MediaCo posts 9% Q2 revenue growth as digital shift reshapes US multicultural media
The rotation of US advertising dollars toward digital channels is now a structural feature of the media cycle. Against that backdrop, MediaCo Holding Inc. (Nasdaq: MDIA) reported second-quarter net revenues of $33.97 million, up…
Key takeaways
- MediaCo Holding Inc. (Nasdaq: MDIA) reported Q2 net revenues of $33.97 million, up 9% year-over-year, with digital channels making up 47% of advertising sales.
- The company's Q2 net loss widened to $8.61 million from $7.39 million a year earlier, while adjusted EBITDA fell to $942,000 from $1.51 million.
- First-half 2026 net revenues rose 10% to $65.36 million from $59.28 million, but the half-year net loss widened to $17.98 million from $16.00 million.
- EstrellaTV posted a 38% year-over-year gain in Q1 2026 prime-time P18-49 viewership, its fourth consecutive quarter of audience growth.
- CEO Albert Rodriguez said the company launched a companywide cost and expense reduction initiative to improve EBITDA and margins.
The rotation of US advertising dollars toward digital channels is now a structural feature of the media cycle. Against that backdrop, MediaCo Holding Inc. (Nasdaq: MDIA) reported second-quarter net revenues of $33.97 million, up 9% from the year-earlier period, with digital channels accounting for 47% of advertising sales, per an 8-K filed August 14, 2026.
The headline revenue gain came alongside widening losses. Net loss for the quarter was $8.61 million, up from $7.39 million a year earlier, as higher digital operating expenses, a loss on disposal of assets, and elevated net interest costs weighed on the result. Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure the company uses for internal planning and executive compensation, fell to $942,000 from $1.51 million in the prior-year quarter. Chief Executive Albert Rodriguez attributed the top-line outperformance to a cross-platform strategy spanning television, radio, digital, and FAST distribution.
Digital mix and the sector cycle
For the first half of 2026, net revenues totaled $65.36 million, up 10% from $59.28 million in the same period of 2025, again driven primarily by new digital revenue sales. The half-year net loss widened to $17.98 million from $16.00 million a year earlier. First-half adjusted EBITDA fell to $1.15 million from $2.92 million, with higher operating and corporate expenses as the primary driver of that compression.
Within the broadcast portfolio, EstrellaTV posted a 38% year-over-year gain in prime-time P18-49 viewership for the first quarter of 2026, per Nielsen data cited in the release. The network marked its fourth consecutive quarter of audience growth. In March 2026 it was the only Spanish-language broadcast network to log a P18-49 increase, up 22% from the prior year. Rodriguez said the company has implemented a companywide cost and expense reduction initiative aimed at improving EBITDA and margins.
The read-through for the sector is straightforward: cross-border demand for Spanish-language content is holding, and a 47% digital share of advertising revenue puts MediaCo among the upper tier of its peer group, by the company's own account. The unresolved question is cost trajectory. Digital revenue is growing faster than the traditional base, but digital expenses and net interest costs are rising faster still. Whether the cost initiative is sufficient to close that gap will be visible in the third-quarter filing.
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