Afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2026 annual meeting of shareholders of Newsmax Inc. I am Christopher Ruddy, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company, and a candidate for election as director. I will serve as chairman of the meeting. The time is now 1:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time. Will the meeting please come to order? With me today is Darryle Burnham , the company's Chief Financial Officer, who will serve as secretary of this meeting. The company has appointed Broadridge Financial Solutions to act as inspector of election. Beth VanDerbec k from Broadridge is with us today and has taken the oath of inspector of election. Pursuant to the company's amended and restated bylaws and the Florida Business Corporation Act, this year's annual meeting of shareholders is being held in a virtual meeting format.
I'd now like to introduce our board of directors. Attending today are the following directors and director nominees of the company: Nancy Brinker, Christopher Cox , Alexander Acosta, David Gandler , Paula Dobriansky , and David Evans . Additionally, we have representatives in attendance from BDO, the company's independent registered public accounting firm. Because Newsmax's 2026 annual meeting is being held virtually, registered shareholders who have not already voted by proxy can do so during the meeting by clicking the vote here section on your screen and entering your control ID and request ID, which appeared on the proxy materials previously sent to you. If you have already voted your shares by proxy prior to the meeting, you do not need to do anything at this time.
If you would like to ask a question on either of the shareholder proposals, please use the section on the right-hand side of the screen to ask those questions. I'd now like to provide my opening remarks. Newsmax has successfully built a diversified revenue model to capture the growing demand for independent, values-driven journalism and has become one of America's fastest-growing news brands. We are not just a cable network, nor just a streaming service, nor simply a digital publisher. We are all of these and much more. We have built an integrated media ecosystem that allows us to reach audiences wherever they are and to monetize engagement across multiple platforms. This ability to connect traditional television with digital media in a seamless and scalable way is a key driver of our growth and a significant competitive advantage. Our growth strategy is working.
We are continuing to build audiences and engagement across every platform and for every audience. Newsmax content is available in more than 100 countries worldwide, creating additional opportunities for advertising revenue, licensing partnerships, and global brand growth. We recently surpassed 25 million social media followers, marking a record-breaking milestone with strong growth across all major platforms. Now carried on all major cable systems, Newsmax has significantly expanded distribution over the past year with the addition of Hulu + Live TV, while also successfully renewing all major existing pay TV agreements, including YouTube TV, Dish, Verizon, Mediacom, Fubo, Optimum, and Charter. We are the fourth highest-rated cable news channel in the country and rank sixth among all cable channels in total day ratings, according to Nielsen's 2025 report.
This scale and engagement are critical as they drive advertising demand, strengthen our negotiating position with distributors, and reinforce the overall value of the brand. We're also making strides in streaming, which we believe represents one of the most important opportunities in the evolving media landscape. Our free streaming channel, Newsmax2, continues to expand rapidly. It is now available across nearly all major streaming platforms and is distributed over-the-air in dozens of U.S. markets, including most of the top 20. We continue to invest heavily in programming, talent, and production capabilities to support this growth, with the goal of becoming the leading streaming news channel. At the same time, we continue to develop Newsmax+, our subscription streaming service.
We ended 2025 with more than 260,000 paid subscribers and have begun taking steps to strengthen the platform by expanding our library of on-demand content, improving the user experience, and increasing distribution. We believe there is a clear opportunity in the market for a service that combines trusted news with family-friendly entertainment, and we are committed to unlocking that potential. From a financial standpoint, 2025 was also a year of transition. We completed our initial public offering and resolved a significant legal matter, both of which required substantial investment in money and time. Looking ahead, we expect 2026 to be a year of accelerated growth. We are projecting revenue that is not dependent on political cycles, but is instead driven by the fundamental strength of our business.
Our Q1 results show the continued expansion in affiliate fees, further gains in domestic and international distribution, and improved monetization across our digital and streaming platforms. With most of our legal settlement and public company transition costs behind us, we also expect improved operating leverage and greater alignment between our investments and revenue growth. The broader media landscape is changing rapidly. Trust in legacy media has declined to all-time lows, and audiences are increasingly seeking alternatives that provide credible, independent perspectives. Newsmax has emerged as a trusted voice in this environment, and our continued growth demonstrates that we are meeting a real and expanding need. At the same time, consumption habits are shifting towards streaming and on-demand platforms. Because we began as a digital media company, we are well-positioned to adapt to these changes and to lead in this new era. Our long-term vision is clear.
We aim to build Newsmax into one of the most trusted and influential news brands in the United States and around the world. We are competing from a position of strength with a solid balance sheet, a scalable business model, and a deeply engaged audience. We will continue to invest in content, expand our distribution, and enhance our multi-platform capabilities, all while maintaining a disciplined approach to growth and cost management. Most importantly, we have the support of our viewers, readers, advertisers, and you, our valued shareholders. Your confidence in Newsmax has been instrumental in our success, and we are grateful for your continued partnership. On behalf of our entire team, thank you for your support. We are excited about the opportunities ahead and remain committed to delivering long-term shareholder value. We will now proceed into the formal portion of the meeting led by Darryle Burnham, our Chief Financial Officer.
Thank you, Christopher, and thank you everyone for joining us today. The board of directors fixed March 30th, 2026 as the record date for determining stockholders entitled to vote at this meeting. An affidavit has been delivered attesting to the fact that either a notice of an internet availability of the notice of the meeting, the proxy statement and the 2025 annual report to stockholders or the documents themselves were mailed on or about March 30th, 2026 to all stockholders as of the record date and will be incorporated into the minutes of this meeting.
The stockholder list shows that as of the record date, there were 39,239,297 shares of Class A common stock outstanding and 89,899,158 shares of Class B common stock outstanding and entitled to vote at this meeting. A copy of the list is available for inspection by registered shareholders through the adjournment of this meeting. Based on the preliminary results, we have received over 85% of the votes, which represents a quorum. Since this percentage represents more than the majority of the voting power of all issued and outstanding stock entitled to vote on the record date, a quorum is present for purposes of transacting business.
As outlined in the notice of 2026 annual meeting, the first item of business concerns the election of seven directors, each to serve until the 2027 annual meeting of shareholders or until his or her successor has been elected and qualified. The next item of business concerns the ratification of the appointment of BDO as the company's independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year ending December 31st, 2026. If any shareholder would like to ask a question regarding any of these two proposals, please submit them through the web portal. We will now take a short pause to permit our shareholders to vote on the proposals. The polls are officially open. If you have not previously voted your shares by proxy, you can vote them now by clicking the Vote Here section on your screen and entering your control and request ID.
If you have voted by proxy, it is not necessary for you to vote a second time unless you wish to revoke your prior proxy and change your vote at this time. You may do so by following the instructions on your screen after you have entered your control ID and request ID. Now that everyone has had the opportunity to vote, I now declare the polls for 2026 Newsmax Inc. annual stockholder meeting closed. I now direct the Inspector of Election canvass the results of the votes. I have been informed by the Inspector of Election that the preliminary report of Inspector of Election reflects that all seven director nominees have been elected directors to serve until the 2027 annual meeting of shareholders.
Additionally, the proposal ratifying the appointment of BDO as the company's independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31st, 2026 has been approved by the shareholders. This preliminary report is subject to correction by the final report of the Inspector of Election, which results will be included in an 8-K to be filed by the company with the SEC after this meeting.
Darryle, thank you. There being no further business to come before the meeting, the 2026 annual meeting of stockholders of Newsmax Inc. is now adjourned. On behalf of our board of directors and our employees, I would like to thank all of you for the interest you have shown in the company.
This now concludes the meeting. Thank you for joining and have a pleasant day.