Endeavor Acquired by Silver Lake for $13 Billion, Renamed WME Group

Silver Lake Partners acquired Endeavor, the parent company of Frieze, for $13 billion in equity value on Monday, taking the company private. Endeavor, which went public in 2021, has been renamed WME Group following the acquisition. Ari Emanuel, Endeavor's founding CEO, transitions to executive chairman. The company's stock had declined since its IPO, prompting sales of assets like OpenBet and consideration of selling Frieze. In October 2023, Endeavor announced a strategic review, leading Silver Lake to propose taking it private, with an agreement reached in April 2024 to buy outstanding shares. Silver Lake co-CEO Egon Durban praised Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell for building Endeavor into a global powerhouse across entertainment, media, and sports, noting revenue growth of twentyfold since Silver Lake's initial investment in 2012. Endeavor holds a controlling stake in TKO, parent of UFC and WWE. Frieze's ownership future is uncertain, but Frieze Masters recently appointed Emanuela Tarizzo as its new director, succeeding Nathan Clements-Gillespie. The story was corrected on March 25 after Endeavor clarified it went public in 2021, not 2019.