TKO Group Holdings CEO Ari Emanuel experienced a substantial reduction in his total compensation for 2024, though his earnings still amounted to $18.1 million.
According to an SEC proxy filing released on Friday by TKO, the parent company of UFC and WWE, details of key executive compensation packages were revealed, including those for Emanuel and TKO president and COO Mark Shapiro.
Emanuel`s total compensation for 2024, comprising a $3 million base salary and various bonuses, totaled $18.1 million. This represents a significant drop from his 2023 earnings of $64.9 million. The large disparity was primarily due to stock awards and performance bonuses related to specific transactions received in 2023, such as a $20 million bonus solely from the UFC.
His 2024 earnings consisted of his base salary, an annual financial performance bonus of just over $8.2 million, a qualitative discretionary bonus of $4.29 million, and an annual equity award of $2.5 million.
Despite the decrease in 2024, Emanuel has received substantial payouts from other ventures. This includes $173.8 million from Endeavor (the talent agency and entertainment conglomerate, and TKO`s largest shareholder) when it recently went private. He also earned $308 million in 2021, largely through stock awards, for leading Endeavor`s initial public offering.
Meanwhile, TKO President Mark Shapiro saw his compensation nearly double between 2023 and 2024.
Shapiro`s earnings surged from $16.1 million in 2023 to $32 million in 2024. The primary driver of this significant increase was stock awards exceeding $19 million in value. His 2024 package also included a $4 million base salary and $8.2 million in non-stock bonuses.
In other executive compensation news, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who joined the TKO board (having been represented by Endeavor and a longtime WWE figure), received over $29 million in stock awards in 2024.
