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 the 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. From a margin perspective, they are dilutive. So there’s probably an opportunity as well to 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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Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.