Endeavor

What Endeavor does

Endeavor, rebranded as WME Group following Silver Lake's $25 billion take-private transaction in March 2025, is a privately held global entertainment and sports company headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. The company operates through four primary business units: WME (a premier talent agency representing artists, content creators, and performers across film, television, music, sports, theater, digital media, fashion, food, and books), 160over90 (a global marketing agency connecting brands with cultural moments), IMG Licensing (brand licensing management for media franchises, trademarks, events, and talent), and Pantheon Media Group (an Emmy Award-winning unscripted content production company). The company serves two core customer segments: individual talent seeking representation and career development, and blue-chip brands seeking cultural marketing connections, licensing programs, and content production services.

The business model is primarily commission-based and service-oriented. Revenue streams include talent representation commissions across entertainment verticals, professional services fees from 160over90's brand marketing engagements, brand licensing royalties managed through IMG Licensing, and content production fees from Pantheon Media Group. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company maintains direct enterprise client relationships through field-based sales and account management teams. Following the 2025 take-private, Endeavor has executed a significant portfolio restructuring: it sold OpenBet's sports betting technology (IMG ARENA) to Sportradar for approximately $225 million, divested Endeavor Streaming to Deltatre, spun off IMG's arts and entertainment and action sports portfolios into Ari Emanuel's new Mari holding company, and is transferring PBR, On Location, and IMG to TKO Group Holdings in a $3.25 billion all-equity transaction that leaves Endeavor with approximately 59% of TKO post-close.

The company is backed by Silver Lake Group as institutional sponsor and led by co-founder and CEO Ariel Emanuel. It operates across nearly 20 countries and territories with 3,000+ employees, though reported revenue figures suggest significant scale (the financial summary indicates approximately $7.1 billion in 2024 revenue, growing from $3.5 billion in 2020). The company has been subject to a securities fraud class action lawsuit relating to its prior public disclosures and to a UK CMA investigation of the Sportradar/IMG Arena transaction.

Name

Endeavor

Legal name

WME Group, LLC

Website

http://www.endeavorco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Endeavor (now WME Group) is a privately held global entertainment and sports company operating WME talent agency, 160over90 marketing, IMG Licensing, and Pantheon Media Group to represent artists and connect blue-chip brands to culture across nearly 20 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entertainment and Sports Services

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114), Media Representatives (541840), Media Buying Agencies (541830)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Athlete Talent Agencies (Contract Negotiation & Career Management) (MPAKAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Brand Activations & Experiential Campaign Design (MPAAAGAA), Product Launches & Brand Activations (Experiential Marketing) (MPAGAHAD)

Keywords

• Talent representation
• Brand licensing
• Marketing services
• Unscripted content production
• Sports entertainment

Headquarters

HQ city

Beverly Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Talent Representation: Commission-based representation of artists, talent, and content creators across multiple entertainment verticals including film, television, music, sports, and digital media.
2. Marketing Services: Global marketing agency services through 160over90 connecting brands with people, places and moments that matter most.
3. Brand Licensing: IMG Licensing manages licensing programs for world-renowned brands, media franchises, events, trademarks, and talent.
4. Content Production: Pantheon Media produces unscripted content including live events, factual entertainment, premium documentaries, true crime, and sports programming.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Endeavor (now WME Group) is a global sports, entertainment, and media holding company that represents the world's leading talent through its WME agency, delivers brand marketing services through 160over90, manages brand licensing programs through IMG Licensing, and produces unscripted content through Pantheon Media Group. Its offerings serve individual artists, athletes, and content creators seeking professional representation, as well as blue-chip brands seeking cultural marketing partnerships, licensing programs, and experiential activations.

