WWE revealed the company’s second-quarter results for 2023 on Wednesday afternoon.
Q2 Highlights include:
— WWE set a quarterly record in revenue, which was up 25% and came in at $410.3 million
— Operating income increased 26% to $87.3 million
— Raw and SmackDown viewership increased by 19% and 26%, respectively, in the P18-49 demographic, outperforming cable and broadcast, which both declined 12%
— Each WWE premium live event this quarter (WrestleMania, Backlash, and Night of Champions) scored global unique viewership records, up 29%, 34%, and 45% year-to-year, respectively
— Live event revenue increased 51% from the previous year period; North American Live Events averaged 9,870, an increase of 45% and a quarterly record
— Money in the Bank, held at The O2 in London this past July, was the highest-grossing arena event in company history
Highlights of the WWE/Endeavor transaction were also given:
— The new company will be named “TKO Group Holdings, Inc.”
— All required foreign regulatory approvals were obtained in the second quarter
— The transaction is expected to be finalized in the second half of 2023
You can view the press release below:
WWE® Reports Second Quarter 2023 Results
STAMFORD, Conn., August 1, 2023 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2023.
“We generated strong financial results in the quarter, highlighted by record quarterly revenue and Adjusted OIBDA. Operationally, we continue to effectively execute our strategy, including staging the most successful WrestleMania of all time in early April. WrestleMania, as well as our other premium live events such as Backlash, Night of Champions and Money in the Bank all delivered record viewership. Our weekly flagship programs, Raw, SmackDown and NXT, delivered strong double-digit growth in viewership, significantly outpacing overall industry performance,” said Nick Khan, WWE Chief Executive Officer. “Strategically, in early April, we entered into a historic agreement with Endeavor to combine WWE with UFC to create a one-of-a-kind global sports and entertainment company. We believe that bringing these two iconic and highly complementary brands together will allow us to create incremental value for our shareholders.”
Frank Riddick, WWE President & Chief Financial Officer, added “In the quarter, we exceeded the high end of our guidance. Adjusted OIBDA was $141 million on revenue of $410 million. Our financial performance was favorably impacted by a shift in the timing of the staging of a large-scale international event. Our results in the quarter also reflected strong consumer demand for our live events, which benefited performance across our various lines of business.”
Second-Quarter Consolidated Results
Revenue increased 25%, or $82.1 million, to $410.3 million, primarily due to the timing of the staging of a large-scale international event, an increase in revenue related to the media rights fees for the Company’s premium live events and flagship weekly programming, and higher live events revenue.
Operating income increased 26%, or $18.0 million, to $87.3 million, reflecting the increase in revenue partially offset by an increase in operating expenses. The increase in operating expenses primarily reflected an increase in content creation costs, including the timing of a large-scale international event, and the impact of certain costs related to the Company’s strategic alternatives review and recently announced agreement with Endeavor. (See the “WWE and Endeavor Transaction” discussion for further details.) The Company’s operating income margin increased to 22% from 21%.
Adjusted OIBDA increased 54%, or $49.2 million, to $140.7 million. The Company’s Adjusted OIBDA margin increased to 34% from 28%.
Net Income was $52.0 million, or $0.67 per diluted share, an increase from $49.0 million, or $0.58 per diluted share, primarily reflecting the increase in operating performance partially offset by an increase in the Company’s effective tax rate.
Cash flows generated by operating activities were $77.0 million, an increase from $56.9 million, primarily due to higher net income and lower working capital requirements.
Free Cash Flow3 was $31.1 million, an increase of $21.7 million from $9.4 million, primarily due to the increase in cash flows generated by operating activities. For the three months ended June 30, 2023, the Company incurred $31.7 million of capital expenditures related to its new headquarter facility. Excluding the capital expenditures related to the new headquarter facility, Free Cash Flow for the three months ended June 30, 2023 was $62.8 million.
Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $523.8 million as of June 30, 2023. The Company currently estimates debt capacity under its revolving line of credit of $200 million.
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