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YoY shift: Neutral
Year-over-year tone shift - average net-tone change across Risk Factors and MD&A vs the prior 10-K. This filing is -0.08pp more bearish than last year's.
Why YoY instead of absolute: the LM lexicon has ~6.6× more negative words than positive (legal/risk-disclosure language is heavy on hedging), so every 10-K reads bearish on raw tone. Year-over-year change strips that bias and surfaces the actual shift in management's framing.
Tone shift by section
The two components the gauge averages: how Risk Factors and MD&A each shifted in net tone versus last year's 10-K. The headline above is their average, so a green needle over a soft section just means the other section carried it.
Risk Factors
-0.17pp
Flat
Net-tone change vs last year's 10-K.
MD&A
+0.02pp
Flat
Net-tone change vs last year's 10-K.
Per-snippet highlights
Sentence-level sentiment highlighting with category and subcategory filters is coming once the snippet-scoring pipeline lands. For now, dig into the actual section text on the Sections tab.
Language change vs prior 10-K
Risk Factors (Item 1A) - words with the biggest YoY frequency increase
Negative rising
adversely+6
litigation+5
claims+4
unauthorized+4
failure+3
Positive rising
successful+2
effective+2
opportunities+1
strong+1
strengthened+1
Risk Factors (Item 1A)
22,829 words
Item 1A. Risk Factors
Before deciding to invest in Ziff Davis or to maintain or increase your investment, you should carefully consider the risks described below in addition to the other cautionary statements and risks described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the SEC, including our subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial also may affect our business. If any of these known or unknown risks or uncertainties actually occur, our business, prospects, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected. In that event, the market price of our common stock will likely decline and you may lose part or all of your investment.
Risk Factors Summary
The following is a summary of the principal risks that could adversely affect our business, operations, and financial results.
Risks Related To Our Business
• If we are unable to identify and execute new acquisitions or execute on investment strategies, our growth may be impacted.
Language change vs prior 10-K
MD&A (Item 7) - words with the biggest YoY frequency increase
Negative rising
impairment+4
losses+4
loss+2
volatility+2
litigations+1
Positive rising
gain+6
effective+2
greater+1
positive+1
succeeding+1
MD&A (Item 7)
10,517 words
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition to historical information, the following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our estimates and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include the information concerning our possible or assumed future results of operations. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including but not limited to those discussed in the section titled “Cautionary Note on Forward Looking Information” and in Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
Ziff Davis, Inc. was incorporated in 2014 as a Delaware corporation through the creation of a holding company structure. Ziff Davis, Inc., together with its subsidiaries (“Ziff Davis”, “the Company”, “our”, “us”, or “we”), is a vertically focused digital media and internet company whose portfolio includes leading brands in technology, shopping, gaming and entertainment, health and wellness, connectivity, cybersecurity, and martech. Our business specializes in the technology, shopping, gaming and entertainment, healthcare, and connectivity markets, offering content, tools, and services to consumers and businesses and provides internet-delivered cloud-based services to consumers and businesses including cybersecurity, privacy, and marketing technology.
• Acquisitions may disrupt our operations and harm our operating results.
• The majority of our revenue within our Digital Media Businesses is derived from short-term advertising arrangements, and our Digital Media Businesses may lose or be unable to attract advertisers if they cannot develop, commission, or acquire compelling content, if they cannot attract users to mobile offerings, or if advertisers’ marketing budgets are cut or reduced.
• We face risks associated with system failures, cybersecurity breaches, and other technological issues.
• We face risks associated with the unauthorized use of our content and the infringement of our intellectual property rights by developers and users of generative artificial intelligence (“AI”).
• We face risks associated with changes in our tax rates, changes in tax treatment of companies engaged in e-commerce, the adoption of new U.S. or international tax legislation, assessments or audits by taxing authorities, and potential exposure to additional tax liabilities (including with respect to sales and use, telecommunications, or similar taxes).
• We face risks associated with weakened global and U.S. economic conditions, volatility in the economy, and political instability.
• The markets in which we operate are highly competitive, and we may not be successful in growing our brands or revenue.
• If the distribution of Consensus, together with certain related transactions, does not qualify as a transaction that is generally tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes, Ziff Davis, Consensus, and Ziff Davis stockholders could be subject to significant tax liabilities.
• Our business is highly dependent on our billing systems functioning properly, and we face risks associated with credit and debit card declines and merchant standards imposed by credit and debit card companies.
• We face potential liability for various types of legal claims, and we may be engaged in legal proceedings that could cause us to incur unforeseen expenses and could divert significant operational resources and our management’s time and attention.
• Our businesses depend in part on attracting visitors to our websites from search engines.
• We may be subject to risks from international operations, including risks associated with currency fluctuations and foreign exchange controls and other adverse changes in global financial markets, including unforeseen global crises such as war, strife, strikes, global health pandemics, as well as risks associated with international laws and regulations.
• We may be found to infringe the intellectual property rights of others, and we may be unable to adequately protect our own intellectual property rights.
• Our business is dependent on the supply of services and other business requirements from other companies.
• Our business is dependent on our retention of our executive officers and senior management, and our ability to hire and retain key personnel.
• We are exposed to risk if we cannot maintain or adhere to our internal controls and procedures.
• Divestitures or other dispositions could negatively impact our business, and contingent liabilities from businesses that we have sold could adversely affect our financial statements.
• Potential indemnification liabilities to third-parties could materially and adversely affect our businesses, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
• ESG matters, as well as related reporting obligations, expose us to risks that could adversely affect our reputation and performance.
Risks Related To Our Industries
• We are subject to a variety of new, existing, and changing laws and regulations, across both domestic and international markets, which could subject us to claims, judgments, monetary liabilities, and other remedies, as well as increased compliance and defense costs and limitations on our business practices.
• We operate across many different markets and are subject to a rapidly evolving landscape of laws and self-regulatory regimes in the United States and internationally. Compliance with these obligations may require operational changes, lead to a significant compliance costs, and may limit our ability to collect, use, or monetize data.
• We may face various government and private actions, laws, or self-regulatory regimes regarding cybersecurity and data privacy, security, and protection, with uncertain interpretations and potentially significant costs and risks, particularly with respect to health data and other sensitive data. Additionally, data laws may restrict our ability to use and monetize certain data, and expose us to significant compliance costs, disputes, and regulatory enforcement.
• Developments in the healthcare industry and associated regulations could adversely affect our business, including our Everyday Health Group set of brands.
• Our business could suffer if providers of broadband internet access services block, impair or degrade our services.
• Our business faces risks associated with advertisement blocking technologies and advertising click fraud.
• The industries in which we operate are undergoing rapid technological changes, and we may not be able to keep up.
Risks Related To Our Liquidity and Indebtedness
• Our level of indebtedness could adversely affect our financial flexibility and our competitive position, and we require significant cash to service our debt and fund our capital requirements.
• We face risks associated with the 1.75% Convertible Notes, the 3.625% Convertible Notes, the 4.625% Senior Notes, and our revolving credit facility (collectively referred to herein as our “Outstanding Debt”), including the possibility of changes in interest deductions, triggering of the conditional conversion features, lack of funds to settle conversions, redemptions or repurchases of notes, and imposition of restrictions on future debt.
Risks Related To Our Stock
• Certain features of our Outstanding Debt may delay or prevent an otherwise beneficial attempt to take over our Company or otherwise restructure our business operations.
• Conversions of the 1.75% Convertible Notes and the 3.625% Convertible Notes (collectively, the “Convertible Notes”) would dilute the ownership interest of our existing stockholders.
• We are a holding company and our operations are conducted through, and substantially all of our assets are held by, our subsidiaries, which may be subject to certain restrictions on their ability to (i) pay dividends to us, (ii) to fund any dividends on our stock, (iii) pay interest on our Outstanding Debt, or (iv) fund other holding company expenses.
• We cannot guarantee that our share repurchase program will be fully consummated or will enhance long-term stockholders value, and share repurchases could increase the volatility of the trading price of our common stock and diminish our cash reserves.
• Future sales of our common stock may negatively affect our stock price.
• Anti-takeover provisions could negatively impact our stockholders.
• Our stock price may be volatile or may decline due to various reasons, including variations between actual results and investor expectations, industry and regulatory changes, introduction of new services by our competitors, developments with respect to IP rights, geopolitical events such as war, threat of war or terrorist actions, and global health pandemics, among others.
Risks Related To Our Business
If we are unable to identify and execute new acquisitions or execute on investment strategies, our growth may be negatively impacted.
Acquisitions and investments in our business have historically played a significant role in our growth, and we anticipate that they will continue to do so.
We plan to acquire additional or invest in new or current businesses, products, services and technologies that complement or augment our service offerings and customer base in order to enhance our rate of growth. We may not successfully identify suitable acquisition candidates or investment strategies, manage disparate technologies, lines of business, personnel and corporate cultures, realize our business strategy or the expected return on our investment, or manage a geographically dispersed company. In addition, while we conduct due diligence prior to consummating an acquisition, joint venture or business collaboration, such diligence may not identify all material issues associated with such activities and we may be exposed to additional risk due to such acquisition, joint venture, or business collaboration. We may also face competition for acquisitions from larger competitors that may have more extensive financial resources, which may increase the cost or limit the availability of acquisitions. If we are unable to identify and execute on acquisitions or execute on our investment strategies, our revenues, business, prospects, operating results, and cash flows could suffer.
We have made and expect to continue to make acquisitions that could disrupt our operations and harm our operating results.
We intend to continue to develop new services, enhance existing services and expand our geographic presence through acquisitions of other companies, service lines, technologies, and personnel.
Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including the following:
• Difficulties in integrating the operations, systems, technologies, products, and personnel of the acquired businesses;
• Difficulties in entering markets in which we have no or limited direct prior experience and where competitors in such markets may have stronger market positions;
• Diversion of management’s attention from normal daily operations of the business and the challenges of managing larger and more widespread operations resulting from acquisitions; and
• The potential loss of key employees, customers, distributors, vendors, and other business partners of the businesses we acquire.
Acquisitions may also cause us to:
• Use a substantial portion of our cash resources or incur debt;
• Significantly increase our interest expense, leverage, and debt service requirements if we incur additional debt to pay for an acquisition;
• Assume liabilities;
• Issue common stock that would dilute our current stockholders’ percentage ownership;
• Record goodwill and intangible assets that are subject to impairment testing on a regular basis and potential periodic impairment charges;
• Incur amortization expenses related to certain intangible assets; and
• Become subject to intellectual property or other litigation.
When we acquire a business, a substantial portion of the purchase price of the acquisition is allocated to goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets. We review goodwill for impairment annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of those assets is more likely than not impaired. While we may engage with valuation specialists, our valuation methodology for assessing impairment requires management to make judgments and assumptions based on experience and to rely heavily on projections of future operating performance. Our projections of our future operating results and cash flows may vary significantly from our actual results. We have previously, and may in future periods, determine that all or a portion of our goodwill or intangible assets are impaired, and we may be required to write down these assets, which would have a negative effect on our consolidated financial statements.
Mergers and acquisitions are inherently risky and subject to many factors outside of our control. We cannot give assurances that our previous or future acquisitions will be successful and will not materially adversely affect our business,
operating results, or financial condition. Failure to manage and successfully integrate acquisitions could materially harm our business and operating results. In addition, our effective tax rate for future periods is uncertain and could be impacted by mergers and acquisitions.
The majority of our revenue within our Digital Media Businesses is derived from short-term advertising arrangements, and a reduction in spending by or loss of current or potential advertisers would cause our revenue and operating results to decline.
In most cases, our agreements with advertisers have a term of one year or less and may be terminated at any time by the advertiser or by us without penalty. We believe that advertising on the internet, as in traditional media, fluctuates significantly as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control. Some of these factors include (a) budget constraints of our advertisers, (b) cancellations or delays of projects by our advertisers due to numerous factors, including but not limited to, supply chain issues and any significant changes to free trade agreements, trade protection measures, tariffs and other trade regulations, laws, and policies, (c) the cyclical and discretionary nature of advertising spending, (d) general economic, internet-related, and media industry conditions, (e) tax, tariffs, and other legislation and regulation, as well as (f) extraordinary events, such as war, acts of terrorism or aggression, extreme weather events including as exacerbated by climate change, and pandemics or other public health crises. The state of the global economy and availability of capital has impacted and could further impact the advertising spending patterns of existing and potential advertisers. Continued reduction in spending by, or loss of, existing or potential advertisers would negatively impact our revenue and operating results. Further, we may be unable to adjust our expenses and capital expenditures quickly enough to compensate for any unexpected revenue shortfall.
If we are unable to develop, commission, or acquire compelling content for our Digital Media Businesses at acceptable prices, our expenses may increase, the number of visitors to our online properties may not grow, or may decline, and/or visitors’ level of engagement with our websites may decline, any of which could harm our operating results.
Our future success depends in part on the ability of our Digital Media Businesses to aggregate compelling content and deliver that content through our online properties. Users are increasingly demanding high-quality content and services including more video and mobile-specific content. Such content and services may require us to make substantial payments to third parties if we are unable to develop content of our own. Our ability to maintain and build relationships with such third-party providers is critical to our success. In addition, as new methods for accessing the internet become available, including through alternative devices, we may need to enter into amended agreements with existing third-party providers to cover the new devices. We may be unable to enter into new, or preserve existing, relationships with the third parties whose content or services we seek to obtain. In addition, as competition for compelling content increases both domestically and internationally, our third-party providers may increase the prices at which they offer their content and services to us and potential providers may not offer their content or services to us at all, or may offer them on terms that are not agreeable to us. An increase in the prices charged to us by third-party providers could harm our operating results and financial condition. Further, many of our content and services licenses with third parties are non-exclusive. Accordingly, other media providers may be able to offer similar or identical content. This increases the importance of our ability to deliver compelling content and personalization of this content for users in order to differentiate our properties from other businesses. Although we generally develop compelling content of our own, when we are unable to do so, we engage freelance services or obtain licensed content which may not be at reasonable prices and which could harm our operating results.
In our Digital Media Businesses, if we are unable to prove that our advertising and sponsorship solutions provide an attractive return on investment for our customers, our financial results could be harmed.
Our ability to grow revenue from our Digital Media Businesses is dependent on our ability to demonstrate to marketers that their marketing campaigns with us provide a meaningful return on investment (“ROI”) relative to offline and other online opportunities. Certain of the marketing campaigns with respect to our Digital Media Businesses are designed such that the revenues received are based entirely upon the ROI delivered for customers. Our Digital Media Businesses has invested significant resources in developing its research, analytics, and campaign effectiveness capabilities and expects to continue to do so in the future. Our ability, however, to demonstrate the value of advertising and sponsorship on Digital Media Businesses properties depends, in part, on the sophistication of the analytics and measurement capabilities, the actions taken by our competitors to enhance their offerings, whether we meet the ROI expectations of our customers, and a number of other factors. If we are unable to maintain sophisticated marketing and communications solutions that provide value to our customers or demonstrate our ability to provide value to our customers, our financial results will be harmed.
A system failure, security breach, cyberattack, or other technological risk could delay or interrupt service to our customers, harm our reputation and business, lead to a loss of customers, or subject us to significant liability.
Our operations are dependent on our network being free from material interruption by damage from fire, earthquake, or other natural disaster, power loss, telecommunications failure, unauthorized entry, computer viruses, cyber-attacks, or any other events beyond our control. Similarly, the operations of our partners and other third parties with which we work are also susceptible to the same risks. There can be no assurance that our existing and planned precautions of backup systems, regular data backups, security protocols, and other procedures will be adequate to prevent significant damage, system failure or data loss, and the same is true for our partners, vendors, and other third parties on which we rely. These precautions may change over time as laws and regulations regarding data privacy, security, and protection of information change.
We face a wide variety of cyberattacks including attempts to gainunauthorized access to customer accounts.
Increased information technology security threats and more sophisticated cybercrimes and cyberattacks, including computer viruses and other malicious codes, ransomware, unauthorized access attempts, denial-of-service attacks, phishing, social engineering, hacking, and other types of attacks, pose a risk to the security and availability of our information technology systems, networks, products, solutions, and services, including those that are managed, hosted, provided, or used by third parties (and which may not provide the same level of information security as our own products, systems, or solutions), as well as the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of our data and the data of our customers, partners, consumers, employees, stockholders, suppliers and others. Also, many of our services are web-based, and the amount of data we store for our users has been increasing. Despite the implementation of security measures, our infrastructure, and that of our partners, vendors, and other third parties may be vulnerable to computer viruses, errors, bugs, defects, hackers, or similar disruptiveproblems caused by our vendors, partners, other third parties, subscribers, employees, or other internet users who attempt to invade public and private data networks. As seen in the industries in which we operate and others, these activities have been, and will continue to be, subject to continually evolving cybersecurity and technological risks. The rapid evolution and increased adoption of AI technologies may intensify our cybersecurity risks, as we may be unable to keep pace with the increasing sophistication of AI-based cybersecurity threats. Cyberattacks have become more difficult to detect and respond to since they increasingly employ AI and machine learning techniques, such as generative AI-phishing, deepfake impersonations, automated vulnerability discovery, adaptive malware, and large-scale credential-stuffing campaigns. Further, in some cases we do not have in place disaster recovery facilities for certain ancillary services.
A significant portion of our operations relies heavily on the secure processing, storage, and transmission of confidential and other sensitive data. For example, a significant number of our Cybersecurity & Martech customers authorize us to bill them directly for all transaction fees charged by us. We rely on encryption and authentication technology to effect secure transmission of confidential information, including customer financial information, which is highly dependent on our billing systems functioning. Advances in computer capabilities, new discoveries in the field of cryptography, or other developments may result in a material compromise or breach of the technology used by us, our partners, our vendors, or other third parties to protect transaction and other confidential data. Any system failure or security breach that causes interruptions or data loss in and to our operations and systems or those of our partners, vendors, customers, or other third parties, whether due to human error, including related to the improper use of AI, or misconduct, system errors, or vulnerabilities in our or our third party service providers’ products, systems, or solutions, or which leads to the misappropriation of our or our customers’ confidential information, including as a result of the introduction of new and emerging technologies such as AI, could result in a significant liability to us (including in the form of judicial decisions and/or settlements, regulatory findings and/or forfeitures, and other means), cause considerable harm to us and our reputation (including requiring notification to customers, regulators, and/or the media), cause a loss of confidence in our products and services, and deter current and potential customers from using our services.
