BuzzFeed Q2 revenue grows, driven by commerce and programmatic ad gains.

• BuzzFeed reports Q2 2025 results with strong revenue growth • Company advances strategic priorities with direct audience growth, AI development, and increased platform independence • Q2 revenue driven by double-digit gains in commerce and programmatic advertising • BuzzFeed returns to growth after previous quarters of decline • Revenue growth driven by scalable and tech-enabled revenue lines • Company focuses on reducing platform dependencies and expanding revenue streams

New York, July 2, 2025 — BuzzFeed, Inc. (Nasdaq: BZFD) has reported its financial results for the second quarter of 2025, showcasing robust revenue growth and strategic advancements. The company delivered a 13% year-over-year increase in total revenue, reaching $46.4 million, driven primarily by double-digit gains in commerce and programmatic advertising [1].

Jonah Peretti, BuzzFeed Founder and CEO, expressed pride in the team's achievements, stating, "We returned to growth, driven by double-digit gains in both commerce and programmatic advertising, our most scalable and tech-enabled revenue lines. Our latest feature film hit #1 on Hulu in June. And we’ve begun beta testing on BF Island, our AI-native social media app. We’ve transformed and diversified our business and it is gratifying to see these efforts are continuing to bear fruit" [1].

Matt Omer, BuzzFeed CFO, highlighted the continued momentum in transformation efforts, noting strong performance in programmatic advertising and affiliate commerce, which are key scalable and reliable revenue lines [1].

Advertising revenue slightly declined to $22.6 million, reflecting a 3% drop, primarily due to a 31% decrease in direct-sold advertising revenue. However, programmatic advertising grew 11% year-over-year to $17.4 million, demonstrating improvements in yield and targeting [1]. Content revenue increased 53% to $10.7 million, with studio revenue nearly quadrupling to $4.7 million, driven by the delivery of a feature film project [1].

Commerce and other revenue rose 20% to $13.1 million, with organic affiliate commerce growing 23% year-over-year, adding $12.8 million [1]. Despite these gains, the company reported a net loss from continuing operations of $10.6 million, primarily due to a non-recurring charge on loss on extinguishment of convertible notes [1].

Adjusted EBITDA improved to $2.0 million, reflecting a one-time $2.4 million reversal that positively impacted quarterly results [1]. Total US Time Spent across BuzzFeed's properties was 69.9 million hours, a 3% increase relative to Q1 2025, making BuzzFeed the only company in its competitive set to grow Time Spent this period [1].

BuzzFeed has also made strides in reducing platform dependencies and expanding revenue streams. Traffic diversification increased, with 61% of BuzzFeed's owned and operated traffic coming from direct visits, internal referrals, and app activity. Enhanced audience engagement saw nearly half of BuzzFeed and HuffPost's daily users return more than once a week, with logged-in users on BuzzFeed.com tripling over the past two years [1].

The company's focus on reducing platform dependencies and expanding scalable revenue streams is evident in the strong performance of programmatic advertising and organic affiliate commerce, which have delivered year-over-year growth for five consecutive quarters. Additionally, the renewed focus on IP development and long-form content provides protection from algorithmic shifts, as seen with the feature film "F* Marry Kill" topping charts on Hulu in June [1].

BuzzFeed's first half 2025 results reached $82.4 million in total revenue, an increase of 5%, with net loss from continuing operations improving by 29% to $23.1 million. Adjusted EBITDA losses improved significantly by 71% to $3.9 million [1].

The company reaffirmed its full-year 2025 financial outlook, expecting revenue in the range of $195 million to $210 million, and adjusted EBITDA in the range of $10 million to $20 million [1].

References:
[1] https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250807619955/en/BuzzFeed-Inc.-Reports-Q2-2025-Results-and-Delivers-Strong-Revenue-Growth