Unbundling packages of program services may increase both competition for carriage on distribution platforms and marketing expenses, which could adversely affect the business, financial condition and results of operations of the Company’s cable networks. The threat of regulatory action or increased scrutiny that deters certain advertisers from advertising or reaching their intended audiences could adversely affect advertising revenue. Similarly, new federal or state laws or regulations or changes in interpretations of federal or state law or in regulations imposed by the U.S. government could require changes in the operations or ownership of our business and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
The Company could be subject to significant tax liabilities and our ability to use our net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.
The Company is subject to taxation in U.S. federal, state and local jurisdictions. Changes in tax laws, regulations, practices or the interpretations thereof (including changes in legislation currently being considered) could affect the Company’s results of operations. Judgment is required in evaluating and estimating our provision and accruals for taxes. In addition, transactions occur during the ordinary course of business or otherwise for which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain.
Tax returns are routinely audited, tax-related litigation or settlements may occur, and certain jurisdictions may assess income tax liabilities against the Company. The final outcomes of tax audits, investigations, and any related litigation could result in materially different tax recognition from our historical tax provisions and accruals. These outcomes could conflict with private letter rulings, opinions of counsel or other interpretations provided to the Company. If
these matters are adversely resolved, the Company may be required to recognize additional charges to its tax provisions and pay significant additional amounts with respect to current or prior periods or our taxes in the future could increase, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
As of December 31, 2025, we had federal net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforwards of approximately $240.7 million, which may be utilized by us subject to certain limitations. If the NOLs are not utilized, the federal NOL carryforwards will expire in various amounts beginning in 2031. In 2006, the Company had a more than 50% ownership change and, therefore, is subject to Section 382 NOL limitation of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“IRC” or “Internal Revenue Code”). IRC Section 382 limits the Company’s utilization of its NOL to an annual amount after a more than 50% ownership change. It is anticipated that all NOLs subject to the IRC Section 382 limitations will be available to be utilized in future years.
An “ownership change” could limit our ability to utilize tax loss and credit carryforwards to off set future taxable income.
Our ability to use tax attributes to offset future taxable income may be significantly limited if we experience an “ownership change,” as discussed below. Under the IRC, and regulations promulgated by the U.S. Treasury Department, we may carry forward or otherwise utilize the tax attributes in certain circumstances to offset any current and future taxable income and thus reduce our federal income tax liability, subject to certain requirements and restrictions. To the extent that the tax attributes do not otherwise become limited, we believe that we will have available a significant amount of tax attributes in future years, and therefore the tax attributes could be a substantial asset to us. However, if we experience an “ownership change,” as defined in Section 382 of the IRC, our ability to use the tax attributes may be substantially limited, and the timing of the usage of the tax attributes could be substantially delayed, which could therefore significantly impair the value of that asset.
Newsmax Media and its Subsidiaries may be, and in the past have been, subject to unfavorable litigation that could require it to pay significant amounts, lead to onerous operating procedures or have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
Newsmax Media is subject, from time to time, to a number of lawsuits, including claims relating to competition, intellectual property rights, alleged libel or defamation, employment and labor matters, personal injury and property damage, free speech, customer privacy, regulatory requirements, and advertising, marketing and selling practices. Greater constraints on the use of arbitration to resolve certain of these disputes could adversely affect our business. The Company also spends substantial resources complying with various regulatory and government standards, including any related investigations and litigation. The Company may incur significant expenses defending any such suit or government charge and may be required to pay amounts or otherwise change our operations in ways that could adversely impact its businesses, results of operations or financial condition.
For example, on August 10, 2021, Dominion Voting Systems Corporation, Inc. or certain of its affiliates (collectively, “Dominion”), an election technology company, filed a complaint against Newsmax Media in the Superior Court of the State of Delaware for defamation in connection with Newsmax Media’s coverage of the 2020 Presidential election, seeking up to $1.6 billion in compensatory damages as well as punitive damages.