We use vendors to assist with cybersecurity risks, but these vendors may not be able to assist us adequately in preparing for or responding to a cybersecurity incident. We maintain insurance related to cybersecurity risks, but this insurance may not be sufficient to cover all of our losses from any breaches or other adverse consequences related to a cybersecurity event. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows, or a negative impact to our reputation could cause us to suffer other negative consequences. For example, we may incur costs related to the investigation of data breaches (including for forensic analysis, legal advice, and breach notifications); remediation costs (such as liability for stolen assets or information, repairs of system damage, and incentives to customers or business partners in an effort to maintain relationships after an attack); increased cybersecurity protection costs (which may include the costs of making organizational changes, deploying additional personnel and protection technologies, training employees, recruiting people with specific expertise, and engaging third-party experts and consultants); lost revenues resulting from (i) the unauthorized use of proprietary information, (ii) the failure to retain or attract customers following an attack, or (iii) the diversion of our resources away from revenue-generating activity and towards remediation activity; litigation and legal risks (including regulatory actions by state and federal governmental authorities and non-U.S. authorities); increased insurance premiums; reputational damage that adversely affects customer or investor confidence; damage
to our competitiveness and stock price; and diminished long-term shareholder value. To date, such events have not resulted in the material impairment of our business operations.
Generative AI and related technologies could present risks and challenges to our business.
Developments in the use of generative AI and related technologies make it easier to access, duplicate, and distribute our content, or otherwise generate output based on our content, without authorization, fair compensation, or proper attribution. These technologies may reduce our online traffic and audience sizes, infringe our intellectual property rights, and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Our reputation may also be harmed if these technologies wrongly attribute inaccurate information to us. We seek to limit such threats which are significantly more acute with respect to certain of our Digital Media Businesses; however, policing unauthorized use of our content and intellectual property is often difficult and the steps taken by us may not prevent misuse and infringement of our intellectual property. Although we seek to minimize such threats to our businesses, particularly with respect to our Digital Media Businesses, we expect to continue to be subject to them and there can be no assurance that we will not experience a negative impact on our business as a result of them.
The use of copyrighted material by generative AI and related technologies has not been fully interpreted by federal, state, or international courts, and the legal and regulatory framework for generative AI continues to evolve and remains uncertain. It is possible that new laws and regulations will be adopted in the jurisdictions in which we operate, or existing laws and regulations may be interpreted in new ways, which may affect how operators of generative AI and related technologies seek to use our content. For example, in 2024 California enacted a range of laws regulating the use and development of AI, which generally relate to transparency, privacy, and fairness, among other concerns. Furthermore, in Europe the EU’s AI Act began to apply on February 2, 2025, with remaining requirements becoming effective on a staggered basis until August 2027. The EU AI Act will impose material requirements on both providers and users of AI technologies, and will prohibit certain AI practices, with infringement punishable by sanctions of up to 7% of annual worldwide turnover or 35 million euros, whichever is higher. We are still evaluating the impact of these laws on our business. The cost for us to enforce such laws and regulations, or otherwise protect our content and intellectual property rights, could be significant. Moreover, any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with new laws or regulations concerning AI could have an adverse impact on our business. Anticipated further evolution of regulations and legislation on this topic may substantially increase the penalties to which we could be subject in the event of any non-compliance. Compliance with these laws is challenging, constantly evolving and time consuming and federal regulators, state attorney generals and plaintiff’s attorneys have been and will likely continue to be active in this space. We may incur substantial expense in complying with legal obligations to be imposed by new regulations and we may be required to make significant changes to our solutions and expanding business operations, all of which may adversely affect our operations.
On April 24, 2025, we filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, Inc. alleging copyright infringement, violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, unjust enrichment and trademark dilution as a result of OpenAI’s unlawful and unauthorized copying and use of our content. See Item 3 – Legal Proceedings for additional information. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in this litigation, or in preventing other generative AI developers from using our content without authorization or fair compensation. Our business, brand, financial condition and results of operations may suffer as a result.
The use of AI by our workforce may present risks to our business.
Our workforce is exposed to and uses AI technologies for certain tasks related to our business. We have guidelines and policies concerning the use of AI tools in the workplace. Nevertheless, the use of these AI tools, whether authorized or unauthorized, by our workforce, poses potential risks relating to the protection of data, including cybersecurity risk, exposure of our proprietary confidential information to unauthorized recipients, and the misuse of our or third-party intellectual property. Use of AI technology by our workforce, even if consistent with our guidelines, may result in allegations or claimsagainst us related to a violation(s) of third-party intellectual property or other rights, unauthorized access to or use of proprietary information, and failure to comply with open-source software requirements. In addition, our employees use AI tools for various design and engineering tasks such as writing code, and these tools may produce inaccurate responses that could lead to errors in our decision-making, solution development or other business activities, which could have a negative impact on our business, operating results and financial condition. Our ability to mitigate these risks will depend on our provision of effective training, monitoring and enforcement of appropriate policies, guidelines and procedures, and compliance by our workforce.
Changes in our tax rates, changes in tax treatment of companies engaged in e-commerce, the adoption of new U.S. or international tax legislation, or exposure to additional tax liabilities may adversely impact our financial results.
We are subject to income taxes in the United States (both federal and state) and in certain foreign jurisdictions. Due to economic and political conditions, tax rates in various jurisdictions may be subject to significant change, with or without notice. New tax laws, regulations and administrative practices could be enacted or adopted at any time, and existing tax laws, regulations and administrative practices could be interpreted, modified, or applied adversely to us, possibly with retroactive effect. These changes may adversely impact our effective tax rate and harm our financial position and results of operations.
We are currently under or subject to examination by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and other domestic and foreign tax authorities and government bodies for both direct and indirect taxes. We regularly assess the likelihood of adverse outcomes resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our income tax and other tax reserves. If our reserves are not sufficient to cover these contingencies, such inadequacy could materially adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows.
In addition, due to the global nature of the internet, it is possible that various states or foreign countries might attempt to impose additional or new taxes, including digital services taxes, or regulations on our business. Tax authorities at the international, federal, state, and local levels are currently reviewing the appropriate treatment of companies engaged in e-commerce and online advertising. The application of existing, new, or revised taxes on our business would likely increase the cost of doing business online and decrease the attractiveness of selling products and advertising over the internet. The application of these taxes on our business could also create significant increases in internal costs necessary to capture data and collect and remit taxes. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results.
Furthermore, much of our Digital Media Businesses’ e-commerce revenue comes from arrangements in which we are paid by retailers to promote their digital product and service offers on our sites. Certain states have implemented regulations that require retailers to collect and remit sales taxes on sales made to residents of such states if a publisher, such as us, that facilitated that sale is a resident of such state. Paid retailers in our marketplace that do not currently have a sales tax nexus in any state that subsequently passes similar regulations and in which we have operations, employees, or contractors now or in the future, may significantly alter the manner in which they pay us, cease paying us for sales we facilitate for that retailer in such state, or cease using our marketplace, each of which could adversely impact our business, financial condition, and operating results.
Taxing authorities may successfully assert that we should have collected, or in the future should collect sales and use, telecommunications, or similar taxes, and we could be subject to liability with respect to past or future tax, which could adversely affect our operating results.
We believe we remit state and local sales and use, excise, utility user, and ad valorem taxes, as well as fees and surcharges or other similar obligations, in all relevant jurisdictions in which we generate sales, based on our understanding of the applicable laws in those jurisdictions. Such tax, fee, and surcharge laws and rates vary greatly by jurisdiction, and the application of each of them to e-commerce businesses, such as ours, is a complex and evolving area. The jurisdictions where we have sales may apply more rigorous enforcement efforts or take more aggressive positions in the future that could result in greater tax liability. In addition, in the future we may also decide to engage in activities that would require us to pay sales and use, telecommunications, or similar taxes in new jurisdictions. Such tax assessments, penalties and interest or future requirements may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operating results.
Weakened global and U.S. economic conditions, volatility in the economy, and political instability may adversely affect us and certain of our customers, which may result in, among other things, decreased usage and advertising levels, as well as decreased customer acquisition and customer retention rates and, in turn, could lead to a decrease in our revenues or rate of revenue growth.
Our overall performance depends in part on general global and U.S. economic conditions. Weakened global and U.S. economic conditions (including reduced economic growth, recessions, inflationary conditions, fluctuating interest rates, and increased unemployment), volatility in the economy, tariffs and trade protection measures, and political instability may affect the global economy, and therefore, us and certain of our customers. Among other things, such conditions may lead, and have in the past led, to decreased usage of our services, decreased retention rates, decreased advertising, e-commerce, subscription or other revenues, and increased costs. The impact of pandemics or outbreaks of infectious diseases, and the reactions of governmental and public health authorities and others, may disrupt economic activity, resulting in reduced commercial and consumer confidence and spending, increased unemployment, closure or restricted operating conditions for businesses, inflation, volatility in the global economy, instability in the credit and financial markets, labor shortages, and disruption in supply chains. These each may impact, and have in the past impacted, our revenues and profitability. For example, in connection with certain global conflicts, the United States and other governments have imposed severe economic sanctions and export controls and have threatened additional sanctions and controls. The full impact of these measures, or of any potential responses to them by the countries involved, on the businesses and results of operations or our customers or us is unknown.
Climate change may have a long-term impact on our business.
Climate change may have an adverse impact on our business locations, and those of our customers and vendors. For example, our business locations, or those of our customers and vendors, may experience adverse climate-related events, including fluctuations in temperature or water availability, floods, wildfires (and resultant air quality impacts), other unusual or
prolongedadverse weather patterns, and power shutoffs associated with these events. A climate-related event that destroys or disrupts any of our critical systems could severely impact our ability to conduct business, and we cannot ensure that our systems and data centers will remain fully operational during and immediately after such an event or disruption. Climate-related events also pose risks to our employees’ ability to stay connected and perform their job duties, particularly for those who work from home. We may experience increased employee turnover, business losses or additional costs to maintain or resume operations due to climate-related events. In addition, changes in regulatory requirements, markets and shareholder expectations regarding climate change may impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. We are assessing and managing the climate-related risks to our operations, including through our Environmental, Social and Governance Committee, but we cannot ensure that we are fully able to assess or manage such risks.
The markets in which we operate are highly competitive and some of our competitors may have greater resources to commit to growth, superior technologies, cheaper pricing, or more effective marketing strategies. Also, we face significant competition for users, advertisers, publishers, developers, and distributors.
The markets in which we operate are highly competitive and are undergoing rapid technological changes. Some of our competitors include major companies with much greater resources and significantly larger customer bases than we have. Some of these competitors offer their services at lower prices than we do. These companies may be able to develop and expand their network infrastructures and capabilities more quickly, adapt more swiftly to new or emerging technologies, including AI implementations, and changes in customer requirements, take advantage of acquisition and other opportunities more readily, and devote greater resources to the marketing and sale of their products and services than we can. There can be no assurance that additional competitors will not enter markets that we are currently serving and plan to serve or that we will be able to compete effectively. Competitive pressures may reduce our revenue, operating profits, or both.
Our Digital Media Businesses face competition from online media companies as well as from social networking sites, mobile applications, traditional print and broadcast media, general purpose and search engines, generative AI, and various e-commerce sites. Our Connectivity business faces competition from connectivity analytics providers and network testing sites. Our Cybersecurity & Martech business faces competition from cloud software services and applications across several categories, including secured communications, cybersecurity, and marketing technology.
Several of our competitors offer an integrated variety of software and internet products, advertising services, technologies, online services, and content. We compete against these and other companies to attract and retain subscribers, users, advertisers, partners, and developers. We also compete with social media and networking sites which are attracting a substantial and increasing share of users and users’ online time, and may continue to attract an increasing share of online advertising dollars.
In addition, several competitors offer products and services that directly compete for users with our business offerings. Similarly, the advertising networks operated by our competitors or by other participants in the display marketplace offer services that directly compete with our offerings for advertisers, including advertising exchanges, ad networks, demand side platforms, ad serving technologies, and sponsored search offerings. We also compete with traditional print and broadcast media companies to attract advertising spending. Some of our existing competitors and possible entrants may have greater brand recognition for certain products and services, more expertise in a particular segment of the market, and greater operational, strategic, technological, financial, personnel, or other resources than we do. Many of our competitors have access to considerable financial and technical resources with which to compete aggressively, including by funding future growth and expansion and investing in acquisitions, technologies, and research and development. Further, emerging start-ups may be able to innovate and provide new products and services faster than we can. In addition, competitors may consolidate with each other or collaborate, and new competitors may enter the market. Some of the competitors of our Cybersecurity & Martech business in international markets have a substantial competitive advantage over us because they have dominant market share in their territories, are owned by local telecommunications providers, have greater brand recognition, are focused on a single market, are more familiar with local tastes and preferences, or have greater regulatory and operational flexibility due to the fact that we may be subject to both U.S. and foreign regulatory requirements.
If our competitors are more successful than we are in developing and deploying compelling products or in attracting and retaining users, advertisers, publishers, developers, or distributors, our revenue and growth rates could decline. For additional information regarding our competition, and the risks arising out of the competitive environment in which we operate, see the subsection entitled “Competition” with respect to each of our businesses contained in Item 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Our growth will depend on our ability to develop, strengthen, and protect our brands, and these efforts may be costly and have varying degrees of success.
Our brand recognition has significantly contributed to the success of our business. Strengthening our current brands and launching competitive new brands will be critical to achieving widespread commercial acceptance of our products and services. This will require our continued focus on active marketing, the costs of which have been increasing and may continue to increase. In addition, substantial initial investments may be required to launch new brands and expand existing brands to cover new geographic territories and technology fields. Accordingly, we may need to spend increasing amounts of money on, and devote greater resources to, advertising, marketing, and other efforts to cultivate brand recognition and customer loyalty. In addition, we are supporting an increasing number of brands, each of which requires its own investment of resources. Brand promotion activities may not yield increased revenues and, even if they do, increased revenues may not offset the expenses incurred. A failure to launch, promote, and maintain our brands, or the incurrence of substantial expenses in doing so, could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our brand recognition depends, in part, on our ability to protect our trademark portfolio and establish trademark rights covering new brands and territories. Some regulators and competitors have taken the view that certain of our brands are descriptive or generic when applied to the products and services offered by our Cybersecurity & Martech business. Nevertheless, we have obtained U.S. and foreign trademark registrations for many of our brand names, logos, and other brand identifiers. If we are unable to obtain, maintain or protect trademark rights covering our brands across the territories in which they are or may be offered, the value of these brands may be diminished, competitors may be able to dilute, harm, or take advantage of our brand recognition and reputation, and our ability to attract subscribers may be adversely affected.
We hold domain names relating to our brands, in the U.S. and internationally. The acquisition and maintenance of domain names are generally regulated by governmental agencies and their designees. The regulation of domain names may change. Governing bodies may establish additional top-level domains, appoint additional domain name registrars, or modify the requirements for holding domain names. As a result, we may be unable to acquire or maintain all relevant domain names that relate to our brands. Furthermore, international rules governing the acquisition and maintenance of domain names in foreign jurisdictions are sometimes different from U.S. rules, and we may not be able to obtain all of our domains internationally. As a result of these factors, we may be unable to prevent third parties from acquiring domain names that are similar to, infringe upon or otherwise decrease the value of our brands, trademarks or other proprietary rights. In addition, failure to secure or maintain domain names relevant to our brands could adversely affect our reputation and make it more difficult for users to find our websites and services.
If the distribution of Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc. (“Consensus”) equity, together with certain related transactions, does not qualify as a transaction that is generally tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes, Ziff Davis, Consensus and Ziff Davis stockholders could be subject to significant tax liabilities.
On October 7, 2021, the Company completed the separation of its cloud fax business into Consensus, an independent publicly traded company. The separation of Consensus was effected by a pro rata distribution to our shareholders of 80.1% of the stock of Consensus, comprising our prior cloud fax business. We obtained (i) a private letter ruling from the IRS, satisfactory to our Board of Directors, regarding certain U.S. federal income tax matters relating to the separation and related transactions and (ii) an opinion of outside counsel, satisfactory to our Board of Directors, regarding the qualification of the distribution, together with certain related transactions, as generally tax-free, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, under Sections 355 and 368(a)(1)(D) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”). The opinion of outside counsel and the IRS private letter ruling were based, among other things, on various facts and assumptions, as well as certain representations, statements and undertakings of Ziff Davis and Consensus (including those relating to the past and future conduct of Ziff Davis and Consensus). If any of these facts, assumptions, representations, statements or undertakings is, or becomes, inaccurate or incomplete, or if Ziff Davis or Consensus breach any of their respective covenants contained in any of the separation-related agreements or in the documents relating to the IRS private letter ruling and/or any opinion, the IRS private letter ruling and/or any opinion may be invalid. Accordingly, notwithstanding receipt of the IRS private letter ruling and/or opinions of counsel or other external tax advisors, the IRS could determine that the distribution and certain related transactions should be treated as taxable transactions for U.S. federal income tax purposes if it determines that any of the facts, assumptions, representations, statements or undertakings that were included in the request for the IRS private letter ruling or on which any opinion was based are false or have been violated. In addition, the IRS private letter ruling does not address all of the issues that are relevant to determining whether the distribution, together with certain related transactions, qualifies as a transaction that is generally tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and an opinion of outside counsel or other external tax advisor represents the judgment of such counsel or advisor which is not binding on the IRS or any court. Accordingly, notwithstanding receipt by Ziff Davis of the IRS private letter ruling and the tax opinions referred to above, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not assert that the distribution and/or certain related transactions do not qualify for tax-free treatment for U.S. federal income tax purposes or that a court would not sustain such a challenge. In the event the IRS were to prevail with such a challenge, Ziff Davis, Consensus and Ziff Davis’ stockholders could be subject to significant U.S. federal income tax liability.
If the distribution, together with certain related transactions, fails to qualify as a transaction that is generally tax-free under Sections 355 and 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code, in general, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, Ziff Davis would recognize taxable gain as if it had sold the Consensus common stock in a taxable sale for its fair market value and Ziff Davis stockholders who receive shares of Consensus common stock in the distribution would be subject to tax as if they had received a taxable distribution equal to the fair market value of such shares.
In addition, we may incur certain tax costs in connection with the separation, including non-U.S. tax costs resulting from separations in multiple non-U.S. jurisdictions that do not legally provide for tax-free separations, which may be material. As a result of requirements of Section 355 of the Code or other applicable tax laws, in order to avoid the risk of incurring material tax-related liabilities, for a period of time after the separation we may determine to forego certain strategic transactions, equity issuances or repurchases or other transactions that we would otherwise believe to be in the best interests of our stockholders or that might increase the value of our business.
