| SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | 2. Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances among the Company and its subsidiaries have been eliminated upon consolidation. Use of estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities on the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. On an ongoing basis, management reviews these estimates and assumptions using the currently available information. Changes in facts and circumstances may cause the Company to revise its estimates. The Company bases its estimates on past experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities. Estimates are used when accounting for items and matters including, but not limited to, determinations of the useful lives and valuation of long-lived assets, estimates of allowances for doubtful accounts, valuation allowance for deferred tax assets, fair value of warrant liabilities, revenue recognition, and other provisions and contingencies. Cash and cash equivalents Cash and cash equivalents primarily consist of bank deposits, as well as highly liquid investments, with original maturities of three months or less, which are unrestricted as to withdrawal and use. The Company maintains most of the bank accounts in the PRC. Cash balances in bank accounts in PRC are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or other programs. Restricted cash Restricted cash represents cash or cash equivalents at banks subject to withdrawal restrictions. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had restricted cash in bank accounts in the amount of $4,131,313, which were frozen by a local court (Note 17). As of December 31, 2022, all frozen accounts have all been unfrozen. Short-term investments Short-term investments consist of US Treasury Bills and investments in trading securities. 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED) US Treasury Bills The Company purchased US Treasury Bills with variable interest rates during the year of 2022. US Treasury bills were redeemable within a period of three through six months. In accordance with ASC 825, Financial Instruments, for financial products with variable interest rates referenced to performance of underlying assets, the Company elected the fair value method at the date of initial recognition and carries these investments at fair value with fair value change gains or losses recorded in the investment income in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive (loss) income. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had US Treasury Bills of $987,600, including gross unrealized gains of $7,135. Investments in trading securities Trading securities are investments in publicly-listed equity securities through various open market transactions. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company purchased certain publicly-listed equity securities through various open market transactions and accounted for such investments as “short-term investments” and subsequently measure the investments at fair value. The Company made a gain of $10,200 in investment in trading securities for the year ended December 31, 2022. 2. Accounts receivable, net of provision for doubtful accounts Accounts receivable are recorded at the gross billing amount less an allowance for any uncollectible accounts due from the advertisers for the acquisition of ad inventory and other advertising services on their behalf. Accounts receivable do not bear interest. Management reviews the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts on an ongoing basis, using historical collection trends and aging of receivables. Management also periodically evaluates individual customer’s financial condition, credit history and the current economic conditions to make adjustments in the allowance when necessary. An allowance for doubtful accounts is made and recorded into general and administrative expenses based on any specifically identified accounts receivable that may become uncollectible. Account balances are charged off against the allowance after all means of collection have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is considered remote. Prepayments Prepayments represent amounts advanced to media or their authorized agencies (collectively “publishers”) for running of advertising campaigns of the advertisers. The publishers usually require advance payments when the Company orders advertising campaign services on behalf of its advertisers, and the prepayments will be utilized to offset the Company’s future payments. These amounts are unsecured, non-interest bearing and generally short-term in nature, which are reviewed periodically to determine whether their carrying value has become impaired. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company accrued allowances of doubtful accounts of $2,153,390 and $2,701,166, respectively, against prepayments. Media deposits Media deposits represent performance security deposit upon becoming an authorized agency of the relevant media (platforms where online advertisement is delivered) as a guarantee of performance and obligations and deposit associated with committed advertising spend on behalf of selected advertisers as required by certain media before running their advertising campaigns, which are paid to media pursuant to the terms of the framework agreements and contracts. In the event that the advertisers or their advertising agencies on behalf of their advertising clients (collectively the “advertisers”) commit to spending a guaranteed minimum amount on a particular media with the Company, the Company enters into a back-to-back framework agreement with the relevant publishers committing the same level of guaranteed minimum spend and securing a preferential rebate policy applicable to the advertising spend of that advertiser. With the committed minimum spend, the Company is entitled to enjoy certain rebates and discounts and usually be required to pay a deposit of up to 10% of the guaranteed minimum spend. If the Company fails to fulfil the committed minimum spend, the Company would not be entitled to the additional rebates and discounts, and any deposit that has been paid may be forfeited or deducted to pay up the additional amount without the benefit of the additional rebates and discounts. The media may deduct damages from performance security deposit if the Company has breached the agency agreement or authorized agency management rules and conditions formulated by media. