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Exhibit 99.1

Fluent Announces Expected Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2023 Financial Results

New York, NY – February 29, 2024 – Fluent, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLNT), a leading data-driven performance marketing company, today reported results for the expected fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. These results are unaudited and remain subject to ongoing audit procedures.

Donald Patrick, Fluent’s Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Our expected results for the fourth quarter are consistent with the strategy we outlined in our last earnings release - we showed sequential quarterly growth reflecting stability in our owned and operated marketplaces coupled with the acceleration of our new strategic performance marketplaces. Our full year results also reflect our investments into growing higher quality consumer engagements designed to further establish Fluent as an industry leader in performance marketing.

In 2024 we are continuing to invest into expanding our new syndicated performance marketplaces while strengthening our owned and operated marketplaces based on the current macro-economic realities. We are creating more effective customer acquisition solutions for our clients, while positioning Fluent as a market leader. This represents a more sustainable business for our stakeholders.”

Fourth Quarter Highlights (Expected)

Full-Year 2023 Highlights (Expected)

Media margin, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted net income are non-GAAP financial measures, as defined and reconciled below. 

Business Outlook

Update on Credit Facility

As previously announced, on January 26, 2024, we entered into a Third Temporary Waiver and Amendment to Credit Agreement (“Third Waiver and Amendment”) with the lenders thereto and Citizens Bank, N.A. as administrative agent, pursuant to which the lenders agreed to waive their rights and remedies under the credit agreement arising from our breach of certain covenants through the earliest of (1) the occurrence of any event of default, (2) April 30, 2024, or (3) our failure to comply with the requirements of the Third Waiver and Amendment.  For a further description of the Third Waiver and Amendment, see our Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 26, 2024.

On February 14, 2024, we entered into a non-binding term sheet with a prospective lender to provide a new senior secured credit facility that would discharge the outstanding balance on our current credit facility and meet our anticipated capital and liquidity needs for the next twelve months and beyond. Entry into the new facility is subject to a number of conditions precedent, including ongoing due diligence by the prospective lender and preparation and execution of definitive documentation for the new facility.  There can be no assurance that we will be able to enter into definitive agreements for the new facility prior to the expiration of the Third Waiver and Amendment.  The financial statements included in our Form 10-Q for the three months ended September 30, 2023, include a note expressing substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for the next twelve months due to the Company not expecting to be in compliance with certain financial covenants under the existing credit agreement during certain quarters in the twelve months following the issuance date of that Form 10-Q. This determination will be reevaluated at the issuance date of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 based on the status of the credit agreement in place at that time, our anticipated ability to satisfy covenants contained in such agreement and other factors consistent with generally accepted accounting principles.

  Conference Call

Fluent, Inc. will announce in a subsequent press release the date and time of a conference call to discuss its 2023 fourth quarter and full-year financial results, and the means of accessing the call.  Following the completion of the earnings call, a recorded replay of the webcast will be available for those unable to participate. To listen to the telephone replay, please connect via https://register.vevent.com/register/BI1e674cb8510d45c5823d81f40d9fdf05. The replay will be available for one year, via the Fluent website https://investors.fluentco.com. 

About Fluent, Inc.

Fluent, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLNT) is a leader in performance marketing, delivering customer acquisition solutions through our digital media portfolio, global commerce partnerships, and proprietary data and tech. We introduce brands to consumers through outcome-based programs across untapped channels, including our post-transaction ad solution and rewarded discovery platform. Since 2010, we have continued to innovate and iterate on the most effective strategies that connect our partners and brands with their most valuable customers, helping to drive lower-funnel engagements that exceed client expectations. For more information, please visit http://www.fluentco.com/.

Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

The matters contained in this press release may be considered to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Those statements include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations or anticipations of Fluent and members of our management team. Factors currently known to management that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the following:

These and additional factors to be considered are set forth under “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Fluent undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results or expectations.

FLUENT, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

(unaudited)

(1) Debt classification conforms to presentation at September 30, 2023, which was based on the Company not expecting to be in compliance with certain financial covenants under its credit agreement during certain quarters in the twelve months following the issuance date of the September 30, 2023 financial statements.  This classification will be reevaluated at the issuance date of the Company’s audited financial statements as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 and for fiscal years then ending.

