Bright Mountain Media, Inc.

This business description should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which are incorporated herein by this reference.

Unless specifically set forth to the contrary, when used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K the terms “Bright Mountain,” the “Company,” “we,” “our,” “us,” and similar terms refers to Bright Mountain Media, Inc., a Florida corporation, and our subsidiaries.

Business Overview

Bright Mountain Media, Inc. (together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries, the “Company,” “Bright Mountain” or “we”) is an end-to-end marketing services company that helps brands with the right audiences, at the right time, with the right message, both effectively and efficiently by removing the middlemen in the marketing workflow. Our end-to-end offerings combine consumer insights with creative services, media services, and advertising technology to deliver solutions to improve audience fidelity for brands. We focus on digital publishing, advertising technology, consumer insights, creative services, and media services.

Our digital publishing division focuses on developing content that attracts an audience and monetizes that audience through advertising. The current portfolio of owned and operated websites is focused on moms, parenting, families, and more broadly, women. The portfolio consists of popular websites including Mom.com, Cafemom.com, LittleThings.com, and MamasLatinas.com. This demographic is highly sought after by brands and their advertising agencies. We use internal and external technologies to constantly improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the content we create. Our publishing division monetizes its audiences through both direct and programmatic advertising sales.

Our advertising technology, or AdTech, division focuses on delivering targeted ads to audiences on owned and operated sites as well as third-party publishers in a cost-effective manner through the deployment of proprietary technologies. By developing our own proprietary technology stack, we are able to pass along efficiencies to both the demand and supply side of the ecosystem. Our goal is to enable and support a streamlined, end-to-end advertising model that addresses both demand (buy side) and publisher supply (sell side) programmatic sales and delivery of digital advertisements using an array of audience targeting tools and advertising formats (display, audio, video, CTV, in-app). Programmatic advertising relies on software programs that leverage data and proprietary algorithms to match the optimal selection of an ad with a bid price offered by advertisers.

Our consumer insights division focuses on providing primary and secondary research, and competitive intelligence to address customers' strategic issues. We provide cutting-edge and dynamic research, offering clients a comprehensive perspective on their consumers. This insight extends to strategic guidance on the optimal timing and channels to effectively connect with target audiences. Our cutting-edge approach combines advanced data analytics, artificial intelligence, and comprehensive market research, to uncover actionable insights that drive informed decision-making.

Our creative services division transforms data into award-winning campaigns. We are uniquely able to leverage insights teams with highly strategic media planning and buying teams to ensure brands not only position their advertising precisely, but also yield impactful business results. Our goal is to combine data-driven decisions with creativity fueled by a deep understanding of modern culture.

Our media services division focuses on advertisers and agencies by providing access to premium inventory, leveraging data to optimize programmatic campaigns. Our aim is to empower clients to access the most sought-after advertising spaces across diverse platforms tailored to their specific needs and preferences. Our data-driven approach aims to ensure that ad placements are not only well-targeted, but also continuously optimized for maximum efficiency and ROI. Our commitment to combining premium inventory access with data-driven programmatic campaign optimization makes us a valuable partner in the success of our clients' advertising and marketing endeavors.

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serving advertisers through providing access to premium resources and leveraging data to optimize programmatic campaigns, where revenue is derived from the planning and execution of marketing campaigns;

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providing primary and secondary research, and competitive intelligence to address customers' strategic issues, where revenue is primarily derived from providing a single integrated service for such research; and

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Our Strategy

Leveraging technology, data and insights to power customers’ creative and media strategies.

We Are Built on Advertising Technology

Innovative advertising technology built for modern digital media audiences. Our mission is to transform programmatic advertising through more sophisticated technology—with simpler, more straight-forward integrations—and a culture of true partnership.

We are Powered by Our Data Driven Insights

Our global research and analytics division uncovering not just the ‘what’ but the ‘why’ behind customer behavior, supporting clients’ insights needs with agile tools, CX research, branding, product innovation, data analytics, and more. We go beyond research to deliver integrated expertise and products that fine tune your data strategies, drive bottom line growth, and differentiate in today’s marketplace. Through collaboration with your teams to uncover the human truths that help you activate insight and accelerate growth.

We Are Creatives in Love with Our Craft

A modern creative and media shop that positions brands to be lifted by their audiences with contextually crafted work in social, digital, and traditional channels. We aim to understand what is happening now in humanity and culture and getting prepared for what's next.

