As filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on September 12, 2023
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-8
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
Under
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
TKO GROUP HOLDINGS, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Delaware | 92-3569035 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
200 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
(646) 558-8333
(Address, including zip code, of principal executive offices)
TKO GROUP HOLDINGS, INC. 2023 INCENTIVE AWARD PLAN
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT, INC. 2016 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN
(Full title of the plan)
Andrew Schleimer
Chief Financial Officer
200 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
(646) 558-8333
(Name, address and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Justin G. Hamill Michael V. Anastasio Benjamin J. Cohen Latham & Watkins LLP 1271 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 (212) 906-1200 |
Seth Krauss Chief Legal Officer Robert Hilton Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel & Corporate Secretary TKO Group Holdings, Inc. 200 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10010 (646) 558-8333 |
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer, smaller reporting company and emerging growth company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☐ | |||
Emerging growth company | ☐ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the Registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
PART I
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS
Item 1. | Plan Information. |
The information required by Item 1 is included in documents sent or given to participants in the plan covered by this Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 428(b)(1) of the Securities Act.
Item 2. | Registrant Information and Employee Plan Annual Information. |
The written statement required by Item 2 is included in documents sent or given to participants in the plan covered by this Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 428(b)(1) of the Securities Act.
PART II
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT
Item 3. | Incorporation of Documents by Reference. |
The Registrant is subject to the informational and reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), and in accordance therewith files reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission). The following documents, which are on file with the Commission, are incorporated into this Registration Statement by reference:
(a) The Registrants prospectus filed with the Commission on August 22, 2023, pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) promulgated under the Securities Act relating to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 (Filed No. 333-271893); and
(b) The description of the Registrants Common Stock contained in the Registrants Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the Commission, together with any amendment thereto filed with the Commission for the purpose of updating such description.
All reports and other documents filed by the Registrant with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date hereof and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered pursuant to this Registration Statement have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents or reports.
For purposes of this Registration Statement, any document or any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated herein by reference shall be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that a subsequently filed document or a statement contained therein, or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference, modifies or supersedes such document or such statement in such document. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.
Under no circumstances shall any information furnished under Item 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K be deemed incorporated herein by reference unless such Form 8-K expressly provides to the contrary.
Item 4. | Description of Securities. |
Not applicable.
Item 5. | Interests of Named Experts and Counsel. |
Not applicable.
Item 6. | Indemnification of Directors and Officers. |
Section 145(b) of the Delaware General Corporation Law provides, in general, that a corporation shall have the power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor because the person is or was a director or officer of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director or officer of the corporation, against any expenses (including attorneys fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to be indemnified for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper. The Delaware General Corporation Law provides that Section 145 is not exclusive of other rights to which those seeking indemnification may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise.
Section 145(g) of the Delaware General Corporation Law provides, in general, that a corporation shall have the power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director or officer of the corporation against any liability asserted against the person in any such capacity, or arising out of the persons status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify the person against such liability under the provisions of the law. The Registrants amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, a director will not be liable to the Registrant or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director. In addition, the Registrants amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also provide that the Registrant will indemnify each director and officer and may indemnify employees and agents, as determined by the Registrants board, to the fullest extent provided by the laws of the State of Delaware.
The foregoing statements are subject to the detailed provisions of section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law and the Registrants amended and restated certificate of incorporation and by-laws.
Section 102(b)(7) of the Delaware General Corporation Law permits a corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation that a director of the corporation shall not be personally liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (i) for any breach of the directors duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of the law, (iii) for breaches under section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which relates to unlawful payments of dividends or unlawful stock repurchase or redemptions, and (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.
The Registrant currently maintains insurance policies which, within the limits and subject to the terms and conditions thereof, covers certain expenses and liabilities that may be incurred by its directors and officers in connection with proceedings that may be brought against them as a result of an act or omission committed or suffered while acting as a director or officer of the Registrant.
The Registrant expects to enter into an indemnification agreement with each of its executive officers and directors that provides, in general, that the Registrant will indemnify them to the fullest extent permitted by law in connection with their service to the Registrant or on its behalf.
Item 7. | Exemption from Registration Claimed. |
Not applicable.
Item 8. | Exhibits. |
* | Filed herewith. |
Item 9. | Undertakings. |
(a) The undersigned Company hereby undertakes:
(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:
(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement; and
(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material change to such information in this Registration Statement;
provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) shall not apply if the Registration Statement is on Form S-8, and the information required to be included on a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Company pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.
(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; and
(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(b) The undersigned Company hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Companys annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plans annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Company pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Company has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Company of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Company in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Company will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in New York City, New York, on this 12th day of September, 2023.
TKO GROUP HOLDINGS, INC. | ||
By: | /s/ Andrew Schleimer | |
Name: Andrew Schleimer | ||
Title: Chief Financial Officer |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Andrew Schleimer, Seth Krauss and Robert Hilton , and each of them, as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Registration Statement (including post-effective amendments or any abbreviated registration statement and any amendments thereto filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, increasing the number of securities for which registration is sought), and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact, proxy, and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully for all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact, proxy and agent, or his substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature | Title | Date | ||
/s/ Ariel Emanuel |
Chief Executive Officer and Director (principal executive officer) |
September 12, 2023 | ||
Ariel Emanuel | ||||
/s/ Mark Shapiro |
President, Chief Operating Officer and Director | September 12, 2023 | ||
Mark Shapiro | ||||
/s/ Andrew Schleimer |
Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer) |
September 12, 2023 | ||
Andrew Schleimer | ||||
/s/ Shane R. Kapral |
Chief Accounting Officer (principal accounting officer) |
September 12, 2023 | ||
Shane R. Kapral | ||||
/s/ Vincent K. McMahon |
Executive Chairman and Director | September 12, 2023 | ||
Vincent K. McMahon | ||||
/s/ Mark Shapiro |
Director | September 12, 2023 | ||
Mark Shapiro | ||||
/s/ Peter C.B. Bynoe |
Director | September 12, 2023 | ||
Peter C.B. Bynoe |
/s/ Egon Durban |
Director | September 12, 2023 | ||
Egon Durban | ||||
/s/ Nick Khan |
Director | September 12, 2023 | ||
Nick Khan | ||||
/s/ Steven R. Koonin |
Director | September 12, 2023 | ||
Steven R. Koonin | ||||
/s/ Jonathan A. Kraft |
Director | September 12, 2023 | ||
Jonathan A. Kraft | ||||
/s/ Sonya E. Medina |
Director | September 12, 2023 | ||
Sonya E. Medina | ||||
/s/ Nancy R. Tellem |
Director | September 12, 2023 | ||
Nancy R. Tellem | ||||
/s/ Carrie Wheeler |
Director | September 12, 2023 | ||
Carrie Wheeler |
Exhibit 4.1
AMENDED AND RESTATED
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
of
TKO GROUP HOLDINGS, INC.
(Pursuant to Section 242 and 245 of
the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware)
September 12, 2023
TKO Group Holdings, Inc., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the Corporation), hereby certifies as follows:
FIRST: The name of the Corporation is TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (f/k/a New Whale Inc.). The date of filing of its original certificate of incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware was March 29, 2023.
SECOND: This Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (this Certificate of Incorporation) amends, integrates and restates in its entirety the Corporations certificate of incorporation as currently in effect and has been duly adopted in accordance with the provisions of Sections 242 and 245 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (as from time to time in effect, the General Corporation Law) and by consent of the stockholders entitled to vote thereon in accordance with the provisions of Section 228 of the General Corporation Law.
THIRD: This Certificate of Incorporation amends, integrates and restates in its entirety the certificate of incorporation of the Corporation as currently in effect to read as follows:
1. Name. The name of the Corporation is TKO Group Holdings, Inc.
2. Address; Registered Office and Agent. The address of the Corporations registered office in the State of Delaware is 251 Little Falls Drive, City of Wilmington, County of New Castle, State of Delaware 19808, and the name of its registered agent at such address is Corporation Service Company.
3. Purposes. The purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the General Corporation Law.
4. Number of Shares.
4.1 The total number of shares of all classes of stock that the Corporation shall have authority to issue is 11,000,000,000 shares, consisting of: (a) 5,000,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, with the par value of $0.00001 per share (the Class A Common Stock), (b) 5,000,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, with the par value of $0.00001 per share (the Class B Common Stock and, together with the Class A Common Stock, the Common Stock) and (c) 1,000,000,000 shares of preferred stock, with the par value of $0.00001 per share (the Preferred Stock). Upon the filing and effectiveness of this Certificate of Incorporation (the Effective Time), all shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share of the Corporation issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall, automatically without any further action by the Corporation or any stockholder, be reclassified, in the aggregate, into one fully paid and nonassessable share of Class A Common Stock.
4.2 Subject to the rights of the holders of any one or more series of Preferred Stock then outstanding, the number of authorized shares of any class of the Common Stock or the Preferred Stock may be increased or decreased, in each case, by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the total voting power of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class,
irrespective of the provisions of Section 242(b)(2) of the General Corporation Law, and no vote of the holders of any class of the Common Stock or the Preferred Stock voting separately as a class will be required therefore. Notwithstanding the immediately preceding sentence, the number of authorized shares of any particular class may not be decreased below the number of shares of such class then outstanding, plus:
(a) in the case of Class A Common Stock, the number of shares of Class A Common Stock issuable in connection with the exercise of all outstanding options, warrants, exchange rights or redemption rights (including with respect to all outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock to the extent redeemable for shares of Class A Common Stock pursuant to Article IX of the HoldCo LLC Agreement) or similar rights for Class A Common Stock; and
(b) in the case of Class B Common Stock, the number of shares of Class B Common Stock issuable in connection with the exercise of all outstanding options, warrants, exchange rights, conversion rights or similar rights for Class B Common Stock.
5. Classes of Shares. The designation, relative rights, power and preferences, qualifications, restrictions and limitations of the shares of each class of stock are as follows:
5.1 Common Stock.
(a) Voting Rights.
(i) Each share of Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock will entitle the record holder thereof to one vote on all matters on which stockholders generally are entitled to vote, except that, in each case, to the fullest extent permitted by law, holders of shares of each class of Common Stock, as such, will have no voting power with respect to, and will not be entitled to vote on, any amendment to this Certificate of Incorporation (including any certificate of designations relating to any series of Preferred Stock) that relates solely to the terms of any outstanding Preferred Stock if the holders of such Preferred Stock are entitled to vote as a separate class thereon under this Certificate of Incorporation (including any certificate of designations relating to any series of Preferred Stock) or under the General Corporation Law.
