Summary of TKO Group Holdings Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) - **Key Properties**: UFC and WWE - **Upcoming Ventures**: Launch of Zuffa Boxing in early 2026 Core Industry Insights - **Experience Economy**: The company benefits from a growing experience economy, leading to increased ticket revenue, high-margin site fees, and premium hospitality opportunities [4][5] - **Media Rights Deals**: TKO has secured new media deals worth approximately $15 billion, with an average annual value (AAV) of $2 billion, enhancing revenue predictability and visibility [5][15] Financial Performance and Projections - **Profit Margins**: Both WWE and UFC operate at around 50% profit margins, with expectations for margin accretion from new media deals [5][52] - **Revenue Goals**: TKO aims to reach $1.2 billion in assets and partnerships by 2030, exceeding the previous target of $1 billion [41][52] - **Free Cash Flow**: The company targets a 60% free cash flow conversion on a normalized basis, with expectations for margin expansion to over 35% [52] Strategic Partnerships and Growth Opportunities - **UFC's New Media Partner**: The partnership with Paramount Skydance is expected to enhance UFC's visibility and audience engagement, moving away from the previous pay-per-view model [12][15] - **International Expansion**: TKO sees significant opportunities for monetization outside the U.S., particularly in regions like Australia, MENA, LATAM, Europe, and China [18][19] - **Zuffa Boxing**: Plans to create a boxing promotion similar to UFC, focusing on a stable of fighters and high-profile events, with a management fee structure to minimize risk [22][24] Upcoming Events and Marketing Strategies - **Major Events**: A significant event is planned at the White House, expected to enhance brand visibility and engagement, although no ticket sales will occur [20][21] - **Live Events Demand**: Strong consumer demand for live events is noted, with increased interest from municipalities to host UFC and WWE events [48] Marketing and Sponsorships - **Partnerships and Marketing**: The company has rebranded its sponsorship revenue line to partnerships and marketing, with a strong pipeline of new deals expected [38][40] - **Recent Deals**: Notable partnerships include agreements with DoorDash and Polymarket, contributing to a projected revenue of $450 million for the year [40] Capital Allocation and Shareholder Returns - **Shareholder Returns**: TKO has doubled its dividend and is actively engaged in a share repurchase program, emphasizing a commitment to returning capital to shareholders [54][55] - **M&A Strategy**: The company is not actively seeking acquisitions but remains open to exploring opportunities as they arise [54] Conclusion - TKO Group Holdings is positioned for significant growth through strategic media partnerships, international expansion, and the launch of new ventures like Zuffa Boxing. The focus remains on executing existing deals and enhancing shareholder value through prudent capital allocation and strong revenue growth strategies.