Product overview

Endeavor, rebranded to WME Group following Silver Lake's $25 billion take-private transaction in 2025, operates a diversified entertainment and sports portfolio through its WME GROUP Network. The company connects blue-chip brands to culture through talent representation (WME), global marketing services (160over90), brand licensing (IMG Licensing), and unscripted content production (Pantheon Media Group). Endeavor previously owned TKO Group Holdings (combining WWE and UFC), sports betting technology (OpenBet/IMG Arena), and streaming services (Endeavor Streaming, since sold to Deltatre). Ari Emanuel's Mari holding company now controls Endeavor's live events and experiences assets including Frieze, tennis tournaments, and Barrett-Jackson.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WME: Talent agency representing artists, content creators and talent across books, digital media, fashion, film, food, music, sports, television, and theater
• 160over90
• IMG Licensing
• Pantheon Media Group

Products and services

• WME (William Morris Endeavor) A premier talent agency representing the world's greatest artists, content creators, and talent across books, digital media, fashion, film, food, music, sports, television, and theater.
• 160over90 A global marketing agency that connects brands with the people, places, and moments that matter most.
• IMG Licensing

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000+ employees across nearly 20 countries supporting global operations

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, major and core.

• TKO Group HoldingsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026TKO Group announced an all-equity acquisition of PBR, On Location, and IMG from Endeavor for $3.25 billion, expanding its leadership footprint in premium global sports. Endeavor will receive approximately 26.14 million common units and own roughly 59% of TKO post-transaction.
• SportradarmajorTechnology or Integration · 1 November 2025Sportradar acquired IMG ARENA and its global sports betting rights portfolio from Endeavor Group Holdings and OB Global Holdings for approximately $225 million, significantly expanding Sportradar's sports content offerings with over 1 million matches annually across 14 sports.
• MaricoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Ari Emanuel launched Mari, a new holding company managing global events including Frieze, tennis tournaments like the Madrid and Miami Open, and a stake in Barrett-Jackson. Mari acquired IMG's arts and entertainment portfolio and action sports events portfolios from Endeavor. The company has raised over $2 billion in equity.
• ChubbcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2025Chubb and Endeavor forged a global partnership to empower entrepreneurs and support emerging market economic growth.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Creative Artists Agency (CAA): CAA is the closest direct competitor to WME, offering full-service talent representation across film, TV, music, sports, and digital. Both agencies compete head-to-head for the same A-list clients and increasingly for content production and brand-marketing mandates.
• United Talent Agency (UTA): UTA is another top-tier full-service talent agency competing with WME across entertainment verticals. It has expanded into sports, music, and brand marketing, mirroring WME's diversification strategy.
• Octagon: Octagon is a global sports marketing agency representing athletes and managing sponsorship programs — directly overlapping WME's sports representation and IMG's sports marketing activities.

Broad incumbents

• Live Nation Entertainment: Live Nation is the world's largest live entertainment company with major ticketing, venue, and sponsorship assets. It overlaps with WME/IMG's live events and talent representation businesses and is a key counterparty for concert and tour representation.
• WPP: WPP is one of the world's largest advertising and marketing services holding companies, competing with 160over90 for global brand-marketing budgets. Its scale and agency network (Ogilvy, VMLY&R, GroupM) make it a direct competitor in brand-experience mandates.
• Publicis Groupe: Publicis is a global advertising and marketing services giant with capabilities overlapping 160over90's experiential and brand-activation work. Its acquisition-led growth in digital and creative agencies parallels WME Group's own roll-up approach.
• Omnicom Group: Omnicom is a leading global marketing and communications holding company with significant sports and entertainment marketing expertise (particularly through its agencies like Droga5 and the Omnicom specialty brands), competing with 160over90.
• AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group): AEG is a global sports and live entertainment conglomerate that owns/operates venues, teams, and events. It overlaps with IMG's live-events portfolio and competes for premium sports/entertainment IP rights.

Emerging players

• Excel Sports Management: Excel Sports Management is a leading sports talent agency whose acquisition by Goldman Sachs (~Nov 2025) signals institutional capital flowing into the sports representation space, increasing competitive pressure on WME's athlete representation business.
• Roc Nation: Roc Nation is a full-service entertainment company spanning talent management, music, sports, and brand marketing. It competes with WME in artist and athlete representation while expanding into management and licensing adjacent to WME's IMG and 160over90 businesses.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/endeavor
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wme-img
• Instagraminstagram.com/endeavor
• Facebookfacebook.com/Endeavor

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A15 records

Investments12 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Endeavor