Tag: PBR

TKO signs another media rights deal with Paramount

Posted on by Josh Nason

The relationship between WWE/UFC parent company TKO and Paramount/Skydance continues to deepen with news of yet another media rights deal.

Announced on Wednesday morning, the Professional Bull Riders league will head to the David Ellison-backed Paramount+ streaming service starting this December. It’s a five-year deal that is exclusive to the streamer with no financial details disclosed.

The streamer will air live coverage of the PBR Unleash The Beast season, described as “the highest level of individual bull riding competition spanning five months in 19 cities across 17 states.”

CBS Sports and PBR have actually had a relationship dating back to 2013 with their current deal running through 2030. A weekly PBR event will continue to air on the CBS Television Network as will content on the Paramount-owned FAST service Pluto TV.

Earlier this year, Paramount/Skydance and UFC announced a massive seven-year, $7.7 billion dollar all-encompassing domestic rights deal, followed by an additional contract for both Australia and Latin America signed in October. The two sides also announced a multi-year deal for Zuffa Boxing as well.

As of now, Paramount does not offer any pro wrestling content. Women of Wrestling (WOW) is available on the Pluto TV service and at one point, the formerly named Viacom/CBS was handling syndication for the women’s only brand.

WWE parent company finalizes On Location, Professional Bull Riders & IMG acquisitions

Posted on by Josh Nason

The acquisition of Professional Bull Riders (PBR), On Location, and IMG by TKO — the parent company of WWE & UFC — is now complete.

First announced in October, TKO acquired the assets from Endeavor in an all-stock deal valued at $3.25 billion. The finalized deal was announced Friday.

Ari Emanuel is the CEO of both Endeavor and TKO. The impetus of the transaction was the lead-up to Endeavor wanting to go private in a proposed transaction with private equity firm Silver Lake. As a result, they were looking to shed some of their assets.

While PBR doesn’t have a logical tie-in with either WWE or UFC, both On Location and IMG do.

The former is a premium event company that provides VIP experiences for more than 1200 sporting events including for the Super Bowl and NCAA Final Four. TKO executive Mark Shapiro has spoken publicly in the past about wanting to increase those opportunities for both WWE and UFC who both currently use On Location.

IMG has many different business tentacles as they both distribute and produce sports content, handle media rights and brand partnerships, and offer digital services and event management. Clients include the NFL and NHL. Both WWE and UFC are listed under their current portfolio of clients.

PBR will be part of a TKO “takeover” weekend coming up in Kansas City that includes a PBR event Thursday, UFC Saturday and WWE on Monday all in the same T-Mobile Center in April.

TKO just held their quarterly investors call this week, reporting annual revenue of over $2.8 billion in their first full calendar year as an organization.

TKO announces ‘takeover’ in Kansas City featuring WWE, UFC, PBR events

Posted on by Ian Carey

TKO has announced its first-ever “Takeover” series of events.

On Wednesday, the company revealed plans to run three events over five nights at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. The lineup begins with PBR (Professional Bull Riders) on Thursday, April 24, followed by UFC Fight Night on Saturday, April 26, and concludes with WWE Raw on Monday, April 28.

This marks the first time all three promotions will hold consecutive events at the same venue under the TKO banner. The deal was brokered through the Kansas City Sports Commission. The presenting sponsor is VeChain, which has been UFC’s official blockchain partner since 2022.

From TKO’s press release:

“Kansas City has collectively hosted dozens of UFC, WWE, and PBR events over the years, and it has become a top destination for each of these respective promotions,” said Peter Dropick, Executive Vice President, Event Development and Operations for TKO. “This is a unique opportunity to showcase these three premier properties in one city at the same time for the benefit of fans and visitors to the area.  We thank the Kansas City Sports Commission and the management at T-Mobile Center for making this possible.”  

“Kansas City has a great history of hosting world-class events, and we are thrilled to continue that tradition by partnering with three of the biggest brands in the sports and entertainment world,” said Kathy Nelson, President and CEO of the Kansas City Sports Commission and Visit KC. “These events will generate significant economic impact for our hotels and local businesses, as well as shine a spotlight on Kansas City through broadcast programming and social media.”

“Our longstanding relationship with UFC, WWE and PBR has resulted in some of T-Mobile Center’s most memorable events,” said Jay Cooper, General Manager, T-Mobile Center.  “The three together in one action-packed week will be an exciting opportunity for our guests to experience the very best in sports.  We are honored that TKO chose T-Mobile Center as the first location for this world-class event package.”

UFC was last in Kansas City for Fight Night: Holloway vs. Allen on April 15, 2023. WWE ran an episode of Raw at the T-Mobile Center on April 29, 2024. The most recent PBR event in the city was the Kansas City Outlaws’ homestand, PBR Outlaw Days, held from September 6 to 8, 2024.