Our business is highly dependent on our billing systems.
A significant part of our revenues depends on prompt and accurate billing processes. Customer billing is a highly complex process, and our billing systems must efficiently interface with third-party systems, such as those of credit card processing companies. Our ability to accurately and efficiently bill our customers is dependent on the successful operation of our billing systems and the third-party systems upon which we rely, such as our credit card processor, and our ability to provide these third parties the information required to process transactions. To the extent there are increases in payment processing fees, disruptions in our or third-party payment processing systems; errors in charges made to subscribers; material changes in the payment ecosystem such as large reissuances of payment cards by credit card issuers and the introduction of new subscription management tools; or significant changes to certifications, rules, regulations, industry standards or laws concerning payment processing; or other changes that affect our billing systems, our ability to accept payments or retain users could be hindered, we could experience increased costs, and we could be subject to fines and civil liability, which could harm our reputation and adversely impact our revenues, operating expenses and/or results of operations. In addition, our ability to offer new services or alternative-billing plans is dependent on our ability to customize our billing systems. Any failures or errors in our billing systems or procedures could impair our ability to properly bill our current customers or attract and service new customers, and thereby could materially and adversely affect our business and financial results.
If our business experiences excessive credit and debit card declines, fraudulent activity, or cannot meet evolving credit card company merchant standards, we could incur substantial costs and lose the right to accept credit cards for payment and our subscriber base could decrease significantly.
A significant number of our paid Cybersecurity & Martech subscribers and certain subscribers from our Digital Media Businesses and Connectivity business authorize us to bill their credit card accounts directly for all service fees charged by us. Weakness in certain segments of the credit markets and in the U.S. and global economies could result in increased numbers of rejected credit and debit card payments. We believe this could result in increased customer cancellations and decreased customer signups. Rejected credit or debit card payments, customer cancellations, and decreased customer signups may adversely impact our revenues and profitability.
Additionally, if people pay for these services with stolen credit cards, we could incur substantial unreimbursed third-party vendor costs. We also incur losses from claims that customers did not authorize credit card transactions to purchase our services. If the numbers of unauthorized credit card transactions become excessive, we could be assessed substantial fines for excess chargebacks and could lose the right to accept credit cards for payment. In addition, we are subject to Payment Card Industry (“PCI”) data security standards, which require periodic audits by independent third parties to assess our compliance. PCI standards are a comprehensive set of requirements for enhancing payment account data security. Failure to comply with the security requirements or rectify a security issue may result in fines or a restriction on accepting payment cards. Credit card companies may change the standards required to utilize their services from time to time. If we are unable to meet these new standards, we could be unable to accept credit cards. Further, the law relating to the liability of providers of online payment services is currently unsettled and states may enact their own rules with which we may not comply. Substantial losses due to fraud or our inability to accept credit card payments, which could cause our paid subscriber base to significantly decrease, could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, operating results and cash flows.
Moreover, the passage or adoption of any legislation or regulation affecting the ability of service providers to periodically charge consumers for, among other things, recurring subscription payments may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, under the Payment Services Regulation 2017, banks and other payment services providers must develop and implement strong customer authentication to check that the person requesting access to an account or trying to make a payment is permitted to do so. Such regulations have impacted and could materially adversely affect our payment authorization rate, user journey, paying user conversion rates, and could also in the future affect our payment reversal rates. Legislation or regulation regarding the foregoing, or changes to existing legislation or
regulation governing subscription payments, have been enacted or are being considered globally, including in many U.S. states and by the Federal Trade Commission, as well as in certain EU countries and the UK (for example, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 in the UK, which grants new consumer enforcement powers and sets out new rules for subscription contracts). While we monitor and attempt to comply with these legal developments, we have been in the past, and may be in the future, subject to claims under such legislation or regulation.
As a creator and a distributor of content over the internet, we face potential liability for legal claims based on the nature and content of the materials that we create or distribute.
Users access health-related content through our Everyday Health Group properties, including information regarding particular medical conditions, diagnosis and treatment, and possible adverse reactions or side effects from medications. If our content, or content we obtain from third parties, contains inaccuracies, it is possible that consumers or professionals who rely on that content or others may make claimsagainst us with various causes of action. Although our properties contain terms and conditions, including disclaimers of liability, that are intended to reduce or eliminate our liability, third parties may claim that these online agreements are unenforceable.
Our editorial and other quality control procedures may not be sufficient to ensure that there are no errors or omissions in our content offerings or to prevent such errors and omissions in content that is controlled by our partners. Even if potential claims do not result in liability to us, investigating and defendingagainst these claims could be expensive and time-consuming and could divert management’s attention away from our operations.
We may be engaged in legal proceedings that could cause us to incur unforeseen expenses and could divert significant operational resources and our management’s time and attention.
From time to time, we are subject to litigation or claims or are involved in other legal disputes or regulatory inquiries, including in the areas of patent infringement and data privacy, that could negatively affect our business operations and financial condition. Such disputes could cause us to incur unforeseen expenses, divert operational resources, occupy a significant amount of our management’s time and attention and negatively affect our business operations and financial condition. The outcomes of such matters are subject to inherent uncertainties, carrying the potential for unfavorable rulings that could include monetary damages and injunctive relief. We do not always have insurance coverage for defense costs, judgments, and settlements. We may also be subject to indemnification requirements with business partners, vendors, current and former officers and directors, and other third parties. Payments under such indemnification provisions may be material. For a more detailed description of certain lawsuits in which we are involved, see Item 3. Legal Proceedings .
If we are unable to continue to attract visitors to our websites from search engines, then consumer traffic to our websites could decrease, which could negatively impact the sales of our products and services, our advertising revenue and the number of purchases generated for our retailers through our Digital Media marketplaces.
We generate consumer traffic to our websites using various methods, including search engine marketing, or SEM, search engine optimization, or SEO, email campaigns and social media referrals. Our revenues and profitability levels are dependent upon our continued ability to use a combination of these methods to generate consumer traffic to our websites in a cost-efficient manner. We have experienced and continue to experience fluctuations in search result rankings for a number of our websites. There can be no assurances that we will be able to grow or maintain current levels of consumer traffic.
Our SEM and SEO techniques have been developed to work with existing search algorithms utilized by the major search engines. Major search engines frequently modify their search algorithms. Changes in search engine algorithms or user interfaces could cause our websites to receive less favorable placements, which could reduce the number of users who visit our websites. In addition, we use keyword advertising to improve our search ranking and to attract users to our sites. If we fail to follow legal requirements regarding the use of keywords or search engine guidelines and policies properly, search engines may rank our content lower in search results or could remove our content altogether from their indices.
Any decline in consumer traffic to our websites could adversely impact the amount of ads that are displayed and the number of purchases we generate for our retailers, which could adversely affect our revenues. An attempt to replace this traffic through other channels may require us to increase our sales and marketing expenditures, which would adversely affect our operating results and which may not be offset by additional revenues.
As we continue to grow our international operations, adverse currency fluctuations and foreign exchange controls could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
As we expand our international operations, we could be exposed to significant risks of currency fluctuations. In some countries outside the U.S., we offer our services in the applicable local currency, including but not limited to the Canadian Dollar, the British Pound Sterling, the Australian Dollar, the Euro, the Japanese Yen, the Danish Krone, the Swedish Krona, and the Norwegian Krone, among others. As a result, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates affect the results of our
operations, which in turn may materially adversely affect reported earnings and the comparability of period-to-period results of operations. Changes in currency exchange rates may also affect the relative prices at which we and foreign competitors sell our services in the same market. In addition, changes in the value of the relevant currencies may affect the cost of certain items required in our operations. Furthermore, we may become subject to exchange control regulations, which might restrict or prohibit our conversion of other currencies into U.S. Dollars. We cannot assure you that future exchange rate movements will not have a material adverse effect on our future business, prospects, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows. To date, we have not entered into foreign currency hedging transactions to control or minimize these risks.
We may be subject to risks from international operations.
As we continue to expand our business operations in countries outside the U.S., our future results could be materially adversely affected by a variety of uncontrollable and changing factors including, among others, foreign currency exchange rates; political or social unrest or economic instability in a specific country or region; increased tariffs, trade protection measures and other regulatory requirements which may affect our ability to provide our services; difficulties in staffing and managing international operations; compliance with international labor and employment laws and regulations; and adverse tax consequences, including imposition of withholding or other taxes on payments by subsidiaries and affiliates. Any or all of these factors could have a material adverse impact on our future business, prospects, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows.
We have only limited experience in marketing and operating our services in certain international markets. Moreover, we have in some cases experienced and expect to continue to experience in some cases higher costs as a percentage of revenues in connection with establishing and providing services in international markets versus in the United States. In addition, certain international markets may be slower than the U.S. in adopting the internet and/or outsourced messaging and communications solutions and so our operations in international markets may not develop at a rate that supports our level of investments.
Further, the impact on the global economy as a result of unforeseen global crises such as war, acts of terrorism or aggression or strife, strikes, global health pandemics, earthquakes or major weather events, including as exacerbated by climate changes, or other events outside of our control could negatively impact our revenue and operating results.
We may be found to infringe the intellectual property rights of others, and we may be unable to defend our proprietary technology, content, and intellectual property.
Our success depends, in part, upon our proprietary technology, content, and intellectual property. We rely on a combination of patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights, contractual restrictions, and other confidentiality safeguards to protect our proprietary technology and content. However, these measures may provide only limited protection and it may be costly and time-consuming to enforce compliance with our intellectual property rights. In some circumstances, we may not have adequate, economically feasible or realistic options for enforcing our intellectual property and we may be unable to detect unauthorized use. While we have a robust worldwide portfolio of issued patents and pending patent applications, there can be no assurance that any of these patents will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, that we will be able to successfully police infringement, or that any rights granted under these patents will in fact provide a competitive advantage to us.
In addition, our ability to register or protect our patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and other intellectual property may be limited in some foreign countries. As a result, we may not be able to effectively prevent competitors in these regions from utilizing our intellectual property, which could reduce our competitive advantage and ability to compete in those regions and negatively impact our business.
We also strive to protect our intellectual property rights by relying on federal, state, and common law rights, as well as contractual restrictions. We typically enter into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements with our employees and contractors, and confidentiality agreements with parties with whom we conduct business in order to limit access to, and disclosure and use of, our proprietary information. However, we may not be successful in executing these agreements with every party who has access to our confidential information or contributes to the development of our technology or intellectual property rights. Those agreements that we do execute may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any such breach. These contractual arrangements and the other steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property rights may not prevent the misappropriation or disclosure of our proprietary information nor deter independent development of similar technology or intellectual property by others.
Monitoring unauthorized use of the content on our websites and mobile applications, and our other intellectual property and technology, is difficult and costly. Our efforts to protect our proprietary rights and intellectual property may not have been and may not be adequate to prevent their misappropriation or misuse. Third parties from time to time copy content or other intellectual property or technology from our solutions without authorization and seek to use it for their own benefit. We generally seek to address such unauthorized copying or use, but we have not always been successful in stopping all unauthorized use of our content or other intellectual property, or technology, and may not be successful in doing so in the
future. Further, we may not have been and may not be able to detect unauthorized use of our technology, content, or intellectual property, or to take appropriate steps to enforce our intellectual property rights.
Companies that operate in the same industries as our businesses have experienced substantial litigation regarding intellectual property. We may find it necessary or appropriate to initiate claims or litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights or determine the validity and scope of intellectual property rights claimed by others. This or any other litigation to enforce or defend our intellectual property rights may be expensive and time-consuming, could divert management resources, and may not be adequate to protect our business.
We have been and expect to continue to be subject to legal claims that we have infringed the intellectual property rights of others. The ready availability of damages and royalties and the potential for injunctive relief have increased the costs associated with litigating and settling patent infringementclaims. In addition, we may be required to indemnify our resellers, customers, and users for similar claims made against them. Any claims, whether or not meritorious, could require us to spend significant time, money, and other resources in litigation, pay damages and royalties, develop new intellectual property, modify, design around, or discontinue existing products, services, or features, or acquire licenses to the intellectual property that is the subject of the infringementclaims. These licenses, if required, may not be available at all or have acceptable terms. As a result, intellectual property claimsagainst us could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows.
The successful operation of our business depends upon the supply of critical business elements and relationships from other companies.
We depend upon third parties for critical elements of our business, including technology, infrastructure, customer service, and sales and marketing components. We rely on private third-party providers for our internet, telecommunications, website traffic, and other connections and services and for co-location of a significant portion of our servers and other hosting services. In addition, we rely on third-party platforms to facilitate and provide access to products sold through our sites. Our advertising operations rely on ad servers and ad exchanges, that could be disrupted, and providers of such services may leverage their power to alter the structure or operations of the ad servers and ad exchanges. Any disruption in the services provided by any of these suppliers, any adverse change in access to their platforms or services or in their terms and conditions of use or services, any failure by them to handle current or higher volumes of activity, or any other issues with the services they provide could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows.
On February 6, 2026, we filed a lawsuit against Google LLC and Alphabet Inc. allegingviolations of antitrust laws, as well as unlawfuldeceptive acts or practices, common law fraud and unjust enrichment related, in part, to publisher ad servers and ad exchanges. See Item 3 – Legal Proceedings for additional information. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in this litigation, or in preventing Google and Alphabet from continuing the conduct alleged in the complaint. Our business, brand, financial condition and results of operations may suffer as a result.
In addition, in order to obtain new customers, we have marketing agreements with operators of leading search engines and websites and employ the use of resellers to sell our products and services. These arrangements typically are not exclusive and do not extend over a significant period of time. Failure to continue these relationships on terms that are acceptable to us or to continue to create additional relationships could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, operating results and cash flows.
Our success depends on our retention of our executive officers and senior management and our ability to hire and retain key personnel.
Our success depends on the skills, experience, and performance of executive officers, senior management, and other key personnel. The loss of the services of one or more of our executive officers, senior managers, or other key employees could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows. Our future success also depends on our continuing ability to attract, integrate, and retain highly qualified technical, sales, and managerial personnel. Competition for these people is intense, and there can be no assurance that we can retain our key employees or that we can attract, assimilate, or retain other highly qualified technical, sales, and managerial personnel in the future.
We are exposed to risk if we cannot maintain or adhere to our internal controls and procedures.
We have established and continue to maintain, assess, and update our internal controls and procedures regarding our business operations and financial reporting. Our internal controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurances regarding our business operations and financial reporting. However, because of the inherent limitations in this process, internal controls and procedures may not prevent or detect all errors or misstatements. To the extent our internal controls are inadequate or not adhered to by our employees, our business, financial condition, and operating results could be materially adversely affected. We have previously identified a material weakness in our internal controls, which we subsequently remediated. We
cannot assure you that additional material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting will not be identified in the future. A material weakness in our internal controls could result in a material misstatement of our consolidated financial statements.
If we are not able to maintain internal controls and procedures in a timely manner, or without adequate compliance, we may be unable to accurately or timely report our financial results or prevent fraud and may be subject to sanctions or investigations by regulatory authorities such as the SEC or the Nasdaq Global Select Market. Any such action or restatement of prior-period financial results as a result could harm our business or investors’ confidence in the Company and could cause our stock price to fall.
Divestitures or other dispositions could negatively impact our business, and contingent liabilities from businesses that we have sold could adversely affect our financial statements.
We continually assess the strategic fit of our existing businesses and may divest or otherwise dispose of businesses that are deemed not to fit with our strategic plan or are not achieving the desired return on investment. Our ability to consummate a sale of one or more of our business lines pursuant to our announced review of potential value-creating opportunitiesposes risks and challenges that could negatively impact our business. For example, when we decide to sell or otherwise dispose of a business or assets, we may be unable to do so on satisfactory terms within our anticipated timeframe or at all, and even after reaching a definitive agreement to sell or dispose a business the sale is typically subject to satisfaction of pre-closing conditions which may not become satisfied. In addition, divestitures or other dispositions may dilute our earnings per share, have other adverse financial and accounting impacts, and distract management, and disputes may arise with buyers. Furthermore, we have retained responsibility for and/or have agreed to indemnify buyers against some known and unknown contingent liabilities related to a number of businesses we have sold or disposed of. The resolution of these contingencies has not had a material effect on our financial statements but we cannot be certain that this favorable pattern will continue.
Potential indemnification liabilities to third-parties could materially and adversely affect our businesses, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Occasionally, we enter into liability indemnification agreements with third-parties. These agreements provide for specific indemnity and liability obligations of each party and could lead to disputes between the parties. If we are required to indemnify a third-party under the circumstances set forth in these agreements, we may be subject to substantial liabilities. In addition, with respect to the liabilities for which a third-party has agreed to indemnify us under these agreements, there can be no assurance that the indemnity rights we have against a third-party will be sufficient to protect us against the full amount of the liabilities, or that a third-party will be able to fully satisfy its indemnification obligations. Each of these risks could negatively affect our businesses, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
ESG matters, as well as related reporting obligations, expose us to risks that could adversely affect our reputation and performance.
U.S. and international regulators, investors and other stakeholders are focused on ESG matters. We have established and publicly announced certain ESG initiatives and goals, including our commitment to diversity and inclusion. These statements reflect our current plans and aspirations and are not guarantees that we will be able to achieve them. Some investors may use these non-financial performance factors to guide their investment strategies and, in some cases, may choose not to invest in us if they believe our policies and actions related to ESG are inadequate. As ESG best practices and reporting standards continue to evolve, we may incur increasing costs related to ESG monitoring, reporting, and complying with ESG initiatives. In addition, in the event that we communicate certain initiatives or goals regarding ESG matters, we could fail, or be perceived to fail, in our achievement of such initiatives or goals, or we could be criticized for such initiatives or goals. We are also subject to disclosure, reporting, and diligence requirements regarding certain ESG risks and initiatives. There has been an increased focus on these initiatives by many regulators, investors, and other stakeholders, and any actual or perceived failure by us to comply with applicable federal, state, local, or international laws and regulations could result in legal and regulatory proceedings against us. The failure to accomplish or accurately track and report on these goals on a timely basis, or at all, could adversely affect our reputation, financial performance, and growth, and expose us to increased scrutiny from the investment community as well as enforcement authorities.
We may fail to meet our publicly announced guidance or other expectations about our business and future operating results, which may cause the price of our securities to decline.