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the balances of media deposits paid to third parties were $1,281,434 and $1,244,704, respectively. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the balances of media deposits paid to a related party were $104,390 and $1,426,419, respectively. Operating leases The Company leases its offices, which are classified as operating leases in accordance with Topic 842. Under Topic 842, lessees are required to recognize the following for all leases (with the exception of short-term leases) on the commencement date: (i) lease liability, which is a lessee’s obligation to make lease payments arising from a lease, measured on a discounted basis; and (ii) right-of-use asset, which is an asset that represents the lessee’s right to use, or control the use of, a specified asset for the lease term. 2. At the commencement date, the Company recognizes the lease liability at the present value of the lease payments not yet paid, discounted using the interest rate implicit in the lease or, if that rate cannot be readily determined, the Company’s incremental borrowing rate for the same term as the underlying lease. The right-of-use asset is recognized initially at cost, which primarily comprises the initial amount of the lease liability, plus any initial direct costs incurred, consisting mainly of brokerage commissions, less any lease incentives received. All right-of-use assets are reviewed for impairment. There was no impairment for right-of-use lease assets as of December 31, 2022 and 2021. Property and equipment, net Property and equipment primarily consist of property, leasehold improvement, office equipment and electronic equipment, which is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment losses. Depreciation is provided using the straight-line method based on the estimated useful life. The useful lives of property and equipment as follows: Property 20 years Office equipment 5 years Electronic equipment 3 years Vehicle 4 years Leasehold improvement Shorter of useful life or lease term Expenditures for repairs and maintenance, which do not materially extend the useful lives of the assets, are expensed as incurred. Expenditures for major renewals and betterments which substantially extend the useful life of assets are capitalized. The cost and related accumulated depreciation of assets disposed of or retired are removed from the accounts, and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in the consolidated statement of income and other comprehensive income in other income or expenses. Intangible assets, net Purchased intangible assets primarily consist of copyrights and software, which are recognized and measured at fair value upon acquisition. Separately identifiable intangible assets that have determinable lives continue to be amortized over their estimated useful lives using the straight-line method based on their estimated useful lives as. The estimated useful lives of copyrights and software range 3 to Long-term investment The Company elects to record the equity investment in a privately held company, over which the Company had no control or significant influence, using the measurement alternative at cost, less impairment, with subsequent adjustments for observable price changes resulting from orderly transactions for identical or similar investments of the same issuer. Suh equity investment accounted for using the measurement alternative is subject to periodic impairment review. The Company’s impairment analysis considers both qualitative and quantitative factors that may have a significant effect on the fair value of the equity investment. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company did not record impairment loss against the long-term investment. Impairment of long-lived assets The Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to the future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets. Impairment of $nil, $434,878, and $nil was recognized on property and equipment for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED) Advertiser deposits The advertiser deposits represented deposits made by the advertisers who undertake a minimum total advertising spend as a condition for enjoying rebates and discounts. The Company generally requires these advertisers to place deposits with the Company at a percentage (usually up to 10%) of the committed spend, which usually equals to the amount of deposit payable to the media under the corresponding framework agreement with the media specific to such advertiser (see note 2 – media deposits). If the advertiser fails to reach the committed minimum spend upon expiry or termination of the framework agreement; (i) the advertiser would not be entitled to the rebates and discounts under the preferential pricing policy, if any; (ii) the advertiser’s deposit may be forfeited or deducted to pay up the additional amount it should pay without the benefits of rebates or discounts. