CNBC Lists Potential Buyers Should WWE Go Up For Sale
The first week in 2023 has been a turbulent one for WWE. Turns out the reports that Vince McMahon had been trying to force his way back into the company at the tail end of 2022 were true. The letters between the former chairman and WWE were shared, McMahon's intentions to get back on the board of directors were confirmed, and within 24 hours, he was back, fellow former board members George Barrios and Michelle Wilson in tow.
Is WWE Up For Sale?
There appear to be two areas McMahon has used for leverage to get his spot back as the executive of WWE's board. Threatening to block new deals for media rights, since he is still the majority shareholder, and claiming he needs to be in place for a potential sale of the company. That second point has got many thinking McMahon has returned to oversee an imminent sale of WWE.
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WWE is obviously a massive company. So big that there aren't many corporations in the same arena that would be able to afford to take it on. While no company has officially declared any interest, at least not publicly, CNBC has compiled a list of potential suitors. Billion-dollar corporations in the entertainment and streaming industry that might buy up McMahon's WWE and add the sizable piece to their massive empires.
Warner Bros, Amazon, Comcast, And More
CNBC's list of potential buyers is just eight companies long. Perhaps the most interesting company on the list is Warner Bros. Discovery. WBD currently holds the TV rights for AEW. While it's unlikely it would pick up WWE while in business with AEW, the deal between the two is up for renewal this year. On the streaming side of things, all the heavy hitters are there. Amazon is the only major player with a lot of experience showing live sport, so seems the most likely of that group to try and pick up WWE.
Also likely if WWE goes up for sale are the networks that have been showing WWE programming for years already. Fox paid more than $1 billion to show SmackDown for five years, and Comcast would be a frontrunner too. The parent company of NBCUniversal and Peacock, the platform where you can currently watch the WWE Network in the US. This all hinges on WWE actually being sold, of course, but the likelihood of that becomes more and more likely with every passing day.
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