What TKO Group Holdings does

TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a publicly traded premium sports and entertainment holding company formed in 2023 through the combination of UFC and WWE under Endeavor Group Holdings. The company owns and operates a portfolio of combat-sports and entertainment properties, including UFC (mixed martial arts), WWE (professional wrestling), Professional Bull Riders (PBR), IMG (sports media rights and content production, acquired October 2024), On Location (premium hospitality), and Zuffa Boxing (a joint venture with Saudi Arabia's Sela). Headquartered in New York with 1,001-5,000 employees, TKO serves a global audience reaching over 1 billion households across more than 210 countries through 500+ live events annually that draw more than 3 million attendees.

The company's core operating assets are intellectual property libraries, exclusive talent contracts, and long-dated media rights agreements. UFC's roster spans athletes from 75+ countries under exclusive multi-fight deals, and WWE operates a similarly exclusive talent structure. The IMG acquisition added a 500K+ hour content archive, rights-management infrastructure, and production capabilities, while On Location provides premium hospitality for marquee events. TKO also operates a growing boxing vertical through Zuffa Boxing and is extending into adjacent sports such as rugby through a partnership with World Rugby.

TKO's business model is anchored in multi-year media rights deals, supplemented by live event ticket sales, sponsorship, merchandise, licensing, and premium hospitality revenue. The flagship revenue agreement is a seven-year, $7.7 billion U.S. media rights deal with Paramount covering UFC content. Distribution is layered across Paramount+, Netflix, ESPN, and international partners, and the company is broadening its sponsorship base across consumer, financial, and crypto brands. New revenue streams are emerging through FIFA World Cup 2026 hospitality, women's sports programming (WSL on Paramount+), and geographic expansion into markets including Azerbaijan and Canada.

Name

TKO Group Holdings

Legal name

TKO Group Holdings, Inc.

Website

https://tkogrp.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment holding company operating UFC, WWE, PBR, IMG, On Location, and Zuffa Boxing, serving a global audience of 1B+ households across 210+ countries through media rights, live events, hospitality, and licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports and Entertainment Holdings

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional MMA Promotions (MPAKAHAB)

Keywords

• Live sports events
• Sports media rights
• Premium hospitality services
• Sports marketing agency
• Combat sports entertainment

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Media rights and content distribution: Long-term exclusive media rights deals including Paramount's seven-year, $7.7 billion UFC deal (U.S., Latin America, Australia), expanded to Canada for six years beginning 2027 covering all 13 numbered events and 30 Fight Nights. Additional distribution via Netflix (WWE Raw), ESPN (WWE PLEs), NBCUniversal, USA Network, The CW (WWE NXT), and UFC FIGHT PASS.
2. Live events ticketing and hospitality: More than 500 live events annually across UFC, WWE, PBR and Zuffa Boxing attracting 3M+ fans, with premium experiential hospitality monetized through On Location across FIFA World Cup 2026, NFL, NCAA Final Four, Olympics, WrestleMania and UFC premium experiences. UFC Freedom 250 VIP packages reportedly reached up to $1.5M and WrestleMania 41 generated a $322.2M Las Vegas economic impact.
3. Sponsorship and category partnerships: Multi-year category-exclusive sponsorships across UFC, Zuffa Boxing, PBR, UFC BJJ, World's Strongest Man, and Formula Drift. Recent deals: FRE Nicotine Pouches (TPB), Supersure (insurance), NinjaTrader (futures), Crypto.com, Bud Light, Polymarket, Ram Trucks, Exodus. UFC Freedom 250 alone sold approximately $30M in sponsorships against $60M cost.
4. Sports marketing and rights representation (IMG): IMG acts as the industry's global sports marketing agency, earning commissions/fees on media rights sales, archive licensing, sponsorship representation and consulting work for federations, teams and event organizers (World Rugby, Bundesliga, WSL Football, Solheim Cup, etc.).
5. Capital return (dividends and buybacks): Quarterly cash dividend of $0.79 per Class A share (~$150M aggregate distribution for Q2 2026) plus a $1 billion share repurchase authorization ($800M accelerated share repurchase + $200M trading plan), signaling revenue-share allocation to shareholders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

TKO Group Holdings is a premium sports and entertainment holding company that owns and operates iconic sports properties including UFC (mixed martial arts), WWE (sports entertainment), PBR (professional bull riding), and the Zuffa Boxing joint venture. The portfolio organizes more than 500 live events annually reaching 1 billion+ households across 210 countries and territories, and is complemented by two service businesses: IMG (a global sports marketing agency serving 200+ federations with a 500,000+ hour sports archive) and On Location (premium experiential hospitality).