(ii) Except as otherwise required in this Certificate of Incorporation or by applicable law, the holders of Common Stock will vote together as a single class on all matters (or, if any holders of Preferred Stock are entitled to vote together with the holders of Common Stock, as a single class with the holders of Preferred Stock).
(b) Dividends; Stock Splits or Combinations.
(i) Subject to applicable law and the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding series of Preferred Stock or any class or series of stock having a preference senior to or the right to participate with the Class A Common Stock with respect to the payment of dividends, dividends of cash or property may be declared and paid on the Class A Common Stock out of the assets of the Corporation that are by law available therefor, at the times and in the amounts as the Board in its discretion may determine.
(ii) Except as provided in Section 5.1(b)(iii) with respect to stock dividends, dividends of cash or property may not be declared or paid on the Class B Common Stock.
(iii) In no event will any stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, combination of stock, reclassification or recapitalization be declared or made on any class of Common Stock (each, a Stock Adjustment) unless a corresponding Stock Adjustment for all other classes of Common Stock at the time outstanding is made in the same proportion and the same manner (unless the holders of shares representing a majority of the voting power of any such other class of Common Stock (voting separately as a single class) waive such requirement in advance and in writing, in which event no
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such Stock Adjustment need be made for such other class of Common Stock). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Corporation shall be entitled to declare a stock dividend on the Class A Common Stock without any corresponding Stock Adjustment to the Class B Common Stock so long as, after the payment of such stock dividend on the Class A Common Stock, the number of shares of Class A Common Stock outstanding (excluding any shares issuable upon the exercise of any options, warrants, restricted stock units, exchange rights, conversion rights or similar rights for Class A Common Stock and excluding any shares issuable as a result of any Redemption (as defined in the HoldCo LLC Agreement) pursuant to the applicable provisions of Article IX of the HoldCo LLC Agreement (without regard to any timing, vesting or other restrictions on Redemption contained therein and assuming no Redemptions for cash)), does not exceed the number of Common Units owned by the Corporation. Dividends payable in shares of Common Stock with respect to each class of Common Stock may only be paid with shares of stock of the same class of Common Stock.
(c) Liquidation. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of the Corporation, after payment or provision for payment of the debts and other liabilities of the Corporation and of the preferential and other amounts, if any, to which the holders of Preferred Stock are entitled, if any, the holders of all outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock will be entitled to receive, pari passu, an amount per share equal to the par value thereof, and thereafter the holders of all outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock will be entitled to receive the remaining assets of the Corporation available for distribution ratably in proportion to the number of shares of Class A Common Stock held by such holders. The holders of shares of Class B Common Stock, as such, will not be entitled to receive, with respect to such shares, any assets of the Corporation in excess of the par value thereof, in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of the Corporation.
5.2 Preferred Stock. Shares of Preferred Stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series of any number of shares, provided that the aggregate number of shares issued and not retired of any and all such series shall not exceed the total number of shares of Preferred Stock hereinabove authorized, and with such powers, including voting powers, if any, and the designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights, if any, and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, all as shall hereafter be stated and expressed in the resolution or resolutions providing for the designation and issue of such shares of Preferred Stock from time to time adopted by the Board. The powers, including voting powers, if any, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights of each series of Preferred Stock, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, if any, may differ from those of any and all other series at any time outstanding. Each series of shares of Preferred Stock: (i) may have such voting rights or powers, full or limited, if any; (ii) may be subject to redemption at such time or times and at such prices, if any; (iii) may be entitled to receive dividends (which may be cumulative or non-cumulative) at such rate or rates, on such conditions and at such times, and payable in preference to, or in such relation to, the dividends payable on any other class or classes or series of stock, if any; (iv) may have such rights upon the voluntary or involuntary liquidation, winding up or dissolution of, upon any distribution of the assets of, or in the event of any merger, sale or consolidation of, the Corporation, if any; (v) may be made convertible into or exchangeable for, shares of any other class or classes or of any other series of the same or any other class or classes of stock of the Corporation (or any other securities of the Corporation or any other Person) at such price or prices or at such rates of exchange and with such adjustments, if any; (vi) may be entitled to the benefit of a sinking fund to be applied to the purchase or redemption of shares of such series in such amount or amounts, if any; (vii) may be entitled to the benefit of conditions and restrictions upon the creation of indebtedness of the Corporation or any subsidiary, upon the issue of any additional shares (including additional shares of such series or of any other series) and upon the payment of dividends or the making of other distributions on, and the purchase, redemption or other acquisition by the Corporation or any subsidiary of, any outstanding shares of the Corporation, if any; (viii) may be subject to restrictions on transfer or registration of transfer, or on the amount of shares that may be owned by any Person or group of Persons; and (ix) may have such other relative, participating, optional or other special rights, qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, if any; all as shall be stated in said resolution or resolutions of the Board providing for the designation and issue of such shares of Preferred Stock.
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6. Certain Provisions Related to Redemption Rights.
6.1 Reservation of Shares of Class A Common Stock for Redemptions. The Corporation will at all times reserve and keep available out of its authorized and unissued shares of Class A Common Stock, solely for the purposes of effecting any exchanges pursuant to the applicable provisions of Article IX of the HoldCo LLC Agreement, the number of shares of Class A Common Stock that are issuable in connection with the exchange of all outstanding Common Units as a result of any Redemption pursuant to the applicable provisions of Article IX of the HoldCo LLC Agreement (without regard to any timing, vesting or other restrictions on Redemption contained therein and assuming no Redemptions for cash). The Corporation covenants that all the shares of Class A Common Stock that are issued upon any such redemption of such Common Units (together with the applicable number of shares of Class B Common Stock) will, upon issuance, be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
6.2 No Conversion Rights of Class A Common Stock. The Class A Common Stock shall not have any conversion rights.
6.3 Retirement of Class B Common Stock. In the event that no Common Units remain redeemable pursuant to the applicable provisions of Article IX of the Holdco LLC Agreement (without regard to any timing, vesting or other restrictions on Redemption contained therein and assuming no Redemptions for cash), all shares of Class B Common Stock then outstanding will automatically and without further action on the part of the Corporation or holders thereof be transferred to the Corporation for no consideration and thereupon the Corporation shall take all necessary action to cause such shares to be retired, and such shares thereafter may not be reissued by the Corporation. In addition, in the event that holders of Class B Common Stock transfer shares of Class B Common Stock to the Corporation in connection with a Redemption of Common Units pursuant to the applicable provisions of Article IX of the Holdco LLC Agreement, the Corporation shall take all necessary action to cause such shares to be retired, and such shares thereafter may not be reissued by the Corporation.
6.4 Taxes. The issuance of shares of Class A Common Stock pursuant to the applicable provisions of Article IX of the Holdco LLC Agreement will be made without charge to the holders receiving such shares for any transfer taxes, stamp taxes or duties or other similar tax in respect of the issuance (excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, any taxes pursuant to Section 1446(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder); provided, however, that if any such shares of Class A Common Stock are to be issued in a name other than that of the then record-holder of the shares of Class B Common Stock being exchanged (or The Depository Trust Company or its nominee for the account of a participant of The Depository Trust Company that will hold the shares for the account of such holder), then such holder and/or the Person in whose name such shares are to be delivered, shall pay to the Corporation the amount of any transfer tax, stamp tax or duty or other similar tax that may be payable by the Corporation in respect of any transfer involved in the issuance or shall establish to the reasonable satisfaction of the Corporation that the tax has been paid or is not payable.
7. Board of Directors.
7.1 Number of Directors.
(a) The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by, or under the direction of, the Board. Unless and except to the extent that the Amended and Restated By-laws of the Corporation (as such By-laws may be amended from time to time, the By-laws) shall so require, the election of the directors of the Corporation (the Directors) need not be by written ballot. Except as otherwise provided for or fixed pursuant to the provisions of this Certificate of Incorporation relating to the rights of the holders of any series of Preferred Stock to elect additional Directors, (i) the total authorized number of Directors constituting the entire Board shall be (i) until the Sunset Date, eleven (11) members and (ii) thereafter, fixed from time to time by the Board.
(b) A director shall hold office until the expiration of the term of one year and until his successor shall be elected and qualified, subject, however, to prior death, resignation, Incapacitation or removal in accordance with the provisions of this Certificate of Incorporation. In any election of directors, the Persons receiving a plurality of the votes cast, up to the number of directors to be elected in such election, shall be deemed elected.
7.2 Executive Chair. Notwithstanding Section 7.1(b), Vincent K. McMahon shall serve as the Executive Chair of the Board (the Executive Chair) until the earliest of his death, resignation or Incapacitation. Any vacancy of the Executive Chair (which, if Mr. McMahon is the initial Executive Chair, shall initially only occur upon the death, resignation or Incapacity of Mr. McMahon) shall be filled by the Board by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Directors.
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7.3 Board Actions. Except as otherwise required in this Certificate of Incorporation or the By-laws or by applicable law or Stock Exchange Rules, actions of the Board or any committee thereof will require approval by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Directors (or a majority of the Directors on such committee, as applicable) at a meeting at which a quorum is present.
7.4 Vacancies and Newly Created Directorships. Subject to the rights of the holders of any one or more series of Preferred Stock then-outstanding, the Governance Agreement and the By-laws, newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the authorized number of Directors or any vacancies on the Board resulting from death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal from office or other cause shall be filled solely by the affirmative vote of the remaining Directors then in office, even if less than a quorum of the Board. Any Director so chosen shall hold office until the next election of Directors and until his or her successor shall be duly elected and qualified or until such Directors earlier death, disqualification, resignation or removal. No decrease in the number of Directors shall shorten the term of any Director then in office.
7.5 Removal of Directors. Except for Preferred Stock Directors and subject to the Governance Agreement, any Director or the entire Board may be removed from office at any time, with or without cause and only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the total voting power of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of Directors, voting together as a single class.
8. Meetings of Stockholders.
8.1 Action by Consent. Any action required or permitted to be taken by the stockholders of the Corporation may be effected by the consent of the holders of outstanding capital stock of the Corporation having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted.
