Dana White Spins TKO Earnings Despite $30M White House Loss
TKO Group Holdings disclosed Monday that UFC's White House card cost the promotion roughly $30 million in net losses, a figure that came despite sold-out global partnership inventory and what executives described as unprecedented exposure.
Chief financial officer Andrew Schleimer told investors event costs ran significantly higher than normal, with total outlays hitting an estimated $60 million. The UFC built a custom Octagon, paid multiple champions, and reportedly spent close to $1 million on grass repairs at the venue, per MMA Mania. Unlike typical UFC events, the Freedom 250 card sold no tickets — instead distributing them to Trump administration members and active servicemen — which eliminated the site fees and gate revenue the promotion usually banks.
TKO Executives Defend White House Event ROI
Mark Shapiro, TKO's president and chief operating officer, argued the juice was worth the squeeze. He claimed the card generated over $1 billion in earned media value and called it the kind of visibility only a handful of events in the world can achieve. "It also deepened our commercial relationships, adding 25 new marketing partners to our roster — many signing multi-year or multi-event deals," Shapiro said, according to The Hill.
Live event revenue for TKO's second quarter dropped to $47.8 million from $58.5 million a year earlier, partly due to the White House shortfall. But overall net revenue climbed 10 percent year-over-year, adding roughly $30 million, thanks in large part to the promotion's Paramount streaming deal.
TKO's next earnings call is scheduled for November, when the company will report third-quarter results that include multiple pay-per-view events.
Original reporting:
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