From time to time, we release guidance in our earnings conference calls, earnings releases, or otherwise, regarding our expected future performance that represents our management's estimates as of the date of release. This guidance often includes forward-looking statements based on projections prepared by our management. Projections are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while presented with numerical specificity, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control and/or are based upon
specific assumptions with respect to future business decisions, some of which will change. Some of those key assumptions relate to the macroeconomic environment, including inflation and interest rates, which are inherently difficult to predict. Others are related to the future actions of existing and potential customers and vendors and relate to outcomes that we do not control. We generally state possible outcomes as high and low ranges, which are intended to provide a sensitivity analysis as variables are changed but are not intended to imply that actual results could not fall outside of the suggested ranges. Furthermore, analysts and investors may develop and publish their own projections of our business, which may form a consensus about our future performance. Our actual business results may vary significantly from such guidance or that consensus due to a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control, including those described in this “Risk Factors” section, any of which or combination thereof could materially and adversely affect our business and future operating results. Guidance is necessarily speculative in nature, and it can be expected that some or all of the assumptions underlying the guidance furnished by us will not materialize or will vary significantly from actual results. Accordingly, our guidance is only an estimate of what management believes is realizable as of the date of release. Actual results may vary from our guidance and the variations may be material.
Risks Related To Our Industries
We are subject to a variety of new, existing and changing laws and regulations, across both domestic and international markets, which could subject us to claims, judgments, monetary liabilities, and other remedies, to increased compliance and defense costs, and to limitations on our business practices.
We are subject to laws and regulations affecting our domestic and international operations in a number of areas.
The application of existing domestic and international laws and regulations to us relating to issues such as labor, defamation, pricing, advertising, taxation, promotions, billing, e-commerce, consumer protection, accessibility, content regulation, data privacy, cybersecurity, AI, youth safety, export restrictions and sanctions, telecommunications, mobile communications and media, television, intellectual property ownership and infringement, real estate, anti-corruption, foreign exchange controls and cash repatriation restrictions, anti-competition, climate, environmental, health, safety, and accreditation, in many instances, is unclear or unsettled. In addition, we will also be subject to any new laws and regulations directly applicable to our domestic and international activities. Compliance with these laws, regulations and similar requirements may be onerous and expensive, and these laws may be inconsistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, further increasing the cost of compliance and doing business. Any such costs, which may rise in the future as a result of changes in these laws and regulations or in their interpretation, could individually or in the aggregate make our products and services less attractive to our customers, delay the introduction of new products in one or more regions, or cause us to change or limit our business practices. We have implemented policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, but there can be no assurance that our employees, contractors, or agents will not violate such laws and regulations or our policies and procedures. Further, the application of existing laws to us or our subsidiaries regulating or requiring licenses for certain businesses of our advertisers including, for example, distribution of pharmaceuticals, alcohol, or other regulated substances, adult content, tobacco, or firearms, as well as insurance and securities brokerage, and legal services, can be unclear. Internationally, we may also be subject to laws regulating our activities in foreign countries and to foreign laws and regulations that are inconsistent from country to country. Our businesses utilize contractors, freelancers and/or staff from third-party outsourcers to provide content and other services. However, in the future, arrangements with such individuals may not be deemed appropriate by a relevant government authority, which could result in additional costs and expenses. We may incur substantial liabilities for expenses necessary to defendagainstlitigation regarding these laws and regulations or to otherwise comply with these laws and regulations, and we may incur potentially substantial penalties for any failure to comply. Compliance with these laws and regulations may also cause us to change or limit our business practices in a manner adverse to our business.
A number of laws, including those referenced below, impact our business. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) is intended, in part, to limit the liability of eligible online service providers for listing or linking to third-party websites that include materials that infringe copyrights or other rights of others. Portions of the Communications Decency Act (“CDA”) are intended to provide statutory protections to online service providers who distribute third-party content. We rely on the protections provided by both the DMCA and the CDA in conducting our business. If these or other laws or judicial interpretations are changed to narrow their protections or previously accepted U.S. constitutional protections, or if international jurisdictions refuse to apply similar provisions in international lawsuits, we will be subject to a greater risk of liability, our costs of compliance with these regulations or to defendlitigation may increase, or our ability to operate certain lines of business may be limited.
In the United States, the CDA provides statutory protections to online service providers like us who distribute third-party content. However, government authorities, elected officials, and political candidates have called for amendments to Section 230 of the CDA that would purport to limit or remove protections afforded to interactive computer service providers
and our current protections from liability for third-party content in the United States could decrease or change. We could incur significant costs investigating and defending such claims and, if we are found liable, significant damages. We could also face fines, orders restricting or blocking our services in particular geographies, or other government-imposed remedies as a result of content hosted on our platform.
Furthermore, a portion of our business includes acquiring and selling personal data. The acquisition and sale of data from or to third parties has become subject to increased regulatory scrutiny. Therefore, obtaining and selling data from third parties carries risk to us as a data purchaser and reseller. For example, as a data supplier, a portion of our business is currently required to register as a data broker under California, Oregon, Texas, and Vermont law and file reports with regulators, which exposes us to increased scrutiny. Additionally, California’s Delete Act established a mechanism to allow California consumers to submit a single, verifiable request to delete all of their personal data held by all registered data brokers and their service providers. Moreover, third-party data suppliers have recently been subject to increased litigation under various claims of violating certain state privacy laws. These laws and challenges may make it so difficult for us and our suppliers to collect and sell data, and the costs associated with the data may materially increase, or the availability of such data that we or our data suppliers can provide may materially decrease.
Cybersecurity, data privacy, data security, consumer protection, data protection, and AI laws are constantly evolving at the federal and state levels in the United States, as well as abroad. We are currently subject to such laws both at the federal and state levels in the U.S. as well as similar laws in a variety of international jurisdictions. For example, our use or sharing or certain data subjects us to the Video Privacy Protection Act ("VPPA"), the California Invasion of Privacy Act ("CIPA"), the California Consumer Privacy Act (the “CCPA”) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (the “CPRA”) and may subject us to additional comprehensive or sector-specific U.S. state privacy laws, as well as international laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and the EU Data Act. The interpretation of these laws may be uncertain and may also impose conflicting obligations on us.
The Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003 (the “CAN-SPAM Act”), which allows for penalties that run into the millions of dollars, requires commercial emails to include identifying information from the sender and a mechanism for the receiver to opt out of receiving future emails. Several states have enacted additional, more restrictive and punitive laws regulating commercial email. Foreign legislation exists as well, including Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation and the European laws that have been enacted pursuant to the GDPR and European Union Directive 2002/58/EC and its amendments. We use email as a significant means of communicating with our existing and potential users. We believe that our email practices comply with the requirements of the CAN-SPAM Act, state laws, and applicable foreign legislation. If we were ever found to be in violation of these laws and regulations, or any other laws or regulations, our business, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.
Plaintiffs across the country have filed lawsuits arguing that websites and mobile applications are “places of public accommodation” under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and, as such, must include functionality to make them accessible to and navigable by to persons with disabilities. There is currently a split in the federal courts of appeal as to whether a website or mobile application can be a “place of public accommodation” under the ADA. A majority of federal circuit courts to address the issue have concluded that standalone websites are not, because a place of public accommodation is a physical establishment. A minority of federal circuit courts have extended the concept of “places of public accommodation” to remote businesses, including standalone websites. The Supreme Court, which would have the authority to resolve the issue nationwide, has not yet ruled on the issue. We cannot predict how the Supreme Court will resolve the issue if and when it has the opportunity to do so.
Native advertising is an increasing part of our Digital Media business’s online advertising revenue. On December 22, 2015, the FTC issued Guidelines and an Enforcement Policy Statement on native advertising, described by the FTC as, in part, ads which often “resemble the design, style, and functionality of the media in which they are disseminated”. We believe we are compliant with the requirements of these guidelines on our current practices and offerings. However, we will continue to monitor what effect this guideline and other related government regulations, and how the FTC enforces it, could have on our native advertising and branded content business. In addition, the timing and extent of any enforcement by the FTC with regard to our native advertising practices, or others’, could reduce the revenue we generate from this line of business. The United Kingdom similarly has issued guidelines on native advertising in the United Kingdom Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (“CAP Code”) and is regulated, in part, by the Advertising Standards Authority. We believe we are compliant with the requirements of the CAP Code on our current practices and offerings and will continue to monitor the effect of these and other related governmental regulations.
We believe that many of our cloud services are “information services” under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and related precedent, or, if not “information services”, that we are entitled to other exemptions. In connection with our Cybersecurity & Martech business, we utilize data transmissions over public telephone lines and other facilities provided by
third-party carriers. These transmissions are subject to foreign and domestic laws, regulations and requirements by the Federal Communications Commission (the “FCC”), state public utility commissions, foreign governmental authorities, and industry trade associations such as the CTIA. These regulations and requirements affect our ability to provide services, the availability of numbers, the prices we pay for transmission services, the administrative costs associated with providing our services, the competition we face from telecommunications service providers and other aspects of our market. However, as the services we offer expand, we may become subject to other regulatory agency regulation. It is also possible that a federal or state regulatory agency could take the position that our offerings, or a subset of our offerings, are properly classified as telecommunications services or otherwise not entitled to certain exemptions upon which we currently rely. Such a finding could potentially subject us to fines, penalties or enforcement actions as well as liabilities for past regulatory fees and charges, retroactive contributions to various telecommunications-related funds, telecommunications-related taxes, penalties, and interest. It is also possible that such a finding could subject us to additional regulatory obligations that could potentially require us either to modify our offerings in a costly manner, diminish our ability to retain customers, or discontinue certain offerings, in order to comply with certain regulations. Changes in the regulatory environment could decrease our revenues, increase our costs and restrict our service offerings. In many of our international locations, we are subject to regulation by the applicable governmental authority.
In the U.S., Congress, the FCC, and a number of states require regulated telecommunications carriers to contribute to federal and/or state Universal Service Funds (“USF”). Generally, USF is used to subsidize the cost of providing service to low-income customers and those living in high cost or rural areas. If there are changes to USF requirements, we may need to absorb the increased costs or raise the amount we currently collect from some of our customers, which could cause us to alter or eliminate our non-paid services and to raise the price of our paid services, which in turn could cause us to lose customers, reduce our profit margins, or diminish any price advantage that we may have currently have. Any of these results could lead to a decrease in our revenues and net income and could materially adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows.
In addition, due to the number of text messages, phone calls and other communications we send or make on behalf of our customers in connection with the services we provide, communication-related privacy laws could result in particularly significant damage awards or fines. For example, in the United States, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) prohibits placing calls or sending text messages to mobile phones without “prior express consent” subject to limited exceptions. As currently construed, the TCPA does not distinguish between voice and data, and, as such, text and SMS/MMS messages may also be “calls” for the purpose of TCPA obligations and restrictions. For violations of the TCPA, a plaintiff may seek actual monetary loss or statutory damages of $500 per violation, whichever is greater, and courts may treble the damage award for willful or knowing violations. Parties that solely enable calling or text messaging are only directly liable under the TCPA pursuant to federal common law vicarious liability principles. We take significant steps to ensure that users understand that they are responsible for how they use our technology, including complying with relevant federal and state law. However, because we do not enjoy absolute exemption from liability under the TCPA and related FCC and FTC rules, we could face inquiries from the FCC and FTC or enforcement actions by these agencies, or private causes of action, if someone uses our service for such impermissible purposes. If this were to occur and we were to be held liable for someone’s use of our service for unauthorized calling or text messaging mobile users, the financial penalties could cause a material adverse effect on our operations and harm our business reputation.
Also, in the United States, the Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act (“CALEA”) requires any telecommunications carriers to be capable of performing wiretaps and recording other call identifying information in cooperation with law enforcement. In September 2005, the FCC expanded the definition of “telecommunications carriers” to include facilities-based broadband internet access providers and Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (“VoIP”) providers that interconnect with the public switched telephone network. As a result of this definition, our VoIP offerings are subject to CALEA, which has impacted our operations.
Moreover, our Everyday Health Group business may be subject to additional government oversight or regulation by Congress, the FTC, the United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and state legislatures and regulatory agencies. In addition, certain services provided by Everyday Health Group constituent businesses are also subject to private regulation both directly by accrediting bodies and indirectly by industry codes followed by commercial supporters and providers of continuing education programs for healthcare professionals.
While we believe we are in compliance with the relevant laws and regulations, we could be subject to enforcement actions, fines, forfeitures, and other adverse actions. Any failure or perceived failure by us, our partners, our vendors, or third parties on which we rely for our operations could result in a significant liability to us (including in the form of judicial decisions and/or settlements, regulatory findings and/or forfeitures, and other means), cause considerable harm to us and our reputation (including requiring notification to customers, regulators, and/or the media), cause a loss of confidence in our products and services, and deter current and potential customers from using our services. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows.
Privacy and cybersecurity laws, as well as self-regulatory developments may have uncertain interpretations and/or impose conflicting obligations on us and could adversely affect our ability to conduct our business, and may lead to regulatory investigations, government enforcement, and private actions.
The use of consumer data is a topic of active interest among federal, state, and international regulatory bodies, as well as private parties, and the legal and regulatory environment is unsettled and evolving. Federal, state, and international laws and regulations govern the collection, use, retention, disclosure, sharing, and security of data that we receive from and about our users. Our privacy and cookie policies and practices concerning the collection, use, and disclosure of user data are posted on our websites.
Certain business units within our Digital Media Businesses and Connectivity business collect and sell data about their users’ online behavior, and the revenue associated with this activity could be impacted by government regulation and enforcement, industry trends, self-regulation, technology changes, consumer behavior and attitude, and private actions. We also use such information to work with our advertisers to more effectively target ads to relevant users and consumers, which ads command a higher rate.
Many of our users voluntarily provide us with demographic and other information when they register for one of our services or properties. In order for our Everyday Health Group brands to deliver marketing and communications solutions to pharmaceutical and medical device companies, health insurers, hospital systems, and other customers, we rely on data provided by our users. We also purchase data from third-party sources to augment our user profiles and marketing databases so we are betterable to personalize content, enhance our analytical capabilities and better target our marketing programs. If changes in user sentiment regarding the sharing of information results in a significant number of visitors to our websites and applications refusing to provide us with information such as demographic information, information about their specific health interests, or professional information, our ability to personalize content for our users and provide targeted marketing solutions would be impaired. If our users choose to opt-out of having their data used for behavioral targeting, it would be more difficult for us to offer targeted marketing programs to our customers.
We append data from third-party sources to augment our user profiles. If we are unable to acquire data from third-party sources for whatever reason, if we are limited in use of such data, or if there is a marked increase in the cost of obtaining such data, our ability to personalize content and provide marketing solutions could be negatively impacted.
Our use or sharing of certain data places us at risk for claims, whether or not the claims have merit, under a number of other laws, including but not limited to the VPPA and the CIPA. We and many other businesses have been sued and/or threatened with such claims. We cannot reliably predict the courts' or arbitrators' view of the theories asserted in the cases brought against us under the VPPA or CIPA and defendingagainst them in court or in arbitration could substantially increase our legal costs and potential liability, and risk-mitigation measures to curb such claims could cause our revenues to decline and adversely affect our operating results.
Numerous other countries have, or are developing, laws governing the collection, use and transmission of personal information. For example, we are subject to the GDPR which governs the collection and use of personal data in the European Union (“EU”), including by companies outside of the European Union. The GDPR harmonizes EU data privacy laws and contains significant obligations and requirements that have resulted in a greater compliance burden with respect to our operations and data use in Europe, which will continue to increase our costs. The GDPR, which is wide-ranging in scope, imposes several requirements relating to the consent of the individuals to whom the personal data relates, the information provided to the individuals, the security and confidentiality of the personal data, data breach notification, and the use of third-party processors in connection with the processing of the personal data. Individuals also have the right to compensation under the GDPR.
The GDPR also prohibits data transfers from the EU to other countries outside of the EU, including the United States, without appropriate security safeguards and practices in place, creates mandatory breach notification requirements under certain circumstances, enhances enforcement authority and imposes large penalties for noncompliance.
The UK has implemented data protection laws that are broadly equivalent to the GDPR, and many other jurisdictions have adopted GDPR-style privacy regimes that impose similarly stringent obligations. These laws can increase compliance costs, constrain our operations, and require changes to our products, processes and vendor arrangements. Non-compliance may result in investigations, corrective orders and material fines, as well as litigation and reputational harm.
Additionally, on March 25, 2022, the U.S. and European Commission announced that they had agreed in principle to a new Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework (the “TDPF”) to enable trans-Atlantic data flows and address the concerns raised in the Schrems II decision (there are equivalent frameworks for transfers from the UK and Switzerland). To implement the commitments of the U.S. under the TDPF, in October 2022, President Biden signed an Executive Order on Enhancing Safeguards for the United States Signals Intelligence Activities (the Executive Order). This subsequently prompted the
European Commission to formally launch the process to adopt an adequacy decision based on the Executive Order in December 2022, and the adequacy decision was adopted on July 10, 2023. The TDPF has been recognized as adequate under the E.U. to allow transfers of personal data from the E.U. to companies in the U.S. that have self-certified to the framework. However, the TDPF remains subject to legal challenges and could be invalidated by EU courts, which could increase compliance costs and could disrupt or restrict our cross-border data transfers.
We have put into place various alternative frameworks and grounds on which to rely in order to be in compliance with relevant law for the transfer of data from overseas locations to the United States, including reviewing our data collection process and procedures and putting into place Data Processing Agreements that incorporate Standard Contractual Clauses as well as supplementary measures with vendors, partners and other third parties. Some independent data regulators have adopted the position that other forms of compliance are also invalid, though the legal grounds for these findings remain unclear at this time. We cannot predict at this time whether the alternative grounds that we continue to implement will be found to be consistent with relevant laws nor can we evaluate what, if any, potential liability may be at this time.
The CCPA, in its original form and as amended under the CPRA, similarly contains significant obligations and requirements that have resulted in a greater compliance burden with respect to our operations and data usage of California residents, which will continue to increase our costs. The CCPA covers businesses that obtain or access personal information of California resident consumers, grants consumers enhanced privacy rights and control over their personal information and imposes significant requirements on covered companies with respect to consumer data privacy rights. The CCPA provides consumers with the right to opt out of the sale of their personal information including the requirement to include a “Do Not Sell” link on our websites and applications that sell personal data of California resident consumers. Individuals may have the right to file a class action under the CCPA in certain circumstances. In November 2020, California voters adopted the CPRA that amends the CCPA, including creating a new agency to implement and enforce the law and enhancing and strengthening regulatory requirements and individual protections under the CCPA. The CPRA took effect on January 1, 2023. As of January 19, 2026, other states have enacted, and more are considering similar privacy, data protection and information security laws, which may subject us to additional requirements and restrictions that could have an impact on our business, further complicating our privacy compliance obligations through the introduction of increasingly disparate requirements across the various U.S. jurisdictions in which we operate. Additionally, several states have enacted health-specific privacy laws or strengthened protection of health- and location-related data, and other states are considering similar legislation. Congress is considering legislation that may preempt some or all of such U.S. state privacy laws, but provide a more robust private right of action.
