By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
TKO CEO and Executive Chairman Ari Emanuel and TKO COO Mark Shapiro appeared on CNBC on Monday to discuss the UFC media rights deal with Paramount. Shapiro said the deal checked the box on the financial end, and he also touted CBS simulcasting some events.
Emanuel said they no longer have the double pay window that asks fans to pay for the host app and then pay more for pay-per-view events. Shapiro emphasized that fans will get all ESPN events for roughly $8 (based on the current Paramount+ subscription cost). Shapiro also said pay-per-view is an antiquated model. Watch the full video via CNBC.com.
Powell’s POV: The current kings of pay-per-view, referring to the model as antiquated after signing a new media rights deal, is telling. That said, I could see AEW benefiting to some degree from the WWE PLE and UFC media rights deals, at least in the short term. The affordability of WWE and UFC events could leave fans who enjoy all three companies with extra money to spend on AEW pay-per-views. Conversely, I could also see the increased accessibility of UFC events pulling away some fans who enjoy MMA and pro wrestling, as it will be more affordable than ever to watch UFC events. All of that said, WWE CEO Nick Khan has previously listed that the crossover of fans who watch WWE and UFC as under 15 percent, so I guess only time will tell how the new landscape affects all of the players.
if the PPV model is outdated then they can surely go back to brand specific PLEs for WWE. they need to lose the BS 5 match card. you want talent to break out and be stars well you can’t do that with no time to shine. the weekly shows are advertisement hellscapes.