On September 26, 2024, the Company entered into a settlement agreement with Smartmatic pursuant to which the parties agreed to resolve the lawsuits among them. The Company agreed to pay a settlement of approximately $40.0 million payable over time and granted a five year warrant to purchase 2,000 shares of Series B preferred stock at an exercise price of $5,000 per share. Following the conversion of the underlying Series B preferred stock into Class B common stock in connection with our March 28, 2025 initial public offering, Smartmatic has a five year warrant to purchase 1,333,333 shares of Class B common stock at an exercise price of $7.50 per share. Refer to Note 15. Equity within the Notes to the consolidated financial statements for details of the warrant. The settlement expense, inclusive of the warrant, is included in other corporate matters in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss for the year ended December 31, 2024. The $40.0 million payable over time is recorded within settlement liability on the consolidated balance sheet. As of December 31, 2025 the outstanding balance was fully satisfied.
On August 15, 2025, Newsmax Media, Inc. and Newsmax Broadcasting, LLC entered into a settlement agreement with Dominion, pursuant to which such parties agreed to resolve the lawsuit among them for a total amount of $67.0 million to be paid in the current and next two fiscal years. The payments will be made in three installments: (1) $27.0 million was paid on August 15, 2025; (2) $20.0 million on or before January 15, 2026; and (3) $20.0 million on or before January 15, 2027. The settlement expense is included in other corporate matters in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive (Loss) Income for the year ended December 31, 2025. The $40.0 million payable over time is recorded within settlement liability on the consolidated balance sheet, with an outstanding balance of $40.0 million as of December 31, 2025.
In 2023, a counterparty to a commercial agreement with Newsmax asserted various legal contractual and non-contractual claims against Newsmax, including breach of contract claims and claims that Newsmax violated certain federal and state laws. In March 2023, Newsmax and the counterparty entered into a settlement agreement to resolve these claims prior to the commencement of any litigation. In addition, the parties also entered into an amendment to their commercial agreement. As of December 31, 2025, and pursuant to the payment schedule associated with this settlement agreement, the Company has a total of $29.6 million remaining to be paid over time.
Management believes these settlements will, subject to the payment of all consideration in a timely manner, eliminate future legal expenses the Company would have expected to bear related to these suits, which could have included costly appellate legal actions and other matters.
Failures to comply with or changes in U.S. or foreign laws or regulations may have an adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition or results of operations.
The Company is subject to a variety of laws and regulations, both in the U.S. and/or in the foreign jurisdictions in which the Company, the Company and/or its partners operate, including laws and regulations relating to intellectual property, content regulation, user privacy, data protection, anti-corruption, repatriation of profits, tax regimes, quotas, tariffs or other trade barriers, currency exchange controls, operating license and permit requirements, restrictions on foreign ownership or investment, anticompetitive conduct, export and market access restrictions, and exceptions to and limitations on copyright and censorship, among others. The television broadcasting and cable programming industries in the U.S. are highly regulated by U.S. federal laws and regulations issued and administered by various federal agencies.
The Company’s businesses could be adversely affected by new laws and regulations, changes in existing laws, changes in interpretations of existing laws by courts and regulators and the threat that additional laws or regulations may be forthcoming, as well as our ability to enforce our legal rights. The Company could be required to change or limit certain of business practices, which could impact its ability to generate revenues. The Company could also incur substantial costs to comply with new and existing laws and regulations, or substantial fines and penalties or other liabilities if the Company fails to comply with such laws and regulations.
Risks Related to Intellectual Property
The Company’s business may suffer if the Company cannot protect its intellectual property.
The Company’s business depends on its intellectual property, including its valuable brand, content, services and internally developed technology. The Company believes the protection and monetization of its proprietary trademarks and other intellectual property are critical to its continued success and its competitive position. Unauthorized parties have unlawfully misappropriated the Company’s brand, content, services, technology and other intellectual property or may attempt to do so, and the measures the Company has taken to protect and enforce its proprietary rights may not be sufficient to fully address or prevent all third-party infringement.
The Internet, combined with advancements in technology, has made unauthorized copying and wide dissemination of unlicensed content easier, including by anonymous foreign actors. At the same time, enforcement of our intellectual property rights has become more challenging. As the Company’s business and the presence and impact of bad actors become more global in scope, the Company may not be able to protect its proprietary rights in a cost-effective manner in other jurisdictions. In addition, intellectual property protection may not be available in every country in which the Company’s products and services are distributed or made available through the Internet.
