Direct Digital Holdings Announces Intention to Voluntarily Delist from Nasdaq and Deregister Its Class A Common Stock with the SEC

Shares already trade on OTC Pink, while planned deregistration would end obligations to file certain SEC financial reports.

Rhea-AI Summary

Direct Digital Holdings (DRCT) plans to voluntarily delist its Class A common stock from Nasdaq and deregister it with the SEC.

The company intends to file Form 25 on or about November 2, 2026, with delisting expected on or about November 12, 2026 and Section 12(b) registration termination on or about January 31, 2027. It then intends to file Form 15 to end SEC reporting obligations. Nasdaq trading has been suspended since October 5, 2026, following a listing-rule deficiency. Shares currently trade on OTC Pink's Limited Information tier, where continued quotation is expected but not assured. The board cited registration costs, demands on management and limited benefits of continued listing in approving the withdrawal.

1 point · 1 major

MixediHow this balance works

How this balance works

Rhea-AI gives every point it takes from this document a weight. Minor counts 1, Moderate 3 and Major 9, so one Major point outweighs several Minor ones. The bar adds up the weights on each side, and when neither side holds more than 65% of the total the balance reads Mixed.

It reads the document as published, with the same rules for every company, and it does not look at what the market expected or at how the stock traded, so a point can be objectively good on a day the stock falls.

Rhea-AI Sentiment measures something else, the tone of the wording.

How the balance worksHow Sentiment works

1 major · 4 points

Hollow bars mark forward-looking points. How the balance works

Positive

• Major point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.Planned deregistration would relieve the company of Exchange Act reporting obligations and their associated compliance demands.

Negative

• Major pointNasdaq trading has been suspended since October 5, 2026, following failure to comply with Listing Rule 5550(b)(1).
• Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.OTC market availability is not assured; shareholders may find it more difficult to buy or sell shares.
• Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.Planned Form 15 filing would end obligations to file certain 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K reports.
• Minor pointHigher-tier OTC quotation remains only a possibility; no decision or arrangements have been made.

Key Figures

Form 25 filing: On or about November 2, 2026 Delisting effective date: On or about November 12, 2026 Section 12(b) registration termination: 90 days after Form 25 filing; on or about January 31, 2027 +1 more

Form 25 filing

On or about November 2, 2026

Intended filing with the SEC

Delisting effective date

On or about November 12, 2026

Expected 10 days after Form 25 filing

Section 12(b) registration termination

90 days after Form 25 filing; on or about January 31, 2027

Expected termination of Class A common stock registration

Form 15 deregistration

90 days after Form 15 filing

Expected effectiveness of deregistration

Key Terms

form 25, form 15, section 12(b), section 12(g)

4 terms

form 25 regulatory

"intends to file a Form 25 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission"

A Form 25 is an official filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission used to remove a company's stock or other security from a national exchange list. Investors should care because delisting often means less visibility, lower trading volume and wider price swings—similar to a product moving from a major supermarket to a small local market, which can make buying, selling and valuing the security more difficult.

form 15 regulatory

"intends to file a Form 15 with the SEC"

A Form 15 is a short filing a public company uses with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to stop or pause its routine public reporting requirements when it meets certain legal thresholds (such as a low number of public shareholders) or other qualifying conditions. Investors should care because filing one typically means less public financial information and lower trading liquidity—similar to a shop taking down its public notice board, making it harder to track performance and buy or sell shares.

section 12(b) regulatory

"under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act"

Section 12(b) of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act requires securities listed on a national stock exchange to be registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and to follow regular public reporting and disclosure rules. For investors, a 12(b) listing generally means more routine financial updates, regulatory oversight and easier buying and selling—like a storefront that must display its inventory and prices, making it simpler to inspect and trade the product.

section 12(g) regulatory

"under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act"

Section 12(g) is a rule that requires companies to register with the government and share their financial details when they have a certain number of shareholders or assets. It matters because it makes these companies more transparent, helping investors make informed decisions and keeping the markets fair.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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Delisting of Class A Common Stock Expected to Become Effective November 12, 2026

HOUSTON, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Direct Digital Holdings, Inc. (OTC: DRCT) ("Direct Digital Holdings," "DDH," or the "Company"), a leading advertising and marketing technology platform operating through its companies Colossus Media, LLC ("Colossus SSP") and Orange 142, LLC ("Orange 142"), today announced its intention to voluntarily delist its Class A common stock from The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC ("Nasdaq") and to deregister its Class A common stock under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). The Company has provided written notice of its intention to Nasdaq and intends to file a Form 25 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on or about November 2, 2026. 