FLUENT, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)

(unaudited)

FLUENT, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Amounts in thousands)

(unaudited)

Definitions, Reconciliations and Uses of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The following non-GAAP measures are used in this release:

Media margin is defined as that portion of gross profit (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) reflecting variable costs paid for media and related expenses and excluding non-media cost of revenue. Gross profit (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) represents revenue minus cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation and amortization). Media margin is also presented as a percentage of revenue.

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss), excluding (1) income taxes, (2) interest expense, net, (3) depreciation and amortization, (4) share-based compensation expense, (5) loss on early extinguishment of debt, (6) accrued compensation expense for Put/Call Consideration, (7) goodwill impairment, (8) write-off of intangible assets, (9) loss on disposal of property and equipment, (10) acquisition-related costs, (11) restructuring and other severance costs, and (12) certain litigation and other related costs.

Adjusted net income is defined as net income (loss) excluding (1) Share-based compensation expense, (2) loss on early extinguishment of debt, (3) accrued compensation expense for Put/Call Consideration, (4) goodwill impairment, (5) write-off of intangible assets, (6) loss on disposal of property and equipment, (7) acquisition-related costs, (8) restructuring and other severance costs, and (9) certain litigation and other related costs. Adjusted net income is also presented on a per share (basic and diluted) basis.

Below is a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA from net income (loss), which we believe is the most directly comparable GAAP measure.

(1) Balance includes compensation expense related to non-competition agreements and earn-out expense incurred as a result of business combinations. The earn-out expense was $434 and $121 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Below is a reconciliation of adjusted net income and the related measure of adjusted net income per share from net income (loss), which we believe is the most directly comparable GAAP measure.

(1) Balance includes compensation expense related to non-competition agreements and earn-out expense incurred as a result of business combinations. The earn-out expense was $434 and $121 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

We present media margin, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted net income as supplemental measures of our financial and operating performance because we believe they provide useful information to investors. More specifically:

Media margin, as defined above, is a measure of the efficiency of the Company’s operating model. We use media margin and the related measure of media margin as a percentage of revenue as primary metrics to measure the financial return on our media and related costs, specifically to measure the degree by which the revenue generated from our digital marketing services exceeds the cost to attract the consumers to whom offers are made through our services. Media margin is used extensively by our management to manage our operating performance, including evaluating operational performance against budgeted media margin and understanding the efficiency of our media and related expenditures. We also use media margin for performance evaluations and compensation decisions regarding certain personnel.

Adjusted EBITDA, as defined above, is another primary metric by which we evaluate the operating performance of our business, on which certain operating expenditures and internal budgets are based and by which, in addition to media margin and other factors, our senior management is compensated. The first three adjustments represent the conventional definition of EBITDA, and the remaining adjustments are items recognized and recorded under GAAP in particular periods but might be viewed as not necessarily coinciding with the underlying business operations for the periods in which they are so recognized and recorded. These adjustments include certain litigation and other related costs associated with legal matters outside the ordinary course of business. We consider items one-time in nature if they are non-recurring, infrequent or unusual and have not occurred in the past two years or are not expected to recur in the next two years, in accordance with SEC rules. There were no adjustments for one-time items in the periods presented.

Adjusted net income, as defined above, excludes certain items that are recognized and recorded under GAAP in particular periods but might be viewed as not necessarily coinciding with the underlying business operations for the periods in which they are so recognized and recorded. We believe adjusted net income affords investors a different view of the overall financial performance of the Company than adjusted EBITDA and the GAAP measure of net (loss) income.

Media margin, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, and adjusted net income per share are non-GAAP financial measures with certain limitations regarding their usefulness. They do not reflect our financial results in accordance with GAAP, as they do not include the impact of certain expenses that are reflected in our condensed consolidated statements of operations. Accordingly, these metrics are not indicative of our overall results or indicators of past or future financial performance. Further, they are not financial measures of profitability and are neither intended to be used as a proxy for the profitability of our business nor to imply profitability. The way we measure media margin, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted net income may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies and may not be identical to corresponding measures used in our various agreements.

Contact Information: 

Investor Relations

Fluent, Inc.

InvestorRelations@fluentco.com