If the Company is unable to protect and enforce its intellectual property rights, the Company may not succeed in realizing the full value of its assets, and its business, brand and profitability may suffer. In addition, if the Company is required to resort to litigation in the United States or elsewhere to enforce its intellectual property rights, such litigation may be costly and time consuming.
The Company has been, and may be in the future, subject to claims of intellectual property infringement that could adversely affect its business.
The Company periodically receives claims from third parties alleging violations of their intellectual property rights. To the extent the Company gains greater public recognition and scale worldwide, and publishes more content on its own platforms and third-party platforms (like social media), the likelihood of receiving claims of infringement may rise. Defending against intellectual property infringement claims against us can be time-consuming, expensive to litigate or settle and a diversion of management attention. In addition, litigation regarding intellectual property rights is inherently uncertain due to the complex issues involved, and the Company may not be successful in defending itself in such matters.
If successful, third-party intellectual property infringement claims may require the Company to enter into royalty or licensing agreements on unfavorable terms, use more costly alternative technology, alter how it presents its content to its users, alter certain of its operations and/or otherwise incur substantial monetary liability. The occurrence of any of these events as a result of these claims could result in substantially increased costs or otherwise adversely affect our business. For claims against us, insurance may be insufficient or unavailable, and for claims related to actions of third parties, either indemnification or remedies against those parties may be insufficient or unavailable.
The Company’s business involves risks of liability claims for content of material, which could adversely affect its business, results of operations and financial condition.
As a distributor of media content, we may face potential liability for defamation, invasion of privacy, negligence, copyright or trademark infringement, and other claims based on the nature and content of the materials distributed. These types of claims have been brought, sometimes successfully, against producers and distributors of media content. Any imposition of liability that is not covered by insurance or is in excess of insurance coverage could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, operating results, liquidity and prospects.
Risks Related to our Securities
Investing in our securities is a highly speculative investment and could result in the loss of your entire investment.
An investment in our securities is significantly speculative and involves significant risks. Our securities should not be purchased by any person who cannot afford the loss of his, her or its entire purchase price. The business objectives of Newsmax Inc. are also speculative, and Newsmax Inc. may be unable to satisfy its objectives. As such, each prospective investor in the Company’s securities should read these risk factors carefully and consult with their attorney, business advisor and/or investment advisor before investing in the Company’s securities.
Future sales and issuances of our securities could result in dilution of the percentage ownership of our stockholders.
In order to expand its business, Newsmax Inc. may raise funds again in the future, either by offerings of securities or through borrowing from banks or other sources. We may sell common stock, convertible securities or other equity securities in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner we determine from time to time. If we sell common stock, convertible securities or other equity securities in more than one transaction, investors may be materially diluted by subsequent sales. In addition, debt financing, if available, could include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take certain actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures, or declaring dividends and may require us to grant security interests in our assets.
There is no guarantee you will have a positive return on your investment.
There can be no assurance that investors in our securities will realize a return on investment or that investors will not lose their entire investment. For this reason, each investor should read this Annual Report together with all other filings the Company makes with the SEC including all exhibits thereto carefully and should consult with their own attorney and business/tax advisor prior to making any investment decision.
Newsmax Inc. does not intend to pay cash dividends on its capital stock in the foreseeable future.
Except for dividends paid to holders of shares of the Company’s preferred stock upon the conversion of preferred stock upon the completion of its Private Placement, Newsmax Inc. has never declared or paid cash dividends on its capital stock. We intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our securities in the foreseeable future.
Newsmax Inc. may issue shares of preferred stock that would have a liquidation preference to its common stock.
Newsmax Inc.’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation currently authorize the issuance of shares of preferred stock. The board of directors may issue shares of preferred stock without stockholder approval, and such shares may be issued with such rights, preferences, and limitations as may be determined by the board of directors. The rights of the holders of common stock, including holders of our shares that are currently outstanding, will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of any holders of preferred stock that may be issued in the future. We presently have no commitments or contracts to issue any shares of preferred stock; However, authorized and unissued preferred stock could delay, discourage, hinder or preclude an unsolicited acquisition of Newsmax Inc., could make it less likely that stockholders receive a premium for their shares as a result of any such attempt, and could adversely affect the market prices of, and the voting and other rights, of the holders of outstanding shares of the common stock.