The Company expects that the delisting of its Class A common stock will become effective ten days after the filing of the Form 25, on or about November 12, 2026, and that the registration of its Class A common stock under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act will terminate 90 days after the filing of the Form 25, on or about January 31, 2027. Following the effectiveness of the Form 25, the Company intends to file a Form 15 with the SEC to deregister the Company's securities under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act and suspend its reporting obligations under Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

As a result of the filing of the Form 15, Direct Digital Holdings' obligation to file certain Exchange Act reports and forms with the SEC, including certain Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, will cease. The Company will generally be relieved of all reporting obligations under the Exchange Act upon the effectiveness of the Form 15. The Company expects that the deregistration of its Class A common stock will become effective 90 days after the filing of the Form 15 with the SEC.

As previously disclosed, on October 1, 2026, the Company received a notice (the "Delist Determination") from Nasdaq indicating that based on the Company's failure to comply with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1), Nasdaq had determined to delist the Class A Common Stock and trading of the Class A Common Stock on Nasdaq has been suspended since October 5, 2026.

The Class A Common Stock is currently quoted on the OTC Markets' OTC Pink "Limited Information" tier under its current symbol "DRCT" and is expected to continue to be quoted following the delisting and deregistration. The Company may discuss with broker-dealers the possibility of having its Class A common stock quoted on a higher information tier of the OTC Markets, but no decision or arrangements have yet been made in that regard. There can be no assurance that a market for the Class A Common Stock will be maintained on the OTC Markets system, and the Company's stockholders may find it more difficult to buy or sell their shares.

The determination to withdraw the Class A Common Stock from listing and registration was authorized by the Company's board of directors (the "Board") on October 20, 2026. In reaching its determination, the Board considered a number of factors, including: that trading in the Class A Common Stock on Nasdaq has been suspended since October 5, 2026; that the Class A Common Stock is currently quoted on the OTC Markets, as well as its trading volume and price on the OTC Markets; that the Company did not have sufficient grounds on which to appeal the Delist Determination; the likelihood that the Company would be able to meet the listing requirements of Nasdaq or another national securities exchange at this time; that Nasdaq has not yet filed a Form 25 to complete the removal of the Class A Common Stock from listing and registration, and that a voluntary filing by the Company would provide certainty as to the timing of the delisting and deregistration process; the substantial direct and indirect costs of maintaining the registration of the Class A Common Stock and complying with the reporting and related requirements of the Exchange Act; the limited benefits to the Company and its stockholders of continued listing and registration in light of the trading suspension; and the demands that continued compliance places on management's time and the Company's resources.

About Direct Digital Holdings

Direct Digital Holdings (Nasdaq: DRCT) is an end-to-end, AI-powered advertising technology and media solutions provider. The Company combines advanced technology with award-winning media and marketing expertise to enhance reach and drive performance for brands, agencies, and publishers of all sizes. Through Orange 142, a leading digital marketing and advertising agency, the Company delivers customized, audience-focused campaigns that enable mid-market and enterprise companies to achieve measurable results across programmatic, search, social, CTV, influencer marketing, and more. The Company also provides curated access to premium digital media inventory through its proprietary media-buying platform. With expertise across high-growth sectors—including Energy, Higher Education, Travel & Tourism, and Financial Services—Direct Digital Holdings helps brands reach and engage audiences more effectively across the evolving digital media ecosystem.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws that are subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties. We use words such as "could," "would," "may," "might," "will," "expect," "likely," "believe," "continue," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "project" and other similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements, but not all forward-looking statements include these words, including statements regarding the anticipated timing and effects of the Form 25 and Form 15 filings, the delisting and deregistration of the Company's Class A common stock, the suspension of the Company's reporting obligations, and the continued quotation of the Company's Class A common stock on the OTC market. All of our forward-looking statements involve estimates and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, any such statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the information described under the caption "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 (the "Form 10-K") and subsequent periodic and/or current reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on assumptions that we have made in light of our industry experience and our perceptions of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors we believe are appropriate under the circumstances. As you read and consider this press release, you should understand that these statements are not guarantees of performance or results. They involve risks, uncertainties (many of which are beyond our control) and assumptions.