Product overview

TKO Group Holdings is a premium sports and entertainment holding company built on a portfolio of iconic sports properties rather than a single unified SaaS-style product. Its core platform comprises four owned sports and entertainment brands — UFC (the world's premier MMA organization), WWE (global leader in sports entertainment including RAW, SmackDown, NXT, and Premium Live Events like WrestleMania), PBR (the world's premier bull riding organization), and its joint-venture Zuffa Boxing promotion launched with Sela. These four properties together organize more than 500 live events annually across 210+ countries, reaching 1 billion+ households and 3 million+ fans per year. Layered on top of these core sports properties are two service businesses: IMG, an industry-leading global sports marketing agency that powers revenue for 200+ federations/associations/teams and manages 500,000+ hours of sports archive footage, and On Location, the global leader in premium experiential hospitality serving the IOC, FIFA, NFL, NCAA, UFC, WWE and PGA of America. The properties are tightly interlinked: UFC and WWE executive leadership (Dana White, Nick Khan) anchor Zuffa Boxing; On Location provides hospitality across all TKO events and the FIFA World Cup 2026; and IMG handles media rights representation (e.g., Bundesliga archive, World Rugby, WSL) that complements the owned properties' distribution. Digital touchpoints include UFC FIGHT PASS (combat sports streaming) and the company's investor.tkogrp.com portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UFC: The world's premier mixed martial arts organization producing more than 40 live events annually and distributing programming to an estimated 1 billion households across 210 countries and territories
• WWE
• PBR
• IMG
• On Location
• Zuffa Boxing

