Newsmax Swings to Net Profit of $15.2 Million in Q3 2026
Key Facts
Newsmax reported net income of $15.2 million, or $0.12 per share, in the third quarter ended September 30, 2026, compared with a net loss of $4.1 million, or $0.03 per share, in the year-earlier quarter. The company said in results published via ACCESS Newswire that the improvement in income came mainly from higher total revenue, growth in high-margin affiliation and licensing fees, and lower legal expenses. The result marked a year-over-year swing from a loss to a profit for the quarter, while the company said it continued to invest in programming and production. Newsmax had announced before the results were released that it would publish them after the U.S. market close on November 12. Management was scheduled to discuss the results on a call at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time that day.
The company said growth in high-margin affiliation and licensing fees was a key factor behind the improvement in income, along with lower legal expenses. It said total revenue increased, but also linked the improvement to the revenue and expense mix, rather than to revenue growth alone. At the same time, it said it continued to invest in programming and production, placing the decision to maintain spending alongside improved profitability in the quarter’s results. The company did not provide separate figures for the impact of each cited factor in this explanation. It also did not give numerical details on the amount invested in programming and production in the statement on which the results were based.
Newsmax ended the quarter with $137.6 million in cash and short-term investments, according to its statement. The balance comprised $26.7 million in cash and cash equivalents and $110.8 million in short-term investments as of September 30, 2026. This breakdown sets out the components of the quarter-end balance alongside the swing to net income, without in itself indicating that liquidity remained stable during the period. In the second quarter, the company reported quarterly revenue of $54.1 million, up 16.5% year over year, which it described at the time as the highest in its history. That provides context for the revenue trend ahead of the third quarter, while the cited comparison relates to the second quarter and does not represent the latest quarter’s result.
In its second-quarter results, Newsmax said broadcast revenue rose 20.5% year over year to $45.8 million. The company attributed the growth to higher affiliation fees tied to new contractual relationships and price increases, as well as international licensing agreements. In August, Chief Executive Christopher Ruddy said the company continued to invest in content and broadcasting, and that its licensing strategy was growing domestically and internationally. He added that the expansion included domestic AI deals, such as the agreement the company reached with Meta, and international media partners licensing its brand and content. The statement places the licensing activity the company cited in the context of growth in those fees, while the broadcast growth and revenue figures remain specific to the second quarter.
Newsmax reaffirmed in August its fiscal 2026 revenue forecast range of $212 million to $216 million. It said the midpoint of the range represented 13% year-over-year growth. This annual guidance followed second-quarter revenue of $54.1 million, while the company later announced its third-quarter results and quarterly profit. The forecast covers revenue for the full fiscal year, while net income measures performance over the three months ended in September; each therefore reflects a different measure and period. NMAX shares closed at $7.74 on November 11, 2026, according to EL7 data, the session before the results were scheduled to be announced on November 12.