Chief Operating Officer, President & Director, Tko Holdings
Search every verified Mark Shapiro interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Mark Shapiro, President and COO of TKO, participated in two public events in mid-2026. At a Wall Street Journal Sports event on July 16, Shapiro discussed TKO's role in live entertainment. He described attending the New York Knicks' 29-point comeback in Game 4 of the NBA playoffs as a memorable live sports experience. Shapiro stated that TKO's event at the White House for the nation's 250th birthday was a "one and done," calling it a "smash" but adding that the company would not repeat it because it was expensive and they were "first mover." He also said that increased discretionary time from AI would strengthen demand for live events, asserting that "sports is at the epicenter" of physical aggregation. At a Meridian International Center event on June 18 focused on sports diplomacy, Shapiro said that sports and entertainment provide a "shared cultural language" that allows people to "get away" and "connect." He described TKO's strategy of using AI and social chatter to identify local interest before bringing events to a city, adding that the goal is to "drive economic impact" for hotels, arenas, and restaurants. Shapiro stated that TKO's approach is not about politics, but about business opportunities. He also noted that sports benefit from simplicity, using the example of mixed martial arts where "one is going to get knocked out or submit and the other is not."
“But like there is no ceiling and just up and down the line name your sport, right? It's for all the reasons we've talked about viewership, sponsorship, marketing, countries that are looking for economic impact, so they're willing to pay or give financial incentive packages to bring your circus to town. There's just no...”
“But what it will do is it will increase discretionary time. And in increasing discretionary time that will increase solo digital consumption, individual consumption. And you know what that does after a while? That will strengthen the demand for physical aggregation. People, audiences, fans, consumers, they will crave p...”
“Sports and entertainment have never been more important, right? What do we have? We have political division, right? We have constant stress. We have information overload. And sports and entertainment provide a shared cultural language, a language which allows us to get away, to connect with people, and to sustain emoti...”
“We'll use AI, we'll use social chatter, right? We'll use writers that we have on the ground. Where are we popping? Like where are we seeing interest? Where are we seeing followings? Especially sports is very provincial. So where you have local storylines or local heroes, we'll tap into that and as that following starts...”
“It's about bringing you events and matchups that will drive economic impact and we do that in spades whether it's hotels or it's fans coming out to the arenas or your restaurants being full like that's really the name of the game and then at the end of the day everybody wins.”
“This isn't about politics. Enough of that. We get enough of that. To Brian's point, we're red. We're blue. You're in the center. Whatever it is, we're not here to talk about policy and politics. We're here because we're fortunate enough that the president of the United States has decided, you know what? It's our 250th...”
“The fact of the matter is between the six biggest spenders globally... $126 billion in content will have been spent in 2024, which is up 300 basis points from last year and expected to grow another 9% next year. So, content spend from the Netflix and the Amazons and the Disneys and the Warner Bros. and the Googles, it'...”
“Sports used to be an 'Oh, by the way, Oh, something on the weekend.' Now it's leading the way. Sure, there are a lot of scripted series. Sure, there are a lot of docs and features and films that are out there. Sure, the movie business is coming back and folks are investing in all kinds of different windows, but sports...”
“I think the big guys are all around. They're all still hanging around the hoop... or leading the way. Disney, Amazon, Netflix, Google, Warner Bros., Comcast. Paramount/CBS is there too, and maybe there's a Warner Bros. play. Who knows what happens? Right? There's all kinds of different scenarios out there, and I would...”
“We've got $15 billion in the aggregate of all of our properties in terms of media rights deals wrapped up for the next 5 to 7 years. So, PBR, CBS and Paramount Plus, WWE's Netflix and ESPN. Obviously, much hay has been made about our UFC deal, 7 years, almost $8 billion with Paramount Plus and CBS and so on and so fort...”
“I took this job to be CEO of a flailing Six Flags, like on the verge of bankruptcy. And the cable guy, back in the days of cable, came to fix something at my house and said to my wife, 'Did I read your husband's leaving ESPN Six Flags? Like, that it's in the toilet. How How could that be?' Look, I love startups, but I...”
“We're not losing anything. What this is going to bring to the UFC from an awareness standpoint, from a sampling standpoint, from just a priority standpoint, moving us up on the ladder of mainstream sports and entertainment, the global coverage we're going to have from just all the news outlets that are going to be cove...”
“Reflecting our conviction in TKO and its long-term value, we've announced an incremental $1 billion share repurchase authorization, complementing the existing program, which we expect will be largely complete in the near term.”
“Our partners in Saudi Arabia have confirmed that will not be the case with TKO. Their commitment to our properties in 2026 and beyond is unwavering. As such, after these two events, we expect the remainder of our 2026 slate in the Middle East comprised of six events inclusive of UFC, WWE, and Zufa boxing to take place...”
“We're not concerned about the ticket performance whatsoever as it was unrealistic to expect year 2 growth in Las Vegas. And even with that, WrestleMania 42 was still one of the highest gates in WWE history and easily outperformed anywhere else we could have staged it.”
TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro sits down with WSJ's Jason Gay to discuss how TKO is reshaping live entertainment and ...
The New Power Play was a timely program highlighting how sport is shaping modern diplomacy—connecting nations, inspiring fans, and strengthening America’s global influence. Speakers: Brian Rolapp, CEO, PGA Tour Mark Shapiro, President and Chief Operating Officer, TKO & President and Managing Partner, WME Group John Ourand, Sports Correspondent, Puck (Moderator) The Honorable David Bohigian, CEO, Meridian International Center (Introduction)
Conversations with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, ESPN NFL Analyst Mina Kimes, TKO Group President and COO Mark ...He's the president of talent powerhouse Endeavor and COO of TKO Group. Mark Shapiro is at the center of the sports business ...
#wwe #ufc #tko #sportsbusiness TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro has helped oversee one of the biggest transformations in sports and entertainment. In this episode of Power Players, Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi sits down with Shapiro to talk about the explosive growth of WWE, UFC, PBR, live events, sports media rights, and the future of fan experiences. #wrestling #mma #business #espn #leadership Chapters 00:00 Mark Shapiro’s career journey begins 02:44 Working with Bob Costas and ESPN 06:19 How to build a career in media today 13:32 Where great business ideas come from 18:2…
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President and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays, Mark Shapiro, joins Steve at the Rogers Centre, perched atop the dugout, to discuss last year’s World Series, the heartbreak of game 7, chasing excellence instead of outcomes, his father, Ron Shapiro, and if he thought he’d be with the Blue Jays this long. They also discuss why the election of Trump has made him happier to be in Canada, geopolitics, rising antisemitism in Canada, his Jewish identity, the expiring CBA, the prospect of a salary cap in baseball, and the impending negotiations.
Mark Shapiro, CEO and president of the Toronto Blue Jay’s, joins BNN Bloomberg to talk about the team’s future and what lessons were learned from the 2025 season. Subscribe to BNN Bloomberg to watch more videos: / bnnbloomberg Connect with BNN Bloomberg: For the latest news visit: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca For a full video offering visit BNN Bloomberg: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/video BNN Bloomberg on Twitter: / bnnbloomberg BNN Bloomberg on LinkedIn: / bnn-bloomberg -- BNN Bloomberg is Canada’s only TV service devoted exclusively to business, finance and the markets. #BNN…
TKO President Mark Shapiro confirms they have full control over WWE creative and explains why celebrity involvement with ...
Is the sports rights market a bubble waiting to pop? TKO Sports' Mark Shapiro says 'No'. With $126B spent on content in 2024 and Netflix/Amazon and another 9% growth expected between 2025/2026.
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