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UFC and WWE parent TKO Group Holdings has made an investment in EverPass Media, a distributor of live sports and entertainment programming to commercial businesses.
Along with the investment, TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro is joining the EverPass board of directors. The board also includes reps from other backers RedBird Capital and 32 Equity, the investment arm of the NFL.
Accompanying the TKO/Shapiro announcement was news of EverPass acquiring UPshow, an on-premise entertainment and performance marketing platform. As part of the integration of UPshow into EverPass, businesses will now have the option to stream NFL Sunday Ticket for the first time starting with the upcoming 2024 NFL season. EverPass and UPshow are currently partners for Peacock Sports Pass, a sports package offering commercial businesses access to select events from Peacock’s live sports portfolio, including Big Ten football and basketball, Premier League and the NFL’s first-ever regular-season game in Brazil.
Financial terms of the acquisition and TKO investment were not disclosed.
Founded in 2015 by Adam Hirsen and Matt Gibbs, UPshow provides on-premise entertainment and performance marketing for some 30,000 screens at hospitality, healthcare, automotive services and fitness locations across the U.S. Its platform encompasses an entertainment library of more than 500 ad-free channels, with live event streaming, hyper-local sports, breaking news, viral videos and second-screen engagement features.
“Just over a year ago we launched EverPass with a mission of creating the preeminent live sports and entertainment media platform built specifically for commercial establishments,” said EverPass Executive Chairman Derek Chang. “Today’s announcements mark two important steps towards that goal. Adding UPshow’s impressive technology stack to our existing and growing content library gives us the infrastructure to continue to scale our business model and innovate around the out-of-home viewing experience while also giving business owners complete control of their entertainment content.” He added that Shapiro’s “leadership and expertise will support our continued growth as we look to be at the forefront of the shifting sports, media and entertainment ecosystem.”
“Live sports content is at its zenith, and the EverPass team is creating a remarkable platform purpose-built for the shared experiences both die-hard and casual sports fans crave,” Shapiro said. “TKO is proud to join 32 Equity and RedBird in backing EverPass at this pivotal moment in its growth. From our position at the epicenter of sports and entertainment, we look forward to helping EverPass capitalize on all the opportunities ahead.”