Products and services

• UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) World's premier mixed martial arts organization producing more than 40 live events annually and distributing programming to an estimated 1 billion broadcast and digital households across 210 countries and territories.
• WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) Global leader in sports entertainment delivering Premium Live Events such as WrestleMania and SummerSlam along with weekly programs including RAW, SmackDown, and NXT, seen in more than 1 billion households in 20+ languages.
• PBR (Professional Bull Riders) World's premier bull riding organization with televised Unleash The Beast tour, Velocity Tour, Touring Pro Division, PBR Teams league, and international circuits in Australia, Brazil, and Canada.
• Zuffa Boxing Professional boxing promotion joint venture between TKO and Sela, with TKO serving as managing partner and executive leadership anchored by UFC President/CEO Dana White and WWE President Nick Khan.
• IMG (Sports Marketing Agency) Industry-leading global sports marketing agency powering revenue for 200+ federations, associations, events, and teams, with 35,000+ hours of sports programming annually and a 500,000+ hour sports archive.
• On Location (Premium Experiential Hospitality) Global leader in premium experiential hospitality, providing VIP access, premium seating, exclusive experiences, and travel management for more than 150 iconic rights holders including FIFA, NFL, NCAA, IOC LA28, UFC, WWE, and PGA of America.
• UFC FIGHT PASS One of the world's leading streaming services for combat sports, providing premium UFC, Zuffa Boxing, UFC BJJ, and Power Slap content via direct subscription and through commercial bundles for U.S. bars, restaurants, and casinos.
• FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Hospitality Program Official Hospitality offering managed by On Location for the FIFA World Cup 2026, including packages at FIFA Pavilion, Pitchside Lounge, and Platinum Access tier, with more than 500,000 packages allocated across 125+ countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• UFC Freedom 250 drew 17M viewers, the biggest exclusive live event in Paramount+ history (8.2M average live U.S. viewers).
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• Exodus (payments processor)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 June 2026Multi-year sponsorship of UFC Freedom 250 alongside NinjaTrader; branding on the Octagon, merchandise, digital media and watch party experiences structured through TKO Group Holdings.
• Crypto.comcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 June 2026Crypto.com is the primary sponsor of UFC Freedom 250; octagon branding partner at the White House event alongside Bud Light, Polymarket, and Ram Trucks.
• NinjaTrader (Payward)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 June 2026Multi-year partnership making NinjaTrader UFC's Official Futures Trading Partner in U.S. and Canada; becomes Presenting Partner of Dana White's Contender Series and Official Partner of UFC Freedom 250; branding across UFC's global platform reaching 700M fans in 210 countries.
• Skydance CorporationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026Six-year deal making Paramount+ (owned by Skydance Corporation, NASDAQ: PSKY) the exclusive home of UFC Numbered Event main cards in Canada starting in 2027; expands the 2025 seven-year multi-territory media rights deal to North America, Latin America and Australia.
• WSL Football (Barclays Women's Super League)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2026IMG negotiated CBS Sports' exclusive U.S. English-language media rights for the WSL through the 2029-2030 season: 183 live matches per season on Paramount+, one weekly match on CBS Sports Network, and additional coverage on CBSSports.com, the Golazo Starting XI newsletter, the Attacking Third podcast and @WGolazo social accounts.
• Bundesliga (DFL / Bundesliga Media)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026Multi-year renewal of IMG's international video archive representation for Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup in markets outside DACH (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg). IMG has represented Bundesliga's archive content since 2012; DFL Media Hub contains close to 250,000 hours of content spanning 60+ years.
• Arizona Sports & Events AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2026Landmark three-year agreement to host seven major live events (UFC, WWE, PBR, Zuffa Boxing) in Arizona; expected to drive tourism, economic impact and global visibility. Part of TKO's broader strategy of multi-year destination partnerships with government and private partners worldwide.
• Ladies European Tour (Solheim Cup) / adidascoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 May 2026IMG is staging partner for the 2026 Solheim Cup (Bernardus Golf, Netherlands, Sept 7-13). adidas signed as Official Footwear Supplier and Event Supporter of the European Solheim Cup Team, providing footwear for captains, players, caddies, and tournament staff in Team Europe colors.
• World RugbycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2026Long-term strategic media rights partnership with IMG (TKO subsidiary) to shape U.S. and global media rights, distribution, content, and in-market initiatives ahead of Men's and Women's Rugby World Cups 2031 and 2033 in the U.S. Marking a new era in World Rugby and IMG's 30-year relationship.
• The CW NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 28 April 2026Multi-year deal extending the October 2024 agreement; The CW becomes the exclusive broadcast home for all WWE NXT programming (52 weekly live shows plus 20 NXT Premium Live Events including Stand & Deliver, The Great American Bash, Deadline, and Vengeance Day).
• Azerbaijan Ministry of Youth and Sports / Baku City Circuit Operations CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 April 2026Multi-year deal for UFC to host Fight Night events in Baku annually through 2028 at the National Gymnastics Arena; first event June 27, 2026. Expands UFC's international footprint in a strategic market.
• General Entertainment Authority / Riyadh Season (Saudi Arabia)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026Saudi Arabia's GEA and Riyadh Season under H.E. Turki Alalshikh are hosting WWE Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on June 27, 2026; Saudi Arabia will also host WrestleMania 43 in 2027, the first WrestleMania held outside the U.S. and Canada. Saudi PIF has confirmed 'unwavering' commitment to UFC, WWE and Zuffa Boxing for 2026 and beyond.
• Collect-A-ConminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 April 2026Collect-A-Con (one of the largest U.S. promoters of trading card shows, producing 24 annual shows attracting 500,000 attendees) was acquired by Mari, a holding company formed by TKO Group executives Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro. Collect-A-Con will be integrated into Emanuel and Shapiro's live entertainment ecosystem.
• SupersurecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 April 2026Multi-year agreement making Supersure the Official Small Business Insurance & Commercial Brokerage Technology Partner across UFC, Zuffa Boxing and UFC BJJ events in the United States. Includes in-arena placement (UFC Octagon, ring ropes, mats), digital integration, and broadcast airtime (including UFC Freedom 250 on June 14).
• FRE Nicotine Pouches (Turning Point Brands)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 April 2026Multi-year deal making FRE the Official Nicotine Pouch Partner across six TKO properties: UFC, Zuffa Boxing, PBR, UFC BJJ, World's Strongest Man, and Formula Drift. Includes customized activations and fan experiences; deal drove a 10%+ surge in TPB stock on announcement.
• ESPN (Disney)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026WWE Premium Live Events (including WrestleMania 42 main card) air on the ESPN app with an ESPN Unlimited plan; ESPN personalities (Pat McAfee, Stephen A. Smith) are increasingly integrated into WWE storylines. ESPN also broadcast WWE Night of Champions live in the U.S.
• FIFAflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025On Location (TKO subsidiary) is Official Hospitality Provider for FIFA World Cup 2026; program is the world's largest-ever hospitality effort with 500,000+ packages allocated and revenue more than double any previous FIFA World Cup; packages sold to fans in 125+ countries and all 50 U.S. states.
• Paramount (Skydance Corporation)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Seven-year, $7.7 billion exclusive media rights partnership making Paramount+ the home of UFC numbered events (13/year) and 30 Fight Nights in the U.S. and Latin America. Expanded June 4, 2026 to Canada for an additional six years beginning 2027. UFC Freedom 250 (June 14, 2026) drew 17M viewers on Paramount+, the platform's biggest exclusive live event in its history; over 10M households have watched 100M+ hours of UFC programming on Paramount+.
• NetflixflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Netflix is the international streaming home for WWE Monday Night Raw; deal significantly deepened wrestling-hip-hop cultural crossover. Netflix also broadcasts WWE Night of Champions internationally and is referenced as a preferred distribution partner for MVP (Jake Paul's promotion) for future combat sports events.
• MVP Productions / Most Valuable Promotions (Jake Paul)minorOthers · 1 January 2025Jake Paul's MVP made its MMA debut with the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card on Netflix, drawing 17M viewers; TKO president Mark Shapiro publicly criticized the event as 'more of a stunt than a meaningful MMA event.' Listed here only as contextual industry relationship, not a formal partnership.
• Sela (entertainment conglomerate)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Sela is TKO's joint venture partner for Zuffa Boxing, a professional boxing promotion launched to 'reimagine' the sport. TKO serves as managing partner providing day-to-day operational expertise; executive leadership is anchored by UFC President/CEO Dana White and WWE President/TKO Board Member Nick Khan.
• NFLflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024On Location is an official partner/service provider for NFL premium hospitality experiences including Super Bowl. TKO President Mark Shapiro has a long history of NFL dealings from his ESPN tenure (acquired Monday Night Football rights in 2005); Shapiro and CEO Ari Emanuel acquired minority stakes (0.6% and 1.4%) in the Las Vegas Raiders in May 2026 at a $9.9B franchise valuation.
• IOC / LA28 Olympic and Paralympic GamesflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024On Location is an official partner and service provider for LA28 hospitality programs.
• NCAAflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024On Location is an official partner/service provider for NCAA premium hospitality programs including Final Four; broader multi-year extension of On Location's relationship with NCAA, PGA of America and IOC.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Endeavor Group Holdings: Endeavor is TKO's parent/affiliated holding company (WME, IMG, On Location, PBR all originated inside Endeavor before the TKO spin). It is the closest direct peer: a global sports and entertainment holding company that owns, represents and operates premium IP across events, media rights and talent, with overlapping executive leadership (Ari Emanuel, Mark Shapiro).
• Live Nation Entertainment: Live Nation is the world's largest live-entertainment company and Ticketmaster owner, producing 50,000+ events annually and operating the dominant ticketing infrastructure TKO uses. Directly comparable as a vertically integrated live-events and ticketing platform serving premium sports and entertainment IP, though focused on concerts rather than owned sports IP.
• AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group): AEG owns/operates sports franchises (LA Kings, LA Galaxy), venues (Crypto.com Arena, The O2), and a global sports marketing business competing with IMG. Directly comparable as a vertically integrated owner-operator of sports IP, venues and live events.
• World Wrestling Entertainment (legacy WWE): WWE is now a wholly owned TKO subsidiary, but as a pre-2023 standalone comparable, it is the most direct peer to TKO's sports-entertainment business: scripted wrestling content distributed across global broadcast and streaming partners (Netflix, ESPN, The CW) and monetized through premium live events (WrestleMania) and sponsorships.