A majority of Newsmax Inc.’s voting stock is owned by a small number of owners.
As of March 19, 2026, the Chief Executive Officer of Newsmax Inc., Christopher Ruddy, holds 39,239,297 shares of Class A Common Stock. Each share of Class A Common Stock gives the holder ten votes per share. Each share of Class B Common Stock is entitled to one vote per share. Accordingly, Mr. Ruddy holds approximately 81.5% of the voting stock of the Company. Subject to fiduciary duties owed to Newsmax Inc.’s other owners or investors under Florida law, Mr. Ruddy may be able to exercise significant influence over matters requiring owner approval such as mergers, consolidations and sales of all or substantially all of Newsmax Inc.’s assets, including the election of directors or managers and approval of significant company transactions, and have significant control over Newsmax Inc.’s management and policies. Mr. Ruddy may have interests that are different from yours. For example, he may support proposals and actions with which you may disagree. The concentration of ownership of Newsmax Inc.’s voting securities could delay or prevent a change in control of Newsmax Inc. or otherwise discourage a potential acquirer from attempting to obtain control of Newsmax Inc., which in turn could reduce the price potential investors are willing to pay for Newsmax Inc.
We cannot predict the effect our dual-class structure may have on the price of our securities.
We cannot predict whether our dual-class structure will result in a lower or more volatile market price of our securities, adverse publicity or other adverse consequences. For example, certain index providers have announced and implemented restrictions on including companies with multiple-class share structures in certain of their indices. In July 2017, FTSE Russell announced that it would require new constituents of its indices to have greater than 5% of the company’s voting rights (aggregated across all of its equity securities, including those that are not listed or trading) in the hands of public stockholders. Pursuant to the FTSE Russell, this 5% minimum voting rights requirement only applies to companies assigned a Developed market nationality within the FTSE Equity Country Classification scheme, and, based upon the FTSE Equity Country Classification Interim Announcement published on March 30, 2023, the United States is assigned a Developed market nationality within the FTSE. In addition, in July 2017, the S&P Dow Jones announced that it would no longer admit companies with multiple-class share structures to certain of its indices; however, in October 2022, the S&P Dow Jones announced that it was conducting a consultation with market participants on the multiple share class eligibility methodology requirement via a survey that closed on December 15, 2022. Subsequently, the S&P Dow Jones Indices announced that, effective as of April 17, 2023, companies with multiple share class structures will be considered eligible for the S&P Composite 1500 and its component indices, including the S&P 500, the S&P MidCap 400 and the S&P SmallCap 600, if they meet all other eligibility criteria. Also in 2017, MSCI, a leading stock index provider, opened public consultations on its treatment of no-vote and multi-class structures and temporarily barred new multi-class listings from certain of its indices; however, in October 2018, MSCI announced its decision to include equity securities “with unequal voting structures” in its indices. Additionally, MSCI announced that the securities of companies exhibiting unequal voting structures will be eligible for addition to the MSCI ACWI IMI and other relevant indexes effective March 1, 2019. Currently, MSCI offers the MSCI World Voting Rights-Adjusted Index. This index specifically includes voting rights in the weighting criteria and construction methodology and aims to better align constituent weights with economic rights and voting power, while continuing to represent the performance of a broad opportunity set. The dual-class structure of our common stock may make us ineligible for inclusion in certain indices and, as a result, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and other investment vehicles that attempt to passively track those indices would not invest in our securities. In addition, it is unclear what effect, if any, such policies will have on the valuations of publicly-traded companies excluded from such indices, but it is possible that they may adversely affect valuations, as compared to similar companies that are included. Due to the dual-class structure of our common stock, we may be excluded from certain indices and we cannot assure you that other stock indices (including NYSE) will not take similar actions. Given the sustained flow of investment funds into passive strategies that seek to track certain indices, exclusion from certain stock indices may preclude investment by many of these funds and could make our Class B Common Stock less attractive to other investors. As a result, the market price of our securities may be adversely affected.
