It’s a achieved deal. TKO issued a press launch earlier as we speak, stating that it has merged the UFC and WWE world partnerships groups into one unit. This comes after a number of WWE govt layoffs occurred earlier this yr.
Beneath is the official press launch:
NEW YORK, Jan. 04, 2024 – KO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), a premium sports activities and leisure firm, as we speak introduced that it has mixed the UFC and WWE world partnerships groups into one unit, offering manufacturers with entry to probably the most formidable sports activities advertising portfolios on the planet.
UFC and WWE, which collectively serve a couple of billion younger and numerous followers in 170 international locations, present model companions unparalleled scale and attain throughout a number of platforms, together with premium reside occasions, authentic content material, and digital media. Additional powered and enhanced by the Endeavor flywheel, the corporate’s world infrastructure that additionally contains IMG’s dynamic gross sales groups all over the world, UFC and WWE collectively can supply entrepreneurs considerably expanded stock, vastly elevated model visibility, in depth worldwide attain, and distinctive integration alternatives throughout UFC and WWE premier content material.
Grant Norris-Jones, who has performed a key function in driving UFC’s world partnerships to 6 consecutive years of file income, has been elevated to steer the built-in unit as Govt Vice President and Head of International Partnerships for TKO, which incorporates the whole thing of UFC and WWE properties. Norris-Jones will work alongside Lou Koskovolis, who can also be taking over an expanded function as TKO’s Govt Vice President of International Partnerships. Collectively, they’ll give attention to delivering distinctive, genuine integrations for TKO’s company companions. This new joint effort will additional profit from extra assist and collaboration with the Endeavor Partnerships group to maximise worth for manufacturers throughout all the Endeavor portfolio of property.
With partnership gross sales, activations, and operations groups in New York, Las Vegas, Stamford, Conn., London, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Shanghai, and Toronto, the newly mixed unit will give attention to creating new income alternatives and model integrations throughout UFC’s and WWE’s must-watch reside and authentic content material.
“Since Endeavor acquired UFC in 2016, UFC’s world partnerships enterprise has change into a big development space,” mentioned Andrew Schleimer, Chief Monetary Officer, TKO, “and we imagine WWE’s partnerships enterprise has comparable potential. Collectively, UFC and WWE create a sports activities advertising powerhouse, with a whole bunch of reside occasions per yr and a attain that’s equal to, or higher than, the world’s largest sports activities properties. The newly built-in world partnerships group will supply premium manufacturers the chance to combine and activate inside UFC’s and WWE’s terribly common content material to interact their large fan bases all over the world.”
In recent times, UFC has partnered with manufacturers which are client product and class leaders, together with Anheuser-Busch, Crypto.com, DraftKings, Jose Cuervo, Monster Vitality, PRIME Hydration, Timex, and VeChain.-
As well as, WWE has labored with dozens of blue-chip manufacturers throughout its roster of promotional property. During the last yr, WWE has activated with Applebee’s, Normal Mills, Mattel, Netflix, PepsiCo, Pizza Hut, Slim Jim, and Snickers.
Editor’s Opinion:
This comes at no shock, as we’ve got seen a number of folks lose their jobs over the previous couple of months. TKO feels that each UFC and WWE will be run by the identical advertising group relating to issues behind the scenes, and this can be a approach for them to save lots of prices.
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