In certain instances, we may be subject to enhanced privacy obligations based on the type of information we store and process. For instance, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) is intended to impose restrictions on the ability of online services to collect some types of information from children under the age of 13. Additionally, certain states have passed laws restricting the ability to offer services to minors without parental consent or otherwise limiting the services that we can provide to minors. In addition, the Providing Resources, Officers, and Technology to Eradicate Cyber Threats to Our Children Act of 2008 (“PROTECT Act”) requires online service providers to report evidence of violations of federal child pornography laws under certain circumstances, as well as other federal, state or international laws and legislative efforts designed to protect children on the internet may impose additional requirements on us. U.S. export control laws and regulations impose requirements and restrictions on exports to certain nations and persons and on our business.
New and expanding “Do Not Track” regulations have been enacted or proposed that protect users’ right to choose whether or not to be tracked online. These regulations seek, among other things, to allow consumers to have greater control over the use of private information collected online, to forbid the collection or use of online information, to demand a business to comply with their choice to opt out of such collection or use, and to place limits upon the disclosure of information to third-party websites. Similarly, exercise of the “Do Not Sell” right under the CCPA and other state privacy laws limits a business’ ability to monetize certain personal information collected online. Such laws and regulations could have a significant impact on the operation of our advertising and data businesses. U.S. regulatory agencies have also placed an increased focus on online privacy matters and, in particular, on online advertising activities that utilize cookies or other tracking tools. Consumer and industry groups have expressed concerns about online data collection and use by companies, which has resulted in the release of various industry self-regulatory codes of conduct and best practice guidelines that are binding for member companies and that govern, among other things, the ways in which companies can collect, use and disclose user information, how companies must give notice of these practices and what choices companies must provide to consumers regarding these practices.
We may be required or otherwise choose to adopt Do Not Track mechanisms or self-regulation principles or provide opt-outs from the sale of certain user data, in which case our ability to use our existing tracking technologies, to collect and sell user behavioral data, and permit their use by other third parties could be impaired. This could cause our revenues to decline and adversely affect our operating results. Moreover, U.S. and foreign governments have enacted or considered or are considering
legislation or regulations that could significantly restrict our ability to collect, augment, analyze, use, and share de-identified or anonymous data, which could increase our costs and reduce our revenue.
Additionally, the EU Data Act may apply to our products and services and could require us to provide users (and, at their direction, third parties) with access to and portability of certain data. Compliance may require changes to our systems, APIs, access controls, security measures and support processes, which could increase costs and introduce new operational and cyber-security risks. The EU Data Act may also limit our ability to use and monetize data by reducing exclusivity over certain datasets, enabling customers and third parties to reuse data, including in competing offerings, and imposing prescriptive contractual and process requirements. These obligations could lead to disputes over scope, timing, security standards, trade secret protections, technical feasibility and commercial terms. Regulators may investigate and impose orders and penalties for non-compliance. Any of these factors could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
While we work to comply with all applicable law and relevant “best practices” addressing cybersecurity, data, privacy, data security, consumer protection, and data protection, this is an area of the law that is constantly evolving as are the relevant industry codes and threat matrix. Further it is possible that applicable law and “best practices” are interpreted in an inconsistent or conflicting manner either by differing federal, state or international authorities or across the jurisdictions in which we operate. Some privacy laws are currently being challenged and litigation in this space could impact the privacy rights of our community, including modifying the ability of third parties to obtain private communications between users, which in turn may negatively impact users' experience, trust, and satisfaction and decrease their engagement with our products.
Further, failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our policies, applicable laws and regulatory requirements, or industry self-regulatory principles related to the collection, use, sharing, or security of personal information, or other privacy, data, data-retention or data protection matters could result in a loss of user confidence in us, damage to our brands, and ultimately in a loss of users and advertising partners, which could adversely affect our business. Changes in these or any other laws and regulations or the interpretation of them could increase our future compliance costs, limit the amount and type of data we can collect, transfer, share, or sell, make our products and services less attractive to our users, or cause us to change or limit our business practices. Further, any failure on our part to comply with any relevant laws or regulations may subject us to significant civil or criminal liabilities.
Online applications are subject to various laws and regulations relating to children's privacy and protection, which if violated, could subject us to an increased risk of litigation and regulatory actions.
There are a variety of laws and regulations, some of which have been adopted in recent years, aimed at protecting children using the internet, such as Article 8 of the GDPR/UK GDPR, the EU Digital Services Act, the UK Online Safety Act, the Australia Social Media Ban and the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act. Although our products and services are intended for and targeted to adults only and we implement a combination of measures designed to prevent minors from gaining access to our application, no assurances can be given that such measures will be sufficient to completely avoid allegations of violations of such laws and regulations, any of which could expose us to significant liability, penalties, reputational harm and loss of revenue, among other things. Moreover, new regulations, or changes to existing regulations, could increase the cost of our operations and materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We face potential liability related to the privacy and security of health-related information we collect from, or on behalf of, our consumers and customers.
The privacy and security of information about the physical or mental health or condition of an individual is an area of significant focus in the United States and in other jurisdictions because of heightened privacy concerns and the potential for significant consumer harm from the misuse of such sensitive data. We have procedures and technology in place intended to safeguard the information we receive from customers and users of our services from unauthorized access or use.
The Privacy Standards and Security Standards under HIPAA establish a set of basic national privacy and security standards for the protection of individually identifiable health information by health plans, healthcare clearinghouses, and certain healthcare providers, referred to as “covered entities”, and the business associates with whom such covered entities contract for services. Notably, whereas HIPAA previously directly regulated only these covered entities, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (“HITECH”) made certain of HIPAA’s Privacy and Security Standards directly applicable to covered entities’ business associates. Business associates are subject to significant civil and criminalpenalties for failure to comply with applicable Privacy and Security Standards. Additionally, certain states have adopted comparable privacy and security laws and regulations, some of which may be more stringent than HIPAA.
HIPAA directly applies to covered entities such as hospital clients of certain of our subsidiaries. Since these clients disclose protected health information to our subsidiaries so that those subsidiaries can provide certain services to them, those subsidiaries are business associates of those clients. In addition, we may sign business associate agreements in connection with
the provision of the products and services developed for other third parties or in connection with certain of our other services that may transmit or store protected health information.
Failure to comply with the requirements of HIPAA, HITECH, regulations promulgated under HIPAA and HITECH (including but not limited to the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules and the Health Breach Notification Rule), or any of the applicable federal and state laws and regulations regarding patient or consumer health privacy, identity theft prevention and detection, breach notification and data security may subject us to penalties, including civil monetary penalties and, in some circumstances, criminalpenalties or contractual liability under agreements with our customers and clients. Any failure or perception of failure of our products or services to meet HIPAA, HITECH and related regulatory requirements could expose us to risks of investigation, notification, litigation, penalty or enforcement, adversely affect demand for our products and services, and force us to expend significant capital and other resources to modify our products or services to address the privacy and security requirements of our clients and HIPAA and HITECH.
These laws and regulations are subject to interpretation by courts and regulators that might expand their scope of coverage. For example, the FTC recently adopted a Policy Statement offering guidance on the scope of its Health Breach Notification Rule, and issued related guidance, stating that consumer mobile applications that draw health information from one source and health or non-health information from one or more other sources are covered by the Rule, and that breaches of security under the Rule include disclosures of sensitive health information without user authorization. Any changes in these or any other laws and regulations or the interpretation of them could increase our future compliance costs, limit the amount and type of data we can collect, transfer, share, or sell, make our products and services less attractive to our users, or cause us to change or limit our business practices. Further, any failure on our part to comply with any relevant laws or regulations may subject us to significant civil or criminal liabilities.
Developments in the healthcare industry could adversely affect our business.
A significant portion of Everyday Health Group’s advertising and sponsorship revenues is derived from the healthcare industry, including pharmaceutical, health and wellness services, over-the-counter, and consumer-packaged-goods companies, and could be affected by changes affecting healthcare spending. Industry changes affecting healthcare spending could impact the market for these offerings. General reductions in expenditures by healthcare industry participants could result from, among other things:
• Government regulation or private initiatives that affect the manner in which healthcare industry participants interact with consumers and the general public;
• Changes to federal and state tax rates and allowed expense deductions;
• Consolidation of healthcare industry participants;
• Reductions in governmental funding for healthcare; and
• Adverse changes in business or economic conditions affecting pharmaceutical companies or other healthcare industry participants.
Even if general expenditures by industry participants remain the same or increase, developments in the healthcare industry may result in reduced spending in some or all of the specific market segments that we serve now or in the future. For example, use of our content offerings and the sale of our products and services could be affected by:
• Changes in the design and provision of health insurance plans;
• A decrease in the number of new drugs or pharmaceutical products coming to market; and
• Decreases in marketing expenditures by pharmaceutical companies as a result of governmental regulation or private initiatives that discourage or prohibit advertising or sponsorship activities by pharmaceutical companies.
The healthcare industry has changed significantly in recent years, and we expect that significant changes to the healthcare industry will continue to occur. However, the timing and impact of developments in the healthcare industry are difficult to predict. We cannot assure you that the demand for our offerings will continue to exist at current levels or that we will have adequate technical, financial, and marketing resources to react to changes in the healthcare industry.
Government regulation of healthcare creates risks and challenges with respect to our compliance efforts and our business strategies with our Everyday Health Group set of brands.
The healthcare industry is highly regulated and subject to changing political, legislative, regulatory, and other influences. Existing and future laws and regulations affecting the healthcare industry could create unexpected liabilities for us, cause us to incur additional costs, and restrict our operations. Many healthcare laws are complex, and their application may not
be clear. Our failure to accurately anticipate the application of these laws and regulations, or other failure to comply with such laws and regulations, could create liability for us. Even in areas where we are not subject to healthcare regulation directly, we may become involved in governmental actions or investigations through our relationships with customers that are regulated, and participation in such actions or investigations, even if we are not a party and not the subject of an investigation, may cause us to incur significant expenses. Additionally, government actions, investigations, or pronouncements, or a change in self-regulatory organization rules or healthcare industry norms, might impact healthcare industry customer views of risks associated with purchasing our services and result in a reduction in their expenditures.
For example, there are federal and state laws that govern patient referrals, physician financial relationships and inducements to healthcare providers and patients. The federal healthcare programs’ anti-kickback provisions prohibit any person or entity from willingly offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving anything of value, directly or indirectly, to induce or reward, or in return for either the referral of patients covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal healthcare programs or the leasing, purchasing, ordering or arranging for or recommending the lease, purchase or order of any item, good, facility or service covered by these programs. Many states also have similar anti-kickback laws that are not necessarily limited to items or services for which payment is made by a federal healthcare program. Our sale of advertising and sponsorships to healthcare providers potentially implicates these laws. However, we review our practices to ensure that we comply with all applicable laws. The laws in this area are broad, and we cannot determine precisely how they will be applied to our business practices. Any determination by a state or federal regulatory agency that any of our practices violate any of these laws could subject us to liability and require us to change or terminate some portions of our business.
Further, we derive revenues from the sale of advertising and promotion of prescription and over-the-counter drugs and medical devices, as well as non-drug consumer health and wellness products. If the FDA or the FTC finds that any of the information provided on our properties violates FDA or FTC regulations, they may take regulatory or judicial action against us and/or the advertiser of that information. State attorneys general may also take similar action based on their state’s consumer protection statutes. Any increase or change in regulation of advertising and promotion in the healthcare industry could make it more difficult for us to generate and grow our advertising and sponsorship revenues.
In addition, the practice of most healthcare professions requires licensing under applicable state law and state laws may further prohibit business entities from practicing medicine, which is referred to as the prohibition against the corporate practice of medicine. Similar state prohibitions may exist with respect to other licensed professions. We believe that we do not engage in the practice of medicine or any other licensed healthcare profession, or provide, through our properties, professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or other advice that is tailored in such a way as to implicate state licensing or professional practice laws. However, a state may determine that some portion of our business violates these laws and may seek to have us discontinue those portions or subject us to penalties or licensure requirements. Any determination that we are a healthcare provider and acted improperly as a healthcare provider may result in liability to us.
Our business could suffer if providers of broadband internet access services block, impair, or degrade our services.
Our business is dependent on the ability of our customers and visitors to our online properties to access our services and applications over broadband internet connections. Internet access providers and internet backbone providers may be able to block, degrade, or charge for access or bandwidth use of certain of our products and services, which could lead to additional expenses and the loss of users. Our products and services depend on the ability of our users to access the internet. Use of our services and applications through mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, must have a high-speed data connection. Broadband internet access services, whether wireless or landline, are provided by companies with significant market power. Many of these providers offer products and services that directly compete with ours.
Many of the largest providers of broadband services have publicly stated that they will not degrade or disrupt their customers’ use of applications and services, like ours. If such providers were to degrade, impair, or block our services, it would negatively impact our ability to provide services to our customers and likely result in lost revenue and profits, and we would incur legal fees in attempting to restore our users’ access to our services. Broadband internet access providers may also attempt to charge us or our customers additional fees to access services like ours that may result in the loss of customers and revenue, decreased profitability, or increased costs to our retail offerings that may make our services less competitive.
Technologies have been developed that are able to block certain of our advertisements or impair our ability to serve interest-based advertising which could harm our operating results.
Technologies have been developed and are likely to continue to be developed that can block internet or mobile display advertising. Most of our Digital Media Businesses’ revenues are derived from fees paid by advertisers in connection with the display of advertisements or clicks on advertisements on web pages or mobile devices. As a result, such technologies and tools are reducing the number of display advertisements that we are able to deliver or our ability to serve our interest-based advertising and this, in turn, could reduce our advertising revenue and operating results. Adoption of these types of technologies
by more of our users could have a material impact on our revenues. We have implemented third-party products to combat these ad-blocking technologies and are developing other strategies to address advertisement blocking. However, our efforts may not be successful to offset the potential increasing impact of these advertising blocking products.
If we or our third-party service providers fail to prevent click fraud or choose to manage traffic quality in a way that advertisers find unsatisfactory, our profitability may decline.
A portion of our display revenue comes from advertisers that pay for advertising on a price-per-click basis, meaning that the advertisers pay a fee every time a user clicks on their advertising. This pricing model can be vulnerable to so-called “click fraud”, which occurs when clicks are submitted on ads by a user who is motivated by reasons other than genuine interest in the subject of the ad. A portion of our display revenue also comes from advertisers that pay for advertising on the bases of price-per-impression, price-per-visit or price-per-engagement. These pricing models can also be vulnerable to fraud known variously as “invalid traffic” or “non-human traffic”, which occurs when the impression, visit or engagement is generated for reasons other than genuine interest in the subject of the ad. We or our third-party service providers may be exposed to the risk of click fraud, invalid traffic or other clicks, actions or conversions that advertisers may perceive as undesirable. If fraudulent or other malicious activity is perpetrated by others and we or our third-party service providers are unable to detect and prevent it, or choose to manage traffic quality in a way that advertisers find unsatisfactory, the affected advertisers may experience or perceive a reduced return on their investment in our advertising programs which could lead the advertisers to become dissatisfied with our advertising programs and they might refuse to pay, demand refunds, or withdraw future business. Undetected click fraud could damage our brands and lead to a loss of advertisers and revenue. We obtain third-party certification that certain of our products apply “best practices” to detect and prevent click fraud. If we are unable to maintain such certification, advertisers might refuse to pay, demand refunds, and withdraw future business, and our business reputation might be harmed.
The industries in which we operate are undergoing rapid technological changes and we may not be able to keep up.
The industries in which we operate are subject to rapid and significant technological change. We cannot predict the effect of technological changes on our business. We expect that new services and technologies will emerge in the markets in which we compete. These new services and technologies may be superior to the services and technologies that we use or these new services may render our services and technologies obsolete. Our future success will depend, in part, on our ability to anticipate and adapt to technological changes and evolving industry standards, including for example with respect to the use of AI. We may be unable to obtain access to new technologies on acceptable terms or at all and may therefore be unable to offer services in a competitive manner. Any of the foregoing risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows.
Risks Related To Our Liquidity and Indebtedness
We are exposed to risks associated with changes in interest rates.
Increases in interest rates could increase our financing costs over time, either through potential near-term borrowings under our existing credit facility, which is subject to floating interest rates, or through the refinancing of our existing debt. Elevated interest rates have generally increased the cost of debt and we may be required to pay higher interest rates on new indebtedness we may incur in the future, including under our existing revolving credit facility, in comparison to the interest rates payable on our prior and currently outstanding indebtedness, including in connection with the refinancing of such indebtedness. Interest rates are sensitive to numerous factors outside of our control, such as government and central bank monetary policy in the jurisdictions in which we operate. In addition, actions by credit rating agencies, such as downgrades or negative changes to ratings outlooks, can affect the availability and cost of funding for us and can increase our cost of capital and hurt our competitive position.
We maintain cash deposits in excess of federally insured limits and the collapse of certain banks and potentially other financial institutions may adversely impact us.
We maintain domestic cash deposits in Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insured banks that exceed the FDIC insurance limits. We also maintain cash deposits in foreign banks where we operate, some of which are not insured or are only partially insured by the FDIC or similar agencies. Bank failures, events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance, or other adverse developments that affect financial institutions, or concerns or rumors about such events, may lead to liquidity constraints. The failure of any financial institution to which we face direct exposure, may lead to significant disruptions to our operations, liquidity, financial position, and reputation. There can be no assurance that our deposits in excess of the FDIC or other comparable insurance limits will be backstopped by the U.S. or applicable foreign government, or that any bank or financial institution with which we do business will be able to obtain needed liquidity from other banks, government institutions, or by acquisition in the event of a failure or liquidity crisis.
Our level of indebtedness could adversely affect our financial flexibility and our competitive position.
Our level of indebtedness could have significant effects on our business. For example, it could:
• Make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations, including those related to our current indebtedness and any other indebtedness we may incur in the future;
• Increase our vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry, and competitive conditions;
• Require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to make payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, and other elements of our business strategy and other general corporate purposes, including share repurchases and payment of dividends;
• Limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industries in which we operate;
• Restrict us from exploiting business opportunities;
• Place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less indebtedness; and
• Limit our ability to borrow additional funds for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, share repurchases, debt service requirements, execution of our business strategy, or other general corporate purposes.
