UFC parent and WWE merging, creating $21.4B sports entertainment company

WWE and the corporate that runs Final Combating Championship will mix to create a $21.4 billion sports activities leisure firm, the 2 corporations introduced Monday.

A brand new publicly traded firm will likely be shaped that homes the UFC and WWE manufacturers. Endeavor Group Holdings Inc. will maintain a 51% controlling curiosity within the new firm as soon as the deal is full. Present WWE shareholders will maintain a 49% stake within the new firm.

The brand new enterprise will likely be lead by Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel. He’ll additionally stay as Endeavor CEO. Vince McMahon, government chairman at WWE, will serve in the identical function on the new firm.

The announcement comes after McMahon, the founder and majority shareholder of WWE, returned to the corporate in January and stated it could possibly be up on the market.

Rumors swirled about who could be all in favour of shopping for WWE, with chatter specializing in corporations reminiscent of Endeavor, Disney, Fox, Comcast, Amazon and Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund.

Trade specialists had considered WWE as a gorgeous acquisition goal given its world attain and dependable fanbase, which incorporates everybody from minors to seniors and other people with a variety of incomes.

The corporate can also be a social media powerhouse. It surpassed 16 billion social video views within the closing quarter of final yr. It has practically 94 million YouTube subscribers and greater than 20 million followers on TikTok. Its feminine wrestlers comprise 5 out of the highest 15 most adopted feminine athletes on the planet, throughout Fb, Twitter & Instagram, led by Ronda Rousey with 36.1 million followers.

WWE had greater than 7.5 billion digital and social media views in January and February of this yr, up 15% from the identical timeframe a yr in the past.

Shares of World Wrestling Leisure Inc., primarily based in Stamford, Connecticut, slumped 4% earlier than the opening bell Monday. Shares of Endeavor, primarily based in Beverly Hills, California, rose 3%.