The Town with Matthew Belloni
A WWE and UFC Tag Team, With Endeavor’s Mark Shapiro
Sep 12, 2023
Mark Shapiro, President of Endeavor and now TKO, discusses the UFC-WWE merger, upcoming rights deals, and how people will watch in the future. He also talks about the recent CAA sale, WME's performance during the strike, and predicts the return of Drew Barrymore's talk show.
32:28
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Quick takeaways
- The merger of UFC and WWE into TKO will result in significant cost savings and revenue generation through synergies in areas such as back office operations, media rights deals, and product licensing.
- Both UFC and WWE have valuable rights deals in the TV and streaming landscape, with discussions already underway for WWE's renegotiation and potential to leverage UFC's international distribution deals for packaging opportunities.
Deep dives
Merger of UFC and WWE into TKO
The podcast episode discusses the merger of the UFC and WWE into a new company called TKO. TKO is 51% controlled by Endeavor and 49% by WWE shareholders. The two leagues will operate separately, but there will be significant synergy in terms of cost savings and revenue generation. The merging of these two major sports entities is seen as a strategic move to capitalize on the growing demand for live events and premium content. The podcast also highlights the upcoming broadcast rights deals and the challenges faced by both leagues in the streaming and entertainment landscape.
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