TKO President Mark Shapiro recently spoke about WWE cutting back on Live Events (House Shows) during the UBS Global Media And Communication Conference. Shapiro explains that while doing house shows is good for exposure but it is bad for TKO’s margin perspectives in the long run.
WWE has over 300 events a year, with 170 televised. There is probably, while all those other superstars events, there is a reason to have them because it’s good for the brand, we’re building the audience, we’re putting them on C and D counties, so we’re really stretching the brand and amassing a greater array of eyeballs for all demos, it’s good for our long-term growth. For a margin perspective, they are dilutive. There are probably opportunities, as we go through our efficiencies and synergies, to cut back those non-televised events, which will, of course, push our margin up. We’re going through that exercise now.
Elsewhere in the conference Shapiro spoke about the media rights to Monday Night Raw, which has yet to find a new home for 2024. Raw will continue to air on the USA Network until October. You can read his thoughts on that here.
(H/T and transcribed by Fightful)
