UFC Seeks More Than $1 Billion a Year in Next TV Rights Deal
2 months, 2 weeks ago

UFC Seeks More Than $1 Billion a Year in Next TV Rights Deal

Live Mint  

-- The Ultimate Fighting Championship is looking to get more than $1 billion a year from its next media-rights deal, according to people with knowledge of the matter, more than double what the current contract holder ESPN pays. The UFC’s deal with Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN expires at the end of 2025, and the two sides are entering an exclusive negotiating window later this month. “We are in an exclusive negotiating window with ESPN through mid-April 2025, and look forward to productive negotiations when the time comes.” Shares of TKO rose as much as 2.8% to $146.38 in New York. “We started on ESPN seven years ago and had a rocky relationship in the beginning,” UFC Chief Executive Officer Dana White explained on Bloomberg TV in November. “But now I couldn’t be happier at ESPN, it’s a great relationship and I wouldn’t mind staying with them.” Yet the biggest US sports leagues have split their rights among multiple media companies in recent years to maximize revenue.

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History of this topic

TKO to acquire Professional Bull Riders and other Endeavor assets in $3.25-billion deal
5 months ago

TKO to acquire Professional Bull Riders and other Endeavor assets in $3.25-billion deal

LA Times  

Professional bull riders compete during the PBR Unleash the Beast bull riding event in August at Barclays Center in New York. WWE and UFC owner TKO Group Holdings Inc. on Thursday said it will acquire three businesses from Beverly Hills-based Endeavor Group Holdings, including Professional Bull Riders, in the latest move by mogul Ari Emanuel to reconfigure his sports and …

TKO Group to pay $335 million to settle class-action suit brought by former UFC fighters
1 year ago

TKO Group to pay $335 million to settle class-action suit brought by former UFC fighters

LA Times  

TKO Group agreed to pay $335 million to settle two class-action lawsuits brought by former UFC fighters alleging that they were underpaid. TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, has agreed to pay $335 million to settle two class-action lawsuits brought by former UFC fighters, who alleged that the promotion firm engaged in anticompetitive behavior and …

WWE Raw's exclusive rights acquired by Netflix: Streaming service to pay $5 billion in 10-year deal
1 year, 2 months ago

WWE Raw's exclusive rights acquired by Netflix: Streaming service to pay $5 billion in 10-year deal

Hindustan Times  

Netflix Inc. has acquired the exclusive rights to Raw as well as other programming from World Wrestling Entertainment, marking the streaming service’s first big move into live events. Wrestler Carmella leaps at Bianca Belair, during the WWE Monday Night RAW event The streaming giant has agreed to pay $5 billion over the course of the 10-year deal, according to people …

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson gets rights to one of the most famous nicknames in entertainment — his own
1 year, 2 months ago

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson gets rights to one of the most famous nicknames in entertainment — his own

Associated Press  

It is a name that has become almost synonymous with professional wrestling but its bearer, Dwayne Johnson, has never legally owned “The Rock.” That will change under a new agreement with the WWE under which Johnson will also join the board of TKO Group, the sports and entertainment company that houses WWE and UFC. “I’m very motivated to help continue …

What is TKO? The UFC and WWE merger explained
1 year, 6 months ago

What is TKO? The UFC and WWE merger explained

The Independent  

Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. With the …

WWE and UFC Come Together as TKO on NYSE, Triple H Hails 'Historic Day'
1 year, 6 months ago

WWE and UFC Come Together as TKO on NYSE, Triple H Hails 'Historic Day'

News 18  

Paul Levesque, known also as Triple H, took to social media on Tuesday to share the news of WWE and UFC coming together to form a new company, with a launch of the company on the New York Stock Exchange. Meet TKO Group Holdings, Inc. a premium sports, entertainment, and media company made up of @ufc and @WWE.Join us in …

TKO Group, which houses WWE and UFC, begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange
1 year, 6 months ago

TKO Group, which houses WWE and UFC, begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange

Associated Press  

Shares of TKO Group, the new company that houses WWE and UFC, opened at $102 per share in their first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. In a presentation after the deal was announced in April, the WWE and Endeavor said that they will cross-promote to drive brand awareness and deepen penetration of their overlapping …

WWE and UFC officially merge in $21.4-billion deal
1 year, 6 months ago

WWE and UFC officially merge in $21.4-billion deal

LA Times  

Over 80,000 attend the first night of WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium in April. Hollywood Inc. WWE and UFC will combine to form $21.4-billion sports giant Endeavor-owned UFC and WWE will merge to create a fighting sports and entertainment powerhouse led by Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel. “The creation of TKO marks an exciting new chapter for UFC and WWE as …

