Bright Mountain Media Inc

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The Company’s management, with the participation of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, have evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as of December 31, 2023. Based on that evaluation, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that as of the period ended December 31, 2023, our disclosure controls and procedures are adequate to provide assurance at a reasonable level that the information we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.

Management's Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our senior management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by our Board, senior management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. We continue to review our internal control over financial reporting and may from time to time make changes aimed at enhancing their effectiveness and to ensure that our systems evolve with our business.

Under the supervision and with the participation of management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in “Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013)” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission ("COSO").

As the Company integrates the operations acquired through the Big Village Acquisition, there is a risk of identifying deficiencies in our overall internal controls. Our focus is on implementing and maintaining effective financial management systems and internal controls, an ongoing process. However, given that all such controls are not yet fully operational, management has concluded that a material weakness exists in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting, rendering them ineffective at December 31, 2023.

Notwithstanding the material weaknesses described below, we have performed additional analyses and other procedures to enable management to conclude that our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K fairly represent, in all material respects, our financial condition and results of operations as of and for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Outlined below are the material weaknesses identified by management, along with the remedial actions planned.

Material Weaknesses

A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal controls over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the Company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. As of December 31, 2023, management identified certain material weaknesses.

As the Company continues to integrate the operations assumed as part of the Big Village Acquisition, we have identified deficiencies in our overall internal controls, specifically as identified below:

•Inadequate controls related to revenue recognition, cost of revenue, and the accounts payable and accrual process

leading to potential omission or misstatement of material transactions impacting financial statements; and

•Ineffectiveness of the Company’s information technology systems and controls concerning financial information.

To address these weaknesses, the Company has initiated a remediation plan comprising the following measures:

•Updating the information technology general controls ("ITGC") risk assessment to incorporate operations from the Big Village Acquisition;

•Examination of information technology systems to ascertain necessary updates to support the financial reporting process;

•Collaboration with a third-party company to ensure SOX compliance, establish and document controls related to revenue recognition, accounts payable, and other processes to enhance internal controls over financial reporting; and

•Expansion of our finance department through the hiring of certified public accountants with prior auditing experience, knowledge of SEC filings and technical issues. In the year ended December 31, 2023, two additional certified public accountants were onboarded, tasked with month end close oversights and SEC reporting. We believe this will strengthen our finance department as we work towards strong internal controls and provide guidance beyond the finance functions for those we rely on to provide information to support our financial reporting process.

We will continue to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting on an ongoing basis and are committed to taking further action and implementing additional enhancements or improvements, as necessary.

Management had previously identified the following material weaknesses, which caused management to conclude that as of December 31, 2022 our internal controls over financial reporting were not effective at the reasonable assurance level:

In conducting an analysis of the Centre Lane Senior Secured Credit Facility, errors were identified in connection with the accounting related to Amendments No. 8 – 15 of the Centre Lane Senior Secured Credit Facility, which resulted in the understatement of interest payable and interest expense for each of the interim quarterly periods ended June 30, 2022, and September 30, 2022 and the year-to-date 2022 period.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company implemented its remediation plan to enhance controls relating to the accounting of its debt arrangements that includes the following:

•Internal interest calculations are prepared and compared to the model provided by the external evaluators, along with outstanding principal and carrying value;

•Quarterly statements are being received from Centre Lane Partners where the balances are compared to internal schedules;

•Monthly journal entries for interest expense and supporting documentation are being reviewed by an individual independent of its preparation as part of the month end close; and

•Monthly reconciliations are being performed to support the month end close, which are being reviewed and evidenced by both preparer’s and reviewer’s signature to demonstrate independence and accountability.

Due to the measures implemented to enhance controls relating to the accounting of the Company's debt as described above, at December 31, 2023, management concluded that such weakness did not exist at December 31, 2023. We will continue to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting on an ongoing basis and are committed to taking further action and implementing additional enhancements or improvements, as necessary.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of the Company’s registered independent public accounting firm on management’s assessment regarding internal controls over financial reporting due to the exemption from such requirements established by rules of the SEC for smaller reporting companies.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Other than the matters set forth above, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in management’s evaluation pursuant to Rules 13a-15(d) or 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act during the quarter ended December 31, 2023 that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls and Procedures

In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and that management is required to apply judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.