We Are The Authority On Moms And Motherhood

Our publishing division offers global reach through our engaging content and multicultural audiences. We are here for mom throughout her motherhood journey. We aim to help families raise happy, kind and confident kids, and deliver diverse voices and perspectives on motherhood.

Market Challenge

According to eMarketer's report, "Advertising Trends to Watch in 2025", published November 2024, after a strong year of digital ad spending growth, advertisers, large platforms, and smaller publishers alike will confront challenges arising from generative AI and pending antitrust cases. Digital ad spending should surpass $348.0 billion in 2025 and account for 81.9% of all ad spending.

According to eMarketer's Report, "US Ad Spending 2025", published April 2025, unstable economic conditions and the unexpected magnitude of new US tariffs, have led to heightened uncertainty for advertising spend. Best-case scenarios are 6.7% growth for total media ad spending and 11.8% for digital, while worst-case scenarios are 0.4% decline for total ad spending and 4.6% growth for digital. Display and video remain the most popular format for digital ad spending, due largely to social media and connected TV ("CTV"). Search ad spending trends fare better during periods of economic strain, but the display/search share split is expected to hold steady through the turbulence.

Industry Outlook

Impact on the U.S. Market

In April 2025, a report was published by the Interactive Advertising Bureau ("IAB") titled "Internet Advertising Revenue Report, Full-Year 2024 Results". The report reflected how the digital advertising industry continued to grow in 2024, with ad revenue climbing to a record $258.6 billion, a 14.9% year-over-year increase from 2023. This growth was fueled in part by the presidential election cycle and an Olympics year, both of which historically drive higher ad spend. Despite microeconomic challenges such as rising inflation, interest rates, and sector job cuts, the U.S. digital ad market remained strong, underscoring its adaptability and long-term stability in an evolving economic landscape.

Digital video revenues showed the strongest growth, while search revenues continued to grow and maintained the highest market share. Digital video revenues increased 19.2% year-over-year to $62.1 billion, accounting for 24.0% of total ad revenue. Search advertising remained the industry's largest segment, reaching $102.9 billion, growing 15.9% year-over-year, maintaining 39.8% market share. Display advertising revenues increased 12.4% year-over-year, reaching $74.3 billion, compared to a 4.0% growth in 2023. Podcast advertising revenues increased 26.4% year-over-year, compared to a 5.5% growth in the prior year. Programmatic advertising revenue reached $134.8 billion, an increase of 18.0% from 2023.

Internet advertising revenues increased 14.9% year-over-year between 2023 and 2024, to reach their highest recorded level of $258.6 billion.

Following a slowdown in 2023, social media advertising revenues grew 36.7%. This increase signals a renewed advertiser confidence in social platforms in part due to election spending and the popularity of commerce and social, alongside work with creators to amplify brand message.

Retail media network advertising revenues also continued to show strong signs of growth in 2024, increasing to 23.0% year-over-year, totaling $53.7 billion. Given the expansion in recent years, current revenue trajectory suggests strong long-term growth potential, positioning retail media networks as a key pillar in the future of performance-driven advertising.

With increasing emphasis on privacy and regulation, the IAB indicated that they expect businesses to adapt their strategies to a privacy-by-design ecosystem and leverage advanced targeting capabilities to reach audiences at scale. Retail media networks are evolving through strategic cross-platform partnerships, improvement measurement capabilities, and the adoption of industry standards. These shifts are complimented by the integration of GenAI, which streamlines existing creative processes and enhances operational efficiencies.

Impact on the Worldwide Market

In January 2025, eMarketer published a report titled "Worldwide Ad Spending Forecast 2025". The report stated that worldwide ad spend would cross the $1 trillion threshold in 2025. Digital ad spend would account for more than 75% of the worldwide total for the first time; the milestone arriving two years earlier than expected, due to digital ad spending consistent over-performance. Digital spending is expected to cross the $1 trillion mark in 2028.

Digital advertising spend is highest in China and North America, but growth is also coming from India and Western Europe. Market share in China of 86.1% and the U.S. of 81.9% are primarily responsible for digital ad spending growth. Retail media ad spending is growing faster than other formats at the worldwide level, making up 22.4% of digital ad spending in 2025. Retail media's 17.4% increase in 2025 exceeds the growth rate for traditional search of 12.2% and display of 13.3%.

Digital Ad Spending Worldwide, 2022–2028billions, % change and % of total media ad spending

Intellectual Property

We currently rely on a combination of trade secret laws and restrictions on disclosure to protect our intellectual property rights. Our success depends on the protection of the proprietary aspects of our technology as well as our ability to operate without infringing on the proprietary rights of others. We also enter into proprietary information and confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants and commercial partners and control access to, and distribution of, our software documentation and other proprietary information.

