TKO President Addresses Excessive Number Of Ads At WWE WrestleMania 42

One of the major criticisms of WrestleMania 42 was the sheer number of ads during the two-night event, with many noting the show felt soulless. Altogether, there were 1 hour 27 minutes of ads across both nights of WrestleMania 42, which accounted for 19.61 per cent of WrestleMania’s total runtime. Matches, meanwhile, only accounted for 2 hours 47 minutes, or 37.29 per cent of WrestleMania 42.

Ad integration into WWE TV has increased dramatically since the WWE-UFC merger under TKO Group Holdings that was completed in September 2023, and TKO President Mark Shapiro addressed concerns about the number of ads at WrestleMania 42 during TKO’s Q1 2026 financials call. 

Shapiro stated: 

“We take any and all feedback, especially from our core fanbase, extremely seriously. High priority. We listen, we learn. At the same time, balancing the fan experience in the business of sports is never easy. Whether you’re talking ticket prices or commercial integration. It’s as old as time. Frankly, it’s crossing genres. No different than going to movies and you see prices rising for admission, popcorn, and candy, not to mention the 30 minutes of commercials and trailers prior to the film. Change takes getting used to. 

“Back at ESPN, when we took our national ad window on SportsCenter from one minute to two minutes, there was significant backlash. It went on for months. In the NBA, if they even thought about putting a sponsorship patch on their jersey, fans cried out. Now, there are digital boards, the courts have sponsors. The Dodgers just put a naming right on the field at Dodger Stadium. Criticism for commercial breaks in the Final Four, college football, and the NFL, that’s something all those sports have had to manage. 

“The WWE, in particular, is truly new to commercial integration and sponsorship. Change will be more glaring for some as we inevitably commercially integrate. There is no magic formula or serum. There is going to be trial and error over time. We have experimented, pushed some boundaries with various events and leaned in, with others we’ve pulled back. 

“What I can tell you, unequivocally, and this is most important, is that our product comes first. Marketers around the world recognise that our product, especially at WWE, is strong. Our audience there is particularly unique. It’s young. It’s diverse. It’s hard to reach. It’s super passionate. Those marketers want access to our IP. We’re working to give them that access while maintaining the balance. As we commercially integrate, that revenue allows us to be more creative with our product and our superstars.

“Remember this: our audience is resilient. We don’t take it for granted. It doesn’t mean we can do whatever we want to do, absolutely not, quite the contrary. Currently, we are experiencing record attendance, record viewership, and record engagement.”

Notably at WrestleMania 42, only four of the 13 matches that took place at the show went over 15 minutes. The ratio of match times to adverts at WrestleMania 42 was reportedly a source of frustration amongst WWE talent.

H/T Fightful