December 11, 2023 Observer Newsletter: WWE & UFC synergy, future of house shows

TKO COO Mark Shapiro on 12/4 talked at the UBS media conference about the WWE and UFC businesses and synergy between them.

He brought up WWE house shows and said, “While there’s a reason to have them because it’s good for the brand, we’re building audience, we’re putting them on in C and D counties (while some are, house shows are held everywhere from MSG to Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco to Boise, ID, Newark, DE, and all points in between), so we’re really stretching the brand and we’re amassing a greater array of eyeballs from all demos so it’s good for our long-term growth. Through a margin perspective, they are dilutive. So there’s probably an opportunity as well go through our efficiencies and our synergy opportunities to cut back on some of those non televised events which will push our margin up so we are going through that exercise now.”

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