The sale of WWE to Endeavor (parent company of UFC) was made official at a valuation of $9.3 Billion.
UFC and WWE will form a $21+ Billion global live sports & entertainment company.
The new Publicly Listed Company will be 51% owned by Endeavor and 49% by existing WWE shareholders.
Together, UFC and WWE expect to deliver an estimated $50 million to $100 million in annualized run rate cost synergies by leveraging, among other things, Endeavor’s back office and robust infrastructure.
Endeavor also expects significant growth across revenue areas including domestic and international media rights, ticket sales and yield optimization, event operations, sponsorship, licensing and premium hospitality.
According to CNBC, WWE & UFC’s new merged company name is going to be “TKO Group Holdings”.
The merged company is currently operating under the name “New Whale Inc”, according to a recent SEC filing. The new name will be officially used once the merger is finalized later this year.
Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel will also be the CEO of TKO Group Holdings, while Vince McMahon will serve as the Executive Chairman.
There will be 11 Board members, 6 from Endeavor and 5 from WWE. Both Ari & Vince are on the Board of Directors.
During an interview on The Maggie & Perloff Show, AEW President Tony Khan revealed that he wanted to buy WWE. While he wasn’t able to do it, he thinks this sale is a very good thing for pro-wrestling in general.
Below is what Khan said:
“It will be very interesting to see what happens with that sale. Certainly, in many ways, it’s a big positive to the pro-wrestling business.
The huge attendance numbers and TV and streaming numbers for pro-wrestling and the great sales for AEW on PPV and all the big merchandising numbers show that pro-wrestling is really back as an industry in many major ways in 2023 and AEW is a big part of the conversation.
So, I think that’s all been really positive for us.”
Also Read: “Punk Screwed Tony” – WBD’s Reaction To CM Punk’s Falling Out With AEW