Broad incumbents

• Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. MSG Sports owns the New York Knicks (NBA) and New York Rangers (NHL) and operates the Madison Square Garden arena. Comparable as a publicly traded sports-property holding company monetizing iconic franchises through media rights, ticketing and hospitality, though focused on U.S. pro team sports rather than combat/sports-entertainment IP.
• Liberty Media / Formula One Group: Liberty Media owns Formula One, a single iconic global sports property monetized through media rights, sponsorships and live events with multi-year contracts. Comparable as a publicly traded holding company built around premium owned sports IP and global media-rights leverage, though narrower in scope than TKO's multi-property portfolio.
• Topgolf Callaway Brands: Topgolf Callaway operates sports-entertainment venues (Topgolf) plus equipment and active-lifestyle brands, monetizing sports participation and live experiences. Comparable as a publicly traded sports-entertainment platform leveraging IP, venues and live participation; serves a different audience (participatory golf) rather than spectator combat sports.

Emerging players

• Most Valuable Promotions (MVP): Jake Paul's MVP is the most prominent emerging boxing/cross-over combat-sports promotion, distributing on Netflix and signing former UFC talent. Directly comparable as a fast-growing combat-sports promotion competing with Zuffa Boxing for boxing IP, sponsorships and streaming attention, though smaller and less diversified.

Regional players

• BOXXER: BOXXER is a UK-based boxing promoter that has filed suit against Zuffa Boxing/TKO alleging unlawful interference with fighter contracts. Comparable as a professional boxing promotion operating in an overlapping category with Zuffa Boxing, though primarily focused on the UK/Ireland market rather than global combat sports.

Others

• Premier League: The Premier League is one of IMG's anchor rights-holder clients and the world's most valuable soccer league, monetized through long-term global media-rights sales, sponsorships and content licensing. Comparable as a premium sports-rights property in TKO's distribution and representation ecosystem, though not a corporate peer; relevant as a customer/competitor for media-rights dollars and audience attention.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TKOGrp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tkogroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/Tkogrp

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A6 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TKO Group Holdings