TKO CFO Details WrestleMania 43 Saudi Arabia Deal

WrestleMania 43 will mark the first time the event travels outside North America as it heads to Saudi Arabia in April 2027. During the TKO third-quarter financials call, CFO Andrew Schleimer provided details on the agreement with Saudi partners. Schleimer stated there are no KPIs tied to visitation in the deal and that the partners retain the box office.

He explained that the company still benefits financially and has already received half of its fee regardless of attendance or demographics. Schleimer noted the event was legislated into the ESPN deal as a US prime time WrestleMania PLE and that media value remains strong for existing partners with exposure equivalent to a regular PLE.

He added that the event may start slightly earlier than typical PLEs but presents no issues on the partnership side and that local partnerships will be sold with revenue shared. TKO Group Holdings President Mark Shapiro addressed questions about potential cancellation or relocation risks amid Middle East conflicts during the same earnings call Q&A.

Shapiro described the financial risk as extremely minimal since payments have been received and any missed event would be rescheduled later. He pointed to a flawless record of staging Middle East events this year with three remaining including the November 7 Crown Jewel and stated they are proceeding as if all will occur without interruption.