8.2 Special Meetings of Stockholders. Subject to any special rights of the holders of any series of Preferred Stock, and to the requirements of applicable law, special meetings of stockholders of the Corporation may be called only by or at the direction of (i) the Board, (ii) the Executive Chair, (iii) the Chief Executive Officer or (iv) any holder of twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total voting power of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation. Any business transacted at any special meeting of stockholders shall be limited to matters relating to the purpose or purposes stated in the notice of meeting.
9. DGCL Section 203 and Business Combinations. The Corporation hereby expressly elects not to be governed by Section 203 of the DGCL.
10. Corporate Opportunities.
10.1 Subject to the applicable parties rights and obligations under any other contractual arrangement (including the Governance Agreement), in recognition and anticipation that (i) certain directors, principals, officers, employees, members and/or other representatives of EDR, Mr. McMahon and their respective Affiliates (collectively, the Applicable Parties) may serve as directors, officers or agents of the Corporation, (ii) the Applicable Parties may now engage and may continue to engage in any transaction or matter that may be an investment, corporate, business or other opportunity or offer a prospective economic or competitive advantage in which the Corporation or any of its controlled Affiliates (as defined below), directly or indirectly, could have an interest or expectancy (a Competitive Opportunity) or may otherwise (a) compete with the Corporation or its controlled Affiliates, directly or indirectly, (b) do business or otherwise transact with any potential or actual customer, supplier or other business relation of the Corporation or any of its controlled Affiliates and (c) employ or otherwise engage any officer, employee or other service provider of the Corporation or any of its controlled Affiliates and (iii) members of the Board who are not officers or employees of the Corporation or their respective Affiliates may desire to participate, invest or otherwise engage in certain Competitive Opportunities, the provisions of this Article 10 are set forth to regulate and define the conduct of certain affairs of the Corporation with respect to certain classes or categories of opportunities as they may involve any of the Applicable Parties and their respective Affiliates and the powers, rights, duties and liabilities of the Corporation and its directors, officers and stockholders in connection therewith.
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10.2 Subject to the applicable parties rights and obligations under any other contractual arrangement (including the Governance Agreement), each of the Applicable Parties and any past or present directors, principals, officers, employees, members, equityholders, and/or other representatives of the Applicable Parties that may serve as directors, officers, employees or agents of the Corporation, and each of their Affiliates (such Persons being referred to, collectively, as Identified Persons and, individually, as an Identified Person) shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, not have any duty whatsoever to refrain from directly or indirectly (a) participating or otherwise engaging in any Competitive Opportunity, (b) otherwise competing with the Corporation or any of its controlled Affiliates, (c) otherwise doing business or transacting with any potential or actual customer, supplier or other business relation of the Corporation or any of its controlled Affiliates or (d) otherwise employing or engaging any officer, employee or other service provider of the Corporation or any of its controlled Affiliates and, to the fullest extent permitted by law, no Identified Person shall be liable to the Corporation or its stockholders or to any controlled Affiliate of the Corporation for breach of any fiduciary duty solely by reason of the fact that such Identified Person engages in any such activities. Subject to the applicable parties rights and obligations under any other contractual arrangement (including the Governance Agreement), to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Corporation hereby renounces any interest or expectancy in, or right to be offered an opportunity to participate in, any Competitive Opportunity or other corporate, business or other opportunity that may be a Competitive Opportunity for an Identified Person and the Corporation or any of its controlled Affiliates. Subject to the applicable parties rights and obligations under any other contractual arrangement (including the Governance Agreement), in the event that any Identified Person acquires knowledge of a Competitive Opportunity or other corporate, business or other opportunity that may be a Competitive Opportunity for itself, herself or himself, or for its, her or his Affiliates, and for the Corporation or any of its controlled Affiliates, such Identified Person shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, have no duty to communicate, present or otherwise provide such opportunity to the Corporation or any of its controlled Affiliates and, to the fullest extent permitted by law, shall not be liable to the Corporation or its stockholders or to any controlled Affiliate of the Corporation or any other Person for breach of any fiduciary duty as a stockholder, director or officer of the Corporation solely by reason of the fact that such Identified Person pursues or acquires such Competitive Opportunity for itself, herself or himself, or offers or directs such Competitive Opportunity to another Person.
10.3 The Corporation does not renounce its interest in any Competitive Opportunity offered to any director nominated or designated by the Applicable Parties if such opportunity is expressly offered to such Person solely in his or her capacity as a director of the Corporation, and the provisions of Section 10.2 of this Article 10 shall not apply to any such Competitive Opportunity.
10.4 In addition to and notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Article 9, a business or other opportunity shall not be deemed to be a potential Competitive Opportunity for the Corporation if it is an opportunity that (i) the Corporation (together with its controlled Affiliates) is neither financially or legally able, nor contractually permitted to undertake, (ii) from its nature, is not in the line of the Corporations business or is of no practical advantage to the Corporation or (iii) is one in which the Corporation has no interest or reasonable expectancy.
10.5 To the fullest extent permitted by law, any Person purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any shares of capital stock of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the provisions of this Article 10.
11. Limitation of Liability.
11.1 To the fullest extent permitted under the General Corporation Law, no Director or officer of the Corporation shall be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a Director or officer of the Corporation.
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11.2 Any amendment or repeal of this Article 11 shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a Director or officer hereunder in respect of any act or omission occurring prior to the time of such amendment or repeal.
12. Indemnification.
12.1 To the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment, only to the extent that such amendment permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights than such law permitted the Corporation to provide prior to such amendment), the Corporation shall indemnify, and advance expenses to, any Person who was or is made or is threatened to be made a party or is otherwise involved in any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (a proceeding) by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a Director or officer of the Corporation or, while a Director or officer of the Corporation, is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise (each, an Indemnitee and collectively, the Indemnitees), whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a Director, officer, employee or agent or in any other capacity while serving as a Director, officer, employee, agent or trustee, from and against any and all expenses (including attorneys fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee in connection therewith. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, other than an action against the Corporation brought by an Indemnitee to enforce his or her rights under this Article 12, the Corporation shall not be required to indemnify or advance expenses to any Person in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) commenced by such Person if the commencement of such proceeding (or part thereof) was not authorized by the Board.
12.2 The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this Article 12 shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any by-law, agreement, contract, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such Persons official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office.
12.3 To the extent not prohibited by applicable law, the Corporation shall pay the expenses (including attorneys fees) incurred by an Indemnitee in defending any proceeding in advance of its final disposition; provided, however, that to the extent required by applicable law, such payment of expenses in advance of the final disposition of the proceeding shall be made only upon receipt of an undertaking by the Indemnitee to repay all amounts advanced if it should be ultimately determined that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified under this Article 12 or otherwise.
12.4 If a claim for indemnification or advancement of expenses under this Article 12 is not paid in full within thirty (30) days after a written claim therefor by the Indemnitee has been received by the Corporation, the Indemnitee may file suit to recover the unpaid amount of such claim and, if successful in whole or in part, shall be entitled to be paid the expense of prosecuting such claim. In any such action the Corporation shall have the burden of proving that the Indemnitee is not entitled to the requested indemnification or advancement of expenses under applicable law. In (i) any suit brought by an Indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification hereunder (but not in a suit brought by an Indemnitee to enforce a right to an advancement of expenses) it shall be a defense that, and (ii) any suit brought by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the Corporation shall be entitled to recover such expenses upon a final adjudication that, such Person has not met any applicable standard for indemnification set forth in the General Corporation Law. Neither the failure of the Corporation (including by members of the Board who are not parties to such action, a committee of such members, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such suit that indemnification of the Indemnitee is proper in the circumstances because the Indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in the General Corporation Law, nor an actual determination by the Corporation (including by members of the Board who are not parties to such action, a committee of such members, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) that the Indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall create a presumption that such Person has not met the applicable standard of conduct or, in the case of such a suit brought by the Indemnitee, be a defense to such suit.
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12.5 The Corporation shall have the power to purchase and maintain insurance to protect itself and any Person who is or was a Director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or while a Director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against him and incurred by him or her in any such capacity, or arising out of his or her status as such, whether or not the Corporation would have the power or the obligation to indemnify him or her against such liability under the General Corporation Law or the provisions of this Article 12.
12.6 The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this Article 12 shall continue as to a Person who has ceased to be a Director or officer and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such officer or Director. The indemnification and advancement of expenses that may have been provided to an employee or agent of the Corporation by action of the Board, pursuant to Section 12.10, shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a Person who has ceased to be an employee or agent of the Corporation and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a Person, after the time such Person has ceased to be an employee or agent of the Corporation, only on such terms and conditions and to the extent determined by the Board in its sole discretion.
12.7 Given that certain claims may be jointly indemnifiable (Jointly Indemnifiable Claims) by the Corporation, its Controlled Entities (as defined below) or Indemnitee-Related Entities (as defined below) in respect of the service of Indemnitee as a Director and/or executive officer of the Corporation and/or a director, executive officer, employee, consultant, fiduciary or agent of other corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, joint ventures, trusts, employee benefit plans or other enterprises controlled by the Corporation (the Controlled Entities), or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in any such capacity, the Corporation acknowledges and agrees that the Corporation shall, and to the extent applicable shall cause the Controlled Entities to, be fully and primarily responsible for the payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses in connection with any such Jointly Indemnifiable Claim, pursuant to and in accordance with (as applicable) the terms of (i) the General Corporation Law, (ii) this Certificate of Incorporation or the By-laws or (iii) any other agreement between the Corporation or any Controlled Entity and the Indemnitee pursuant to which the Indemnitee is indemnified, (iv) the laws of the jurisdiction of incorporation or organization of any Controlled Entity and/or (v) the certificate of incorporation, certificate of organization, bylaws, partnership agreement, operating agreement, certificate of formation, certificate of limited partnership or other organizational or governing documents of any Controlled Entity ((i) through (v) collectively, the Indemnification Sources), irrespective of any right of recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-Related Entities. Under no circumstance shall the Corporation or any Controlled Entity be entitled to any right of subrogation or contribution by the Indemnitee-Related Entities and no right of advancement or recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-Related Entities shall reduce or otherwise alter the rights of the Indemnitee or the obligations of the Corporation or any Controlled Entity under the Indemnification Sources. In the event that any of the Indemnitee-Related Entities shall make any payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to any Jointly Indemnifiable Claim, (i) the Corporation shall, and to the extent applicable shall cause the Controlled Entities to, reimburse the Indemnitee-Related Entity making such payment to the extent of such payment promptly upon written demand from such Indemnitee-Related Entity, (ii) to the extent not previously and fully reimbursed by the Corporation and/or any Controlled Entity pursuant to clause (i), the Indemnitee-Related Entity making such payment shall be subrogated to the extent of the outstanding balance of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of the Indemnitee against the Corporation and/or any Controlled Entity or under any insurance policy, as applicable, and (iii) the Indemnitee and the Corporation and, as applicable, any Controlled Entity shall execute all papers reasonably required and shall do all things that may be reasonably necessary to secure such rights, including the execution of such documents as may be necessary to enable the Indemnitee-Related Entities effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights. The Corporation and the Indemnitee agree that each of the Indemnitee-Related Entities shall be third-party beneficiaries with respect to this Section 12.7.
