Endeavor has officially acquired WWE for the merger with UFC, and their new premium sports & entertainment has been confirmed – TKO Group Holdings.
Endeavor now holds a 51% controlling interest, while WWE shareholders own the other 49%. This includes 16% held by TKO Executive Chairman Vince McMahon.
The Vince McMahon Era in WWE is officially over, 41 years after he purchased the pro wrestling company from his father and build it into a global sports entertainment juggernaut.
Below is the full announcement with comments from McMahon and Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor and TKO:
ENDEAVOR ANNOUNCES CLOSE OF UFC® AND WWE® TRANSACTION TO CREATE TKO GROUP HOLDINGS, A PREMIUM SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY
New Company to Begin Trading Today, September 12, on the New York Stock Exchange Under “TKO” Ticker Symbol
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. & STAMFORD, Conn. (September 12, 2023) – Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR) (“Endeavor”) and World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (previously NYSE: WWE) (“WWE”) today announced the close of their previously announced agreement and the launch of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) (“TKO”).
TKO brings together UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment, to create a new premium sports and entertainment company serving more than one billion young and diverse fans1, reaching viewers in 180 countries, and producing more than 350 annual live events. Through this combination, TKO will leverage Endeavor’s expertise in areas including domestic and international media rights, ticket sales and yield optimization, event operations, global partnerships, licensing, and premium hospitality to drive revenue growth.
“The creation of TKO marks an exciting new chapter for UFC and WWE as leaders in global sports and entertainment,” said Ariel Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor and TKO. “Given their continued connectivity to the Endeavor network, we are confident in our ability to accelerate their respective growth and unlock long-term sustainable value for shareholders. With UFC and WWE under one roof, we will provide unrivaled experiences for more than a billion passionate fans worldwide.”
“This is the culmination of a decades-long partnership between Endeavor and WWE across strategic initiatives including talent representation and media rights. Given our collaborative, trusted relationship and Endeavor’s incredible track record of success growing UFC, we believe WWE is optimally positioned for future growth and success as part of TKO,” said Vince McMahon, Executive Chairman of TKO. “Our focus remains on delivering for our fans across the globe as we take the business to the next level alongside UFC and Endeavor.”
TKO will begin trading today on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “TKO,” with Endeavor holding a 51% controlling interest in the new company and existing WWE shareholders holding a 49% interest in the new company, on a fully diluted basis.
Leadership Team
As previously announced, TKO is led by:* Ariel Emanuel, Chief Executive Officer, who continues as Chief Executive Officer of Endeavor;
* Mark Shapiro, President and Chief Operating Officer, who continues as President and Chief Operating Officer of Endeavor;
* Andrew Schleimer, Chief Financial Officer; and
* Seth Krauss, Chief Legal Officer, who continues as Chief Legal Officer of Endeavor.Dana White is now Chief Executive Officer of UFC and Lawrence Epstein remains Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of UFC. Nick Khan continues at WWE in the role of President.
The Board of Directors of TKO is led by Vince McMahon as Executive Chairman of the Board and consists of 11 members, including Mr. Emanuel, Mr. Shapiro, and Mr. Khan, in addition to the following directors:
* Peter C.B. Bynoe, Senior Advisor at DLA Piper LLP;
* Egon P. Durban, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Silver Lake;
* Steven R. Koonin, Chief Executive Officer of the Atlanta Hawks, LLC;
* Jonathan A. Kraft, President of the Kraft Group LLC;
* Sonya E. Medina, President and Chief Executive Officer of Reach Resilience;
* Nancy R. Tellem, Executive Chairperson and Chief Media Officer of Eko; and
* Carrie Wheeler, Chief Executive Officer and a board member of Opendoor Technologies Inc.Advisors
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC served as financial advisors to Endeavor, Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal advisor to Endeavor, and Alvarez & Marsal served as integration advisor to Endeavor. The Raine Group served as lead financial advisor to WWE. J.P. Morgan and Moelis & Company LLC served as financial advisors to WWE. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as legal advisor to WWE, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal advisor to WWE’s controlling stockholder, McMahon.# # #
About Endeavor
Endeavor (NYSE: EDR) is a global sports and entertainment company, home to many of the world’s most dynamic and engaging storytellers, brands, live events and experiences. The company is comprised of industry leaders including entertainment agency WME; and sports, fashion, events and media company IMG. Endeavor is also the majority owner of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), a premium sports and entertainment company comprising UFC and WWE. The Endeavor network specializes in talent representation, sports operations & advisory, event & experiences management, media production & distribution, experiential marketing and brand licensing.About TKO
TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 180 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and 228 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to over 900 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 80 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.About WWE®
WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in more than 180 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.
FULL COVERAGE OF ENDEAVOR MERGING WWE AND UFC TO CREATE TKO GROUP HOLDINGS:
– TKO’s Longterm Plans for WWE and UFC, Products to Change?, UFC’s Interest In WWE, More
– Triple H and Others Receive Significant Bonus Pay Following WWE – UFC Merger
– Nick Khan on CM Punk Possibly Returning to WWE
– Dana White on Partnering with WWE, If His Daily Work Will Change with Merger
– Mood at WWE HQ Today, TKO Stock Update, Video of TKO Officials at the NYSE, New TKO Website, More
– Nick Khan’s Internal Memo to WWE Employees on TKO Launch Revealed
– Nick Khan Talks WWE TV Deals, UFC Executive on Endeavor’s Role In the Negotiations
– Big WWE – UFC Display at the New York Stock Exchange, Final WWE Stock Price
– Official Announcement on WWE and UFC Becoming TKO Under Endeavor, Vince McMahon Comments
Stay tuned to WrestlingHeadlines.com for more.
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