Hollywood Reporter: TKO Group Doubles Dividend

Story from Hollywood Reporter:

Sports and entertainment company TKO Group Holdings, the firm behind the likes of UFC and WWE, said Wednesday that its board of directors has authorized a doubling of its quarterly cash dividend.

Deadline: WWE To Offer Live Events On ESPN’s Streaming Service Earlier Than Expected, Starting With Inaugural ‘Wrestlepalooza’ In September

Story from Deadline:

WWE is no longer waiting until next year to bring premium live events to ESPN‘s new direct-to-consumer streaming service and will instead kick off the recently announced partnership next month.

Hollywood Reporter: WWE Just Dealt Peacock Another Big Blow

Story from Hollywood Reporter:

Peacock may be going out on its back.

Deadline: TKO Group Posts Record Numbers At WWE & UFC In Better-Than-Expected Q2 Report

Story from Deadline:

Ari Emanuel-controlled sports conglomerate TKO Group Holdings rode the strong performance of its twin financial engines, the UFC and WWE, in the second quarter to beat analysts’ consensus expectations.

Total revenue climbed 10% over the prior April-to-June period, reaching $1.3 billion, ahead of the Street outlook for $1.27 billion. Diluted earnings per share came in at $1.17, up from 72 cents in the year-earlier quarter and better than the $1.09 target established by analysts.

Revenue at the WWE shot up 22% to $556.2 million, while UFC’s went up more modestly, ticking up 5% to $415.9 million. The major highlight for the WWE was Wrestlemania in April. The 41st edition of the annual tentpole set a number of records, including for global tune-in. Netflix, a new media partner now streaming weekly Monday Night Raw bouts, also now has select international rights for events like Wrestlemania.

Results for the prior-year period were reported on a pro-forma basis given the acquisition last February of the Professional Bull Riders, event hospitality firm On Location and management company IMG by TKO. Those assets had been part of Endeavor Group Holdings, a sister entity taken private several months ago by Silver Lake, and were bought by TKO for $3.25 billion.

The earnings news came on the same day TKO announced a significant rights deal, selling ESPN its WWE slate of 10 annual “premium live events,” a roster that includes Wrestlemania and SummerSlam. The agreement netted TKO $1.6 billion, a steep increase from the $900 million agreed to by NBCUniversal’s Peacock for the same properties in 2020 in a pandemic-influenced deal that took effect in 2021.

A similar set of rights, to the UFC’s pay-per-view schedule, will be up for grabs at the end of the year. Disney and ESPN currently control the rights.

Along with the financials, TKO said it was increasing its guidance for 2025, upping the revenue target to $4.63 billion to $4.69 billion and adjusted EBITDA to between $1.54 billion and $1.56 billion. In May, the company had guided to revenue of $4.49 billion to $4.56 billion and EBITDA of $1.49 billion to $1.53 billion.

“Our live content and experiences are proving a key differentiator for organizations and brands looking to capture audience, and our strategy is tailor-made for today’s experience economy and the white-hot sports event marketplace,” Emanuel, the company’s CEO, said in TKO’s earnings release.

© 2025 Deadline.

Deadline: ESPN Sets Launch Date And Price For Stand-Alone Streaming Service, Adding WWE And Locking Up More NFL

Story from Deadline:

ESPN will launch its long-awaited new streaming service on August 21 at a price of $29.99 a month, bulking it up with WWE events and expanded NFL rights.

Variety: ESPN Gets Headlock on WWE Live Events Like ‘WrestleMania’ in New U.S. Rights Deal, Content to Roll Off NBCU’s Peacock

Story from Variety:

ESPN and WWE are about to get each other in tighter holds.

Deadline: TKO Group Taps Major League Soccer Exec Sana Shuaib As It Expands Global Partnerships Team

Story from Deadline:

UFC and WWE parent TKO Group announced two new appointments to its global partnerships team, hiring Sana Shuaib as SVP, Partnership Marketing & Digital and naming veteran executive Brit Santypal SVP, Operations.