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the balances of advertiser deposits were $541,444 and $916,531, respectively. Warrant Liabilities The Company evaluates the stock purchase warrants under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 815-40, Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity. Warrants recorded as liabilities are recorded at their fair value and remeasured on each reporting date with change in estimated fair value of common stock warrant liability in the consolidated statement of operations. Revenue recognition The Company early adopted ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”) on January 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective approach for contracts that were not completed as of December 31, 2017. ASC 606 establishes principles for reporting information about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from the entity’s contracts to provide goods or services to customers. The core principle requires an entity to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that it expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for those goods or services recognized as performance obligations are satisfied. In according with ASC 606, revenues are recognized when control of the promised services is transferred to customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those services. The Company identified each distinct service, or each series of distinct services that are substantially the same and that have the same pattern of transfer to the customer, as a performance obligation. Transaction price is allocated among different performance obligations identified in one contract, by using expected cost plus margin approach, if the standalone selling price of each performance obligation is not observable. The Company applied a practical expedient to expense costs as incurred for costs to obtain a contract with a customer when the amortization period would have been one year or less. The Company has no material incremental costs of obtaining contracts with customers that the Company expects the benefit of those costs to be longer than one year, which need to be recognized as assets. The Company has advertising agency revenues from search engine marketing (‘SEM”, a form of online marketing that involves the promotion of websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results pages and search-related products and services) services and non-SEM services, including deployment of in-feed and mobile app ads on other media and social media marketing services in relation to running advertising campaigns on selected social media accounts. The Company acts as an agent between media or their authorized agencies (collectively “publishers”) and advertisers by helping publishers procure advertisers and facilitate ad deployment on their advertising channels, and purchasing ad inventories and advertising services from publishers for advertisers. The Company places orders with publishers as per request from advertisers. Each order is materialized by a contract and explicitly quotes one agency service to arrange for the advertising service to be provided by a third party publisher for a period of ad term. The Company provides advices and services on advertising strategies and ad optimization to advertisers to improve the effectiveness of their ads, all of which are highly interrelated and not separately identifiable. The Company’s overall promise represents a combined output that is a single performance obligation; there is no multiple performance obligations. 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED) The Company evaluated its advertising agency contracts and determined that it was not acting as principal in these arrangements with publishers and advertisers since it never takes control of the ad inventories at any time. The Company collects the costs of purchasing ad inventories and advertising services from advertisers on behalf of publishers. The Company generates advertising agency revenues either by charging additional fees to advertisers or receiving rebates and incentives offered by publishers. Accordingly, both advertisers and publishers can be identified as customers, depending on the revenue model applicable to the relevant services. The Company recognizes revenues on a net basis, which equal to: (i) rebates and incentives offered by publishers, netting the rebates to advertises (if any); and (ii) net fees from advertisers. Rebates and incentives offered by publishers Rebates and incentives offered by publishers are determined based on the contract terms with publishers and their applicable rebate policies, which typically in the form of across-the-board standard-rate rebates, differential standard-rate rebates and progressive-rate rebates. Rebates and incentives offered by publishers are accounted for as variable consideration. The Company accrues and recognizes revenues in the form of rebates and incentives based on its evaluation as to whether the contractually stipulated thresholds of advertising spend are likely to being reached, or other benchmarks or certain prescribed classification are likely to being qualified (e.g. the number of new advertisers secured, growth in actual advertising spend), and to the extent that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue would not occur in future periods. These evaluations are based on the past experience and regularly monitoring of various performance factors set within the rebate policies (e.g. accumulated advertising spend, number of new advertisers). At the end of each subsequent reporting period, the Company re-evaluates the probability of achieving such advertising spend volume and any related constraint, and if necessary, adjusts the estimate of the amount of rebates and incentives. Any such adjustments are recorded on a cumulative catch-up basis, which would affect revenues and earnings in the period of adjustment. The rebates and incentives are generally ascertained and settled on a quarterly or annual basis. Historically, adjustments to the estimations for the actual amounts have been immaterial. These rebates and incentives take the form of cash which, when paid, are applied to set off accounts payable with the relevant publishers or settled separately; or can be in the form of ad currency units which will be deposited in the account in the back-end platform of the media, and can then be utilized to acquire their ad inventory. The Company may offer rebates to advertisers on a case by case basis, generally with reference to the rebates and incentives offered by publishers, the advertiser’s committed total spend, and the business relationships with such advertiser. The rebates offered by the Company to advertisers are in the form of cash discounts or ad currency units that can be utilized to acquire ad inventory from relevant media, both of which are account for as a deduction of revenues. Net fees from advertisers Net fees from advertisers