UFC Parent Hits $1.6B In Quarterly Revenue

TKO, the parent company of UFC and WWE, increased its net income to $249.8M as all three of its main brands saw growth.

UFC revenue reached $401.2M thanks to a new Paramount distribution deal, while WWE hit $475.7M from a surge in live event income.

Sports agency IMG led total earnings with $655.4M, driven largely by successful hospitality ticket sales for the Winter Olympics in Italy.

Court documents show the university invested $20M early in artificial intelligence maker OpenAI, and that specific stake has grown to a massive $2B.

Up to $500M may fund student-athlete pay programs, giving the school a massive recruiting edge over rivals who usually spend around $25M annually.

This partnership also helped secure a massive $7B data center project from OpenAI and software firm Oracle, creating thousands of local tech jobs.

US sports betting giant DraftKings saw quarterly revenue jump 17% to $1.64B because it improved its profit margins on customer wagers.

Monthly active players dropped slightly to 4.2M, but the company generated 21% more cash per user by focusing on higher-spending accounts.

The firm maintained its $6.9B annual revenue goal and is building new prediction-style games to fend off rival gaming platforms.

The parent company of the New York Knicks and Rangers reported $432.2M in revenue, but disappointed investors with an unexpected financial loss.

Operating profits dropped to $2M because the teams played fewer home games, even though per-game fan spending and media rights increased.

The company might split the two teams into separate businesses to better highlight their combined $13.5B value to Wall Street investors.

Sky Italia, the broadcaster, claims a 2021 pact between phone giant TIM and streamer DAZN illegally locked it out of Serie A soccer rights.

Italy's antitrust regulator already ruled the deal anti-competitive, finding TIM secretly bankrolled DAZN's $2.9B winning bid in exchange for preferential access.

Sky wants $1.3B for lost profits, rising to $2.2B with interest and brand damage; court hearings begin late 2026.

Streaming giant Netflix will acquire 3 NFL games, expanding its sports lineup beyond its existing holiday broadcasts.

Online video platform YouTube walked away from a proposed agreement to split the 5-game media package.

The pro football league is shopping the 2 leftover games to traditional TV networks to avoid paid streaming backlash.

Indian media giant JioStar rejected FIFA's $100M asking price, offering just $20M because overnight games in the Americas will crush advertising revenue.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV ignored FIFA’s $250M demand, forcing the global soccer body to slash its asking price to $80M without success.

Accepting these low bids threatens the $5.3B in TV revenue FIFA expects and proves broadcasters will no longer overpay for the tournament.

Players can post longer videos and use more broadcast footage, doubling their post-event highlights from 60 minutes to 120 minutes per channel.

The league will claim YouTube ad revenue from competition clips, but players no longer have to surrender ownership of their personal channels.

V Sports, the investment group behind English soccer team Aston Villa, will add the French team to its global multi-club network.

The formal deal allows Aston Villa to send young players to France for development while upgrading Annecy's 15K-capacity stadium.

FC Annecy currently plays in France's second tier and is actively competing for a promotion to the country's top soccer league.

The agency is seeking a full sale for over $3B following reputational damage from its founder's past ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

The list of potential buyers dropped from over 100 to roughly six, including private equity firm Permira and rival United Talent Agency.

Several large investment firms had to exit the bidding process because owning both professional sports teams and athlete agencies creates conflicts.