WWE recently released their fourth quarter and full year results for 2018. The report helps shed some light on how much WWE made from their partnership with Saudi Arabia last year.
WWE Crown Jewel was held in Riyadh in the fourth quarter amidst much controversy. WWE held the event despite backlash after Saudi Arabia was believed to have ordered the murder of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Revenue from the event would be listed in The “Other” section of the report. The total in The “Other” for the final three months of 2018 is $63.5 Million, up $42.9 Million from the same period in 2017. So it is safe to assume that WWE made in the neighborhood of $40 – $45 Million from Crown Jewel alone, since there might have been some other minor fluctuations in the category elsewhere. In the earnings report, it was noted that the big increase in revenue was “primarily due to the distribution of certain live, in-ring programming content in international markets as reflected in ‘Other’.”
WWE held The Greatest Royal Rumble Event in Jeddah last April. Revenue in The “Other” category was up $48.7 Million from the prior year ($60.6 Million in 2018, up from $11.9 Million in 2017). WWE likely netted somewhere in the $40 – $50 Million from The Saudis for that event itself.
For the entire year, the revenue generated from the partnership was in The $80 – $100 Million range. The total revenue for 2018 in The “Other” category was $95.8 Million ($144.7 Million in 2018, a 196% increase from $48.9 in 2017).
2018 was the first year of the announced 10 year partnership with WWE and The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia. WWE is expected hold events in Saudi Arabia in May & November of this year.
