Variety has published a list of ‘Dealmakers’ for 2024, which includes AEW CEO, President and General Manager Tony Khan and several WWE/TKO Executives as ‘Dealmakers’ for 2024.
Variety wrote the following as it pertains to Khan:
In October, five years to the week after Khan launched professional wrestling promotion AEW as a direct competitor to Vince McMahon’s long-dominant WWE, he closed a multi-year media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, worth a reported $185 million a year, that calls for AEW’s shows and events to be broadcast on TBS and TNT and stream on Max. The company is now valued at more than $2 billion, making it the third-most-valuable combat sports company in the world.
Khan was quoted as saying the following:
“Ain’t bragging if it’s true: “Our new arrangement signifies that AEW will make history as the first professional wrestling promotion to simulcast events weekly on top cable channels and a top streaming platform.”
Variety listed the following WWE/TKO Executives as ‘Dealmakers’ for 2024:
Ariel Emanuel – CEO for TKO, Nick Khan – President of WWE, Mark Shapiro – President and Chief Operating Officer for TKO, Andrew Schleimer – Chief Financial Officer, TKO/WWE
Variety wrote the following as it pertains to WWE/TKO:
Last year, Endeavor merged Ultimate Fighting Championship with World Wrestling Entertainment under the TKO Group Holdings banner. In January 2024, TKO’s leadership quadrumvirate closed a $5.2 billion, 10-year deal to make Netflix the exclusive home of WWE’s flagship show “Raw” in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Latin America and other territories beginning in January 2025. As part of the pact, Netflix will be the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. from that date forward, giving roughly 80% of international territories immediate access to 100% its content, with the rest of the globe filling out their WWE lineups as outstanding deals expire.
Regarding WWE Raw moving to Netflix, Andrew Schleimer said the following:
“While the money is extraordinarily important, the downstream impact and ancillary benefits to being with the distributor and just south of 300 million homes globally was something that got us very excited.”