UFC, WWE complete merger to become TKO Group: How it impacts them on and off screen
1 year, 6 months ago

UFC, WWE complete merger to become TKO Group: How it impacts them on and off screen

New York Times  

UFC and WWE officially completed their merger Tuesday, becoming TKO Group and debuting on the New York Stock Exchange. WWE airs three weekly live shows, “Raw,” “SmackDown” and “NXT,” as well as one premium live event in most months. WWE is currently going through media rights negotiations for “Raw” and “SmackDown,” which is expected to grow and bring more revenue …

WWE Agrees To Merge With UFC To Create New Company Valued At $21.4 Billion
1 year, 11 months ago

WWE Agrees To Merge With UFC To Create New Company Valued At $21.4 Billion

ABP News  

UFC-WWE Merger: Ari Emanuel’s Endeavor-owned Ultimate Fighting Championship and billionaire Vince McMahon-owned World Wrestling Entertainment will be merging under one house, reportedly known as $TKO, to form a new, publicly listed company. Also, the merger might affect positions of WWE's Vince McMahon and UFC in-charge Dana White but an official confirmation is awaited on this. “For decades, Vince and his …

WWE and UFC will combine to form $21.4-billion sports giant
1 year, 11 months ago

WWE and UFC will combine to form $21.4-billion sports giant

LA Times  

Rhea Ripley reacts after winning the WWE Royal Rumble at the Alamodome in San Antonio. “Together, we will be a $21+ billion live sports and entertainment powerhouse with a collective fanbase of more than a billion people and an exciting growth opportunity,” McMahon said in a written statement Monday. “We’ve casually mentioned over the years since we got into sports …

WWE, UFC to merge into $21bn entertainment company
1 year, 11 months ago

WWE, UFC to merge into $21bn entertainment company

Al Jazeera  

Deal unites two of the biggest names in wrestling and entertainment and caps a months-long sale process for WWE. A new publicly traded company will house UFC and WWE brands, with Endeavor Group Holdings Inc taking a 51 percent controlling interest in the new company. The deal unites two of the biggest names in wrestling and entertainment and caps a …

UFC and WWE will team up to form a $21.4 billion sports entertainment company
1 year, 11 months ago

UFC and WWE will team up to form a $21.4 billion sports entertainment company

NPR  

UFC and WWE will team up to form a $21.4 billion sports entertainment company Enlarge this image toggle caption WWE via AP WWE via AP WWE and the company that runs Ultimate Fighting Championship will combine to create a $21.4 billion sports entertainment company. A new publicly traded company will house the UFC and World Wrestling Entertainment brands, with Endeavor …

BBC criticised for signing MMA deal after failing to put up a fight for cricket rights
4 years, 1 month ago

BBC criticised for signing MMA deal after failing to put up a fight for cricket rights

The Telegraph  

The BBC was on Thursday accused of putting cage-fighting before Test cricket after giving mixed martial arts a regular spot on iPlayer. We don’t know how much the BBC paid for these rights but I think it will sit pretty badly with Test cricket fans missing out their sport or hardworking local journalists losing their jobs at this time.” A …

Money talks: UFC reaches ESPN with first fight of $1.5B deal
6 years, 2 months ago

Money talks: UFC reaches ESPN with first fight of $1.5B deal

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Years before UFC was worth billions, Dana White used to plead his case with ESPN for air time. This was no negotiation for a big-money rights package — the UFC president simply wanted highlights on “SportsCenter.” “I was out there all the time,” White said of his trips to ESPN’s Connecticut headquarters. “We want to kill it …

ESPN delivers a digital pitch to advertisers
6 years, 10 months ago

ESPN delivers a digital pitch to advertisers

LA Times  

ESPN put its digital future on display at its upfront presentation for advertisers Tuesday. The sports media company’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service, called ESPN+, and its “SportsCenter” editions for social media platform Snapchat received ample stage time at the Minskoff Theatre in New York, where parent company Walt Disney’s “The Lion King” is staged nightly. The first show featured at …

TV Execs Will Force You to Pay to Watch the Big Fight
9 years, 10 months ago

TV Execs Will Force You to Pay to Watch the Big Fight

Wired  

The long-awaited battle between welterweight champions Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr. and Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao may be the fight of the century---and the most lucrative boxing match of all time. Earlier this week, the cable giants, along with the companies that promote Mayweather and Pacquiao, sued two sites claiming they would be livestreaming the fight for free Saturday night. "Now if …

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