Technology and Product Platforms (Including URLs)

Our top technical priorities are the security of our systems and the fast and reliable delivery of pages and ads to our users. Our systems are designed to handle processing of personal data, as well as traffic and network growth. We rely on multiple tiers of redundancy/failover and, with respect to our AdTech business, third-party content delivery networks to achieve our goal of 24 hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week uptime. Regular automated backups protect the integrity of our data. Our servers are continuously monitored by numerous third-party and open-source monitoring and alerting tools.

Competition

We compete with other companies that have significantly greater financial, technical, marketing, and distribution resources.

Most of our competitors have significantly greater financial, technical, marketing and distribution resources as well as greater experience in the industry. There are no assurances we will ever be able to effectively compete in our marketplace. Our websites, ad technology, and monetization solutions may not be competitive with other technologies and/or our websites, ad technology, and monetization solutions may be displaced by newer technology. If this happens, our sales and revenues will likely decline. In addition, our current and potential competitors may establish cooperative relationships with larger companies, to gain access to greater development or marketing resources. Competition may result in price reductions, reduced gross margins and loss of market share.

Customers

Our customers are advertisers, advertising agencies and advertising service organizations. For the year ended December 31, 2025, two customers represented 13.6% and 11.9% of our revenue, respectively, and for the year ended December 31, 2024, one customer represented 12.2% of our revenue. These customers have the option to cancel their agreements with us by providing advance written notice with the time-period required for the advance notice being not longer than 30 days.

Regulatory Environment

Interest-based advertising, or the use of data to draw inferences about a user’s interests and deliver relevant advertising to that user, has come under increasing scrutiny by legislative, regulatory, and self-regulatory bodies in the U.S. and abroad that focus on consumer protection or data privacy. In particular, this scrutiny has focused on the use of cookies and other technology to collect or aggregate information about internet users’ online browsing activity. Because some of our service offerings rely upon large volumes of such data collected primarily through cookies, it is essential that we monitor developments in this area domestically and globally, and engage in responsible privacy practices, including providing consumers with notice of the types of data we collect and how we use that data to provide our services.

We rely on IP addresses, geo-location information, and persistent identifiers about internet users and do not attempt to associate this data with other data that can be used to identify real people. This type of information is considered personal data in some jurisdictions or otherwise may be the subject of future legislation or regulation. The definition of personal data varies by state and country and continues to evolve in ways that may require us to adapt our practices to avoid violating laws or regulations related to the collection, storage, and use of consumer data. For example, some European countries consider IP addresses or unique device identifiers to be personal data subject to heightened legal and regulatory requirements. As a result, our technology platform and business practices must be assessed regularly in each country in which we do business.

Nineteen U.S. states have passed comprehensive privacy laws aimed at protecting consumer privacy rights, and a federal consumer privacy law has also been proposed. For example, California has adopted the California Consumer Privacy Act (the “CCPA”), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (the “CPRA”), which is intended to protect consumer privacy rights, and, among other things, provide California residents with the ability to know what information companies collect about them, to request, in certain circumstances, the deletion of such information, and to affirmatively opt out of the sale or “sharing” of their personal information. The CPRA established the California Privacy Protection Agency (the “CPPA”) to oversee enforcement of and compliance with the CCPA. The CPPA is currently in the process of issuing guidance and interpreting the regulations, and as such we cannot yet predict the full impact of the CCPA, as amended by the CPRA, or any rules or regulations promulgated thereunder, nor can we predict the full impact of any interpretations thereof.

There are also several specific foreign laws and regulations governing the collection and use of certain types of consumer data relevant to our business.

For instance, the use and transfer of personal data in the European Union (the "EU") member states is currently governed under the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), which became effective in May 2018. The GDPR sets out liabilities for certain data protection violations, as well as a greater compliance burden for us in the course of delivering our solution in Europe. Among other requirements, the GDPR obligates companies that process large amounts of personal data about EU residents to implement a number of formal processes and policies reviewing and documenting the privacy implications of the development, acquisition, or use of all new products, technologies, or types of data. Further, the EU is expected to replace the EU Cookie Directive governing the use of technologies to collect consumer information with the EU ePrivacy Regulation. The EU ePrivacy Regulation proposes burdensome requirements around obtaining consent and imposes fines for violations that are materially higher than those imposed under the EU Cookie Directive.