In addition, the agreements governing our Outstanding Debt contain, and the agreements evidencing or governing other future indebtedness (“Subsequent Debt Agreements”) may contain, restrictive covenants that may limit our ability to engage in activities that may be in our long-term best interests.
The restricted covenants contained in the documents governing our Outstanding Debt impose significant operating and financial restrictions and may limit our ability to plan for or react to market conditions, meet capital needs or make acquisitions, or otherwise restrict our activities or business plans. These include restrictions on our ability to:
• Incur additional indebtedness;
• Create liens;
• Engage in sale-leaseback transactions;
• Pay dividends or make distributions in respect of capital stock;
• Purchase or redeem capital stock;
• Make investments or certain other restricted payments;
• Sell assets;
• Enter into transactions with affiliates;
• amend the terms of certain other indebtedness and organizational documents; or
• Effect a consolidation or merger.
Subsequent Debt Agreements may contain similar restrictive covenants.
A breach of the covenants under the documents governing our Outstanding Debt or under the documents governing any Subsequent Debt Agreement could result in an event of default. Such a default may allow the holders or creditors to accelerate the obligations under our Outstanding Debt, or the obligations under Subsequent Debt Agreements, and may result in the acceleration of any other indebtedness to which a cross-acceleration or cross-default provision applies. In the event the holders or creditors of our Outstanding Debt or any creditors under Subsequent Debt Agreements, accelerate the repayment of our borrowings, we and our subsidiaries may not have sufficient assets to repay that indebtedness or our other indebtedness.
To service our debt and fund our other capital requirements, we will require a significant amount of cash, and our ability to generate cash depends on many factors beyond our control.
Our ability to meet our debt service obligations and to fund working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other elements of our business strategy and other general corporate purposes, including share repurchases and payment of dividends, will depend upon our future performance, which will be subject to financial, business, and other factors affecting our operations. To some extent, our future performance is subject to general and regional economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory, and other factors that are beyond our control. We cannot ensure that we will generate cash flow from
operations, or that future borrowings will be available, in an amount sufficient to enable us to pay our debt or to fund our other liquidity needs.
If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we could face substantial liquidity problems and could be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures or to dispose of material assets or operations, seek additional indebtedness or equity capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. We may not be able to effect any such alternative measures on commercially reasonable terms or at all and, even if successful, those alternative actions may not allow us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations.
Our inability to generate sufficient cash flows to satisfy our debt obligations, or to refinance our indebtedness on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, would materially and adversely affect our financial position and results of operations.
We may not have the ability to raise the funds necessary to settle conversions of our Convertible Notes or to repurchase such Convertible Notes upon a fundamental change or repurchase our senior notes upon change in control.
Holders of our Convertible Notes have the right to require us to repurchase all or a portion of their notes in the applicable series upon the occurrence of a fundamental change (as defined in the indentures governing such notes) before the maturity date at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. In addition, upon conversion of the Convertible Notes, unless we elect to deliver solely shares of our common stock to settle such conversion, we will be required to make cash payments in respect of the Convertible Notes being converted. We may not have enough available cash or be able to obtain financing at the time we are required to make repurchases or redemptions of our outstanding notes, and the conditional conversion feature of the Convertible Notes, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results. In addition, even if holders do not elect to convert their notes, we could be required under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all or a portion of the outstanding principal of the notes as a current rather than long-term liability, which would result in a material reduction of our net working capital.
Holders of our senior notes have the right to require the Company to repurchase all or a portion of their senior notes upon the occurrence of a change of control triggering event (as defined in the indenture). We may not have enough available cash or be able to obtain financing at the time we are required to make repurchases or redemptions of the surrendered senior notes.
In addition, our ability to repurchase or redeem our notes may be limited by law, by regulatory authority or by agreements governing our current or future indebtedness. Our failure to repurchase or redeem our notes at a time when the repurchase or redemption is required by the applicable indenture or to pay any cash payable on future conversions of the Convertible Notes as required would constitute a default under the applicable indenture. A default under any indenture or the fundamental change or change of control itself could also lead to a default under agreements governing our future indebtedness or certain of our other current indebtedness. If the repayment of the related indebtedness were to be accelerated after any applicable notice or grace periods, we may not have sufficient funds to repay the indebtedness and repurchase, redeem or convert the notes as required.
Risks Related To Our Stock
The fundamental change purchase features of our notes may delay or prevent an otherwise beneficial attempt to take over our Company.
The terms of our Convertible Notes require us to offer to purchase the Convertible Notes for cash in the event of a fundamental change (as defined in the indentures of the Convertible Notes), and the terms of our senior notes require us to offer to repurchase the senior notes for cash in the event of a change of control (as defined in the applicable indenture). These features may have the effect of delaying or preventing a takeover of the Company that would otherwise be beneficial to investors.
Conversions of the Convertible Notes could dilute the ownership interest of our existing stockholders.
The conversion of some or all of the Convertible Notes could dilute the ownership interests of our existing stockholders. Any sales on the public market of our common stock issuable upon such conversion could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock. In addition, the existence of the Convertible Notes may encourage short selling by market participants because the conversion of the Convertible Notes, respectively, could depress the price of our common stock.
We are a holding company and our operations are conducted through, and substantially all of our consolidated assets are held by, our subsidiaries, which may be subject to certain restrictions on their ability to pay dividends to us to fund dividends on our stock, pay interest on our notes and fund other holding company expenses.
We are a holding company. We conduct substantially all of our operations through our subsidiaries. A substantial portion of our consolidated assets is held by our subsidiaries. Accordingly, our ability to pay dividends on our stock, service our debt and fund other holding company expenses depends on the results of operations of our subsidiaries and upon the ability of such subsidiaries to provide us with cash, whether in the form of dividends, loans, or otherwise. Dividends, loans or other distributions to us from such subsidiaries could be subject to current and or future contractual and other restrictions.
We cannot guarantee that our share repurchase program will be fully consummated or will enhance long-term stockholders value, and share repurchases could increase the volatility of the trading price of our common stock and diminish our cash reserves.
In August 2024, our Board of Directors approved an increase in our 2020 share repurchase program under which we are authorized to purchase up to 15 million shares of our common stock from time to time and extended the program to August 2029. The remaining shares available for purchase as of December 31, 2025 under the program are approximately 1.5 million. Our share repurchase program does not obligate us to repurchase any specific dollar amount or to acquire any specific number of shares on any particular timetable or at all. There can be no assurance that we will repurchase additional shares at favorable prices or at all. Further, our share repurchases could affect the trading price of our common stock, increase its volatility, reduce the market liquidity for our stock and may be suspended or terminated at any time, which may result in a lower market valuation of our common stock. Repurchasing our common stock will reduce the amount of cash we have available to fund working capital, capital expenditures, strategic acquisitions or business opportunities, and other general corporate purposes. The actual timing, number and value of shares repurchased will depend on various factors, including the market price of our common stock, trading volume, general market conditions, and other corporate and economic considerations.
Future sales of our common stock may negatively affect our stock price.
Substantially all of our outstanding shares of common stock are available for resale, subject to volume and manner of sale limitations applicable to affiliates under SEC Rule 144. Sales of a substantial number of shares of common stock on the public market or the perception of such sales could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. These sales also might make it more difficult for us to issue equity securities in the future at a price that we think is appropriate, or at all.
Anti-takeover provisions could negatively impact our stockholders.
Provisions of Delaware law and of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a third-party from acquiring control of us. For example, we are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which would make it more difficult for another party to acquire us without the approval of our Board of Directors in certain circumstances. Additionally, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws (i) include advance notice requirements for director nominations and for proposing matters that stockholders may act on at stockholder meetings, (ii) authorize our Board of Directors to issue, without requiring any stockholder approval, preferred stock which may contain voting, liquidation, dividend and other rights superior to our common stock and which could be issued as a defensive measure in response to a takeover proposal, and (iii) provide that vacancies on our Board of Directors may be filled only by a majority of directors then in office, even though less than a quorum. These provisions could make it more difficult for a third-party to acquire us, or prevent a third-party from doing so entirely, even if an acquisition might be in the best interest of our stockholders.
Our stock price may be volatile or may decline.
Our stock price and trading volumes have been volatile and we expect that this volatility will continue in the future due to factors, such as:
• Assessments of the size of our advertiser, user, and subscriber bases, our average revenue per user and subscriber, and comparisons of our results in these and other areas versus prior performance and that of our competitors;
• Our growth and profitability;
• Variations between our actual results and investor expectations;
• Regulatory or competitive developments affecting our markets;
• Investor perceptions of us and comparable public companies;
• Conditions and trends in the industries in which we operate;
• Announcements of technological innovations and acquisitions;
• Introduction of new services by us or our competitors;
• Developments with respect to intellectual property rights;
• Conditions and trends in the internet and other technology industries;
• Rumors, gossip, or speculation published online;
• General market conditions, including interest rates and prolonged or increased inflation;
• Geopolitical events such as war, threat of war, or terrorist actions; and
• Global health pandemics.
In addition, the stock market has from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that have affected the market prices for the common stocks of technology and other companies, particularly communications and internet companies. These broad market fluctuations have previously resulted in a material decline in the market price of our common stock. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a particular company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been brought against that company. We may become involved in this type of litigation in the future. Litigation is often expensive and diverts management’s attention and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows.
Segments
The Company has five operating segments which are presented as the following five reportable segments: 1) Technology & Shopping, 2) Gaming & Entertainment, 3) Health & Wellness, 4) Connectivity, and 5) Cybersecurity & Martech. Refer to Note 17 — Segment Information for additional detail.
Revenue Overview
The primary types of revenues that we generate are described below.
Advertising and Performance Marketing - We sell online display and video advertising on our owned-and-operated websites and applications and on third-party sites. We have contractual arrangements with advertisers either directly or through agencies. The terms of these contracts specify the price of the advertising to be sold and the volume of advertisements that will be served over the course of a campaign. Additionally, we have contractual arrangements with certain third-party websites and applications not owned by us, and third-party advertising networks to deliver online display and video advertising to their websites and applications or to third-party sites. We generate leads for advertisers, including vendors of consumer health and wellness products, consumer packaged goods, and information technology services, through various marketing methods. We also generate clicks to online merchants by listing products, deals, and discounts on our web properties, and earn a commission when customers “click-through” the ad to make a purchase.
Subscription and Licensing - We provide cloud-based subscription services and generate “fixed” subscription revenues for customer subscriptions and, to a lesser extent, “variable” usage revenues generated from actual usage by our subscribers. We offer subscription and licensing services to businesses, which offer up-to-date insights into global fixed broadband and mobile performance data, and we offer subscription packages to consumers through the Lose It! weight loss app and through Humble Bundle’s digital subscriptions and storefront for video games, ebooks, and software. We also generate revenue from the sale of perpetual software licenses, related software support, and maintenance used in conjunction with software and other related services. We license our proprietary technology, data, and intellectual property to third parties for various purposes.
Other - Other revenues primarily include those from the sale of hardware used in conjunction with software, online course revenues, game publishing revenues, and revenues from a customer acquisition platform for subscription services companies.
Revenues from external customers classified by revenue source are as follows (in thousands):
Years ended December 31,
Technology & Shopping
Advertising and performance marketing
Subscription and licensing
Other
Total Technology & Shopping revenues
Gaming & Entertainment
Advertising and performance marketing
Subscription and licensing
Other
Total Gaming & Entertainment revenues
Health & Wellness
Advertising and performance marketing
Subscription and licensing
Other
Total Health & Wellness revenues
Connectivity
Advertising and performance marketing
Subscription and licensing
Other
Total Connectivity revenues
Cybersecurity & Martech
Subscription and licensing
Other
Total Cybersecurity & Martech revenues
Total Revenues
(1) Amounts presented are net of inter-segment revenues.
Performance Metrics
We use certain metrics to generally assess the operational and financial performance of our businesses. These metrics are described in further detail below and are used by management in managing and monitoring the performance of each reportable segment when the respective revenues category is significant to the revenues of the reportable segment overall. For advertising and performance marketing revenues, these metrics are used for the Technology & Shopping, Gaming & Entertainment, and Health & Wellness reportable segments. For subscription and licensing revenues, these metrics are used for the Gaming & Entertainment, Health & Wellness, Connectivity, and Cybersecurity & Martech reportable segments. Since all revenues are not reflected in these metrics, management does not use these metrics on a consolidated basis to evaluate performance, but rather uses them on a reportable segment basis as shown further below.
Advertising and Performance Marketing - For our advertising and performance marketing performance, management has identified net advertising and performance marketing revenue retention, the number of customers, and quarterly revenue per customer as relevant to investors’ and others’ assessment of our financial condition and results of operations. Net advertising and performance marketing revenue retention is an indicator of our ability to retain the spend of our existing advertisers year over year, which we view as a reflection of the effectiveness of our advertising and performance marketing platforms. Similarly, we monitor the number of our customers and the revenue per customer, as defined below, as these metrics provide further details related to our reported revenue and contribute to certain of our business planning decisions.
The following table sets forth certain key operating metrics for the advertising and performance marketing revenues based on the reportable segment for the three months ended December 31, 2025 and 2024:
Three months ended December 31,
Technology & Shopping
Net advertising and performance marketing revenue retention (1)
Customers (2)
Quarterly revenue per customer (3)
Gaming & Entertainment
Net advertising and performance marketing revenue retention (1)
Customers (2)
Quarterly revenue per customer (3)
Health & Wellness
Net advertising and performance marketing revenue retention (1)
Customers (2)
Quarterly revenue per customer (3)
(1) Net advertising and performance marketing revenue retention equals (i) the trailing twelve month revenues recognized related to prior year customers in the current year period (excluding revenues from acquisitions during the stub period) divided by (ii) the trailing twelve month revenues recognized related to prior year customers in the prior year period (excluding revenues from acquisitions during the stub period). This excludes customers that generated less than $10,000 of revenues in the measurement period.
(2) Excludes customers that generated less than $2,500 in the quarter.
(3) Represents total gross quarterly advertising and performance marketing revenues divided by customers as defined in footnote (2).
Subscription and Licensing - For our subscription and licensing performance, management has identified the number of customers and average quarterly revenue per customer as relevant to investors’ and others’ assessment of our financial condition and results of operations. We believe that the number of customers that we serve is an indicator of our customer retention and growth. We believe the average monthly revenue per customer provides insights that contribute to certain of our business planning decisions. Beginning in the first quarter of 2025, management no longer uses Subscription and Licensing churn rate in its assessment of broad performance of each reportable segment. Management no longer analyzes churn rate broadly because it believes that the number of total customers is a more meaningful reportable segment level metric due to the impact of expiring licenses on the metric. Additionally, due to the nature of certain of the Company’s services, changes in our customer base are expected and do not have significant financial implications to the Company as the Company generally does not have significant upfront customer acquisition costs for these customers.
The following table sets forth certain key operating metrics for subscription and licensing revenues based on the reportable segment for the three months ended December 31, 2025 and 2024:
Three months ended December 31,
Gaming & Entertainment
Customers (1)(2)
Average quarterly revenue per customer (2)(3)
Health & Wellness
Customers (1)(2)
Average quarterly revenue per customer (2)(3)
Connectivity
Customers (1)(2)
Average quarterly revenue per customer (2)(3)
Cybersecurity & Martech
Customers (1)(4)
Average quarterly revenue per customer (3)
(1) Represents the quarterly average of the end of month customer counts (rounded).
(2) The metric includes the sale of perpetual software licenses, when applicable, revenue for which is recorded at a point-in time rather than over-time.
(3) Represents quarterly gross subscription and licensing revenues divided by customers as defined in footnote (1).
(4) Resellers within Cybersecurity & Martech segment are counted as one customer when there is not visibility into the number of underlying customers served by the reseller.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
We prepare our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and operating results require us to make judgments, assumptions, and estimates that affect the amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. See Note 2 — Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the notes to consolidated financial statements in Part II Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K that describes the significant accounting policies and methods used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities. Actual results may differ significantly from those estimates under different assumptions and conditions and may be material.
The accounting policies described below are those we consider to be the most critical to an understanding of our financial condition and results of operations and that require the most complex and subjective management judgment.
Revenue Recognition
The following describes the nature of the Company’s primary types of revenue.
Advertising and Performance Marketing
Advertising and performance marketing revenues are earned primarily from the delivery of advertising services and from marketing, performance marketing, and production services. Revenues from the delivery of advertising services are earned on websites and applications that are owned and operated by the Company and on those websites and applications that are part of the Company’s advertising network. Revenues are primarily earned by generating traffic to the Company’s websites, apps, and third-party platforms on which brands of the Company have a presence and monetize this traffic. The value provided to the customer is primarily derived from the provision of traffic the Company generates from its specific content within each vertical, as well as data obtained by the website or app traffic. Such revenues are generally recognized over the period in which the products or services are delivered.
The Company determines whether revenue should be reported on a gross or net basis by assessing whether the Company is acting as the principal or an agent in the transaction, respectively. The vast majority of the Company’s advertising and performance marketing revenues are recognized on a gross basis as the Company primarily acts as a “principal” as defined under Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customer (“ASC 606”). Revenues recognized on a gross basis are generated (i) by the Company serving online display and video advertising across its owned and operated web properties, on third-party sites, or on unaffiliated advertising networks; and (ii) through the Company’s lead-generation business. The Company records revenues on a net basis with respect to revenues paid to the Company by certain third-party advertising networks who serve online display and video advertising across the Company’s owned-and-operated web properties and certain third-party platforms, primarily related to the transfer of functional intellectual property. The Company also records revenues on a net basis with respect to the transfer of functional intellectual property through the third-party gaming platforms and with respect to revenues earned from servicing client gift card programs.
Subscription and Licensing
Revenues from subscriptions are earned through (i) the granting of access to, or delivery of, data products or services to customers, (ii) usage-based fees, and (iii) reselling various third-party solutions, primarily through the Company’s email security line of business. Subscriptions cover video games and related content, health information, data, and other copyrighted material. Revenues are also earned from listing fees, subscriptions to online publications, and from other sources. Third-party solutions, along with the Company’s proprietary products, allow the Company to offer customers a variety of solutions to better meet the customer’s needs. Subscription revenues are primarily recognized over the contract term. Revenues related to the provision of access to historical data for certain services are recorded at the time of delivery. In instances where usage-based fees are charged, a significant portion of which are paid in advance, the Company defers the portions of monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual fees collected in advance of the satisfaction of performance obligations and recognizes them in the period earned.
