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☆ Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel on Q1 earnings and WWE acquisition
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailEndeavor CEO Ari Emanuel on Q1 earnings and WWE acquisitionEndeavor CEO Ari Emanuel joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss the company's quarterly earnings results, stock buyback plan, the acquisition of WWE & sale of IMG Academy, and more.

☆ Watch CNBC's full interview with Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel on Q1 results
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWatch CNBC's full interview with Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel on Q1 resultsEndeavor CEO Ari Emanuel joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss the company's quarterly earnings results, stock buyback plan, the acquisition of WWE & sale of IMG Academy, and more.

☆ Hardcore wrestling fans are torn over the WWE-UFC merger – but they love the drama
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

For wrestling fans, though, the story's not about those numbers. And wrestling fans aren't afraid to share their opinions. Some are worried that a return to a pay-per-view model for WWE's flagship event, WrestleMania, is on the horizon. The WWE's exclusive streaming deal with Peacock, which includes WrestleMania streaming rights, is set to expire in 2026. In late March, before the UFC deal was announced, WWE CEO Nick Khan said the company keeps fans' price sensitivity in mind.

☆ This Asian MMA promotion wants to crack the US market -- without the blood and trash-talking
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Andrew Mcnicol | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Could 2023 be the year mixed-martial arts (MMA) in the United States finally returns to its pure, humble beginnings nurtured in Asia nearly 5,000 years ago? “I can’t wait for the US fans to be exposed to true martial arts. Fighting on American soil, it’s amazing to be able to headline this landmark event,” said the former longtime UFC champion, who joined One in 2018. Courtesy Aaron Pan/ONE ChampionshipWhat “true martial arts” means in new-era combat sports is certainly up for interpretation. That’s more true to the spirit of martial arts and its traditional values.

☆ TikTok to launch ad product that will give premium content creators 50% cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 3 (Reuters) - TikTok said on Wednesday it is launching a product that well let advertisers place ads alongside content produced by premium publishers, half of the ad revenue from which will be shared with those publishers. The social media platform said brands including Buzzfeed, DotDash Meredith, NBCUniversal, UFC and WWE will be the first to join at the launch of the product called Pulse Premiere on May 4. It is an extension of TikTok's Pulse program, which lets marketers place their brand next to the top 4% of content on the platform, the company said. TikTok in March said it had 150 million monthly active users in the United States, up from 100 million in 2020. Reporting by Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru and Sheila Dang; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

May 3 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) has named Kim Posnett as the head of its global technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) investment banking group, according to an internal company memo. Posnett, who is currently the co-head of the One Goldman Sachs initiative at the bank, will continue to hold her existing responsibilities. The One Goldman Sachs initiative aims to integrate the bank's dealings with clients across teams. Posnett, who has also served as the global head of investment banking services at Goldman, is one of the few executives who spoke at the bank's investor day in February alongside its chief executive and finance head. In a separate memo sent out by Goldman's heads of global banking & markets, Ashok Varadhan, Dan Dees and Jim Esposito, Goldman also named Aasem Khalil as the new global head of its Investment Banking Services division.

☆ Fanatics moves one step closer to IPO, hiring Meta's head of investor relations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

While an IPO is not on the immediate horizon, the company is taking a step in the direction of preparing for one, hiring Meta's investor relations head to further build out its engagement with current and future shareholders. Deborah Crawford, who has served as Meta 's vice president of investor relations for more than eight years, is being appointed as Fanatics' head of investor relations, a new position at the company. Prior to Meta, Crawford was head of investor relations for Netflix, where she helped initiate the streaming company's first formal investor relations function, according to Fanatics. Schiffman declined to comment on the potential timing of a Fanatics IPO but confirmed the company has a goal of going public. Fanatics has seen its valuation and investor roster drastically expand in recent years, which has also helped to fuel IPO chatter.

CNBC's annual Stock Draft kicked off Thursday on "Power Lunch," with candidates opting for a wide range of stocks from AI to consumer plays. Nvidia WWE wrestler Charlotte Flair bet on artificial intelligence with her first pick: Nvidia. Amazon Olympic swimmer Erica Sullivan picked Amazon, saying she likes the e-commerce giant's service and uses it regularly. General Electric Sullivan chose General Electric for her second pick. General Electric shares are higher by more than 49% in 2023.

Carlson, the highest-rated single host at Fox News, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The decision to part ways with Carlson was made Friday evening by Fox Corporation chief executive Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News chief executive Suzanne Scott, a person familiar with the matter said. During his time as a prime time host on Fox News, Carlson ascended to become one of the most influential figures inside the GOP. In a text on Nov. 5, 2020 — two days after the 2020 election — Carlson wrote his producer Alex Pfeiffer: “We worked really hard to build what we have. Last month, she sued Fox News, Carlson, his executive producer Justin Wells and other figures, as well as Fox’s parent corporation.