12.8 Indemnitee-Related Entities means any company, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise (other than the Corporation, any Controlled Entity or the insurer under and pursuant to an insurance policy of the Corporation or any Controlled Entity) from whom an Indemnitee may be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to which, in whole or in part, the Corporation or any Controlled Entity may also have an indemnification or advancement obligation.
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12.9 Any amendment or repeal of the foregoing provisions of this Article 12 shall not adversely affect any right or protection hereunder of any Indemnitee or its successors in respect of any act or omission occurring prior to the time of such amendment or repeal.
12.10 This Article 12 shall not limit the right of the Corporation, to the extent and in the manner permitted by applicable law, to indemnify and to advance expenses to Persons other than Indemnitees when and as authorized by appropriate corporate action.
13. Adoption, Amendment or Repeal of By-Laws. In furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred by law, and subject to the terms of the Governance Agreement, the Board is expressly authorized to make, alter, amend or repeal the By-laws subject to the power of the stockholders of the Corporation entitled to vote with respect thereto to make, alter, amend or repeal the By-laws.
14. Adoption, Amendment and Repeal of Certificate. Subject to the terms of the By-laws and the Governance Agreement, the Corporation reserves the right to amend, alter, change or repeal any provision contained in this Certificate of Incorporation, in the manner now or hereafter prescribed by the General Corporation Law, and all rights, preferences and privileges of whatsoever nature conferred upon stockholders, Directors or any other Persons whomsoever by and pursuant to this Certificate of Incorporation in its present form or as hereafter amended, are granted and held subject to this reservation. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Certificate of Incorporation, and notwithstanding that a lesser percentage may be permitted from time to time by applicable law, no provision of Articles 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15 may be altered, amended or repealed in any respect, nor may any provision or by-law inconsistent therewith be adopted, unless in addition to any other vote required by this Certificate of Incorporation, the By-laws and/or the Governance Agreement, or otherwise required by law, such alteration, amendment, repeal or adoption is approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the total voting power of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of Directors, voting together as a single class, at a meeting of the stockholders called for that purpose.
15. Forum for Adjudication of Disputes. Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, (x) the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (the Court of Chancery) (or, in the event that the Court of Chancery does not have jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware or other state courts of the State of Delaware) shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for (a) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Corporation, (b) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any Director, officer, employee, agent or stockholder of the Corporation to the Corporation or the Corporations stockholders, (c) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the General Corporation Law, this Certificate of Incorporation or the By-laws or as to which the General Corporation Law confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or (d) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each such case subject to such Court of Chancery having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein; and (y) the federal district courts of the United States shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. To the fullest extent permitted by law, any Person purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest in shares of capital stock of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of this Article 15. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Article 15 shall not apply to claims seeking to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act, or any other claim for which the U.S. federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.
16. Severability. If any provision or provisions of this Certificate of Incorporation shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable as applied to any circumstance for any reason whatsoever: (i) the validity, legality and enforceability of such provisions in any other circumstance and of the remaining provisions of this Certificate of Incorporation (including, without limitation, each portion of any paragraph of this Certificate of Incorporation containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable that is not itself held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby and (ii) to the fullest extent possible, the provisions of this Certificate of Incorporation (including, without limitation, each such portion of any paragraph of this Certificate of Incorporation containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to permit the Corporation to protect its Directors, officers, employees and agents from personal liability in respect of their good faith service to or for the benefit of the Corporation to the fullest extent permitted by law.
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17. Definitions. As used in this Certificate of Incorporation, unless the context otherwise requires or as set forth in another Article or Section of this Certificate of Incorporation, the term:
(a) Affiliate means, with respect to any Person, any other Person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with such Person; provided, that (i) neither the Corporation nor any of its subsidiaries will be deemed an Affiliate of any stockholder of the Corporation or any of such stockholders Affiliates and (ii) no stockholder of the Corporation will be deemed an Affiliate of any other stockholder of the Corporation, in each case, solely by reason of any investment in the Corporation.
(b) Audit Committee means the Audit Committee of the Board.
(c) Board means the board of directors of the Corporation.
(d) By-laws is defined in Section 7.1.
(e) Certificate of Incorporation is defined in the recitals.
(f) Chairman means the Chairman of the Board.
(g) Chief Executive Officer means the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation.
(h) Class A Common Stock is defined in Section 4.1.
(i) Class B Common Stock is defined in Section 4.1.
(j) Common Stock is defined in Section 4.1.
(k) Common Unit has the meaning set forth in the Holdco LLC Agreement.
(l) control (including the terms controlling and controlled), with respect to the relationship between or among two or more Persons, means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the affairs or management of such subject Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, as trustee or executor, by contract or otherwise.
(m) Controlled Entities is defined in Section 12.7.
(n) Corporation means TKO Group Holdings, Inc.
(o) Director is defined in Section 7.1.
(p) EDR means Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc.
(q) EDR Subscribers means, collectively, Endeavor Operating Company, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a subsidiary of EDR (EDR OpCo), January Capital Sub, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a subsidiary of EDR and January Capital Holdco, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and subsidiary of EDR.
(r) General Corporation Law is defined in the recitals.
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(s) Governance Agreement means that certain Governance Agreement, dated as of September 12, 2023, by and among the Corporation, EDR, the EDR Subscribers, HoldCo and Mr. McMahon, as the same may be amended, restated, supplemented and/or otherwise modified, from time to time.
(t) HoldCo means TKO Operating Company, LLC (f/k/a Zuffa Parent, LLC), a Delaware limited liability company.
(u) HoldCo LLC Agreement means the Fourth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of TKO Operating Company, LLC, as the same may be amended, restated, supplemented and/or otherwise modified, from time to time.
(v) Identified Persons is defined in Section 10.
(w) Incapacitation means personal injury, illness, or other cause that has rendered Mr. McMahon unable to perform substantially his material duties and responsibilities for a continuous period of not less than 12 months, as determined jointly by a physician selected by the Corporation reasonably acceptable to Mr. McMahon (or, if he is incapacitated, his legal representative) and a physician selected by Mr. McMahon (or, if he is incapacitated, his legal representative) and reasonably acceptable to the Corporation. If such physicians cannot agree as to whether Mr. McMahon has suffered an Incapacitation, they shall jointly select a third physician who shall make such determination. The determination of Incapacitation made in writing to the Corporation and Mr. McMahon (or, if he is incapacitated, his legal representative) shall be final and conclusive for all purposes of this Certificate of Incorporation. .
(x) Indemnification Sources is defined in Section 12.7.
(y) Indemnitee is defined in Section 12.1.
(z) Indemnitee-Related Entities is defined in Section 12.8.
(aa) Indemnitees is defined in Section 12.1.
(bb) Jointly Indemnifiable Claims is defined in Section 12.7.
(cc) Person means any individual, partnership, firm, corporation, limited liability company, association, trust, unincorporated organization or other entity.
(dd) Preferred Stock is defined in Section 4.1.
(ee) Preferred Stock Directors is defined in Section 7.1.
(ff) proceeding is defined in Section 12.1.
(gg) Sunset Date has the meaning set forth in the Governance Agreement.
(hh) Stock Adjustment is defined in Section 5.1(b)(iii).
(ii) Stock Exchange Rules means the rules and regulations for listed companies as in effect from time to time of the principal United States national securities exchange on which the Class A Common Stock is listed for trading, which as of the date hereof is the New York Stock Exchange.
(jj) Transaction Agreement means that certain Transaction Agreement, dated as of April 2, 2023, by and among EDR, EDR OpCo, HoldCo, World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., a Delaware corporation, the Corporation, and Whale Merger Sub Inc.
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FOURTH: This Certificate of Incorporation shall be effective at 8:01 a.m. Eastern Time on the 12th day of September, 2023.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. has been duly executed by the officer below as of the date first written above.
By: | /s/ Andrew Schleimer | |
Name: Andrew Schleimer | ||
Title: Chief Financial Officer |
Exhibit 4.2
Amended and Restated Bylaws of
TKO Group Holdings, Inc.
