TKO President Calls Bob Iger A Sports Freak, Hopes UFC Stays With Disney/ESPN – “They’ve Shown That They Do It Best”
deadline.comWith the UFC’s ESPN deal set to expire, TKO president-COO and former ESPN executive Market Shapiro says the mixed martial arts league led by Dana White wants to ink a renewal with Disney during a three-month negotiating window from Jan.
15 to April 15. No formal conversations have started but “it is our intention to re-sign with ESPN and Disney because they they’ve shown that they do it best.
They understand synergy. They understand marketing. They do a great job technologically, with developing their platforms, engaging their consumers.
And of course, ESPN flagship, which is their direct to consumer, is on the way. So we’re anxious to see what that’s all about and where we can fit in there,” he told investors at a Goldman Sachs media conference. “I would also tell you that, you know, it’s rare when you have a CEO of a major media company that gets so granularly involved on all levels of content.
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