WWE Earnings 2021: News And Notes As WWE Grosses Over $1 Billion

WWE announced converse revenues of over $1 billion for the interval of its Q4 2021 and annual earnings on a February 3, 2022 conference name.

WWE Chairman and CEO, Vincent Okay. McMahon, President and Chief Earnings Officer, Gash Khan, Chief Ticket Officer, Stephanie McMahon, and Chief Monetary & Administrative Officer, Frank A. Riddick, were all announced to appear on the choice.

WWE company had no scarcity of headlines for the interval of a year where more than 80 WWE Superstars were released from their contracts in addition to steep entrance-place of job cuts because the promotion sought charge-reducing and profitability. WWE’s enterprise method since Gash Khan grew to alter into its Chief Earnings Officer has ended in ubiquitous speculation of a which you may imagine sale. Khan, who recently inked a world distribution tackle Disney, recently confirmed that WWE has taken calls about a doable sale, although he continues to exclaim the promotion is rarely any longer actively seeking a sale.

“If it once used to be a mom-and-pop shop, Vince indubitably didn’t mediate it used to be anymore,” Khan told John Ourand of the Sports actions Industry Journal.

“Section of what I mediate he used to be procuring for in bringing in anyone from the exterior used to be to be particular that the personnel at vast didn’t tackle it that system. We mediate we’re a global yell firm.”

Despite converse revenues and increased speculation of a sale, WWE’s half heed remains stagnant, closing at $47.81 on Wednesday. This used to be the lowest closing heed since December 22, 2021.

WWE Q4 2021 Highlights

• Earnings increased 30% to $310.3 million
• Operating earnings increased 131% to $83.6 million
• Adjusted Operating Earnings Sooner than Depreciation and Amortization (OIBDA) increased 90% to $97.2 million
• Returned capital to shareholders totaling $59.0 million, at the side of half repurchases and dividends paid

WWE Corpulent twelve months 2021 Highlights

• Earnings increased 12% to $1.095 billion, the very best within the Company’s historical past
• Operating earnings increased 24% to $259.0 million
• Adjusted OIBDA¹ increased 14% to a converse $327.1 million
• Launched WWE Community yell on Peacock, NBCU’s streaming provider within the U.S., providing an even bigger target audience and rising viewership for WWE’s top class are living reveals, authorized collection, and vast library

After transient opening remarks by Vince McMahon, WWE Chief Earnings Officer Gash Khan mentioned 2021 Peacock numbers when in contrast with pre-pandemic 2019 numbers on the WWE Community.

July’s Money within the Monetary institution viewership used to be 25% bigger than WWE Community in 2019. For August’s SummerSlam, Peacock viewership used to be over 30% bigger than SummerSlam in 2019. For September’s Grisly Principles, Peacock viewership used to be 20% bigger than 2019. For October 2021’s Crown Jewel, Peacock viewership used to be up 75% when in contrast with 2019. For Survivor Sequence, viewership on Peacock used to be nearly 25% bigger than 2019.

Royal Rumble’s viewership in 2022 used to be 45% bigger than the Royal Rumble on Peacock in 2020. The 2022 Royal Rumble in St. Louis drew the second-best gate in Royal Rumble historical past.

Khan mentioned 3.5 million Peacock subscribers beget watched the WWE product. Khan acknowledged WWE has a dozen scripted and unscripted yell sold, and WWE will scream these deals soon.

Khan announced WWE-branded lottery tickets and also announced WWE has expanded its partnership with Mattel, which has spanned the past decade.

Khan talked up the success of WWE Day 1, which no longer handiest used to be sold out nevertheless carried viewership 15% bigger than any other are living tournament in WWE historical past. He also mentioned WWE’s partnership with celebrities Infamous Bunny (whom Stephanie McMahon usually known as a “half-time WWE Considerable individual”) and Johnny Knoxville.

Khan described events, love the upcoming Elimination Chamber pay-per-mediate about in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as “key revenue drivers” for WWE, and WWE anticipates producing more international events within the long urge.

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Khan eminent vast rights deals from Paramount , Amazon, ESPN , Hulu and NBCU. Khan added that he feels it’s “stunning a matter of time” earlier than Netflix and Apple ink rights deals of their possess, and anticipates an accomplish bigger for WWE’s global media rights in light of the recent local weather.

Stephanie McMahon mentioned Sasha Banks’ appearance for the interval of the cool initiating of the Faculty Football Nationwide Championship, which used to be watched by more than 22 million of us. She also talked up Drew McIntyre’s appearance at the MTV European Song Awards and Real E’s appearance within the cool initiating of the heavyweight championship bout between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder. As effectively as, McMahon eminent Sami Zayn’s latest interactions with Johnny Knoxville, who recently regarded on “Jimmy Kimmel Dwell” to promote his appearance at the Royal Rumble.

Stephanie McMahon talked up WWE’s NIL program, and the diagram in which it is targeting athletes who even beget titanic TikTok followings. McMahon eminent 88% of WWE’s target audience identifies as gamers and plans to exercise its gaming partnerships to proceed to rob with its target audience.

WWE Chief Monetary and Administrative Officer Frank A. Riddick broke down WWE’s 2021 enterprise numbers and acknowledged WWE anticipates more converse revenues in 2022.

WWE Earnings Q&A Highlights

Curry Baker of Guggenheim Securities inquired about WWE’s monetization alternatives. Stephanie McMahon mentioned there’s no reason WWE shouldn’t be within the hundreds of hundreds and hundreds by system of quarterly revenue, and it plans to proceed monetizing its talent as influencers in addition to WWE IP.

A representative from Morgan Stanley requested whether or no longer or no longer WWE is exploring the Metaverse, and Stephanie McMahon spoke back by announcing WWE is “entirely” exploring the Metaverse by doing its due diligence and meeting with as many companions as they can. This used to be described as one thing WWE is actively desirous about and investigation.

A representative from Lightshed Companions requested about how WWE feels about a Raw renewal. Gash Khan acknowledged he feels as stunning about Raw’s TV rights as he felt about the WWE’s TV rights years ago forward of its landmark billion-greenback deals.