(a Delaware corporation)
Table of Contents
Page | ||||||
Article I Corporate Offices |
1 | |||||
1.1 |
Registered Office | 1 | ||||
1.2 |
Other Offices | 1 | ||||
Article II Meetings of Stockholders |
1 | |||||
2.1 |
Place of Meetings | 1 | ||||
2.2 |
Annual Meeting | 1 | ||||
2.3 |
Special Meeting | 1 | ||||
2.4 |
Advance Notice Procedures for Business Brought before a Meeting | 2 | ||||
2.5 |
Advance Notice Procedures for Nominations of Directors | 6 | ||||
2.6 |
Notice of Stockholders Meetings | 10 | ||||
2.7 |
Manner of Giving Notice; Affidavit of Notice | 10 | ||||
2.8 |
Quorum | 10 | ||||
2.9 |
Adjourned Meeting; Notice | 10 | ||||
2.10 |
Conduct of Business | 11 | ||||
2.11 |
Voting | 11 | ||||
2.12 |
Record Date for Stockholder Meetings and Other Purposes | 12 | ||||
2.13 |
Proxies | 12 | ||||
2.14 |
List of Stockholders Entitled to Vote | 13 | ||||
2.15 |
Inspectors of Election | 13 | ||||
2.16 |
Delivery to the Corporation | 14 | ||||
Article III Directors |
14 | |||||
3.1 |
Powers | 14 | ||||
3.2 |
Number of Directors | 14 | ||||
3.3 |
Election, Qualification and Term of Office of Directors | 14 | ||||
3.4 |
Resignation and Vacancies | 14 | ||||
3.5 |
Place of Meetings; Meetings by Telephone | 15 | ||||
3.6 |
Regular Meetings | 15 | ||||
3.7 |
Special Meetings; Notice | 15 | ||||
3.8 |
Quorum | 16 | ||||
3.9 |
Action by Written Consent without a Meeting | 16 |
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3.10 |
Fees and Compensation of Directors | 16 | ||||
Article IV Committees |
16 | |||||
4.1 |
Committees of Directors | 16 | ||||
4.2 |
Committee Minutes | 17 | ||||
4.3 |
Meetings and Actions of Committees | 17 | ||||
Article V Officers |
17 | |||||
5.1 |
Officers | 17 | ||||
5.2 |
Appointment of Officers | 18 | ||||
5.3 |
Subordinate Officers | 18 | ||||
5.4 |
Removal and Resignation of Officers | 18 | ||||
5.5 |
Vacancies in Offices | 18 | ||||
5.6 |
Representation of Shares of Other Corporations | 18 | ||||
5.7 |
Authority and Duties of Officers | 19 | ||||
Article VI Records |
19 | |||||
Article VII General Matters |
19 | |||||
7.1 |
Execution of Corporate Contracts and Instruments | 19 | ||||
7.2 |
Stock Certificates | 19 | ||||
7.3 |
Lost Certificates | 20 | ||||
7.4 |
Shares Without Certificates | 20 | ||||
7.5 |
Construction; Definitions | 20 | ||||
7.6 |
Dividends | 20 | ||||
7.7 |
Fiscal Year | 21 | ||||
7.8 |
Seal | 21 | ||||
7.9 |
Transfer of Stock | 21 | ||||
7.10 |
Stock Transfer Agreements | 21 | ||||
7.11 |
Registered Stockholders | 21 | ||||
7.12 |
Waiver of Notice | 22 | ||||
Article VIII Amendments |
22 | |||||
Article IX Definitions |
22 |
ii
Amended and Restated Bylaws of
TKO Group Holdings, Inc.
Article I
Corporate Offices
1.1 Registered Office.
The address of the registered office of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (the Corporation) in the State of Delaware, and the name of its registered agent at such address, shall be as set forth in the Corporations certificate of incorporation, as the same may be amended and/or restated from time to time (the Certificate of Incorporation).
1.2 Other Offices.
The Corporation may have additional offices at any place or places, within or outside the State of Delaware, as the Corporations Board may from time to time establish or as the business of the Corporation may require.
Article II
Meetings of Stockholders
2.1 Place of Meetings.
Meetings of stockholders shall be held at such place, if any, within or outside the State of Delaware, designated by the Board. The Board may, in its sole discretion, determine that a meeting of stockholders shall not be held at any place, but may instead be held solely by means of remote communication as authorized by Section 211(a)(2) of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the DGCL). In the absence of any such designation or determination, stockholders meetings shall be held at the Corporations principal executive office.
2.2 Annual Meeting.
The Board shall designate the date and time of the annual meeting. At the annual meeting, directors shall be elected and other proper business properly brought before the meeting in accordance with Section 2.4 may be transacted. The Corporation may postpone, reschedule or cancel any annual meeting of stockholders previously scheduled by the Board.
2.3 Special Meeting.
Special meetings of the stockholders may be called only by such Persons and only in such manner as set forth in the Certificate of Incorporation. The Corporation may postpone, reschedule or cancel any special meeting of stockholders previously scheduled by the Board.
No business may be transacted at any special meeting of stockholders other than the business specified in the notice of such meeting.
2.4 Advance Notice Procedures for Business Brought before a Meeting.
(i) At an annual meeting of the stockholders, only such business shall be conducted as shall have been properly brought before the meeting. To be properly brought before an annual meeting, business must be (a) specified in a notice of meeting given by or at the direction of the Board, (b) if not specified in a notice of meeting, otherwise brought before the meeting by the Board or the chairperson of the meeting, or (c) otherwise properly brought before the meeting by a stockholder present in person who (A)(1) was a stockholder of the Corporation both at the time of giving the notice provided for in this Section 2.4 and at the time of the meeting, (2) is entitled to vote at the meeting and (3) has complied with this Section 2.4 or (B) properly made such proposal in accordance with Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (as so amended and inclusive of such rules and regulations, the Exchange Act), which proposal has been included in the proxy statement for the annual meeting. The foregoing clause (c) shall be the exclusive means for a stockholder to propose business to be brought before an annual meeting of the stockholders. The only matters that may be brought before a special meeting are the matters specified in the Corporations notice of meeting given by or at the direction of the Person calling the meeting pursuant to the Certificate of Incorporation and Section 2.3 of these bylaws. For purposes of this Section 2.4 and Section 2.5 of these bylaws, as applicable, present in person shall mean that the stockholder proposing that the business be brought before the annual or special meeting of the Corporation, or, if the proposing stockholder is not an individual, a qualified representative of such proposing stockholder, appear at such annual meeting, and a qualified representative of such proposing stockholder shall be (A) any person who is authorized in writing by such stockholder to act for such stockholder as proxy at the meeting of stockholders and such person must produce such writing or electronic transmission, or a reliable reproduction of the writing or electronic transmission, at the meeting of stockholders or (B), if such proposing stockholder is (x) a general or limited partnership, any general partner or Person who functions as a general partner of the general or limited partnership or who controls the general or limited partnership, (y) a corporation or a limited liability company, any officer or Person who functions as an officer of the corporation or limited liability company or any officer, director, general partner or Person who functions as an officer, director or general partner of any entity ultimately in control of the corporation or limited liability company or (z) a trust, any trustee of such trust. This Section 2.4 shall apply to any business that may be brought before an annual or special meeting of stockholders other than nominations for election to the Board at an annual meeting, which shall be governed by Section 2.5 of these bylaws. Stockholders seeking to nominate persons for election to the Board must comply with Section 2.5 of these bylaws, and this Section 2.4 shall not be applicable to nominations for election to the Board except as expressly provided in Section 2.5 of these bylaws.
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(ii) Without qualification, for business to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a stockholder pursuant to Section 2.4(iii)(c), (a) the stockholder must provide Timely Notice (as defined below) thereof in writing and in proper form to the Secretary of the Corporation, (b) the stockholder must provide any updates or supplements to such notice at the times and in the forms required by this Section 2.4 and (c) the proposed business must constitute a proper matter for stockholder action. To be timely, a stockholders notice must be delivered to, or mailed and received at, the principal executive offices of the Corporation not less than ninety (90) days nor more than one hundred twenty (120) days prior to the one-year anniversary of the preceding years annual meeting (which, in the case of the first annual meeting of stockholders following the closing of the Corporations initial underwritten public offering of common stock, the preceding years annual meeting date shall be deemed to be May 19, 2022); provided, however, that if the date of the annual meeting is more than thirty (30) days before or more than sixty (60) days after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so delivered, or mailed and received, not later than the ninetieth (90th) day prior to such annual meeting or, if later, the tenth (10th) day following the day on which public disclosure of the date of such annual meeting was first made (such notice within such time periods, Timely Notice). In no event shall any adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting or the announcement thereof commence a new time period or extend a time period for the giving of Timely Notice as described above.
(iii) To be in proper form for purposes of this Section 2.4, a stockholders notice to the Secretary shall set forth:
(a) As to each Proposing Person (as defined below), (A) the name and address of such Proposing Person (including, if applicable, the name and address that appear on the Corporations books and records); and (B) the number of shares of each class or series of stock of the Corporation that are, directly or indirectly, owned of record or beneficially owned (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) by such Proposing Person, except that such Proposing Person shall in all events be deemed to beneficially own any shares of any class or series of stock of the Corporation as to which such Proposing Person has a right to acquire beneficial ownership at any time in the future (the disclosures to be made pursuant to the foregoing clauses (A) and (B) are referred to as Stockholder Information);
(b) As to each Proposing Person, (A) the full notional amount of any securities that, directly or indirectly, underlie any derivative security (as such term is defined in Rule 16a-1(c) under the Exchange Act) that constitutes a call equivalent position (as such term is defined in Rule 16a-1(b) under the Exchange Act) (Synthetic Equity Position) and that is, directly or indirectly, held or maintained by such Proposing Person with respect to any shares of any class or series of stock of the Corporation; provided that, for the purposes of the definition of Synthetic Equity Position, the term derivative security shall also include any security or instrument that would not otherwise constitute a derivative security as a result of any feature that would make any conversion, exercise or similar right or privilege of such security or instrument becoming determinable only at some future date or upon the happening of a future occurrence, in which case the determination of the amount of securities into which such security or instrument would be convertible or exercisable shall be made assuming that such security or instrument is immediately convertible or exercisable at the time of such determination;
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and, provided, further, that any Proposing Person satisfying the requirements of Rule 13d-1(b)(1) under the Exchange Act (other than a Proposing Person that so satisfies Rule 13d-1(b)(1) under the Exchange Act solely by reason of Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(E)) shall not be deemed to hold or maintain the notional amount of any securities that underlie a Synthetic Equity Position held by such Proposing Person as a hedge with respect to a bona fide derivatives trade or position of such Proposing Person arising in the ordinary course of such Proposing Persons business as a derivatives dealer, (B) any rights to dividends on the shares of any class or series of stock of the Corporation owned beneficially by such Proposing Person that are separated or separable from the underlying shares of the Corporation, (C) any material pending or threatened legal proceeding in which such Proposing Person is a party or material participant involving the Corporation or any of its officers or directors, or any Affiliate of the Corporation, (D) any other material relationship between such Proposing Person, on the one hand, and the Corporation or any Affiliate of the Corporation, on the other hand, (E) any direct or indirect material interest in any material contract or agreement of such Proposing Person with the Corporation or any Affiliate of the Corporation (including, in any such case, any employment agreement, collective bargaining agreement or consulting agreement), (F)any other information relating to such Proposing Person that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filing required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies or consents by such Proposing Person in support of the business proposed to be brought before the meeting pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Exchange Act (the disclosures to be made pursuant to the foregoing clauses (A) through (F) are referred to as Disclosable Interests); provided, however, that Disclosable Interests shall not include any such disclosures with respect to the ordinary course business activities of any broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee who is a Proposing Person solely as a result of being the stockholder directed to prepare and submit the notice required by these bylaws on behalf of a beneficial owner and (G) a representation whether any Proposing Person, intends or is part of a group which intends to deliver a proxy statement and/or form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the Corporations outstanding capital stock required to approve or adopt the proposal and/or otherwise to solicit proxies or votes from stockholders in support of such proposal; and
(c) As to each item of business that the stockholder proposes to bring before the annual meeting, (A) a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the annual meeting, the reasons for conducting such business at the annual meeting and any material interest in such business of each Proposing Person, (B) the text of the proposal or business (including the text of any resolutions proposed for consideration), (C) a reasonably detailed description of all agreements, arrangements and understandings (x) between or among any of the Proposing Persons or (y) between or among any Proposing Person and any other Person or entity (including their names) in connection with the proposal of such business by such stockholder and (D) any other information relating to such item of business that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filing required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies in support of the business proposed to be brought before the meeting pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Exchange Act; provided, however, that the disclosures required by this Section 2.4(iii) shall not include any disclosures with respect to any broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee who is a Proposing Person solely as a result of being the stockholder directed to prepare and submit the notice required by these bylaws on behalf of a beneficial owner.
