TKO executive: ‘Insatiable demand’ exists for ‘underpriced’ domestic WWE PLE rights in todays Wrestling news
Mark Shapiro stated that Apple, Netflix and others have already inquired.
TKO’s leadership is already preparing for their next big payday, the domestic rights package of WWE’s monthly premium events.
Mark Shapiro, TKO’s COO, said at the Morgan Stanley Technology Media & Telecom Conference that the current five year deal with NBCUniversal for the PLEs to be broadcast on Peacock was “underpriced.”
He did not blame either WWE nor NBCU. He said that “the market catches-up” but that NBCU’s monthly events “massively perform” and are higher than what NBCU management expected when they signed the contract.
Shapiro said that there will be “insatiable” demand for the rights in 2026. They will renew with NBCU, who has been a good partner and knows how to market WWE.
It will still be a “hotly contested property.”
WWE CEO Nick Khan stated that the timing of the upcoming rights was “interesting” for them in April 2023.
WWE announced in January 2021 that WWE Network was heading to Peacock streaming in the U.S. It was later revealed that the deal would last for five years and be worth around $1 billion.
Shapiro responded that when asked if Netflix would be interested to bring on the domestic rights, given they will have international rights beginning in January 2025. He said that the conversation always began with the question about when the PLE contract was up.
He said that they wanted to see how Raw performed before deciding on the domestic PLE rights if NBCUniversal didn’t renew.
Shapiro also answered questions at the conference about Vince McMahon’s recent stock sale, as well as the interesting fact that Netflix originally was interested in NXT.
TKO executive: ‘Insatiable demand’ exists for ‘underpriced’ domestic WWE PLE rights in todays Wrestling news, Chatalong Chatbox, Results will be Hidden inside a spoiler Button so you will not bet spoiled about direct results.
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