are the difference between the gross billing amount charged to the advertisers and the costs of purchasing ad inventories and advertising services on their behalf. The publishers do not receive the benefits from the Company’s facilitation services until the publishers deliver advertising services to the advertisers. The Company recognizes advertising agency revenues when it transfers the control of the facilitation service commitments, i.e., when the publishers deliver advertising services to the advertisers. Under the CPC and CPA pricing model of media, the Company recognizes revenues at the point of time as the publishers deliver advertising services at the point in time. Under the CPT pricing model of media, the publishers deliver advertising services over time when the advertising links are displayed over the contract periods, and therefore the Company recognizes revenue on a straight-line basis over the contracted display period. During the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, revenues from the advertising services under CPT pricing model that the Company arranged are immaterial. The Company records revenues and costs on a net basis and the related accounts receivable and payable amounts on a gross basis. 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED) The gross billing amounts charged to the advertisers are collected either in advance to provision of services or after the services. Accounts receivable represent the gross billing charged to advertisers that the Company has an unconditional right to consideration (including billed and unbilled amount) when the Company has satisfied its performance obligation. Payment terms and conditions of accounts receivables vary by customers, and terms typically include a requirement for payment within a period from three The cost of purchasing ad inventories and advertising services are recorded as accounts payable or a deduction against prepayments in cases where prepayments are required by the publishers. The following table identifies the disaggregation of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. For the Years Ended December 31, 2022 2021 2020 Nature of Revenue: Rebates and incentives offered by publishers $ 1,930,188 $ 3,663,168 $ 9,430,758 Net fees from advertisers 484,910 248,392 2,480,471 Total $ 2,415,098 $ 3,911,560 $ 11,911,229 Category of Revenue: SEM services $ 321,363 $ 2,449,120 $ 8,165,614 Non-SEM services 2,093,735 1,462,440 3,745,615 Total $ 2,415,098 $ 3,911,560 $ 11,911,229 Value added taxes The Company’s PRC subsidiaries are subject to value added tax (“VAT”) and related surcharges based on gross service price depending on the type of services provided in the PRC (“output VAT”), and the VAT may be offset by VAT paid by the Company on service purchases (“input VAT”). The applicable rate of output VAT or input VAT for the Company is 6%. Gross billing charged to advertisers, which is reflected as accounts receivable on gross basis in the consolidated balance sheet, is subject to output VAT at a rate of 6% and subsequently paid to PRC tax authorities after netting input VAT on purchases incurred during the period. The Company’s revenues are presented net of costs of purchasing ad inventories and services paid on behalf of advertisers, VAT collected on behalf of PRC tax authorities and its related surcharges; the VAT is not included in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income. Cost of revenues Cost of revenues related to advertising agency is primarily personnel related costs and business taxes. These costs are expensed as incurred. Income Taxes The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with the U.S. GAAP for income taxes. Under the asset and liability method as required by this accounting standard, the recognition of deferred income tax liabilities and assets for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the income tax basis and financial reporting basis of assets and liabilities. Provision for income taxes consists of taxes currently due plus deferred taxes. 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED) The charge for taxation is based on the results for the year as adjusted for items which are non-assessable or disallowed. It is calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the balance sheet date. Deferred tax is accounted for using the balance sheet liability method in respect of temporary differences arising from differences between the carrying amount of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and the corresponding tax basis. Deferred tax assets are recognized to the extent that it is probable that taxable income to be utilized with prior net operating loss carried forwards. Deferred tax is calculated using tax rates that are expected to apply to the period when the asset is realized or the liability is settled. Deferred tax is charged or credited in the income statement, except when it is related to items credited or charged directly to equity. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Current income taxes are provided for in accordance with the laws of the relevant taxing authorities. An uncertain tax position is recognized as a benefit only if it is “more likely than not” that the tax position would be sustained in a tax examination, with a tax examination being presumed to occur. The amount recognized is the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized on examination. Penalties and interest incurred related to underpayment of income tax are classified as income tax expense in the period incurred. The Company does not believe that there was any uncertain tax position as of December 31, 2022 and 2021. As of December 31, 2022, income tax returns for the tax years ended December 31, 2017 through December 31, 2021 remain open for statutory examination. (Loss) Earnings per share Basic (loss) earnings per ordinary share is computed by dividing net (loss) income attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted-average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period. Diluted (loss) earnings per share is computed by dividing net income attributable to