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(iv) For purposes of this Section 2.4, the term Proposing Person shall mean (a) the stockholder providing the notice of business proposed to be brought before an annual meeting, (b) the beneficial owner or beneficial owners, if different, on whose behalf the notice of the business proposed to be brought before the annual meeting is made, (c) any participant (as defined in paragraphs (a)(ii)-(vi) of Instruction 3 to Item 4 of Schedule 14A) with such stockholder in such solicitation or (d) any associate (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act for the purposes of these bylaws) of such stockholder, beneficial owner or any other participant.
(v) A Proposing Person shall update and supplement its notice to the Corporation of its intent to propose business at an annual meeting, if necessary, so that the information provided or required to be provided in such notice pursuant to this Section 2.4 shall be true and correct as of the record date for notice of the meeting and as of the date that is ten (10) business days prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, and such update and supplement shall be delivered to, or mailed and received by, the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than five (5) business days after the record date for notice of the meeting (in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of such record date), and not later than eight (8) business days prior to the date for the meeting or, if practicable, any adjournment or postponement thereof (and, if not practicable, on the first practicable date prior to the date to which the meeting has been adjourned or postponed) (in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of ten (10) business days prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof).
(vi) Notwithstanding anything in these bylaws to the contrary, no business shall be conducted at an annual meeting that is not properly brought before the meeting in accordance with this Section 2.4. The presiding officer of the meeting shall, if the facts warrant, determine that the business was not properly brought before the meeting in accordance with this Section 2.4, and if he or she should so determine, he or she shall so declare to the meeting and any such business not properly brought before the meeting shall not be transacted.
(vii) In addition to the requirements of this Section 2.4 with respect to any business proposed to be brought before an annual meeting, each Proposing Person shall comply with all applicable requirements of the Exchange Act with respect to any such business. Nothing in this Section 2.4 shall be deemed to affect the rights of stockholders to request inclusion of proposals in the Corporations proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act.
(viii) For purposes of these bylaws, public disclosure shall mean disclosure in a press release reported by a national news service or in a document publicly filed by the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Sections 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.
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2.5 Advance Notice Procedures for Nominations of Directors.
(i) Subject in all respects to the provisions of the Governance Agreement and Certificate of Incorporation, nominations of any person for election to the Board at an annual meeting may be made at such meeting only (a) by or at the direction of the Board, including by any committee or persons authorized to do so by the Board or these bylaws, or (b) by a stockholder present in person (as defined in Section 2.4) who (1) was a beneficial owner of shares of the Corporation both at the time of giving the notice provided for in this Section 2.5 and at the time of the meeting, (2) is entitled to vote at the meeting and (3) has complied with this Section 2.5 as to such notice and nomination. The foregoing clause (b) shall be the exclusive means for a stockholder to make any nomination of a person or persons for election to the Board at any annual meeting of stockholders other than in accordance with the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation.
(ii) Without qualification, for a stockholder to make any nomination of a person or persons for election to the Board at an annual meeting, the stockholder must (a) provide Timely Notice (as defined in Section 2.4(ii) of these bylaws) thereof in writing and in proper form to the Secretary of the Corporation, (b) provide the information, agreements and questionnaires with respect to such stockholder and its candidate for nomination as required by this Section 2.5, and (c) provide any updates or supplements to such notice at the times and in the forms required by this Section 2.5. In no event shall any adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting or the announcement thereof commence a new time period or extend a time period for the giving of a stockholders notice as described above. The number of nominees a stockholder may nominate for election at the annual meeting (or in the case of a stockholder giving the notice on behalf of a beneficial owner, the number of nominees a stockholder may nominate for election at the annual meeting on behalf of such beneficial owner) shall not exceed the number of directors to be elected at such annual meeting.
(iii) To be in proper form for purposes of this Section 2.5, a stockholders notice to the Secretary shall set forth:
(a) As to each Nominating Person (as defined below), the Stockholder Information (as defined in Section 2.4(iii)(a) of these bylaws) except that for purposes of this Section 2.5, the term Nominating Person shall be substituted for the term Proposing Person in all places it appears in Section 2.4(iii)(a);
(b) As to each Nominating Person, any Disclosable Interests (as defined in Section 2.4(iii)(b), except that for purposes of this Section 2.5 the term Nominating Person shall be substituted for the term Proposing Person in all places it appears in Section 2.4(iii)(b) and the disclosure with respect to the business to be brought before the meeting in Section 2.4(iii)(c) shall be made with respect to nomination of each person for election as a director at the meeting) and a representation whether any Nominating Person intends or is part of a group which intends to deliver a proxy statement and/or form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the Corporations outstanding capital stock required to elect the nominee and/or otherwise to solicit proxies or votes from stockholders in support of such nomination; and
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(c) As to each candidate whom a Nominating Person proposes to nominate for election as a director, (A) all information with respect to such candidate for nomination that would be required to be set forth in a stockholders notice pursuant to this Section 2.5 if such candidate for nomination were a Nominating Person, (B) all information relating to such candidate for nomination that is required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for election of directors in a contested election pursuant to Section 14(a) under the Exchange Act (including such candidates written consent to being named in the Corporations proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a director if elected), (C) a description of any direct or indirect material interest in any material contract or agreement between or among any Nominating Person, on the one hand, and each candidate for nomination or his or her respective associates or any other participants in such solicitation, on the other hand, including, without limitation, all information that would be required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 under Regulation S-K if such Nominating Person were the registrant for purposes of such rule and the candidate for nomination were a director or executive officer of such registrant, and (D) a completed and signed questionnaire, representation and agreement as provided in Section 2.5(viii).
(iv) For purposes of this Section 2.5, the term Nominating Person shall mean (a) the stockholder providing the notice of the nomination proposed to be made at the meeting, (b) the beneficial owner or beneficial owners, if different, on whose behalf the notice of the nomination proposed to be made at the meeting is made, (c) any other participant (as defined in paragraphs (a)(ii)-(vi) of Instruction 3 to Item 4 of Schedule 14A) in such solicitation and (d) any associate (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act for the purposes of these bylaws) of such stockholder or beneficial owner or any other participant in such solicitation.
(v) A stockholder providing notice of any nomination proposed to be made at a meeting shall further update and supplement such notice, if necessary, so that the information provided or required to be provided in such notice pursuant to this Section 2.5 shall be true and correct as of the record date for notice of the meeting and as of the date that is ten (10) business days prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, and such update and supplement shall be delivered to, or mailed and received by, the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than five (5) business days after the record date for notice of the meeting (in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of such record date), and not later than eight (8) business days prior to the date for the meeting or, if practicable, any adjournment or postponement thereof (and, if not practicable, on the first practicable date prior to the date to which the meeting has been adjourned or postponed) (in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of ten (10) business days prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof).
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(vi) Notwithstanding anything in Section 2.5(ii) to the contrary, in the event that the number of directors to be elected to the Board at the annual meeting is increased effective after the time period for which nominations would otherwise be due under Section 2.5(ii) and there is no public announcement by the Corporation naming the nominees for the additional directorships at least one hundred (100) days prior to the first anniversary of the preceding years annual meeting, a stockholders notice required by this Section 2.5 shall also be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for the additional directorships, if it shall be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the tenth (10th) day following the day on which such public announcement is first made by the Corporation.
(vii) Only such business shall be conducted at a special meeting of stockholders as shall have been brought before the meeting pursuant to the Corporations notice of meeting. Nominations of persons for election to the Board may be made at a special meeting of stockholders at which directors are to be elected pursuant to the Corporations notice of meeting (1) by or at the direction of the Board or (2) provided that the Board has determined that directors shall be elected at such meeting, by any stockholder of the Corporation who is a stockholder of record at the time the notice provided for in this Section 2.5 is delivered to the Secretary of the Corporation, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and upon such election and who complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 2.5. The number of nominees a stockholder may nominate for election at the special meeting (or in the case of a stockholder giving the notice on behalf of a beneficial owner, the number of nominees a stockholder may nominate for election at the special meeting on behalf of such beneficial owner) shall not exceed the number of directors to be elected at such special meeting. In the event the Corporation calls a special meeting of stockholders for the purpose of electing one or more directors to the Board, any such stockholder entitled to vote in such election of directors may nominate a person or persons (as the case may be) for election to such position(s) as specified in the Corporations notice of meeting, if the stockholders notice required by Section 2.5(ii) shall be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not earlier than the close of business on the one hundred twentieth (120th) day prior to such special meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the ninetieth (90th) day prior to such special meeting or the tenth (10th) day following the day on which the Corporation first makes a public announcement of the date of the special meeting at which directors are to be elected. In no event shall the public announcement of an adjournment or postponement of a special meeting commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a stockholders notice as described above.
(viii) To be eligible to be a candidate for election as a director of the Corporation at an annual meeting, a candidate must be nominated in the manner prescribed in this Section 2.5 (or otherwise in accordance with the Certificate of Incorporation) and the candidate for nomination, whether nominated by the Board or by a stockholder of record, must have previously delivered (in the case of a nomination by a stockholder pursuant to Section 2.5(i)(b), in accordance with the time period prescribed in this Section 2.5 for delivery of the stockholder notice of nomination), to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation, (a) a completed written questionnaire (in the form provided by the Corporation) with respect to the background, qualifications, stock ownership and independence of such candidate for nomination and (b) a written representation and agreement (in the form provided by the Corporation) that
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such candidate for nomination (A) is not, and will not become a party to, any agreement, arrangement or understanding with any Person or entity other than the Corporation with respect to any direct or indirect compensation or reimbursement for service as a director of the Corporation that has not been disclosed therein and (B) if elected as a director of the Corporation, will comply with all applicable corporate governance, conflict of interest, confidentiality, stock ownership and trading and other policies and guidelines of the Corporation applicable to all directors and in effect during such persons term in office as a director (and, if requested by any candidate for nomination, the Secretary of the Corporation shall provide to such candidate for nomination all such policies and guidelines then in effect).
