MediaAlpha
Insurance-focused programmatic marketplace for leads, clicks and calls.
Available information varies by company and source.
Profile record updated:
Company facts
- Official name
- MediaAlpha, Inc.
- Entity type
- COMPANY
- Founded
- 2011
- Headquarters
- United States
- Company size
- 50–200
- Market role
- AdTech Vendor
- Ticker
- MAX
- Official website
- mediaalpha.com
What MediaAlpha does
MediaAlpha runs a two-sided programmatic marketplace for performance customer acquisition. On one side, advertisers, carriers and agents use its demand tools to buy high-intent consumer leads and related traffic with granular bidding and source controls. On the other side, publishers and lead suppliers use its monetisation tools to route inventory into the marketplace and maximise yield. MediaAlpha creates value by matching high-intent consumer traffic with buyers willing to bid for it in real time, and captures revenue from the transaction flow and related platform services.
Category differentiation
MediaAlpha is not a consumer insurance comparison site or insurer; it is a B2B adtech marketplace for buying and monetising high-intent customer acquisition traffic. It is also distinct from broad open-web DSPs because its core focus is vertical-specific lead and performance marketplace activity, especially in insurance.
Strategic context
AI-supported assessment from the existing company research; distinguish interpretation from sourced facts.
MediaAlpha is a US-listed advertising technology company operating a vertical-specific marketplace for customer acquisition, primarily in insurance. Its platform connects publishers and other traffic sources with carriers, agents, distributors and performance marketers that buy leads, clicks and calls through real-time bidding and related optimisation tools. The company sells both advertiser-side buying capabilities and publisher-side monetisation tools, with workflow integrations into CRM and call-centre environments. The business makes money mainly from transaction-based marketplace activity: advertisers and agents pay on a performance basis, while publishers monetise traffic through revenue share. MediaAlpha therefore sits between demand and supply in a specialised, high-intent segment of digital advertising, with value driven by pricing transparency, bid controls, yield optimisation and domain-specific scale in insurance customer acquisition.
Company news briefing
Briefing updated:
Building on the appointment of Lauren StClair to its Board, MediaAlpha is currently benefiting from a recovery in Property and Casualty (P&C) carrier profitability. Whilst management acknowledges that insurance cycles remain inherently unpredictable, this tailwind supports the firm’s strategic focus on optimising high-intent lead conversion under CEO Steve Yi. Following its first-quarter disclosure, the company is now scheduled to release second-quarter 2026 financial results on 29 July, providing further insight into the impact of improving carrier margins on its digital marketplace.
Business model & monetisation
MediaAlpha primarily monetises through a transaction-based marketplace model. Advertisers and agents pay on a cost-per-lead or other performance basis, typically via real-time bidding, and MediaAlpha captures a percentage take-rate or platform margin on that spend. Publishers receive revenue share for monetised traffic. Secondary monetisation includes managed campaign services, platform-related fees, minimum spend arrangements for larger clients, and premium analytics or integration work for enterprise customers.
- Advertiser marketplace spend
- Percentage take-rate on performance media and leads
- Publisher monetisation spread
- Marketplace margin between buyer spend and publisher payout
- Managed campaign execution
- Service fee / retainer
- Premium analytics and integrations
- Software or implementation fees
Products & capabilities
No products with linked sources are available in this view.
Products & market categories
Media Channel
Recent recorded signals
Dates refer to the source publication. Older entries are historical context, not evidence of a new event.
8-K Financial Filing Analysis for MediaAlpha (2026-09-09)
financials · Recorded impact score: 3.7/5
MediaAlpha, Inc. entered into an Assignment, Assumption and Termination Agreement on September 9, 2026, to buy out the Tax Receivables Agreement (TRA) interest held by Parallaxes Mars, LLC, Parallaxes Mars II, LLC, and Parallaxes Mars III, LLC (collectively, PLX). Under the agreement, MediaAlpha acquired PLX's $22.7 million estimated TRA liability for $12.0 million in cash, capturing a 47% ($10.7 million) discount relative to its estimated June 30, 2026 valuation. Following the transaction, MediaAlpha's total remaining estimated TRA liabilities decrease from $54.7 million to approximately $32.0 million as of September 30, 2026.
- MediaAlpha paid $12.0 million in cash to retire $22.7 million of TRA liabilities held by PLX entities, realizing a $10.7 million (47%) discount against the June 30, 2026 estimated value.
- The buyout reduces MediaAlpha's total estimated future TRA liability from $54.7 million as of June 30, 2026, to approximately $32.0 million as of September 30, 2026.
MediaAlpha Announces Chief Financial Officer Transition
Recorded impact score: 4/5
Tigran Sinanyan, SVP of Finance and Former CFO, to Succeed Pat Thompson as CFO. Third Quarter 2026 Results Expected to Be At or Above the Top End of Previously Disclosed Guidance Ranges.
8-K Financial Filing Analysis for MediaAlpha (2026-09-03)
financials · Recorded impact score: 4.2/5
MediaAlpha, Inc. announced the reappointment of Tigran Sinanyan as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, effective October 1, 2026, succeeding Patrick Thompson who is stepping down without operational or accounting disagreements. Sinanyan, who previously served as MediaAlpha's CFO from 2015 to 2021 and rejoined the company in July 2025 as Senior Vice President of Finance and Corporate Development, brings deep institutional knowledge back to the executive suite. Simultaneously, MediaAlpha issued an upward revision for its third-quarter 2026 financial guidance. The company now projects Q3 2026 Revenue, Contribution, and Adjusted EBITDA to land at or above the upper end of its previously issued guidance ranges from July 29, 2026, signaling sustained operational momentum in its customer acquisition marketplace.
- Tigran Sinanyan appointed CFO effective October 1, 2026, with an annual base salary of $475,000, a 2026 target bonus of $293,200 (70% of base salary from 2027), and an initial RSU award valued at $252,100 vesting over four years.
- Outgoing CFO Patrick Thompson will step down on October 1, 2026, remain employed through October 30, 2026, and provide consulting services through February 26, 2027, with continued vesting of scheduled RSUs.
MediaAlpha To Report Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results on July 29, 2026
Recorded impact score: 3/5
Event to be Webcast Live on the MediaAlpha Investor Relations Website. LOS ANGELES, July 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE: MAX), today announced that it will release second quarter 2026 financial results on Wednesday, July 29, 2026 after market close.
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Questions about MediaAlpha
What is MediaAlpha?
MediaAlpha is a public adtech company that operates a programmatic marketplace for insurance and other high-intent customer acquisition traffic.
Who uses MediaAlpha?
Its direct users are insurance carriers, distributors, agents, performance marketing teams, and publishers looking to buy or monetise leads, clicks and calls.
How does MediaAlpha make money?
It mainly earns marketplace revenue by taking a share of advertiser spend or lead value, with additional income from managed services, integrations and related platform fees.
Sources & coverage
This profile uses public, official and technically observable information. Missing information does not prove that a product or relationship does not exist. The list below does not imply that every profile statement has been verified.
21 publicly documented primary sources and citations linked across the market graph.
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