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| SmackDown Jan 23, 2026: TKO Stock Jumps on WWE Revenue |
WWE Financial Surge: SmackDown Jan 23 Leads TKO Group to Record Gains
The global sports entertainment landscape witnessed a significant financial milestone following the WWE SmackDown event on January 23, 2026. As TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) continues to integrate its media assets, the latest blue-brand episode from the Bell Centre in Montreal has provided investors with a clear signal of the company's robust fiscal health.
Revenue Streams and Live Event Performance
According to the latest live attendance reports from WrestleTix, the January 23rd edition of SmackDown saw a distributed ticket count of 8,027, reflecting a strong international demand in the Canadian market. This performance aligns with TKO's revised revenue guidance for 2026, which targets a core business revenue between $3.005 billion and $3.75 billion.
The "Road to WrestleMania" tour, which officially kicked off this month, has already seen a 52% year-over-year increase in live event and hospitality revenue. Analysts attribute this growth to higher site fees and a strategic increase in ticket pricing models for premium markets like Montreal.
Media Rights and the Netflix Ecosystem
While SmackDown remains a staple on the USA Network in the domestic market, its financial synergy with the broader WWE ecosystem—now bolstered by the one-year anniversary of Monday Night Raw on Netflix—has created a "halo effect" on viewership.
Financial data indicates that WWE’s media rights, production, and content segment grew by 14%, reaching $252 million in the most recent quarter. The January 23rd broadcast capitalized on this momentum, featuring high-stakes matches including:
The Wyatt Sicks defeating The MFTs to capture the WWE Tag Team Championships.
Carmelo Hayes retaining the United States Championship against Ilja Dragunov.
Jade Cargill dominating in a non-title bout, maintaining her status as a top-tier commercial asset.
TKO Stock Performance and Investor Sentiment
As of late January 2026, TKO Group Holdings boasts a market capitalization exceeding $35 billion. Wall Street remains "overwhelmingly bullish," with nearly 85% of analysts maintaining a "Buy" or "Strong Buy" rating. The stock has surged over 95% in the last 12 months, currently trading near the $209 mark.
The company’s Adjusted EBITDA margin has improved to 50% (up from 44% last year), driven by reduced operational costs and the lucrative expansion of partnership and marketing revenue, which surged 86% to reach $26 million this period.
Future Economic Outlook
Looking ahead, TKO CFO Andrew Schleimer confirmed that the company is on track to hit $1 billion in total partnership revenue by 2030. The success of the January 23 SmackDown reinforces the strategy of leveraging "super-star" power—like Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes—to anchor televised content while expanding the digital footprint, which has already surpassed 5.8 billion impressions globally.
With three major Premium Live Events (PLEs) scheduled for Saudi Arabia in 2026 and a growing archival library on streaming platforms, the economic engine of WWE shows no signs of slowing down.
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