Newsmax Inc. is a “controlled company” within the meaning of the rules of the NYSE and, as a result, qualifies for and relies on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.
Newsmax Inc.’s founder, together with his affiliates, hold a majority of the voting power of Newsmax Inc.’s common stock. As a result, Newsmax Inc. is a controlled company within the meaning of the rules of the NYSE. Under these rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the election of directors is held by an individual, a group or another company is a controlled company and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:
• a majority of the board of directors consist of independent directors as defined under the rules of the exchange;
• the nominating and governance committee be composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities;
• the compensation committee be composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and
• the requirement for an annual performance evaluation of the nominating and governance committee and compensation committee.
As a result, holders of Newsmax Inc.’s common stock may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the rules of the NYSE.
NYSE may delist our Class B Common Stock from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our shares and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
In order to continue listing the Shares on NYSE, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels and must maintain a minimum number of holders of Shares.
If NYSE delists our Class B Common Stock and we are not able to list the shares on another national securities exchange, a reduction in some or all of the following may occur, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our stockholders:
• the liquidity of the Class B Common Stock;
• the market of the Class B Common Stock;
• our ability to obtain financing for the continuation of our operations;
• the number of investors that will consider investing in the Class B Common Stock;
• the number of market makers in the Class B Common Stock;
• the availability of information concerning the trading prices and volume of the Class B Common Stock; and
• the number of broker-dealers willing to execute trades in the Class B Common Stock.
The market price of our Class B Common Stock may be volatile and fluctuate substantially, which could result in substantial losses.
The market price of the Class B Common Stock is likely to be highly volatile and may be subject to wide fluctuations in response to a variety of factors, including the following:
• regulatory or legal developments in the United States;
• inability to obtain additional funding;
• failure to meet or exceed financial projections we provide to the public;
• failure to meet or exceed the estimates and projections of the investment community;
• changes in the market valuations of companies similar to ours;
• announcements of significant acquisitions, strategic collaborations, joint ventures or capital commitments by us or our competitors;
• additions or departures of key personnel;
• sales of the Class B Common Stock by us or our stockholders in the future;
• trading volume of the Class B Common Stock;
• general economic, industry and market conditions;
• natural or man-made disasters which could significantly disrupt our operations; and
• the other factors described in this “Risk Factors” section.
Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which our Class B Common Stock will trade. In addition, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. If there is extreme market volatility and trading patterns in our Class B Common Stock, it may create several risks for investors, including the following:
• the market price of our Class B Common Stock may experience rapid and substantial increases or decreases unrelated to our actual or expected operating performance, financial condition or prospects, which may make it more difficult for prospective investors to assess the rapidly changing value of the Class B Common Stock;
• if our future market capitalization reflects trading dynamics related to our actual or expected operating performance or financial performance, purchasers of the Class B Common Stock could incur substantial losses as prices decline once the level of market volatility has abated; and
• if the future market price of the Class B Common Stock declines, investors may be unable to resell their Class B Common Stock at or above the price at which they acquired them. We cannot assure you that the market of the Class B Common Stock will not fluctuate or decline significantly in the future, in which case you could incur substantial losses.
Broad market and industry fluctuations, as well as general economic, political, regulatory and market conditions, may negatively affect the market price of the Class B Common Stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition, the Class B Common Stock may be more thinly traded than securities of larger, more established media companies and, as a result of this lack of liquidity, sales of relatively small quantities of shares of the Class B Common Stock by our stockholders may disproportionately influence the price of the Class B Common Stock. The market price of the Class B Common Stock may decline below the price at which you acquired your securities, and you may lose some or all of your investment.
We have previously granted anti-dilution rights in the form of preemptive rights to certain holders of our capital stock.
We have previously granted anti-dilution rights in the form of preemptive rights to certain holders of our capital stock. As such, at any time we intend to issue additional shares of our stock that would dilute such holders, they would first have the right to acquire additional shares to maintain their pro rata ownership in Newsmax Inc. As a result, upon future issuances of securities by Newsmax Inc., investors may experience more substantial dilution than other stockholders.