Although we believe that these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, you should be aware that many factors could affect our actual operating and financial performance and cause our performance to differ materially from the performance expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. We believe these factors include, but are not limited to, the following: the ability to realize the benefit of our strategic shift to focusing on driving digital marketing spend among historical buyers of managed advertising campaigns and new enterprise customers; the restrictions and covenants imposed upon us by our credit facilities; the substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, which may hinder our ability to obtain future financing; our ability to secure additional financing to meet our capital needs; our ability to regain and maintain compliance with the listing standards of the Nasdaq Capital Market; any significant fluctuations caused by our high customer concentration; risks related to non-payment by our clients; reputational and other harms caused by our failure to detect advertising fraud; operational and performance issues with our platform, whether real or perceived, including a failure to respond to technological changes or to upgrade our technology systems; restrictions on the use of third-party "cookies," mobile device IDs or other tracking technologies, which could diminish our platform's effectiveness; unfavorable publicity and negative public perception about our industry, particularly concerns regarding data privacy and security relating to our industry's technology and practices, and any perceived failure to comply with laws and industry self-regulation; our failure to manage our growth effectively; the difficulty in identifying and integrating any future acquisitions or strategic investments; any changes or developments in legislative, judicial, regulatory or cultural environments related to information collection, use and processing; challenges related to our clients that are destination marketing organizations and that operate as public/private partnerships; any strain on our resources or diversion of our management's attention as a result of being a public company; the intense competition of the digital advertising industry and our ability to effectively compete against current and future competitors; any significant inadvertent disclosure or breach of confidential and/or personal information we hold, or of the security of our or our customers', suppliers' or other partners' computer systems; as a holding company, we depend on distributions from Direct Digital Holdings, LLC ("DDH LLC") to pay our taxes, expenses (including payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement) and any amount of any dividends we may pay to the holders of our common stock; any failure by us to maintain or implement effective internal controls or to detect fraud; and other factors and assumptions discussed in our Form 10-K and subsequent periodic and current reports we may file with the SEC.

Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize or should any of these assumptions prove to be incorrect, our actual operating and financial performance may vary in material respects from the performance projected in these forward-looking statements. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement contained in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which it is made or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances, and we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. New factors that could cause our business not to develop as we expect emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. Further, we cannot assess the impact of each currently known or new factor on our results of operations or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. 

For more information, visit: https://directdigitalholdings.com.

Contacts:

Investors:
IMS Investor Relations
Walter Frank/Jennifer Belodeau
(203) 972-9200
investors@directdigitalholdings.com

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SOURCE Direct Digital Holdings

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

When does Direct Digital Holdings expect its Nasdaq delisting to take effect?

Direct Digital Holdings expects its Nasdaq delisting to become effective on or about November 12, 2026, ten days after its planned Form 25 filing. The company intends to file that form on or about November 2, 2026.

Where will DRCT shares trade after the Nasdaq delisting?

DRCT shares are currently quoted on OTC Markets' OTC Pink Limited Information tier, and the company expects quotation to continue after delisting and deregistration. Continued market availability is not assured, and shareholders may find buying or selling shares more difficult.

How long will Direct Digital Holdings' SEC deregistration process take?

Direct Digital Holdings expects Section 12(g) deregistration to become effective 90 days after filing Form 15, which it intends to file after Form 25 becomes effective. Separately, Section 12(b) registration is expected to terminate 90 days after the Form 25 filing, on or about January 31, 2027.