• Loading stock data...
Friday, May 9, 2025
Join us May 14 at 1 p.m. ET for Future of Sports: Leagues of Their Own Register Now

Endeavor’s Move to Go Private Will Form a New Media Company

  • Silver Lake is set to provide $250 million in seed equity in the separate venture.
  • Senior company leaders are receiving a series of lucrative compensation awards.
NYSE

Endeavor’s move to become a private company is additionally creating a new media entity, in part targeting the sports industry, that will be run by one of the company’s key leaders.

Patrick Whitesell, Endeavor executive chairman, will be starting and leading a separate company that will receive $250 million in seed equity from Silver Lake, the private equity giant that is leading the Endeavor privatization. The business, according to a filing made Wednesday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, is “(a) investing in and providing services to companies in the entertainment, media and sports industries, (b) developing, producing, financing and exploiting film, television and digital audio visual content, (c) talent management and (d) consulting with other entertainment companies.”

Whitesell will retain his role with Endeavor, and particularly the WME agency it controls, while also leading this new venture. But the filing provides a further window into the lengths that Endeavor and its key leaders are going to create additional value in and around the company, as well as additional terms of the Silver Lake deal. A lack of full recognition from investors in what Endeavor has built in recent years helped prompt the move to go private. 

Among the other elements contained in the latest Endeavor SEC filing:

  • CEO Ari Emanuel is set to receive a $25 million “asset sale bonus” as part of the deal and also will get quarterly royalty payments equal to 2.5% of quarterly net cash profits for WME. He will get a company plane, as well as reimbursement for costs related to usage of it. Additionally, Emanuel will receive a series of equity awards in the newly private Endeavor. 
  • Endeavor president and COO Mark Shapiro will see his base salary more than double from $3 million to $7 million, and he is also now eligible for a guaranteed annual bonus of $15 million for every year he is with the newly private company, as well as a bonus of up to $100 million upon completion of certain qualifying asset sales.
  • If Endeavor enters into a “superior proposal” than the Silver Lake deal, it will pay a breakup fee of $288.5 million. If Silver Lake fails to complete the agreement, it will pay a $705 million termination fee.

Endeavor is the majority owner of UFC and WWE parent TKO Group Holdings, and is also the corporate parent of assets such as IMG, On Location, and Professional Bull Riders.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Vince McMahon

Vince McMahon Could Have to Turn Over Hush Money Documents in Court

Suing shareholders want to know his “state of mind” during UFC merger.

Celtics-Knicks Game 3 Tickets Near Super Bowl Prices

Game 3 against the Celtics has resale ticket prices beginning around $700.

Stars’ $96M Rantanen Bet Paying Off Big at Other Teams’ Expense

Rantanen was traded by Colorado after not agreeing to a contract extension.

Reeling Cavs Have NBA’s Third-Most-Expensive Roster Next Season

Cleveland trails the Pacers, 2–0, in the conference semifinals.

Featured Today

Fat Perez reacts after hitting his shot on the 16th tee during the WHOOP Shot at Glory on the 16th hole at TPC in Scottsdale on Feb. 5, 2025.

Golf Influencers Are the New Currency for PGA Tour and LIV

YouTube golf is big business. The rival tours are staging formal events.
Feb 8, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson talks with New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11), forward Mikal Bridges (25), and guard Josh Hart (3) during a timeout in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden.
May 6, 2025

Before the Villanova Knicks, There Were the Kentucky Celtics

Three decades ago, Boston tried its own version of the college-teammate experiment.
Mar 22, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Joao Fonseca (BRZ) reacts after winning a point against Ugo Humbert (FRA)(not pictured) on day five of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.
May 6, 2025

João Fonseca Is a Teen Tennis Phenom. His Parents Are Overseeing His..

The Brazilian is forgoing a management team in favor of his parents.
Athlos
May 4, 2025

Nike Wants to Pull Off the First Women’s Sub-4:00 Mile

Experts speak on whether Nike’s “moonshot” is realistic or a gimmick.

Caitlin Clark Is Still Must-See TV, Even in the WNBA Preseason

Indiana will have 41 regular-season games nationally televised or streamed.
May 4, 2025

Kentucky Derby Sets Ratings, Betting Records Despite Attendance Dip

The crowd of 147,406 at Churchill Downs was down 6% from last year.
May 5, 2025

NBA Misses a Dynasty Duel—but Gains a Star-Making Moment

The Warriors defeated the Rockets in seven games.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Portfolio Players is our bi-weekly spotlight on the athletes and investors reshaping the business of sports. This week, venture capitalist Kai Cunningham unpacks why athletes land top deals and how the usual investing rules don’t always apply.
Fubo-TV
May 2, 2025

Fubo Loses Subscribers; Focused on Disney Deal Despite Antitrust Probe

The streaming company plans to debut its planned sports bundle this fall.
Jan 9, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; ESPN president John Skipper during the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Clemson Tigers at Raymond James Stadium.
exclusive
May 2, 2025

Former ESPN President John Skipper Leaving Meadowlark Media

Skipper co-founded the company with host Dan Le Batard in 2021.
May 1, 2025

Formula One Courts Bidders As ESPN Exclusivity Laps Out

The motorsports property is in the final year of its ESPN deal.
May 1, 2025

How Larry Collmus Became the Longest-Running Kentucky Derby Caller

Collmus will call his 15th straight Derby on NBC.