☆ WWE taps Fanatics to sell merchandise at live events like WrestleMania, SummerSlam
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

That means Fanatics will now operate all of the on-site retail at the WWE's more than 300 events throughout the year, including its premier live events like WrestleMania and the Royale Rumble. Fanatics became WWE's global e-commerce partner in 2022, a deal that later grew to include licensed merchandise, memorabilia, trading cards and collectibles. WWE has seen its live-event merchandise business grow as the company has returned to a fuller slate of events and shows as the pandemic has waned. In 2022, WWE reported that it had $23.8 million in venue merchandise revenue across 231 live events in 2022, up from $10.1 million the previous year when the company only had 101 live events. Fanatics' existing relationships across sports could also further benefit WWE, Varga said.

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Tesla, Apple, Wynn, Costco, Netflix, First Solar & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Here are Thursday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Goldman Sachs reiterates Netflix as sell Goldman said it's standing by its sell rating heading into earnings next week. Deutsche Bank adds a catalyst call buy on Enphase Energy Deutsche said it's bullish on the solar company's opportunities in Europe. Citi upgrades Merck to buy from neutral Citi said in its upgrade of the pharmaceutical company that it has an underappreciated pipeline of products. Deutsche Bank names a catalyst buy on Sherwin-Williams Deutsche said the paint company's earnings scheduled for later this month should "alleviate" investor concerns. Citi upgrades Steven Madden to buy from neutral Citi said in its upgrade of the shoe company that it sees "better wholesale trends" for Steven Madden.

☆ WWE apologizes for using Auschwitz footage in pro WrestleMania promo
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( David K. Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A view of the former Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz in Oswiecim, Poland, January 19, 2015. World Wrestling Entertainment inexplicably used footage of infamous Nazi death camp Auschwitz in a recent promotion, prompting the grappling giant to apologize Friday for the offensive gaffe. "We had no knowledge of what was depicted," the WWE said in statement to NBC News on Friday. The Auschwitz footage is now absent from tape of WrestleMania Night 1 and has been replaced with generic images of a jail with barbed wire. The son fought his father in this past weekend's WrestleMania and was beaten soundly by the old man.

☆ WrestleMania apologizes for using footage of Auschwitz in promotional spot
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —World Wrestling Entertainment apologized Friday after using footage of Auschwitz, the infamous Nazi concentration and extermination camp, in a promotional spot for a hyped father-son match. The promotional video for WrestleMania 39 featured WWE wrestler Dominik Mysterio, who has an ongoing rivalry with his father, Rey Mysterio, and was “arrested” in December for pushing him. The ad then cuts to photos of prisons, one of which was Auschwitz, where Nazis murdered over 1 million people. In later airings and reruns of the first night of WrestleMania, the footage showed an image of barbed wire. In this father-son rivalry, Dominik eventually turned on Rey, culminating in an altercation on Christmas Eve.

☆ TechCheck Weekly #5: Sports Rights Sleeper Hold
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailTechCheck Weekly #5: Sports Rights Sleeper HoldAri Emanuel & Vince McMahon. Apple & Major League Soccer? A whole lot of investors, owners, CEOs and companies are betting that the value of televised sports is going up. It's in limited supply. What Endeavor's deal to pull WWE & UFC together tells us about media valuations and where things are headed for the tech companies trying to get involved.

☆ WWE and UFC merger mania is quite the production: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

NEW YORK, April 6 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The wrestling heavyweight has agreed to merge with Endeavor’s mixed martial arts franchise in a $21 bln deal. In this Viewsroom episode, Breakingviews columnists discuss why the transaction makes sense strategically, but the financial logic is contorted. Listen to the podcastFollow @jennifersaba on TwitterSubscribe to Breakingviews’ podcasts, Viewsroom and The Exchange. Editing by Oliver TaslicOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Dealmaker Raine Group bucks the M&A blues
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Amid a dealmaking drought, The Raine Group’s rainmakers are creating some flow themselves. And now it has unveiled an acquisition of its own, buying Code Advisors, a technology-focused boutique M&A firm co-founded by former CBS executives Quincy Smith and Michael Marquez. It is the first purchase for Raine since it was co-founded by a group including Joe Ravitch and Brandon Gardner in 2009 in the aftermath of the last big downturn. Since then, Raine has ballooned to 170 people with about 20 partners advising on transactions such as last year’s 4.25 billion pound ($5.3 billion) sale of Chelsea Football Club. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ The UFC-WWE deal could be the boost the M&A market needs to get back into gear
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Citigroup, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America were among the banks advising on the deal. Earlier this year, some pegged the merger market getting back into the swing of things by mid-year. When you think about it, the WWE-UFC deal might be the best way to get the market going again. Fight for media rights: Both UFC and WWE have streaming deals with ESPN and NBCUniversal's Peacock, respectively. The crypto community is now pitching itself as playing a key role in AI development thanks to its decentralized nature.

