TKO president floats UFC on TNT, HBO if Paramount wins Warner Bros. Discovery
"I like a world in which we could potentially live on HBO."
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Mark Shapiro blasts ESPN’s ‘abysmal’ gambling coverage as ‘bad programming”
Mark Shapiro ‘not interested’ in replacing Bob Iger as Disney CEO
"I love what I do and I love the people around me, and I wouldn't want to leave that at this point in my life."
TKO president Mark Shapiro reveals why Netflix didn’t land UFC rights
"That's what opened the door for Paramount and CBS."
Mark Shapiro: Zuffa Boxing media rights deal announcement expected in next 2-3 weeks
Mark Shapiro says Zuffa will sell 12-16 fights per year, while also maintaining the ability to sell super fights separately.
Former ESPN CEO: TKO president Mark Shapiro would ‘be a great CEO for Disney’
Current Disney CEO Bob Iger is set to retire after his contract expires in 2026.
TKO president: CBS ‘likely’ to simulcast all numbered UFC events
"It was important to us to have CBS play a big component in this."
TKO’s Mark Shapiro: WWE chose ESPN exposure over more money elsewhere
"Ultimately, we're sitting here with a five-year deal, annual escalators, high-margin revenue stream with attractive visibility and stability."
Mark Shapiro recalls meeting ‘genius’ Howie Schwab and launching ‘Stump the Schwab’
"He's going on and on and on, and I just realized, it kind of hit me, this guy, he's a genius. Like, he's a savant."
UFC, ESPN reportedly ‘motivated’ to continue partnership
Amazon and Netflix are expected to take meetings with the MMA promotion as well.
MLB exec Mark Shapiro still frustrated by ‘Moneyball’ portrayal
"How come Brad Pitt played Billy Beane, and you got Reed Diamond playing you?"
Former ESPN exec recalls Max Kellerman’s ‘Around the Horn’ departure: ‘He wanted too much money!’
"I don’t know if at the time he... thought ultimately we’d cave and he was too integral to the success of the show, but we didn’t believe that was the case."
Prior to launch, ESPN sales team thought ‘Around the Horn’ would ‘never do ratings’
"All the sales guys were telling us, 'It's gonna hurt SportsCenter. We can't sell it. It'll never do ratings. It'll never hit critical mass.'"
Stephen A. Smith’s agent says he will not run for president
"He's going to continue to entertain those conversations, but he will not run for president."
TKO’s Mark Shapiro: UFC’s future on pay-per-view is ‘flexible’
"Life has changed on the pay-per-view front."
TKO nearing partnership with Saudi Arabia for boxing promotion
"It’s the right strategic place for us to be."
WWE no longer interested in legalizing betting on matches
"It just doesn't jive."
TKO’s Mark Shapiro: UFC could have multiple partners in next media rights deal
"I mean, there's a lot of options here, we're going to explore all of them."
Former ESPN exec Mark Shapiro reveals Mike Lupica turned down ‘PTI’
"Mike was not interested in doing a daily show."
Former ESPN exec Mark Shapiro reveals pursuit of Troy Aikman to replace John Madden for ‘Monday Night Football’
"What went wrong is, I couldn't close the deal with Aikman."
TKO President Mark Shapiro: Sports rights are ‘as hot as I’ve seen’
"But it is about timing."
Endeavor’s Mark Shapiro: ESPN-Fox-WBD streaming bundle ‘a big nothing’
"You're going to be missing a lot of stuff that's on NBC and CBS. So why would I get it?"
Endeavor president Mark Shapiro: UFC is now one of the four major sports
"UFC is now not only mainstream, it's one of the four majors."
TKO exec: WWE could wait until night before current ‘Raw’ deal expires to make new TV deal
"We can be flexible, we can be patient. Our job is to maximize the rights value of Raw."