ordinary shareholders by the sum of the weighted average number of ordinary share outstanding and of potential ordinary share (e.g., convertible securities, options and warrants) as if they had been converted at the beginning of the periods presented, or issuance date, if later. Potential ordinary share that have an anti-dilutive effect (i.e., those that increase income per share or decrease loss per share) are excluded from the calculation of diluted (loss) earnings per share. For the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, the Company had no dilutive shares. Foreign currency translation The reporting currency of the Company is U.S. dollars (“US$”) and the accompanying consolidated financial statements have been expressed in US$. Since the Company operates primarily in the PRC, the Company’s functional currency is the Chinese Yuan (“RMB”). The Company’s consolidated financial statements have been translated into the reporting currency U.S. Dollars (“US$” or “$”). Assets and liabilities of the Company are translated at the exchange rate at each reporting period end date. Equity is translated at historical rates. Income and expense accounts are translated at the average rate of exchange during the reporting period. Because cash flows are translated based on the average translation rate, amounts related to assets and liabilities reported on the statement of cash flows will not necessarily agree with changes in the corresponding balances on the balance sheet. The resulting translation adjustments are reported under other comprehensive income (loss). Gains and losses resulting from the translations of foreign currency transactions and balances are reflected in the results of operations. The following table outlines the currency exchange rates that were used in creating the consolidated financial statements in this report: December 31, December 31, 2022 2021 Year-end spot rate 6.8972 6.3726 For the Years Ended December 31, 2022 2021 2020 Average rate 6.7290 6.4508 6.9042 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED) Fair value of financial instruments Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. A three-level fair value hierarchy prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. The hierarchy requires entities to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below: Level 1 – inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets. Level 2 – inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, and inputs that are observable for the assets or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the financial instruments. Level 3 – inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value. Financial instruments of the Company primarily comprised current assets and current liabilities including cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, short-term investments, accounts receivable, third party and related party media deposits, other receivables, accounts payables, advertiser deposits, dividend payable, tax payable, other payables, due to related parties and warrant liabilities. Fair value of investment in trading securities and US Treasury Bills are based on quoted prices in active markets, and were categorized in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. Warrant liabilities were measured at fair value using unobservable inputs and categorized in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. See Note 12. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the carrying values of other financial instruments approximated to their fair values because of the short-term nature of these instruments. Concentration and credit risk Substantially all of the Company’s operating activities are transacted into RMB, which is not freely convertible into foreign currencies. All foreign exchange transactions take place either through the People’s Bank of China or other banks authorized to buy and sell foreign currencies at the exchange rates quoted by the People’s Bank of China. Approval of foreign currency payments by the People’s Bank of China or other regulatory institutions require submitting a payment application form together with suppliers’ invoices, shipping documents and signed contracts. The Company maintains certain bank accounts in the PRC, Hong Kong and Cayman Islands, which are not insured by Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insurance or other insurance. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, $5,921,461 and $1,934,708 of the Company’s cash were on deposit at financial institutions in the PRC, respectively, where there currently is no rule or regulation requiring such financial institutions to maintain insurance to cover bank deposits in the event of bank failure. Accounts receivable are typically unsecured and derived from services rendered to advertisers that are located primarily in China, thereby exposed to credit risk. The risk is mitigated by the Company’s assessment of advertisers’ creditworthiness and its ongoing monitoring of outstanding balances. The Company has a concentration of its receivables with specific advertisers. As of December 31, 2022, three advertisers accounted for 18.1%, 14.4% and 13.2% of accounts receivable, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, two advertisers accounted for 17.4% and 12.6% of accounts receivable, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2022, three publishers accounted for approximately 36.8%, 13.3% and 10.7% of the total revenue, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2021, three publishers accounted for approximately 41.8%, 28.1% and 16.5% of the total revenue, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2020, two publishers accounted for approximately 68.9% and 12.8% of the total revenue, respectively. As of December 31, 2022, two publishers accounted for 43.5% and 27.7% of the total accounts payable balance, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, three publishers accounted for 36.2%, 13.6% and 10.2% of the total accounts payable balance, respectively. 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED) Recently issued accounting pronouncement |
