MediaAlpha Inc

Certain Definitions

As used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

•“Class A-1 units” refers to the Class A-1 units of QL Holdings LLC (“QLH”).

•“Class B-1 units” refers to the Class B-1 units of QLH.

•“CAGR” means compound annual growth rate.

•“Consumer Referral” means any consumer click, call or lead purchased by a buyer on our platform.

•“Consumers” refer to end consumers. Examples include individuals shopping for insurance policies.

•“Digital consumer traffic” refers to visitors to the mobile, tablet, desktop and other digital platforms of our Supply Partners, as well as to our proprietary websites.

•“Direct-to-consumer” or “DTC” means the sale of insurance products or services directly to end consumers, without the use of retailers, brokers, agents or other intermediaries.

•“Distributor” means any company or individual that is involved in the distribution of insurance, such as an insurance agent or broker.

•“Exchange agreement” means the exchange agreement, dated as of October 27, 2020 by and among MediaAlpha, Inc., QLH, Intermediate Holdco, Inc. and certain Class B-1 unitholders party thereto.

•“Founders” means, collectively, Steven Yi, Eugene Nonko, and Ambrose Wang.

•“High-intent” consumer or customer means an in-market consumer that is actively browsing, researching or comparing the types of products or services that our partners sell.

•“Insignia” means Insignia Capital Group, L.P. and its affiliates.

•“Intermediate Holdco” means Guilford Holdings, Inc., our wholly owned subsidiary and the owner of all Class A-1 units.

•“Inventory,” when referring to our Supply Partners, means the volume of Consumer Referral opportunities.

•“IPO” means our initial public offering of our Class A common stock, which closed on October 30, 2020.

•“Legacy Profit Interests Holders” means certain current or former employees of QLH or its subsidiaries (other than the Senior Executives), who indirectly held Class B units in QLH prior to our IPO and includes any estate planning vehicles or other holding companies through which such persons hold their units in QLH (which holding companies may or may not include QL Management Holdings LLC).

•“Lifetime value” or “LTV” is a type of metric that many of our business partners use to measure the estimated total worth to a business of a customer over the expected period of their relationship.

•“Open Marketplace” refers to one of our two business models. In Open Marketplace transactions, we have separate agreements with Demand Partners and Supply Partners. We earn fees from our Demand Partners and separately pay a revenue share to our Supply Partners and a fee to internet search companies to drive consumers to our proprietary websites.

•“Partner” refers to a buyer or seller on our platform, also referred to as “Demand Partners” and “Supply Partners,” respectively.

◦“Demand partner” or “customer” refers to a buyer on our platform. As discussed under Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion & Analysis – Management Overview, our Demand Partners are generally insurance carriers and distributors looking to target high-intent consumers deep in their purchase journey.

◦“Supply partner” or “supplier” refers to a seller to our platform. As discussed under Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion & Analysis – Management Overview, our Supply Partners are primarily insurance carriers looking to maximize the value of non-converting or low LTV consumers, and insurance-focused research destinations or other financial websites looking to monetize high-intent consumers.

•“Private Marketplace” refers to one of our two business models. In Private Marketplace transactions, Demand Partners and Supply Partners contract with one another directly and leverage our platform to facilitate transparent, real-time transactions utilizing the reporting and analytical tools available to them from use of our platform. We charge a fee to our Supply Partners based on the Transaction Value of the Consumer Referrals sold through Private Marketplace transactions.

•“Proprietary” means, when used in reference to our properties, the websites and other digital properties that we own and operate. Our proprietary properties are a source of Consumer Referrals on our platform.

•“Reorganization Transactions” means the series of reorganization transactions completed on October 27, 2020 in connection with our IPO, as described under Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data - Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements – Organization and Background” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

•“Secondary Offering” means the sale of 8,050,000 shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-254338), which was declared effective by the Securities Exchange Commission ("SEC") on March 18, 2021.

•“Senior Executives” means the Founders and the other current and former officers of the Company listed in Exhibit A to the Exchange Agreement. This term also includes any estate planning vehicles or other holding companies through which such persons hold their units in QLH.

