"Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment has agreed to merge with UFC to form a new publicly traded company controlled by Endeavor Group, the companies announced Monday morning.
Endeavor will own a 51% stake in the new combat sports and entertainment company, while WWE shareholders will have the remaining 49%, according to the terms of the agreement. The deal values WWE at $9.3 billion and UFC, which is owned by Endeavor, at $12.1 billion, the companies said in a press release.
The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2023. Shares of WWE fell more than 2% and Endeavor declined over 5% on Monday.
Ari Emanuel will act as chief executive of both Endeavor and the new company, the companies said. McMahon, likewise, will be executive chairman, while Endeavor President and COO Mark Shapiro will also work in the same roles at the new company. Dana White will remain as president of UFC, and WWE CEO Nick Khan will stay on as president of the wrestling business.
"This is going to be UFC 2.0," Emanuel said in an interview that aired Monday on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street."
The board will consist of 11 people, six appointed by Endeavor and five by WWE. The merged company's name will be announced at a later time. The company will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol TKO.
The announcement confirmed an earlier CNBC report. It also came a day after WWE wrapped up its flagship live event, WrestleMania, in California. The company has spent the past several months looking for a buyer. McMahon returned to WWE as chairman in January to oversee the process. WWE has a market valuation of about $6.5 billion. Endeavor has a market cap of about $10 billion.
The agreement would pair two of the biggest sports entertainment brands in the world.
Despite notable differences – WWE features scripted matches and soap opera-like storylines, while UFC showcases authentically brutal mixed martial arts fighting – the organizations share similarities in terms of content and culture. Several UFC fighters, including Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar, have already wrestled for WWE.
UFC champion and superstar Conor McGregor lauded news of the pending deal Sunday evening. "Incredible. What a powerhouse!" he said in one tweet, following up with another tweet displaying an image of him brandishing UFC and WWE championship belts.
WWE offers Endeavor's shareholders a muscular media and live events business, as well as decades worth of intellectual property. The company generated $1.29 billion in revenue last year, driven mainly by its $1 billion media unit.
Endeavor "knows the business" of WWE, Emanuel said in a recorded investor presentation Monday. WWE's media rights deals for traditional TV and streaming are up for renewal in the coming months. Endeavor owns the WME talent agency and has used its expertise in media rights, celebrity and live events to grow UFC's revenue to $1.3 billion last year, up 20% from a year earlier. The company plans to run "the same playbook" with WWE, Emanuel said.
"We have a track record of success with media rights," Emanuel said. "WWE has similar scale to UFC. In the universe of assets at this scale, the opportunity is rare and finite."
Comcast's NBCUniversal has an existing cable TV and streaming deal with WWE. Fox also has a separate media deal with WWE. The combined company may also explore new direct-to-consumer opportunities, Emanuel said. (More on CNBC.com)
From https://www.f4wonline.com/news/wwe/endeavor-to-buy-wwe-create-new-public-company-with-ufc :
"The deal (after the "regulatory hurdles" are cleared) is expected to finalized around or on July 1st of this year (start of the second half of this year)."
#WWE #Endeavor #UFC #WWESale #VinceMcMahon #AriEmanuel #cnbc