(ix) The Board may also require any proposed candidate for nomination as a Director to furnish such other information as may reasonably be requested by the Board in writing prior to the meeting of stockholders at which such candidates nomination is to be acted upon in order for the Board to determine the eligibility of such candidate for nomination to be an independent director of the Corporation in accordance with the Corporations corporate governance guidelines.
(x) In addition to the requirements of this Section 2.5 with respect to any nomination proposed to be made at a meeting, each Proposing Person shall comply with all applicable requirements of the Exchange Act with respect to any such nominations.
(xi) No candidate shall be eligible for nomination as a director of the Corporation unless such candidate for nomination and the Nominating Person seeking to place such candidates name in nomination has complied with this Section 2.5, as applicable. The presiding officer at the meeting shall, if the facts warrant, determine that a nomination was not properly made in accordance with this Section 2.5, and if he or she should so determine, he or she shall so declare such determination to the meeting, the defective nomination shall be disregarded and any ballots cast for the candidate in question (but in the case of any form of ballot listing other qualified nominees, only the ballots cast for the nominee in question) shall be void and of no force or effect.
(xii) Notwithstanding anything in these bylaws to the contrary, no candidate for nomination shall be eligible to be seated as a director of the Corporation unless nominated and elected in accordance with this Section 2.5.
(xiii) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in these bylaws, for as long as any party to the Governance Agreement has a right to designate or nominate a director, the procedure for any such nomination shall be governed by the Governance Agreement and such party shall not be subject to the notice procedures set forth in these bylaws for the nomination of any person to serve as a director at any annual meeting or special meeting of stockholders.
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2.6 Notice of Stockholders Meetings.
Unless otherwise provided by law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these bylaws, the notice of any meeting of stockholders shall be sent or otherwise given in accordance with either Section 2.7 of these bylaws not less than ten (10) nor more than sixty (60) days before the date of the meeting to each stockholder entitled to vote at such meeting. The notice shall specify the place, if any, date and hour of the meeting, the means of remote communication, if any, by which stockholders and proxy holders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such meeting, and, in the case of a special meeting, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called.
2.7 Manner of Giving Notice; Affidavit of Notice.
Notice of any meeting of stockholders shall be deemed given:
(i) if mailed, when deposited in the U.S. mail, postage prepaid, directed to the stockholder at his or her address as it appears on the Corporations records;
(ii) if delivered by courier service, the earlier of when the notice is received or left at the stockholders address; or (iii) if electronically transmitted as provided in the DGCL.
An affidavit of the secretary or an assistant secretary of the Corporation or of the transfer agent or any other agent of the Corporation that the notice has been given by mail, courier service or by a form of electronic transmission, as applicable, shall, in the absence of fraud, be prima facie evidence of the facts stated therein.
2.8 Quorum.
Unless otherwise provided by law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these bylaws, the holders of a majority in voting power of the stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote at the meeting, present in person, or by remote communication, if applicable, or represented by proxy, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at all meetings of the stockholders. If, however, a quorum is not present or represented at any meeting of the stockholders, then either (i) the chairperson of the meeting or (ii) a majority in voting power of the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting, present in person, or by remote communication, if applicable, or represented by proxy, shall have power to adjourn the meeting from time to time in the manner provided in Section 2.9 of these bylaws until a quorum is present or represented.
2.9 Adjourned Meeting; Notice.
When a meeting is adjourned to another time or place, if any, notice need not be given of the adjourned meeting if the time, place, if any, thereof, and the means of remote communications, if any, by which stockholders and proxy holders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such adjourned meeting are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken. At any adjourned meeting, the Corporation may transact any business which might have been transacted at the original meeting. If the adjournment is for more than thirty (30) days, a notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at the meeting. If after the
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adjournment a new record date for determination of stockholders entitled to vote is fixed for the adjourned meeting, the Board shall fix as the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of such adjourned meeting the same or an earlier date as that fixed for determination of stockholders entitled to vote at the adjourned meeting, and shall give notice of the adjourned meeting to each stockholder of record as of the record date so fixed for notice of such adjourned meeting.
2.10 Conduct of Business.
The date and time of the opening and the closing of the polls for each matter upon which the stockholders will vote at a meeting shall be announced at the meeting by the person presiding over the meeting. The Board may adopt by resolution such rules and regulations for the conduct of the meeting of stockholders as it shall deem appropriate. Except to the extent inconsistent with such rules and regulations as adopted by the Board, the chairperson of any meeting of stockholders shall have the right and authority to convene and (for any or no reason) to recess and/or adjourn the meeting, to prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and to do all such acts as, in the judgment of such chairperson, are appropriate for the proper conduct of the meeting. Such rules, regulations or procedures, whether adopted by the Board or prescribed by the chairperson of the meeting, may include, without limitation, the following: (i) the establishment of an agenda or order of business for the meeting; (ii) rules and procedures for maintaining order at the meeting and the safety of those present; (iii) limitations on attendance at or participation in the meeting to stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting, their duly authorized and constituted proxies or such other persons as the chairperson of the meeting shall determine; (iv) restrictions on entry to the meeting after the time fixed for the commencement thereof; and (v) limitations on the time allotted to questions or comments by participants. Unless and to the extent determined by the Board or the chairperson of the meeting, meetings of stockholders shall not be required to be held in accordance with the rules of parliamentary procedure.
2.11 Voting.
Each stockholder shall be entitled to a number of votes based on the number of and type of shares of capital stock held by such stockholder as provided in the Certificate of Incorporation or as required under the DGCL.
Except as otherwise provided by the Certificate of Incorporation, at all duly called or convened meetings of stockholders at which a quorum is present, for the election of directors, a plurality of the votes cast shall be sufficient to elect a director. Except as otherwise provided by the Certificate of Incorporation, these bylaws, the rules or regulations of any stock exchange applicable to the Corporation, or applicable law or pursuant to any regulation applicable to the Corporation or its securities, each other matter presented to the stockholders at a duly called or convened meeting at which a quorum is present shall be decided by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the votes cast (excluding abstentions and broker non-votes) on such matter.
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2.12 Record Date for Stockholder Meetings and Other Purposes.
In order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at any meeting of stockholders or any adjournment thereof, the Board may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board, and which record date shall not be more than sixty (60) days nor less than ten (10) days before the date of such meeting. If the Board so fixes a date, such date shall also be the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting unless the Board determines, at the time it fixes such record date, that a later date on or before the date of the meeting shall be the date for making such determination. If no record date is fixed by the Board, the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall be the close of business on the next day preceding the day on which notice is first given, or, if notice is waived, at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which the meeting is held. A determination of stockholders of record entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting; provided, however, that the Board may fix a new record date for the adjourned meeting; and in such case shall also fix as the record date for stockholders entitled to notice of such adjourned meeting the same or an earlier date as that fixed for determination of stockholders entitled to vote in accordance herewith at the adjourned meeting.
In order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to receive payment of any dividend or other distribution or allotment or any rights or the stockholders entitled to exercise any rights in respect of any change, conversion or exchange of capital stock, or for the purposes of any other lawful action, the Board may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted, and which record date shall be not more than sixty (60) days prior to such action. If no record date is fixed, the record date for determining stockholders for any such purpose shall be at the close of business on the day on which the Board adopts the resolution relating thereto.
2.13 Proxies.
Each stockholder entitled to vote at a meeting of stockholders may authorize another Person or Persons to act for such stockholder by proxy authorized by an instrument in writing or by a transmission permitted by law, including Rule 14a-19 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, filed in accordance with the procedure established for the meeting, but, no such proxy shall be voted or acted upon after three (3) years from its date, unless the proxy provides for a longer period. The revocability of a proxy that states on its face that it is irrevocable shall be governed by the provisions of Section 212 of the DGCL. A proxy may be in the form of an electronic transmission which sets forth or is submitted with information from which it can be determined that the electronic transmission was authorized by the stockholder.
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2.14 List of Stockholders Entitled to Vote.
The Corporation shall prepare, at least ten (10) days before every meeting of stockholders, a complete list of the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting (provided, however, that if the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote is less than ten (10) days before the date of the meeting, the list shall reflect the stockholders entitled to vote as of the tenth day before the meeting date), arranged in alphabetical order, and showing the address of each stockholder and the number of shares registered in the name of each stockholder. The Corporation shall not be required to include electronic mail addresses or other electronic contact information on such list. Such list shall be open to the examination of any stockholder, for any purpose germane to the meeting for a period of at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting: (i) on a reasonably accessible electronic network, provided that the information required to gain access to such list is provided with the notice of the meeting, or (ii) during ordinary business hours, at the Corporations principal executive office. In the event that the Corporation determines to make the list available on an electronic network, the Corporation may take reasonable steps to ensure that such information is available only to stockholders of the Corporation. Such list shall presumptively determine the identity of the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting and the number of shares held by each of them. Except as otherwise provided by law, the stock ledger shall be the only evidence as to who are the stockholders entitled to examine the list of stockholders required by this Section 2.14 or to vote in person or by proxy at any meeting of stockholders.
2.15 Inspectors of Election.
Before any meeting of stockholders, the Corporation shall appoint an inspector or inspectors of election to act at the meeting or its adjournment and make a written report thereof. The Corporation may designate one or more Persons as alternate inspectors to replace any inspector who fails to act. If any Person appointed as inspector or any alternate fails to appear or fails or refuses to act, then the chairperson of the meeting shall appoint a Person to fill that vacancy. Such inspectors shall:
(i) determine the number of shares outstanding and the voting power of each, the number of shares represented at the meeting and the validity of any proxies and ballots;
(ii) count all votes or ballots;
(iii) count and tabulate all votes;
(iv) determine and retain for a reasonable period a record of the disposition of any challenges made to any determination by the inspector(s); and
(v) certify its or their determination of the number of shares represented at the meeting and its or their count of all votes and ballots.