Additionally, our compliance with our privacy policy and our general consumer privacy practices are also subject to review by the Federal Trade Commission and state regulators, which may bring enforcement actions to challenge allegedly unfair and deceptive trade practices, including the violation of privacy policies and representations therein. Certain State Attorneys General may also bring enforcement actions based on comparable state laws or federal laws that permit state-level enforcement. Outside of the U.S., our privacy and data practices are subject to regulation by data protection authorities and other regulators in the countries in which we do business.

Human Capital

Because of the service nature of our business, the quality of personnel is of crucial importance to our continuing success and our employees, including creative, digital, research, media and account specialists, and their skills and relationships with clients, are among our most valuable assets. There is keen competition for qualified employees.

As of December 31, 2025, we had 107 employees, all of which were employed in the U.S.

We employ a balanced approach in managing our human capital resources. Depending on where a human-capital management function is most effective or efficient, processes are either managed at the Company level or designated to our subsidiary operating units to adopt strategies appropriate for their client sector, workforce makeup, talent requirements and business demands.

The Company retains oversight of all human capital resources and activities, setting standards, providing support and policy guidance, and sharing programs. At the corporate center, centralized human capital management processes include development of human resources governance and policy; executive compensation for senior leaders across the Company; benefits programs; performance planning, development and retention of the Company’s senior executives and key roles in the operating units; and executive development.

The Company sets specific standards for human capital management and, on a yearly basis, assesses each operating unit’s performance in managing and developing its workforce. We undertake human capital initiatives with the aim of ensuring that employees have the high level of competence and commitment our business needs to succeed. We assess our operating units against their efforts in the areas of people development, diversity and inclusion, performance management, talent acquisition and organization development in order to drive or support the units’ strategic business and growth goals. Accordingly, the operating units create and deploy skills-training programs, management training, employee goal-setting and feedback platforms, applicant-tracking systems, new-employee onboarding processes, and other programs intended to enhance the performance and engagement of the workforce.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are essential priorities for the Company. Our goal is that our talent represents the diversity of our communities and consumers, with a corporate culture that drives belonging, well-being and growth. We believe that such a workplace will enable us to provide cultural insights to help our clients make authentic and responsible connections with their customers.

The Company has a 401(K) plan that covers employees that have reached 18 years of age upon commencement of employment. The plan provides for voluntary employee contribution through salary deductions. For the year ended December 31, 2025, and 2024, there were no employer contributions made.

History of Our Company

We were organized as a Florida corporation in 2010 but remained a development stage company until 2013, when we changed our name to Bright Mountain Holdings, Inc., and began building our digital marketing brand in 2014. In 2015, we changed our name again to Bright Mountain Acquisition Corporation, and then to Bright Mountain Media, Inc., as we began acquiring businesses, including e-commerce businesses, and implementing our strategy to transform into a digital publishing and advertising technology holding company. During 2018, we discontinued our e-commerce product sales segment to focus entirely on the advertising segment. In 2020, we acquired Wild Sky Media in the digital publishing area consistent with our strategy to transform into a digital publishing and advertising technology holding company. In 2023, we expanded our focus when we completed the acquisition of two business units of Big Village (Big Village Insights, Inc and Big Village Agency LLC, (together, the “Big Village Entities”)). Through these acquisitions, we have now expanded how we connect with our customers focusing on advertising technology, consumer insights, creative services, and media services. We currently have eight subsidiaries: Deep Focus Agency, LLC, MediaHouse, Inc., BV Insights, LLC, CL Media Holdings, LLC, Bright Mountain, LLC d/b/a BrightStream, Oceanside Media, LLC, Slutzky & Winshman, Ltd., and Wild Sky Media Co. Ltd. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we terminated the operations of Mediahouse, Inc. and Slutzky & Winshman Ltd, which are located in the United States and Israel, respectively. At December 31, 2025, these two entities held no employees but had not been dissolved. During the year ended December 31, 2024, Wild Sky Media Co. Ltd., which is located in Thailand, ended its operations. At December 31, 2025, this entity held no employees, but had not yet been dissolved.

Our principal executive offices are located at 6400 Congress Avenue, Suite 2050, Boca Raton, FL 33487, and our telephone number is (561) 998-2440.

Available Information

The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports are available free of charge through the “Investor Relations” section of the Company’s website, www.brightmountainmedia.com, as soon as reasonably practical after they are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The SEC maintains a website, www.sec.gov, which contains periodic reports, proxy and information statements, and other information filed electronically with the SEC by the Company. The information on, or that can be accessed through our website is not incorporated by reference in, or considered part of, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.