Stephanie McMahon, Nick Khan and other notable WWE executives took time to flex about their broad distribution in front of advertisers before WWE Survivor Series on 11/21. Joe Otterson of Variety covered the advertising upfronts in which WWE touted what they have accomplished over the course of 2021.
“We have massive reach and broad distribution available in over 900 million homes, 180 countries, 28 languages, and — in a non-pandemic era — over 500 live events [per year],” said Stephanie McMahon, WWE’s chief brand officer. “That gives us the opportunity to engage with your brand globally, nationally, or locally.”
“Nine out of the top 15 most followed female athletes in the world across all social platforms are WWE superstars,” she said. “We are the number one most followed sports brand on TikTok…We are the number one sports channel on YouTube and the sixth most viewed channel on YouTube all around the world.”
“We have a young, diverse fanbase,” she continued. “Over 75% of our fans are in that sweet spot, 18-49. 40% of our audience is women and we over index with both African-American and Hispanic audiences.”
Nick Khan also made note of the five stadium events that WWE has on slate for 2022.
“For the first time ever in 2022 we’re going to do five nights at stadiums,” he said. “Typically Royal Rumble and WrestleMania have been stadium events. We saw a gap in the marketplace where we can do more.”
Khan also discussed rights fees for major sports programming, such as the NFL, NHL, and Premier League soccer. The NFL is of course the leader, with the rights now worth $10 billion in the most recent 11 year deal. With the NHL, Khan pointed out that a decade ago the hockey league commanded approximately $200 million per year, whereas now it is worth $625 million a year. Khan then posited that the English Premiere League/NBC deal is worth $460 million and not the reported $450 million.
“You’re seeing these numbers continue to go up,” he said. “You’re seeing them go up for properties whose ratings are up, for properties whose ratings are stable, and even for properties whose ratings are down.”
One of the things that sets WWE apart, Khan said, is the fact that the company’s programming is on 52 weeks a year unlike traditional sports leagues.
“There’s no other sports-like programming that goes like that,” he said. “And for our sponsors, it allows you to stay present in the minds of the fans long beyond the end of the NFL season.”