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Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company generated revenue of $1.12 billion in Q3 2025, with adjusted EBITDA of $360 million and an adjusted EBITDA margin of 32% [13][14] - Year-over-year revenue decreased by 27%, while adjusted EBITDA increased by 59%, and adjusted EBITDA margin improved from 15% in the prior year period [14] - Free cash flow for the quarter was $399 million, with a conversion rate of adjusted EBITDA at 111% [23][24] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - UFC segment revenue was $325 million, a decrease of 8%, with adjusted EBITDA of $166 million, down 15% [15][16] - WWE segment revenue increased by 23% to $402 million, with adjusted EBITDA rising by 19% to $208 million [17][18] - IMG segment revenue decreased by 59% to $337 million, but adjusted EBITDA improved significantly from -$7 million to $61 million [20][21] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - UFC's media rights production and content revenue decreased by 7% to $201 million, while WWE's media rights production and content revenue increased by 9% to $249 million [15][18] - WWE's live events revenue increased by 61% to $83 million, driven by higher ticket sales and site fee revenue [17] - The company secured significant media rights agreements, including a seven-year, $7.7 billion deal with Paramount for UFC and a five-year partnership with ESPN for WWE [5][7] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on maximizing shareholder value, preparing for UFC's Paramount debut, and launching Zuffa Boxing in 2026 [11][30] - Strategic priorities include sustaining strong performance across all businesses, capitalizing on new growth opportunities, and enhancing global partnerships [11][30] - The company aims to achieve $450 million in high-margin partnership revenue by 2025 and targets $1 billion in total company partnership revenue by around 2030 [31] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed optimism about the company's momentum, citing strong demand for premium sports content and experiences [5][11] - The company raised its full-year 2025 guidance for revenue to $4.69 billion-$4.72 billion and adjusted EBITDA to $1.57 billion-$1.58 billion [26] - Management highlighted the importance of site fees and global partnerships as significant revenue drivers for 2026 and beyond [30][66] Other Important Information - The company announced a 100% increase in its quarterly cash dividend program, with a payment of approximately $150 million made under the new program [24] - A $1 billion stock buyback program was launched, with an ASR agreement to repurchase $800 million of Class A Common Stock [24][25] Q&A Session Summary Question: Discussion on UFC media rights and international opportunities - Management emphasized the importance of execution and operational expansion, focusing on maximizing media rights opportunities internationally [37][39] Question: WWE live events revenue growth - Management noted that both premium live events and weekly events contributed to revenue growth, with high capacity and appropriate pricing strategies [40][41] Question: Distribution model with Paramount and pay-per-view model - Management clarified that while some markets still utilize pay-per-view, the focus is on expanding distribution through subscription models [46] Question: Incremental flow-through margin percentage and fighter pay structure - Management indicated that the new media rights deal would be margin accretive, with plans for increased fighter pay in line with historical margins [48][49] Question: Opportunities in boxing and potential for larger investments - Management expressed a strong appetite for boxing, focusing on super fights and the Zuffa Boxing league, while remaining cautious about distractions from core operations [52][56] Question: Site fees as a revenue driver - Management highlighted the potential for significant revenue from site fees, particularly with upcoming events in Saudi Arabia and ongoing discussions with various municipalities [64][66]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company generated revenue of $1.12 billion in Q3 2025, with adjusted EBITDA of $360 million, reflecting a 59% increase year-over-year [13][14] - Adjusted EBITDA margin improved to 32%, up from 15% in the prior year period [14] - Reported revenue decreased by 27% year-over-year, primarily due to the impact of the 2024 Paris Olympics [14] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - UFC segment revenue was $325 million, down 8%, with adjusted EBITDA of $166 million, a decrease of 15% [15][16] - WWE segment revenue increased by 23% to $402 million, with adjusted EBITDA rising 19% to $208 million [16][17] - IMG segment revenue decreased by 59% to $337 million, but adjusted EBITDA increased significantly to $61 million from a negative $55 million [20][21] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - UFC's media rights production and content revenue decreased by 7% to $201 million, while WWE's media rights production and content revenue increased by 9% to $249 million [15][18] - Live events and hospitality revenue for UFC decreased by 15% to $44 million, while WWE's live events revenue surged by 61% to $83 million [16][17] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on maximizing shareholder value, preparing for UFC's Paramount debut, and expanding WWE's presence on ESPN [11][12] - Significant media rights agreements have been secured, providing a high-margin, contractual revenue stream with annual escalators [12][30] - The company aims to achieve $450 million in high-margin partnership revenue by 2025 and targets $1 billion in total company partnership revenue by around 2030 [31] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed optimism about the company's momentum and the strong demand for premium sports content [5][11] - The outlook for Q4 2025 is positive, with expectations of strong financial performance driven by increased events and new media rights agreements [26][29] - The company is preparing for a significant step-up in financials in 2026 due to new media rights deals and increased site fees [30][31] Other Important Information - The company announced a 100% increase in its quarterly cash dividend program, with the first payment of approximately $150 million made on September 30 [24] - A $1 billion stock buyback program was launched, with an ASR agreement to repurchase $800 million of Class A Common Stock [24][25] Q&A Session Summary Question: Why was Paramount chosen as the partner for LATAM and Australia? - Management highlighted the strong brand alignment and marketing plan offered by Paramount, which provided the best rights fee and overall value for the company [36][39] Question: What is the outlook for WWE live events revenue? - Management indicated that both premium live events and weekly events are contributing to revenue growth, with increased ticket prices and capacity [40][42] Question: What is the distribution model with Paramount? - The company plans to sell a significant amount of content to distributors, focusing on maximizing monetization opportunities internationally [45][46] Question: What are the expectations for fighter pay in the UFC? - Management confirmed that there will be an increase in fighter pay, aligning with the margins maintained over the years [49][50] Question: Are there plans for more boxing events beyond the current joint venture? - Management expressed a strong appetite for boxing, with plans for multiple super fights and leveraging Zuffa Boxing to enhance revenue opportunities [53][56] Question: How significant will site fees be in 2026? - Management indicated that site fees will be a major revenue driver, with ongoing discussions for multiple events globally [65][68]

Core Insights - TKO Group Holdings is benefiting from media rights deals, additional UFC and WWE events, and rising site fees, supporting its growth outlook [1] - BTIG has named TKO Group a Top Pick, maintaining a Buy rating with a price forecast of $235, based on a sum-of-the-parts EV/EBITDA model [2] Financial Performance - UFC gate receipts in Q3 2025 totaled approximately $31 million across ten fights, down from $40 million year-over-year, aligning with expectations due to tough comparisons [3] - Premium numbered events generated $8–$11 million each, while fight night events averaged $2-$3 million, with average ticket prices ranging from $130 to $275 [4] - TKO's first major boxing event, Canelo vs. Crawford, generated around $47 million in gate receipts with an average ticket price of $670, attracting 41.4 million global livestream viewers [5] Media Rights and Revenue - TKO signed a long-term media rights deal with Paramount Skydance to stream 12 annual Zuffa Boxing events starting January 2026, following a $7.7 billion deal for UFC's U.S. domestic rights [6] - UFC's core unit economics estimate a net profit of approximately $35 million per fight in 2025, with media rights accounting for about 60% of event revenue [7] - Partnerships and marketing contribute around $7 million per fight, with live events generating about $6 million; potential upside in partnership revenue could rise 25% year-over-year in 2025 [8] Growth Projections - BTIG projects UFC revenue growth of 25-37% in 2026, with EBITDA margins between 57% and 60.5%, alongside growth in WWE and IMG segments [9] - Fiscal 2025 revenue is projected at $4.69 billion, increasing to $6.01 billion in fiscal 2026, with adjusted EBITDA expected to rise from $1.56 billion to $2.30 billion [10] Market Position - TKO remains the leading combat sports entertainment platform with strong pricing power and industry-leading margins, supported by a loyal fan base [11]

Are you going to take the option to opt out of your current media rights deals in 2029. And will you use that opportunity to make more bigger deals with streamers. The the reality is we really went a long ways to put that into our contracts uh in the last agreement and I think having the ability to do that, having the option to do that, I think will be valuable for us.But we haven't made any decision on that. We have we have great partners. Uh we have some change in some of our partners including with CBS.U ...