Just hours after the company announced a blockbuster $1.6 billion deal with ESPN for the U.S. rights to its WWE PLEs (premium live events) TKO Group Holdings revealed Q2 earnings that showed substantial growth in both live events and partnerships, two areas that are key to the company’s future.

TKO reported revenue of $1.31 billion, up 10 percent from the same quarter last year, with net income of $273.1 million, up from $46.2 million a year ago. Adjusted EBITDA was up 75 percent to $526.5 million.

Both UFC and WWE saw substantial gains from last year, and while rights fee increases played a role (those fees are locked in, and thus tend to step up on a regular basis), partnerships and live events were also major drivers, underscoring how the company is leveraging its resources to

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