Fans have not only been surprised by Vince McMahon's return to WWE, but also by the recent deal to sell the company to UFC's parent company Endeavor, which has turned everything upside down.
It has only been a few days since WWE and UFC, the two most recognized and largest leagues in the world, have merged under Endeavor, which was finalized with the launch of TKO Group Holdings, which gives action to the merger.
A formal statement had been made by both parties declaring the completion of this deal.
In honor of TKO's launch, WWE, UFC, and Endeavor notable figures attended a ceremony on the New York Stock Exchange.
Short-term Deal
There has been a lot of curiosity raised on the same question as WWE broadcast deals are set to expire in the next year, but with this announcement, there seemed to be an end to this same question being raised.
However, in recent interactions with TKO Group COO Mark Shapiro, he hinted that there may be a short-term media rights deal involving WWE and the UFC.
Mark Shapiro, TKO Group COO stated:
"There could be a short-term deal we do just to align the two. It all depends on market dynamics and right now, time is on our side. We're not rushing to do a deal."
After the WWE and UFC merger was finalized, TKO Holdings Group launched their own website. With mergers come many questions, like which players would compete on which platform, and so forth. However, it will become clearer with time
WWE media right future
As of October this month, both WWE's 5-year deals worth $2.35 billion with NBCUniversal and Fox are set to expire.
With recent interviews, WWE CEO Nick Khan said that he and WWE are thrilled with the current NBCUniversal deal, but it could always get better. The company had also been offered many opportunities, including those from Disney.
Regarding the deal, Shapiro said he has already been in talks with "multiple platforms" regarding WWE's media rights contracts, which he described as "both linear and digital."
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