Deadline: FX Greenlights Comedy Pilot From ‘Reno 911’ Team; Robert Ben Garant, Cathy Shim & WWE’s Becky Lynch Among Cast

Story from Deadline:

FX has picked up the new workplace comedy pilot Movers, from creators and executive producers Robert Ben Garant and Cathy Shim. Garant co-created Comedy Central’s Reno 911!, in which Shim also starred. That mockumentary’s executive producers, Stacey Sher and Peter Principato, will EP the pilot with Jonny Shipes (BMF: The Rise and Fall of a Hip-Hop Drug Empire).

Variety: Bill Nighy, Mathew Horne, WWE’s Jordynne Grace Board Fantasy Film ‘Welcome to Paradise’

Story from Variety:

British thespian Bill Nighy and “Gavin & Stacey” star Mathew Horne have joined the cast of genre-bending fantasy feature “Welcome to Paradise,” alongside WWE superstar Jordynne Grace making her screen debut.

Variety: TKO Group Taps Netflix Alum Dean Garfield to Lead Government Affairs

Story from Variety:

TKO Group, parent company of WWE and UFC, has hired Dean Garfield as senior VP of government affairs.

Deadline: WWE Superstar Jade Cargill To Make Acting Debut Opposite Jonathan Majors In Action Thriller ‘True Threat’

Story from Deadline:

WWE superstar Jade Cargill is set to make her acting debut starring opposite Jonathan Majors in True Threat, a Harlem-set action thriller from director Gerard McMurray (The First Purge, Burning Sands).

Deadline: WWE’s First Crossover With AAA Locks Down 4.1M Viewers In 24 Hours As Company’s First Full In-Ring YouTube Broadcast

Story from Deadline:

The WWE set a new audience record with its first AAA crossover event since acquiring the leading Mexican lucha libre promotion in April.

Variety: Vince McMahon Sells $250 Million of TKO Shares to Endeavor Group Holdings

Story from Variety:

Vince McMahon has sold a big tranche of his stock in TKO Group to Endeavor Group Holdings, the majority shareholder of the parent company of WWE and UFC.

Variety; CW Boss on NXT’s Move to the Broadcast Network: ‘It’s Been an Absolute Game Changer’

Story from Variety:

WWE‘s developmental program, NXT, has been airing on The CW since October 2024 and the broadcaster couldn’t be more thrilled with the results.

Deadline: WWE & UFC Parent TKO Beats Q1 Forecasts And Ups Full-Year Guidance

Story from Deadline:

TKO Group Holdings, parent of the WWE and UFC, said “strength and momentum” at both subsidiaries powered first-quarter financial results.

Deadline: Ari Emanuel’s 2024 Pay As CEO Of TKO Group Drops To $18.1M From $64.9M In 2023

Story from Deadline:

Ari Emanuel‘s compensation for being CEO of TKO Group Holdings in 2024 totaled $18.1 million, a notable drop from the $64.9 million he took home in 2023.

Variety: WWE Acquires Mexican Wrestling Promotion AAA, First Joint Show Set for June in Los Angeles

Story from Variety:

WWE has announced the acquisition of AAA, one of the biggest professional wrestling promotions in Mexico, from Mexico-based sports and entertainment holding company Fillip.

Hollywood Reporter: The WWE Is Entering a New Era With Netflix. Paul Heyman Wants to Embrace the Change

Story from Hollywood Reporter:

The first episode of WWE Raw on Netflix on Jan. 6 was, in the words of a top executive at the company, perhaps the most important episode of the show’s 32-year history.

Hollywood Reporter: TKO Officially Enters Boxing Business in Deal With Saudi Arabia

Story from Hollywood Reporter:

TKO is officially in the boxing business.

Broadcast Sport: TKO completes acquisition of IMG

Story from Broadcast Sport:

TKO Group Holdings has completed its acquisition of IMG, On Location, and Professional Bull Riders from Endeavor Group Holdings.