•“Selling Class B-1 Unit Holders” means Insignia, the Senior Executives, and the Legacy Profits Interests Holders who sold a portion of their Class B-1 units to Intermediate Holdco in connection with the IPO.

•“Transaction Value” means the total gross dollars transacted by our partners on our platform.

•“Vertical” means a market dedicated to a specific set of products or services sold to end consumers. Examples include property & casualty insurance, life insurance, health insurance, and travel.

•“White Mountains” means White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. and its affiliates.

•“Yield” means the return to our sellers on their inventory of Consumer Referrals sold on our platform.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factor Summary

We are including this Cautionary Statement to caution investors and qualify for the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”) for forward-looking statements. This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, future events and our financial performance. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “predict,” “potential,” “believe,” “will likely result,” “expect,” “continue,” “will,” “anticipate,” “seek,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “projection,” “would,” and “outlook,” or the negative version of those words or other comparable words or phrases of a future or forward-looking nature. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, management’s beliefs and certain assumptions made by management, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond our control. Accordingly, we caution you that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, assumptions and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date made, actual results may prove to be materially different from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

There are or will be important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following:

•Our ability to attract and retain Supply Partners and Demand Partners to our platform and to make available quality Consumer Referrals at attractive volumes and prices to drive transactions on our platform;

•Our reliance on a limited number of Supply Partners and Demand Partners, many of which have no long-term contractual commitments with us, and any potential termination of those relationships;

•Fluctuations in customer acquisition spending by property and casualty insurance carriers due to unexpected changes in underwriting profitability as the carriers go through cycles in their business;

•Existing and future laws and regulations affecting the property & casualty insurance, health insurance and life insurance verticals;

•Changes and developments in the regulation of the underlying industries in which our partners operate;

•Competition with other technology companies engaged in digital customer acquisition, as well as buyers that attract consumers through their own customer acquisition strategies, third-party online platforms or other methods of distribution;

•Our ability to attract, integrate and retain qualified employees;

•Reductions in DTC digital spend by our buyers;

•Mergers and acquisitions could result in additional dilution and otherwise disrupt our operations and harm our operating results and financial condition;

•Our dependence on internet search companies to direct a significant portion of visitors to our suppliers’ websites and our proprietary websites;

•The terms and restrictions of our existing and future indebtedness;

•Disruption to operations as a result of future acquisitions;

•Our failure to obtain, maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights, proprietary systems, technology and brand;

•Our ability to develop new offerings and penetrate new vertical markets;

•Our ability to manage future growth effectively;

•Our reliance on data provided to us by our Demand and Supply Partners and consumers;

•The impact of broad-based pandemics or public health crises, such as COVID-19;

•Natural disasters, political crises, economic downturns, or other unexpected events;

•Significant estimates and assumptions in the preparation of our financial statements;

•Potential litigation and claims, including claims by regulatory agencies and intellectual property disputes;

•Our ability to collect our receivables from our partners;

•Fluctuations in our financial results caused by seasonality;

•The development of the DTC insurance distribution sector and evolving nature of our relatively new business model;

•Disruptions to or failures of our technological infrastructure and platform;

•Failure to manage and maintain relationships with third-party service providers;

•Cybersecurity breaches or other attacks involving our systems or those of our partners or third-party service providers;

•Our ability to protect consumer information and other data and risks of reputational harm due to an actual or perceived failure by us to protect such information and other data;

•Risks related to laws and regulation to which we are subject both in the U.S. and internationally, many of which are evolving;

•Risks related to changes in tax laws or exposure to additional income or other tax liabilities could affect our future profitability;

•Risks related to being a public company;

•Risks related to internal control over financial reporting;

•Risks related to shares of our Class A common stock;

•Risks related to our intention to take advantage of certain exemptions as a former “controlled company” under the rules of the NYSE, and the fact that the interests of our controlling stockholders (White Mountains, Insignia, and the Founders) may conflict with those of other investors;

•Risks related to our corporate structure; and

•The other risk factors described under “Risk factors.”

The foregoing factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read together with the other cautionary statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. If one or more events related to these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may differ materially from what we anticipate. Many of the important factors that will determine these results are beyond our ability to control or predict. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as otherwise required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict which will arise. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.