Licensing revenues are earned through the license of certain assets to clients. Assets are licensed for clients’ use in their own promotional materials or otherwise and may include logos, editorial reviews, or other copyrighted material that represent symbolic intellectual property, as defined in ASC 606. Revenues under such license agreements are generally recognized over the contract term. In instances when technology assets in the form of functional intellectual property are licensed to the Company’s clients, revenues from the license of these assets are recognized at a point in time.
Licensing revenues also include revenues from transactions involving the sale of perpetual software licenses, related software support, and maintenance. Revenue will be recognized when the obligations are met, either over time or at a point in time, depending on the nature of the obligation.
• Revenues from software license performance obligations are generally recognized upfront at the point in time that the software is made available to the customer for download and use.
• Revenues from related software support and maintenance are generally recognized ratably over the contractual period, because technical support, unspecified software product upgrades, maintenance releases, and patches are provided to customers on an as needed basis and they are available during the term of the support period.
The Company determines whether revenue should be reported on a gross or net basis by assessing whether the Company is acting as the principal or an agent in the transaction, respectively. The vast majority of the subscription and licensing revenue is recognized on a gross basis as the Company primarily acts as a “principal” as defined under ASC 606. The Company records revenue on a gross basis with respect to revenue generated from the resale of various third-party solutions, primarily through its email security line of business, because the Company has control of the specified good or service prior to transferring control to the customer.
Other
Other revenues primarily include those from the sale of hardware used in conjunction with software described above, online course revenues, game publishing revenues, and revenues from a customer acquisition platform for subscription services companies. Hardware product and related software performance obligations, such as those relating to an operating system or firmware, are highly interdependent and interrelated and are accounted for as a bundled performance obligation. The revenues for this bundled performance obligation are generally recognized at the point in time that the hardware and software products are delivered and ownership is transferred to the customer.
The Company determines whether revenues should be reported on a gross or net basis by assessing whether the Company is acting as the principal or an agent in the transaction, respectively. The majority of the other revenues are recognized on a gross basis as the Company primarily acts as a “principal” as defined under ASC 606. The Company records revenues on a net basis with respect to games sold on third-party platforms.
Business Combinations
The Company applies the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations in accordance with GAAP and uses estimates and judgments to allocate the purchase price paid for acquisitions to the fair value of the assets, including identifiable intangible assets and liabilities acquired. Such estimates are complex because of the judgment required in determining these values. The determination of purchase price and the fair value of monetary assets acquired and liabilities assumed is typically the least complex aspect of the Company’s accounting for business combinations due to inherently lower level of judgment required. Due to the higher degree of complexity associated with the valuation of acquired intangible assets, the Company may obtain the assistance of reputable valuation specialists in the allocation of purchase price to the identifiable intangible assets acquired. The valuation of identifiable intangible assets may be based on significant unobservable inputs and assumptions such as, but not limited to, future revenue growth rates, gross and operating margins, customer attrition rates, royalty rates, discount rates, and terminal growth rate assumptions. Management’s estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired in a business combination. Identifiable intangible assets are comprised of purchased customer relationships, trademarks, trade names, developed technologies and other intangible assets. We use our best estimates and assumptions to accurately assign the useful lives of the acquired intangible assets subject to amortization, which are amortized over the period of estimated economic benefit. Fair values are subject to refinement for up to one year after the closing date of an acquisition as information relevant to closing date fair values becomes available. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period, any subsequent adjustments are recorded to earnings.
Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets
The Company evaluates its goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment pursuant to FASB ASC Topic 350, Intangibles — Goodwill and Other (“ASC 350”), which provides that goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives are not amortized but tested annually for impairment or more frequently if the Company believes indicators of impairment exist. The Company tests goodwill for impairment annually on October 1st at the reporting unit level, or more frequently if indicators of impairment exist, or if a decision is made to dispose of a business. In connection with the annual impairment test for goodwill, the Company has the option to perform a qualitative assessment in determining whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If the Company determines that it was more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, it then performs an impairment test of goodwill. The impairment test involves comparing the fair values of the applicable reporting units with their aggregate carrying values, including goodwill. The Company generally determines the fair value of its reporting units using a mix of an income approach and a market approach. If the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value, an impairmentloss is recognized for the difference.
During the year ended December 31, 2025, on its annual assessment date, the Company performed quantitative fair value tests of all of its reporting units following a sustained decline in the Company’s stock price. Based on the quantitative fair value tests, the carrying value of one reporting unit within the Cybersecurity & Martech reportable segment exceeded its fair value, and the Company recorded an impairment of approximately $17.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2025. The Company also performed an interim quantitative test as of December 31, 2025 on one of its reporting units within its Technology & Shopping reportable segment and the fair value was in excess of its carrying value and no impairment was recorded. Following the impairment at one reporting unit within the Cybersecurity & Martech reportable segment, there was no excess fair value over carrying value at that reporting unit. Goodwill at this reporting unit was $160.4 million as of December 31, 2025. There were no other reporting units with less than 10% excess fair value over carrying value as of the most recent evaluation that may be at risk of impairment as of December 31, 2025. Changes in market conditions, and key assumptions made in future quantitative assessments, including expected cash flows, competitive factors and discount rates, could negatively impact the results of future impairment testing and could result in the recognition of an impairment charge.
During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company recorded a goodwill impairment of $85.3 million and $56.9 million, respectively, within its Technology & Shopping reportable segment.
In each period, the fair value of the reporting unit was determined using an equal weighting of an income approach that was based on the discounted estimated future cash flows of the reporting unit and a market approach that uses the guideline public company approach. We believe the combination of these approaches provides an appropriate valuation because it incorporates the expected cash generation of the reporting unit in addition to how a third-party market participant would value the reporting unit. As the business is assumed to continue in perpetuity, the discounted future cash flows include a terminal value. Determining fair value using a discounted estimated future cash flow analysis requires the exercise of significant judgment with respect to several items, including the amount and timing of expected future cash flows and appropriate discount rates. The expected cash flows used in the discounted cash flow analyses were based on the most recent forecast for the reporting unit. For years beyond the forecast period, the estimates were based, in part, on forecasted growth rates. The discount rate the Company used represents the estimated weighted average cost of capital, which reflects the overall level of inherent risk involved in its reporting unit operations and the rate of return a market participant would expect to earn. Determining fair value using a market approach considers multiples of financial metrics based on trading multiples of a selected peer group of companies. From the comparable companies, a representative market multiple is determined, which is applied to financial metrics to estimate the fair value of the reporting unit. Refer to Note 8 — Goodwill and Intangible Assets to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The Company did not have intangible assets with indefinite lives during years ended December 31, 2025, 2024, and 2023.
Long-lived Assets
The Company accounts for long-lived assets, which include property and equipment, operating lease right-of-use assets, and identifiable intangible assets with finite useful lives (subject to amortization), in accordance with the provisions of FASB ASC Topic 360, Property, Plant, and Equipment (“ASC 360”), which requires that long-lived assets be reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability is measured by comparing the carrying amount of an asset to the expected undiscounted future net cash flows generated by the asset. If it is determined that the asset may not be recoverable, and if the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated fair value, an impairment charge is recognized to the extent of the difference. In addition, the Company reviews the useful lives of its long-lived assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that these lives may be changed.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2 — Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a description of recent accounting pronouncements and the Company’s expectations of their impact on its consolidated financial position and results of operations.
Consolidated Results of Operations
See Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with SEC on February 25, 2025, for a discussion of our consolidated results of operations for 2024 compared to 2023.
The main focus of our Technology & Shopping, Gaming & Entertainment, and Health & Wellness platform monetization programs is to provide relevant and useful advertising to visitors to our websites, provide meaningful content that informs and shapes purchase intent, and leverage our brand and editorial assets into subscription platforms. As a result, we expect to continue to take steps to improve the relevance of the ads displayed on our websites and applications and those included within our advertising networks, and improve the effectiveness of our content as well as our subscription services and licenses.
The operating margin we realize on revenues generated from ads placed on our websites and applications is significantly higher than the operating margin we realize from revenues generated from those placed on third-party websites and applications. Growth in advertising revenues from our websites and applications has generally exceeded that from third-party websites and applications. This trend has generally had a positive impact on our operating margins.
The main focus of our Connectivity segment is to collect and correlate the information on internet connectivity, network performance, and consumer experiences, while providing insights and software relating to broadband networks. As a result, we expect to continue to take steps to enhance our existing offerings and offer new services to continue to satisfy the evolving needs of our global customers.
The main focus of our Cybersecurity & Martech service offerings is to reduce or eliminate costs, increase sales and enhance productivity, mobility, business continuity, and security of our customers as the technologies and devices they use evolve over time. As a result, we expect to continue to take steps to enhance our existing offerings and offer new services to continue to satisfy the evolving needs of our customers.
We expect acquisitions to remain an important component of our strategy and use of capital across our Company; however, for a number of reasons, including macroeconomic conditions, in a given period, we may close greater or fewer acquisitions than in prior periods or acquisitions of greater or lesser significance than in prior periods. Moreover, future acquisitions of businesses with different business models, may impact overall operating profit margins. From time to time, the Company may take steps to reduce investment in one or more of its business activities. In the past, we have divested certain businesses that we determined were no longer consistent with the Company’s focus or that no longer aligned with the current or expected business performance of the Company’s other businesses.
We are monitoring ongoing developments surrounding international trade and the macroeconomic environment. As a result of volatility in international trade and financial markets, we may experience direct and/or indirect effects on our business, operations, and financial results. Our past results may not be indicative of our future performance, and our financial results may differ materially from historical trends.
The following table sets forth, for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, information derived from our Statements of Operations as a percentage of revenues.
Years ended December 31,
Total revenues
Operating costs and expenses:
Direct costs
Sales and marketing
Research, development, and engineering
General, administrative, and other related costs
Depreciation and amortization
Goodwill impairment
Total operating costs and expenses
Income from operations
Interest expense, net
Gain on debt extinguishment, net
Loss on sale of businesses
Gain (loss) on investments, net
Provision for credit losses on investments
Other (loss) income, net
Income before income tax expense and (loss) income from equity method investment
Income tax expense
(Loss) income from equity method investment, net of tax
Net income
Revenues
Years ended December 31,
Percent Change
(in thousands, except percentages)
Revenues
Our revenues consist of revenues from (i) advertising and performance marketing revenues, which are earned from the delivery of advertising services, marketing, performance marketing, and production services, and (ii) subscription and licensing revenues, which are earned through the granting of access to, or delivery of, certain data products or services to customers, usage-based fees, and by reselling various third-party solutions, primarily through the Company’s email security line of business. Subscription and licensing revenues primarily consist of revenues from “fixed” customer subscription and licensing revenues and “variable” revenues generated from actual usage of our services.
Our revenues increased for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to the prior period primarily due to a $45.7 million increase in advertising and performance marketing revenue driven primarily by an increase of $36.3 million in our Health & Wellness reportable segment and a $5.3 million increase in our Technology & Shopping reportable segment. Subscription and licensing revenues increased $13.0 million due primarily to an increase of $16.1 million in our Connectivity reportable segment, $4.2 million in our Health & Wellness reportable segment, and $3.3 million in our Technology & Shopping reportable segment, partially offset by a decrease of $10.4 million in our Cybersecurity & Martech reportable segment. Other revenues decreased $9.2 million due primarily to a $13.9 million decrease in the Technology & Shopping reportable segment, partially offset by a $4.9 million increase in the Cybersecurity & Martech reportable segment as a result of a current year acquisition. Included in revenue during the year ended December 31, 2025 was $34.5 million of incremental revenue contributed by businesses acquired during 2025.
Direct costs
Years ended December 31,
Percent Change
(in thousands, except percentages)
Direct costs
As a percent of revenues
Direct costs represent the Company’s cost of revenues and primarily include costs associated with compensation for personnel directly involved in revenue generation, content fees, production costs, royalty fees, hosting and licensing costs, and processing fees. The increase in direct costs for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to the prior period was primarily due to a $3.0 million increase in cloud computing, software, and other related expenses, a $2.4 million increase in award costs due to customer shift toward higher-cost programs, and a $2.3 million increase in professional and other third-party services, partially offset by a $2.8 million decrease in advertising and marketing related expenses.
Sales and Marketing
Years ended December 31,
Percent Change
(in thousands, except percentages)
Sales and marketing
As a percent of revenues
Sales and marketing costs consist primarily of internet-based advertising, sales and marketing, personnel costs, and other business development related expenses. Our internet-based advertising relationships consist primarily of fixed cost and performance-based (cost-per-impression, cost-per-click, and cost-per-acquisition) advertising relationships with an array of online service providers. The increase in sales and marketing expenses during the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to the prior period was primarily due to an $8.5 million increase in professional and other third-party services, a $7.4 million increase in partner payments, a $3.8 million increase in advertising and marketing related expenses, and a $2.9 million increase in salaries, benefits, and other employee expenses.
Research, Development, and Engineering
Years ended December 31,
Percent Change
(in thousands, except percentages)
Research, development, and engineering
As a percent of revenues
Research, development, and engineering costs consist primarily of salaries, benefits, and other employee expenses. The decrease in research, development, and engineering costs for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to the prior period was primarily due to a $8.7 million decrease in salaries, benefits, and other employee expenses primarily as a result of lower severance, and a $1.5 million decrease in professional and other third-party services, partially offset by a $4.7 million increase in cloud computing, software, and other related expenses.
General, Administrative, and Other Related Costs
Years ended December 31,
Percent Change
(in thousands, except percentages)
General, administrative, and other related costs
As a percent of revenues
General, administrative, and other related costs consist primarily of salaries, benefits, and other employee expenses including share-based compensation and severance, changes in the fair value associated with contingent consideration, bad debt expense, professional fees, and insurance costs. The increase in general, administrative, and other related costs for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to the prior period was primarily due to a $5.2 million increase in professional and other third-party services due to ongoing litigations, a $3.3 million increase in other expenses, and a $2.2 million increase in cloud computing, software, and other related expenses, partially offset by a $4.2 million decrease in salaries, benefits, and other employee expenses. The increase in other expenses was primarily driven by a $6.1 million decrease in expense from changes in estimated amounts of deferred acquisition payments related to previously acquired businesses in 2024 that did not recur in 2025 and partially offset by a $2.8 million reduction in contingent consideration accrual in 2025 for the business acquired in 2023.
Depreciation and Amortization
Years ended December 31,
Percent Change
(in thousands, except percentages)
Depreciation and amortization
As a percent of revenues
Depreciation and amortization costs consist of depreciation related to property and equipment, including internally developed software, as well as amortization of intangible assets recorded in connection with business acquisitions, and other intangible assets of the Company. The increase in depreciation and amortization costs for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to the prior period was primarily due to a $14.2 million increase in depreciation expense as capitalized software was placed in service and a $4.0 million increase in amortization expense primarily as a result of new intangible assets acquired in 2024 whereby a full year of amortization is included in the 2025 results.
Goodwill Impairment
Goodwill impairment was $17.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2025 and related to a reporting unit within the Cybersecurity & Martech reportable segment. Goodwill impairment was $85.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, and related to reporting units within the Technology & Shopping reportable segment. Refer to Note 8 — Goodwill and Intangible Assets to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further details.
Non-Operating Income and Expenses
The following table represents the components of non-operating income and expenses for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 (in thousands):
Years ended December 31,
Percent Change
Interest expense, net
Loss on sale of businesses
Gain (loss) on investments, net
Provision for credit losses on investments
Other (loss) income, net
Total non-operating (expense) income
Interest expense, net . Interest expense is generated primarily from interest due on outstanding debt, partially offset by interest income generated from interest earned on cash, cash equivalents, and investments. Interest expense, net increased during the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to the prior period primarily due to the lower interest income as a result of a decline in cash equivalents during the period and a reduction in interest rates.
Loss on sale of businesses. Loss on sale of businesses during the year ended December 31, 2025 represents the loss on sale of our video game publishing business within the Technology & Shopping reportable segment. Loss on sale of businesses during the year ended December 31, 2024 represents the loss on disposal of an international business in the Technology & Shopping reportable segment.
(Gain) loss on investments, net. Gain (loss) on investments, net is generated from realized and unrealized gains or losses from investments in equity and debt securities. Gain on investments, net recorded during the year ended December 31, 2025 related to the disposition of the minority equity ownership interest in OpenEvidence (formerly known as Xyla) and the sale of an immaterial equity method investment. Loss on investment, net recorded during the year ended December 31, 2024 related to the change in the fair value of the Company’s investment in Consensus common stock prior to the disposition of the investment and the results of the disposition of the Consensus common stock during the second quarter of 2024.
Provision for credit losses on investments. Provision for credit losses on investments during the year ended December 31, 2025 was generated from a provision for credit losses on the total amortized cost of the investment in a corporate debt security and related accrued interest receivable.
Other income (loss), net . Other income (loss), net is generated primarily from miscellaneous items and gains or losses on foreign currency. The change was primarily attributable to changes in gains or losses on foreign currency.
Income Taxes
Our effective tax rate is based on pre-tax income, statutory tax rates, tax regulations (including those related to transfer pricing), and different tax rates in the various jurisdictions in which we operate. The tax basis of our assets and liabilities reflect our best estimate of the tax benefits and costs we expect to realize. When necessary, we establish valuation allowances to reduce our deferred tax assets to an amount that will more likely than not be realized.
As of December 31, 2025, the Company had federal net operating loss carryforwards (“NOLs”) of $27.1 million, after considering substantial restrictions on the utilization of these NOLs due to “ownership changes”, as defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”). The Company estimates that all of the above-mentioned federal NOLs will be available for use before their expiration. $2.0 million of the NOLs expire through the year 2031 with the remainder able to be carried forward indefinitely, depending on the year the loss was incurred. Additionally, the Company had tax-effected NOLs, net of valuation allowance of $1.7 million for foreign tax jurisdictions and $5.5 million for state tax jurisdictions.
As of December 31, 2025, the Company had federal capital losslimitation carryforwards of $10.3 million that begin to expire in 2026. In addition, as of December 31, 2025, the Company had available state research and development tax credit carryforwards of $3.2 million, which last indefinitely. The Company had no foreign tax credit carryforwards as of December 31, 2025.
Income tax expense was $25.4 million and $41.4 million in 2025 and 2024, respectively. Our effective tax rates for 2025 and 2024 were 31.5% and 44.4%, respectively.