☆ Here are Tuesday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Amazon, Boeing, Chipotle, Rivian, Etsy, Exxon & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Here are Tuesday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Piper Sandler reiterates Apple as overweight Piper said iPhone share remains at near record levels for Apple. Bank of America reiterates Endeavor as buy Bank of America said it's bullish on Endeavor's plan to merge WWE and UFC. Piper Sandler upgrades Etsy to overweight from neutral Piper said it sees "continued share gains" for the e-commerce company. Deutsche Bank reiterates Citizens Financial and PNC as buy Deutsche said it's cautious on bank stocks overall, but that it likes Citizens and PNC as top picks. Bank of America reiterates Analog Devices as buy Bank of America said Analog Devices has "best-in-class" free-cash flow returns.

☆ WWE to Combine With UFC Parent Endeavor
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Dean Seal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The deal to combine the companies is expected to close in the second half of 2023. World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. has reached a deal to combine with Endeavor Group Holdings Inc., the owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The two companies said Monday that Endeavor will hold a 51% controlling interest in their newly formed, publicly traded entity, with WWE owning the remaining 49%.

☆ WWE Nears Sale to UFC’s Endeavor Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Lauren Thomas | Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The deal is expected to be announced Monday. World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. is nearing a deal to be sold to Endeavor Group Holdings Inc., which owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship, according to people familiar with the matter. As part of the deal, Endeavor’s UFC business and WWE will form a separate publicly traded entity, the people said, in which Endeavor shareholders would hold 51% and WWE shareholders would retain 49%.

☆ Jim Cramer's top 10 things to watch in the stock market Monday: OPEC+ surprise, Macy's lift, Tesla miss
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

How are we approaching the market week ahead? I also explained that we are indeed in a bull market, but that things could get a bit rocky from here. Analyst Matthew Boss also increased his price target by a buck to $29, citing favorable risk-to-reward setup at current stock price. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade.

☆ Saudi money is flowing to US media and entertainment, from Live Nation to LIV Golf, 5 years after Jamal Khashoggi's murder: 'The ice has thawed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +20 min

Sovereign funds and other entities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE are pouring millions into US media and entertainment. Insider identified some key people connecting Middle East investors with American companies. Saudi Arabia is trying to pitch itself to the world as a cultural and economic reformer and spur tourism. Vince McMahon's WWE has a long-term partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with a major live WWE event there slated for May. Vince McMahon's WWE was one of the first US companies to create unique events in Saudi Arabia.

☆ UFC merger beefs up WWE's leverage in media rights negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Networks and streaming services need to get ready for a media rights smackdown. UFC should also benefit ahead of 2025, when its U.S. media rights deals come up, including with Disney's ESPN. "I think everything is up for grabs with these media rights deals. During his time with CAA, he had formed a relationship with McMahon during a recent round of TV rights negotiations for WWE. It will also work for UFC negotiations, he noted.

Talent agency Endeavor (EDR.N), which owns the mixed martial arts business, will tag-team with Vince McMahon’s WWE in deal valued at some $21 billion. The merger unveiled on Monday creates a new publicly traded company 51% owned by Endeavor and 49% by WWE shareholders. On paper, the WWE enterprise gets the sweeter valuation, at around 24 times last year’s EBITDA, whereas UFC is pegged at 19 times. Instead, in the grand tradition of wrestling, McMahon and Endeavor boss Ari Emanuel are trying to appeal to shareholders with a more unconventional thriller. Under terms of the deal, WWE is being valued on the basis of $106 per share, implying an enterprise valuation of $9.3 billion, according to the companies.

Shares of WWE fell in premarket trading, while Endeavor shares rose. Ari Emanuel will act as chief executive of both Endeavor and the new company, the companies said. McMahon, likewise, will be executive chairman, while Endeavor President and COO Mark Shapiro will also work in the same roles at the new company. Dana White will remain as president of UFC, and WWE CEO Nick Khan will stay on as president of the wrestling business. Stefanie Keenan | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty ImagesThe announcement confirmed an earlier CNBC report.

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