Future sales of our Class B Common Stock may cause the market price of our Class B Common Stock to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.
The market price of our Class B Common stock could decline as a result of sales by our existing stockholders in the market, or the perception that these sales could occur. These sales might also make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities at a time and price that we deem appropriate.
We may issue additional shares of our Class B Common Stock in the future pursuant to current or future equity incentive plans, or in connection with current or future acquisitions or financings. If we were to raise capital in the future by selling shares of our Class B Common Stock, or securities that are convertible into our Class B Common Stock, or
issuing shares of our Class B Common stock in a business acquisition, their issuance would have a dilutive effect on the percentage ownership of our stockholders and, depending on the prices at which such shares or convertible securities are sold or issued, on their investment in our Class B Common Stock and, therefore, could have an a material adverse effect on the market price of our Class B Common Stock.
Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws have anti-takeover effects that could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control, which may cause our stock price to decline.
Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation, our Amended and Restated Bylaws, and Florida law could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if closing such a transaction would be beneficial to our stockholders. Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation authorizes our board of directors to create and issue rights entitling our shareholders to purchase shares of our stock or other securities. The ability of our board of directors to establish the rights and issue substantial amounts of preferred stock without the need for shareholder approval may delay or deter a change in control of us.
Provisions of our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation, our Amended and Restated Bylaws, and Florida law could also have the effect of discouraging potential acquisition proposals or making a tender offer or delaying or preventing a change in control, including changes a stockholder might consider favorable. Such provisions may also prevent or frustrate attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our management. In particular, our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation, our Amended and Restated Bylaws, and Florida law, as applicable, among other things:
• require advance notice for shareholder proposals relating to the nomination of candidates for election as directors or new business to be brought before meetings of shareholders of not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the one-year anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting of stockholders;
• permit only the Chairperson of the board of directors or the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, or the Secretary of the Company upon the written request of the holders of record of not less than a majority of the voting power of all the then-outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company, to call a special meeting of the stockholders; and
• provide that stockholders may amend any provisions of the Amended and Restated Bylaws by obtaining the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than a majority of the voting power of all the then-outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company.
Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation designate the courts located in Palm Beach County as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputed with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents .
Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts located in Palm Beach County, Florida will, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, be the sole and exclusive forum for any shareholder to bring (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of the Company to the Company or the Company’s stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against the Company or its directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the Florida Business Corporation Act (“FBCA”) or the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation or the amended and restated bylaws of the Company (the “Amended and Restated Bylaws”) or (iv) any action asserting a claim against the Company or its directors, officers or employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under U.S. federal securities laws, including the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). However, Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder and, accordingly, we cannot be certain that a court would enforce such provision. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock will be deemed to have notice of, and consented to, the provisions of our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation described in the preceding sentences. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and such persons. Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the
specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
General Risk Factors
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports, or publish unfavorable research or reports about our business, our stock price and trading volume may decline.
The trading market for our Class B Common Stock will rely in part on the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us, our business, our markets and our competitors. We do not control these analysts. If securities analysts do not cover our Class B Common Stock, the lack of research coverage may adversely affect the market price of our Class B Common Stock. Furthermore, if one or more of the analysts who do cover us downgrade our stock or if those analysts issue other unfavorable commentary about us or our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fails to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the market and interest in our stock could decrease, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline and may also impair our ability to expand our business with existing customers and attract new customers.
We will incur increased costs as a result of being a public reporting company, and our board of directors will be required to devote substantial time to oversight of new compliance requirements and corporate governance practices.
As a public company listed in the United States, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we do not incur as a private company. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 , as amended, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the listing requirements of NYSE, and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on public companies, including the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure controls and procedures and corporate governance practices. Our board of directors, management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, we expect that these rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, which in turn could make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors.
These rules and regulations may be subject to varying interpretations due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices.
As a smaller reporting company and an emerging growth company, we are able to take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements that we will be required to file with the SEC. We cannot predict if investors will find the Shares less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find the Shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for the Shares, and our share price may be lower or more volatile.