The change in the annual effective income tax rate in 2025 compared to the prior period was primarily attributable to the following:
1. $17.6 million goodwill impairment recognized for book purposes during 2025 as compared to $85.3 million in 2024. Since the impairment related to excess financial statement goodwill with no tax basis, no corresponding tax benefits were recognized resulting in a disproportionateeffective income tax rate for both years;
2. a change in the valuation allowance against U.S. and Canadian tax attributes, which resulted in a $2.0 lower discrete tax expense recognized during the 2025 period as compared to the prior period; partially offset by
3. an increase in the discrete tax charge related to the vesting of share-based compensation resulting in a $1.6 million greater tax shortfall period over period.
In order to provide additional understanding in connection with our foreign taxes, the following represents the statutory and effective tax rate by significant foreign country:
Ireland
United Kingdom
Canada
Statutory tax rate
Effective tax rate (1)
(1) Effective tax rate excludes certain discrete items.
The statutory tax rate is the rate imposed on taxable income for corporations by the local government in that jurisdiction. The effective tax rate measures the taxes paid as a percentage of pretax profit. The effective tax rate can differ from the statutory tax rate when a company can exempt some income from tax, claim tax credits, or due to the effect of book-tax differences that do not reverse and discrete items.
Judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes and in evaluating our tax positions on a worldwide basis. We believe our tax positions, including intercompany transfer pricing policies, are consistent with the tax laws in the jurisdictions in which we conduct our business. Certain of these tax positions have in the past been, and are currently being, challenged, and this may have a significant impact on our effective tax rate if our tax reserves are insufficient.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) established a Pillar Two Framework that was supported by over 130 countries worldwide. On December 15, 2022, the European Union (“EU”) Member States adopted the EU’s Pillar Two Directive, which generally provides for a minimum effective tax rate of 15% with effective dates of January 1, 2025, for different aspects of the directive. A significant number of other countries are also implementing similar legislation. The Company has analyzed the impact of the Pillar Two framework’s corporate minimum income tax rate of 15% and does not expect that it will have a material effect on the Company’s liability for corporate taxes and the Company’s consolidated effective tax rate.
On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”) was signed into law which, among other things, provided a permanent extension of certain tax measures initially established under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which were set to expire at the end of 2025, and modified tax legislation affecting bonus depreciation rules and the tax treatment of research and development expenses and interest deductions. Specifically, the OBBBA provides for 100% bonus depreciation and eliminates the requirement under Internal Revenue Code Section 174 to capitalize and amortize U.S. based research and experimental expenditures over five years, making these expenditures fully deductible in the period incurred beginning after 2024. The Company currently does not expect the OBBBA to have a material impact on its effective tax rate but expects these provisions to result in a reduction of current income tax liabilities and an increase in deferred tax liabilities. The Company will continue to assess the implications of the OBBBA and will provide further disclosures in subsequent reporting periods, as necessary.
Equity Method Investment
(Loss) income from equity method investment, net of tax. (Loss) income from equity method investment was primarily related to the investment in the OCV Fund I, LP (the “OCV Fund”) for which the Company receives annual audited financial statements. The investment in the OCV Fund is presented net of tax. The Company recognizes its share of net earnings or losses relating to the investment in the OCV Fund on a one-quarter lag due to the timing and availability of financial information from the OCV Fund. If the Company becomes aware of a significant decline in value that is other-than-temporary, the loss will be recorded in the period in which the Company identifies the decline.
(Loss) income from equity method investment was $(7.9) million and $11.2 million, net of income tax for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2025, the loss was primarily a result of a $21.2 million, net of tax, other-than-temporary impairment related to one of the underlying investments of the OCV Fund that had a significant deterioration in its financial performance and expected future cash flows. The impairment amount represented substantially all of the Company’s proportionate interest in the underlying investment. The loss was offset in part by an increase in the value of certain other OCV Fund investments. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the income from equity method investment, net of income tax was primarily due to an increase in value of the underlying investments.
Segment Results
The Company’s reportable segments are based on the organizational structure used by management for making operating and investment decisions and for assessing performance. The Company has five reportable segments: (i) Technology & Shopping, (ii) Gaming & Entertainment, (iii) Health & Wellness, (iv) Connectivity, and (v) Cybersecurity & Martech. Reportable segment results presented below exclude inter-segment revenues and expenses.
Technology & Shopping
The financial results are presented as follows (in thousands):
Years ended December 31,
Revenues
Operating costs and expenses
Operating income (loss)
Technology & Shopping’s revenues of $356.6 million in 2025 decreased $5.3 million, or 1.5%, compared to 2024 primarily due to a $13.9 million decrease in other revenues due to lower revenue from our video game publishing business related to the timing of game releases, partially offset by a $5.3 million increase in advertising and performance marketing revenues and a $3.3 million increase in subscription and licensing revenues. The increase in advertising and performance marketing revenues was due primarily to an $18.7 million increase in our Technology business, partially offset by a $13.4 million decrease in our Shopping business. The increase in the Technology business revenue was driven by an increase of $34.4 million related to businesses acquired, partially offset by a decline of $15.7 million in other lines of business. The decline in revenue was highest in the Company’s fourth quarter of 2025 when Technology & Shopping’s revenues decreased $24.0 million, or 18%, driven by continued search rank volatility and weakness during the holiday season.
Technology & Shopping‘s operating costs and expenses of $347.3 million in 2025 decreased $85.7 million, or 19.8%, compared to 2024 primarily driven by a $85.3 million goodwill impairment recognized during 2024, which did not recur in 2025.
As a result of these factors, Technology & Shopping’s operating income of $9.3 million in 2025 increased $80.4 million, or 113.1%, compared to 2024.
Gaming & Entertainment
The financial results are presented as follows (in thousands):
Years ended December 31,
Revenues
Operating costs and expenses
Operating income
Gaming & Entertainment’s revenues of $183.6 million in 2025 increased $3.3 million, or 1.8%, compared to 2024 primarily due to a $3.4 million increase in advertising and performance marketing revenues primarily driven by an acquisition during 2024 that had a full year of results in 2025, partially offset by a $0.1 million decrease in subscription and licensing revenues.
Gaming & Entertainment’s operating costs and expenses of $130.5 million in 2025 increased $4.2 million, or 3.4%, compared to 2024 primarily due to a $3.5 million increase in partner payments primarily related to the business acquired in 2024 and a $2.7 increase in cloud computing, software, and other related expense, partially offset by a $2.9 million decrease in salaries, benefits, and other employee expenses.
As a result of these factors, Gaming & Entertainment’s operating income of $53.0 million in 2025 decreased $1.0 million, or 1.8%, compared to 2024.
Health & Wellness
The financial results are presented as follows (in thousands):
Years ended December 31,
Revenues
Operating costs and expenses
Operating income
Health & Wellness’ revenues of $402.4 million in 2025 increased $39.9 million, or 11.0%, compared to 2024 primarily due to a $36.3 million increase in advertising and performance marketing revenue primarily driven by a $34.5 million increase in the Health & Wellness Consumer business due in part to an acquisition in 2025 and a $4.2 million increase in subscription and licensing revenues, partially offset by a decrease of $0.5 million in other revenues.
Health & Wellness’ operating costs and expenses of $313.0 million in 2025 increased $17.8 million, or 6.0%, compared to 2024 primarily due to a $7.0 million increase in partner payments, a $3.1 million increase in cloud computing, software, and other related expenses, a $2.6 million increase in other expenses primarily driven by increase in app-store fees, and a $2.3 million increase in advertising and marketing related expenses.
As a result of these factors, Health & Wellness’ operating income of $89.4 million in 2025 increased $22.2 million, or 33.0%, compared to 2024.
Connectivity
The financial results are presented as follows (in thousands):
Years ended December 31,
Revenues
Operating costs and expenses
Operating income
Connectivity’s revenues of $230.7 million in 2025 increased $17.1 million, or 8.0%, compared to 2024 due to a $16.1 million increase in subscription and licensing revenues primarily driven by a $14.9 million increase in our revenues from network performance services.
Connectivity’s operating costs and expenses of $154.6 million in 2025 increased $20.4 million, or 15.2%, compared to 2024 primarily due to a $6.1 million reduction in expense in 2024 from changes in estimated amounts of deferred acquisition payments related to previously acquired businesses not recurring in 2025, a $6.1 million increase in professional and other third-party services, a $4.9 million increase in salaries, benefits, and other employee expenses, and a $3.1 million increase in cloud computing, software, and other related expenses, partially offset by a $2.9 million decrease in depreciation and amortization expense.
As a result of these factors, Connectivity’s operating income of $76.1 million in 2025 decreased $3.3 million, or 4.1%, from 2024.
Cybersecurity & Martech
The financial results are presented as follows (in thousands):
Years ended December 31,
Revenues
Operating costs and expenses
Operating income
Cybersecurity & Martech’s revenues of $278.0 million in 2025 decreased $5.5 million, or 1.9%, compared to 2024 primarily due to a $10.4 million decrease in subscription and licensing revenues primarily driven by the Company’s Martech business. The decrease was partially offset by a $4.9 million increase in other revenues related to a business acquired in 2025 within the Company’s Martech business.
Cybersecurity & Martech’s operating costs and expenses of $249.4 million in 2025 increased $20.9 million, or 9.1%, compared to 2024 primarily due to a $17.6 million goodwill impairment and a $9.1 million increase in depreciation and amortization expense as capitalized software was placed in service and as a result of new intangible assets acquired in 2025, partially offset by a $9.0 million decrease in salaries, benefits, and other employee expenses.
As a result of these factors, Cybersecurity & Martech’s operating income of $28.6 million in 2025 decreased $26.4 million, or 48.0%, from 2024.
See Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with SEC on February 25, 2025, for a discussion of segment results of operations for 2024 compared to 2023.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our primary sources of liquidity and capital resources are cash flows from operations and debt financing. We continue to invest in the development and expansion of our operations using available cash flows from operations. Ongoing investments include, but are not limited to, improvements in our offerings, investments in new products and services, acquisitions, and continued investments in sales and marketing. We also use cash flows from operations to service our debt obligations and the repurchase of our shares.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, our cash and cash equivalents were $607.0 million and $505.9 million, respectively.
Cash and cash equivalents held within domestic and foreign jurisdictions were as follows (in thousands):
December 31,
Cash and cash equivalents held in domestic jurisdictions
Cash and cash equivalents held in foreign jurisdictions
Cash and cash equivalents
Financings
On April 7, 2021, the Company entered into a $100.0 million Credit Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”).
On June 10, 2022, the Company entered into a Fifth Amendment to the Credit Agreement, which provided for the issuance of a senior secured term loan in an aggregate principal amount of $90.0 million (the “Term Loan Facility”). On September 15, 2022, the Company entered into a Sixth Amendment to its existing Credit Agreement, which provided for the issuance of a senior secured term loan in an aggregate principal amount of approximately $22.3 million (“Term Loan Two Facility”). During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company completed non-cash exchanges of 2.8 million shares of its common stock of Consensus with the lenders under the Fifth and the Sixth Amendments to settle the Company’s obligations of $112.3 million outstanding aggregate principal amount of the Term Loan Facility and Term Loan Two Facility plus related interest. On June 18, 2024, the Company entered into a New Lender Joinder Agreement and Eighth Amendment (the “Joinder and Amendment”) to the Credit Agreement. The Joinder and Amendment provides for, among other things, (i) an increase in the Aggregate Revolving Loan Commitment by an aggregate principal amount of $250.0 million for a total of $350.0 million, (ii) an extension of the scheduled maturity date from April 7, 2026 to the earlier of (x) June 18, 2027 or (y) under certain limited circumstances, August 2, 2026, (iii) a “credit spread adjustment” for SOFR-based borrowings of 0.10% across all interest periods, (iv) the inclusion of limited conditionality borrowing mechanics with respect to certain borrowings and (v) certain other related amendments.
As of each December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, net availability under the Credit Agreement was $348.8 million and $348.9 million, respectively, net of letters of credit.
On July 16, 2024, the Company issued $263.1 million in aggregate principal amount of new 3.625% Convertible Notes due 2028 (the “3.625% Convertible Notes”) and paid an aggregate of approximately $135.0 million in cash in exchange for approximately $400.9 million in aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 1.75% Convertible Notes (collectively, the “Exchange Transaction”) pursuant to separate, privately negotiated exchange agreements with certain holders of the 1.75% Convertible Notes. The 3.625% Convertible Notes bear interest at a rate of 3.625% per annum on the principal amount thereof, payable semi-annually in arrears on September 1 and March 1 of each year, beginning on March 1, 2025, to the noteholders of record of the 3.625% Convertible Notes as of the close of business on the immediately preceding August 15 and February 15, respectively. The 3.625% Convertible Notes will mature on March 1, 2028, unless earlier converted or repurchased. The 3.625% Convertible Notes can be settled in cash, the Company’s common stock at an initial conversion rate of $100 per share, or a combination of cash and the Company’s common stock, at the Company’s election. See Note 9 – Debt in Part II Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further details.
As of December 31, 2025, the conversion rate is 9.3783 shares of the Company’s common stock for each $1,000 principal amount of 1.75% Convertible Notes (or 1,398,391 shares), which represents a conversion price of approximately $106.63 per share of the Company’s common stock. As of December 31, 2025, the market trigger conditions did not meet the conversion requirements of the 1.75% Convertible Notes and, consequently, none of the 1.75% Convertible Notes have been converted. The Company may not redeem the 1.75% Convertible Notes prior to November 1, 2026.
As of December 31, 2025, the conversion rate of the 3.625% Convertible Notes is 10 shares per $1,000 principal amount of the 3.625% Convertible Notes (or 2,631,470 shares), which represents an initial conversion price of $100 per share. The conversion rate is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain specified events as set forth in the indenture governing the 3.625% Convertible Notes, but will not be adjusted for accrued and unpaid interest. In addition, upon the occurrence of a “Make-Whole Fundamental Change”, as defined in the 3.625% Convertible Note Indenture, the Company will in certain circumstances increase the conversion rate for a holder that elects to convert its 3.625% Convertible Notes in connection with such a corporate event. The Company may not redeem the 3.625% Convertible Notes prior to March 1, 2028.
Material Cash Requirements
Ziff Davis’ contractual obligations generally include its long-term debt, including its current portion, as described above, interest on long-term debt, lease payments on its property and equipment, and holdback amounts in connection with certain business acquisitions. These contractual obligations extend through 2031. Refer to Note 4 — Acquisitions and Dispositions , Note 9 — Debt, and Note 10 — Leases to the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for further details on holdback payments, long-term debt, and operating leases.
As of December 31, 2025, we and our subsidiaries had outstanding $872.3 million in aggregate principal amount of indebtedness, of which $149.1 million is due in the succeeding twelve months. As of December 31, 2025, our total future minimum lease payments are $29.1 million, of which approximately $8.2 million future minimum lease payments are due in the succeeding twelve months. As of December 31, 2025, our liability for uncertain tax positions was $19.7 million. In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into commitments including those related to cloud computing, information technology, security, and information and document management. The Company also has revenue sharing arrangements with annual minimum guarantees based upon third-party website advertising metrics and other contractual provisions.
We currently anticipate that our existing cash and cash equivalents, cash generated from operations, and availability under our revolving credit facility, will be sufficient to meet our anticipated needs for working capital, capital expenditures, principal payments on our indebtedness, and share repurchases, if any, for at least the next 12 months.
Cash Flows
The following table provides a summary of cash flows from operating, investing, and financing activities (in millions):
Years ended December 31,
Change
Net cash provided by operating activities
Net cash used in investing activities
Net cash used in financing activities
Operating Activities
Our net cash provided by operating activities resulted primarily from cash received from our customers offset by cash payments we made to third parties for their services, employee compensation, interest payments associated with our debt, and taxes. The $16.8 million increase in net cash provided by operating activities in 2025 compared to 2024 was primarily related to the timing of collections from our customers and timing of payments to our vendors during 2025, partially offset by a reduction in prepaid expenses during 2025. The increase in net cash provided by operating activities includes the working capital changes at TDS Gift Cards, which had a positive impact of $55.6 million during 2025.
Investing Activities
The $151.7 million decrease in net cash used in investing activities in 2025 compared to 2024 was primarily related to lower cash used on business acquisitions during 2025 compared to 2024.
Financing Activities
The $150.7 million decrease in net cash used in financing activities in 2025 compared to 2024 was primarily related to an absence in 2025 of cash outflows related to a settlement of a portion of the outstanding principal amount of the Company’s 1.75% Convertible Notes, which occurred in 2024, as well as a smaller amount of cash used for share repurchases.
Stock Repurchase Program
On August 6, 2020, our Board of Directors (the “Board”) approved a program authorizing the repurchase of up to ten million shares of our common stock through August 6, 2025 (the “2020 Program”). On August 2, 2024, the Board authorized (i) an increase in its 2020 Program pursuant to which the Company may purchase up to an additional five million shares of the Company’s common stock (the “Additional Authorization”) and (ii) an extension of the expiration date of the share repurchase program from August 6, 2025 to August 2, 2029. As a result of the Additional Authorization, the aggregate number of shares of the Company’s common stock under the 2020 Program increased from up to ten million shares to up to 15 million shares of the Company’s common stock. In connection with the authorization, the Company entered into certain Rule 10b5-1 trading plans with a broker-dealer to facilitate the repurchase program.
A summary of share repurchases under the 2020 Program during the year ended December 31, 2025 is as follows (in thousands, except share amounts):
Total number of shares repurchased
Aggregate purchase price (1)
Shares remaining under repurchase authorization as of December 31, 2025
(1) Excludes the impact of excise taxes.
During the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company repurchased 3,500,000, and 1,585,846 shares (which were subsequently retired), respectively, at an aggregate cost of $181.8 million and $104.9 million, a respectively (including an immaterial amount of commission fees) under the 2020 Program. Cumulatively at December 31, 2025, 13,516,973 shares were repurchased, under the 2020 Program, at an aggregate cost of $755.3 million (including excise tax). As a result of the repurchases, the number of shares of the Company’s common stock available for purchase as of December 31, 2025 is 1,483,027 shares. Refer to Note 13 — Stockholders’ Equity to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further details.
On February 22, 2026, the Board authorized an increase in the 2020 Program for an additional ten million shares of the Company’s common stock and an extension of the expiration date of the 2020 Program from August 2, 2029 to February 22, 2036. As a result, the aggregate number of shares of the Company’s common stock under the 2020 Program increased from up to 15 million shares to up to 25 million of the Company’s common stock, with 10,741,308 shares remaining under the 2020 Program as of February 22, 2026.