We are currently scaling our accounting and IT cybersecurity functions to align with the rigorous requirements of public reporting. This expansion involves the recruitment of additional personnel with specialized public company expertise and the continued investment of financial resources to ensure our disclosure and compliance infrastructure remains comprehensive.
As of December 31, 2025, we did not have the appropriate accounting personnel to adequately execute our accounting processes and other supervisory resources with which to address our internal control over financial reporting and IT personnel to ensure compliance with cybersecurity disclosure requirements imposed by the SEC. We may need to hire additional personnel and put in place protocols necessary to implement appropriate accounting policies, processes and controls, and privacy and cybersecurity policies, to address the anticipated change in the scale of our operations. However, we cannot assure you that the measures we have taken to date, and actions we plan to take in the future, will be sufficient to prevent or avoid potential future material weaknesses in our controls.
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. If we are unable to remediate these material weaknesses, or if we identify additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that public reporting companies maintain effective internal controls for financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. As such, public reporting companies are required to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. This assessment will include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by management in a company’s internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting that results in more than a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act also generally requires an attestation from an issuer’s independent registered public accounting firm on the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting. However, for as long as Newsmax Inc. remains an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act, it may take advantage of the exemption permitting us not to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.
In connection with the preparation of our financial statements, we have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. The material weaknesses are as follows:
• Lack of adequate policies and procedures to support the operation of the Company’s business processes and internal control framework, including monitoring activities. In addition, the Company has not documented risk assessment procedures to set suitable objectives, identify relevant business risks, assess fraud risk, and develop associated responses to those risks. This includes designing appropriate business process controls in each of the following business cycles: revenue (including evaluation of new and modified contracts for proper accounting), period-end reporting, procure to pay, asset management, treasury, impairment assessment, and income tax, as well as the analysis of significant and unusual transactions.
• Evidence is not maintained to support the review and approval of the complete population of journal entries including maintaining appropriate segregation of duties.
• Evidence is not maintained to support that certain controls were appropriately designed and implemented to ensure timely reporting of complete and accurate financial information. Specifically, the Company lacked evidence over review of subledgers and account reconciliations to ensure timely detection of material misstatements in financial statement balances and the related footnote disclosures in each of the following business cycles: revenue, period-end reporting, procure to pay, asset management, and treasury.
• Management did not fully design, implement and monitor general information technology controls in the areas related to privileged access, provisioning, terminations, user access review, vulnerability assessment and backup recovery controls and segregation of duties for systems supporting substantially all of the Company’s internal control processes. These ineffective information technology controls contributed to (i) improper segregation of duties among certain business process controls and (ii) ineffective data validation of spreadsheets and system-generated reports.
We have initiated operational efforts to remediate the material weaknesses described above and will continue these remediation until complete. We have initiated and started implementing several remediation measures including, but not limited to, hiring additional accounting staff with the requisite background and knowledge, engaging third parties to assist in complying with the accounting and financial reporting requirements related to significant and complex transactions as well as adding personnel to assist Newsmax Inc. with formalizing its business process, accounting policies and internal control documentation, strengthening supervisory reviews by our management team, and evaluating the effectiveness of our internal controls. While our efforts are ongoing, we plan to take additional steps to remediate the material weaknesses, improve our financial reporting systems, and implement new policies, procedures, and controls. However, we cannot be certain that our efforts will successfully remediate our material weaknesses.
Due to continued material weakness remediation uncertainty, we may in the future not be able to complete our evaluation, testing and any required remediation in a timely fashion. During our evaluation and testing process, if Newsmax Inc. identifies one or more material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting, it may be unable to assert that its internal control over financial reporting is effective. Any failure to maintain internal control over financial reporting could severely inhibit Newsmax Inc.’s ability to accurately report our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. If Newsmax Inc. is unable to conclude that its internal control over financial reporting is effective, it could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of its financial reports, the value of the Shares could decline, and it could be subject to sanctions or investigations by regulatory authorities. Failure to remediate any material weakness in Newsmax Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting, or to implement or maintain other effective control systems required of public companies, could also restrict Newsmax Inc.’s future access to the capital markets.