Each inspector, before entering upon the discharge of the duties of inspector, shall take and sign an oath faithfully to execute the duties of inspection with strict impartiality and according to the best of such inspectors ability. Any report or certificate made by the inspectors of election is prima facie evidence of the facts stated therein. The inspectors of election may appoint such Persons to assist them in performing their duties as they determine.
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2.16 Delivery to the Corporation.
Whenever Sections 2.4 and 2.5 of this Article II require one or more persons (including a record or beneficial owner of stock of the Corporation) to deliver a document or information to the Corporation or any officer, employee or agent thereof (including any notice, request, questionnaire, revocation, representation or other document or agreement), such document or information shall be in writing exclusively (and not in an electronic transmission) and shall be delivered exclusively by hand (including, without limitation, overnight courier service) or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested and the Corporation shall not be required to accept delivery of any document not in such written form or so delivered. For the avoidance of doubt, with respect to any notice from any stockholder of record or beneficial owner of the Corporations capital stock pursuant to Sections 2.4 and 2.5 of this Article II, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Corporation expressly opts out of Section 116 of the DGCL.
Article III
Directors
3.1 Powers.
Except as otherwise provided by the Certificate of Incorporation or the DGCL, the business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board.
3.2 Number of Directors.
The total number of directors constituting the Board shall be determined in accordance with the Certificate of Incorporation and the Governance Agreement.
3.3 Election, Qualification and Term of Office of Directors. The procedures for election of directors, as well as the terms and qualifications of directors, shall be as set forth in the Certificate of Incorporation and the Governance Agreement.
3.4 Resignation and Vacancies. Any director may resign at any time upon notice given in writing or by electronic transmission to the Corporation. The resignation shall take effect at the time specified therein or upon the happening of an event specified therein, and if no time or event is specified, at the time of its receipt. When one or more directors so resigns and the resignation is effective at a future date or upon the happening of an event to occur on a future date, except as otherwise provided for in the Certificate of Incorporation or the Governance Agreement, a majority of the directors then in office, including those who have so resigned, shall have power to fill such vacancy or vacancies, the vote thereon to take effect when such resignation or resignations shall become effective, and each director so chosen shall hold office as provided in this section in the filling of other vacancies.
Vacancies and newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the authorized number of directors shall be filled in accordance with the Certificate of Incorporation and the Governance Agreement.
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3.5 Place of Meetings; Meetings by Telephone.
The Board may hold meetings, both regular and special, either within or outside the State of Delaware.
Unless otherwise restricted by the Certificate of Incorporation or these bylaws, members of the Board, or any committee of the Board or subcommittee of the Board, in each case, designated by the Board, may participate in a meeting of the Board, or any committee of the Board or subcommittee of the Board, by means of conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other, and such participation in a meeting pursuant to this bylaw shall constitute presence in person at the meeting.
3.6 Regular Meetings.
Regular meetings of the Board may be held without notice at such time and at such place as shall from time to time be determined by the Board.
3.7 Special Meetings; Notice.
Special meetings of the Board, for any purpose or purposes may be called at any time by the chairperson of the Board, the chief executive officer, the president, the secretary or a majority of the total number of directors constituting the Board.
Notice of the time and place of special meetings shall be:
(i) delivered personally by hand, by courier or by telephone;
(ii) sent by United States first-class mail, postage prepaid;
(iii) sent by facsimile or electronic mail; or (iv) sent by other means of electronic transmission, directed to each director at that directors address, telephone number, facsimile number or electronic mail address, or other address for electronic transmission, as the case may be, as shown on the Corporations records.
If the notice is (i) delivered personally by hand, by courier or by telephone, (ii) sent by facsimile or electronic mail, or (iii) sent by other means of electronic transmission, it shall be delivered or sent at least twenty-four (24) hours before the time of the holding of the meeting. If the notice is sent by U.S. mail, it shall be deposited in the U.S. mail at least four (4) days before the time of the holding of the meeting. The notice need not specify the place of the meeting (if the meeting is to be held at the Corporations principal executive office) nor the purpose of the meeting.
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3.8 Quorum.
Subject to the Certificate of Incorporation, at all meetings of the Board, a majority of the total number of authorized directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The vote of a majority of the directors present at any meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the Board, except as may be otherwise specifically provided by statute, the Certificate of Incorporation, the Governance Agreement or these bylaws. If a quorum is not present at any meeting of the Board, then a majority of the directors present thereat may adjourn the meeting from time to time, without notice other than announcement at the meeting, until a quorum is present.
3.9 Action by Written Consent without a Meeting.
Unless otherwise restricted by the Certificate of Incorporation or these bylaws, any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board, or of any committee of the Board or subcommittee of the Board, may be taken without a meeting if all members of the Board, or committee or subcommittee, as the case may be, consent thereto in writing or by electronic transmission. After such an action is taken by written consent without a meeting, the consent or consents relating thereto shall be filed with the minutes of the proceedings of the Board, committee or subcommittee in the same paper or electronic form as the minutes are maintained.
3.10 Fees and Compensation of Directors.
Unless otherwise restricted by the Certificate of Incorporation or these bylaws, the Board shall have the authority to fix the compensation, including fees and reimbursement of expenses, of directors for services to the Corporation in any capacity.
Article IV
Committees
4.1 Committees of Directors.
The Board may designate one (1) or more committees of the Board, each committee of the Board to consist, of one (1) or more of the directors of the Corporation. The Board may designate one (1) or more directors or members of the Board as alternate members of any committee of the Board, who may replace any absent or disqualified member at any meeting of the committee. In the absence or disqualification of a member of a committee, the member or members thereof present at any meeting and not disqualified from voting, whether or not such member or members constitute a quorum, may unanimously appoint another member of the Board to act at the meeting in the place of any such absent or disqualified member. Any such committee, to the extent provided in the resolution of the Board or in these bylaws, shall have and may exercise all the powers and authority of the Board in the management of the business and affairs of the Corporation, and may authorize the seal of the Corporation to be affixed to all papers that may require it; but no such committee or subcommittee shall have the power or authority to (i) approve or adopt, or recommend to the stockholders, any action or matter (other than the election or removal of directors) expressly required by the DGCL to be submitted to stockholders for approval, or (ii) adopt, amend or repeal any bylaw of the Corporation. For so long as there are WWE Designees (as defined in the Governance Agreement), the Corporation shall, except as otherwise provided in the Governance Agreement, take all necessary action to cause each committee of the Board to be comprised of (x) at least three (3) directors and (y) one (1) more Endeavor Designee (as defined in the Governance Agreement) than WWE Designee(s).
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4.2 Committee Minutes.
Each committee shall keep regular minutes of its meetings and report the same to the Board when required.
4.3 Meetings and Actions of Committees.
Meetings and actions of committees shall be governed by, and held and taken in accordance with, the provisions of:
(i) Section 3.5 (place of meetings and meetings by telephone);
(ii) Section 3.6 (regular meetings);
(iii) Section 3.7 (special meetings and notice);
(iv) Section 3.9 (action without a meeting); and
(v) Section 7.12 (waiver of notice), with such changes in the context of those bylaws as are necessary to substitute the committee and its respective members for the Board and its members. However:
(a) the time of regular meetings of committees may be determined either by resolution of the Board or by resolution of the committee;
(b) special meetings of committees may also be called by resolution of the Board or the chairperson of the applicable committee; and (iii) the Board may adopt rules for the governance of any committee to override the provisions that would otherwise apply to the committee pursuant to this Section 4.3, provided that such rules do not violate the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation or applicable law.
Article V
Officers
5.1 Officers.
The officers of the Corporation shall initially include a chief executive officer, an executive chair, a president/chief operating officer, a chief financial officer and a chief legal officer. The Corporation may also have, at the discretion of the Board, any such other officers as may be appointed in accordance with the provisions of these bylaws. Any number of offices may be held by the same person.
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5.2 Appointment of Officers.
The Board or a duly authorized committee or subcommittee thereof shall appoint the officers of the Corporation, except such officers as may be appointed in accordance with the provisions of Section 5.3 of these bylaws.
5.3 Subordinate Officers.
The Board or a duly authorized committee or subcommittee thereof may appoint, or empower the chief executive officer or, in the absence of a chief executive officer, the president, to appoint, such other officers and agents as the business of the Corporation may require. Each of such officers and agents shall hold office for such period, have such authority, and perform such duties as are provided in these bylaws, as the Board or a duly authorized committee or subcommittee thereof may from time to time determine, or as determined by the officer upon whom such power of appointment has been conferred by the Board or a duly authorized committee or subcommittee thereof.
5.4 Removal and Resignation of Officers.
Subject to the rights, if any, of an officer under any contract of employment, any officer may be removed, either with or without cause, by the Board or a duly authorized committee or subcommittee thereof or, except in the case of an officer chosen by the Board or a duly authorized committee or subcommittee thereof, by any officer upon whom such power of removal may be conferred by the Board or a duly authorized committee or subcommittee thereof.
Any officer may resign at any time by giving notice to the Corporation in writing or by electronic transmission. Any resignation shall take effect at the date of the receipt of that notice or at any later time specified in that notice. Unless otherwise specified in the notice of resignation, the acceptance of the resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective. Any resignation is without prejudice to the rights, if any, of the Corporation under any contract to which the officer is a party.
5.5 Vacancies in Offices.
Any vacancy occurring in any office of the Corporation shall be filled by the Board or a duly authorized committee or subcommittee thereof or as provided in Section 5.2.
5.6 Representation of Shares of Other Corporations.
The chief executive officer, the president, any vice president, the treasurer, the secretary or assistant secretary of this Corporation, or any other Person authorized by the Board, the chief executive officer, the executive chair, the president or a vice president, is authorized to vote, represent and exercise on behalf of this Corporation all rights incident to any and all shares or securities of any other corporation or entity standing in the name of this Corporation. The authority granted herein may be exercised either by such Person directly or by any other Person authorized to do so by proxy or power of attorney duly executed by such Person having the authority.
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5.7 Authority and Duties of Officers.
All officers of the Corporation shall respectively have such authority and perform such duties in the management of the business of the Corporation as may be provided herein or designated from time to time by the Board and, to the extent not so provided, as generally pertain to their respective offices, subject to the control of the Board.
Article VI
Records
A stock ledger consisting of one or more records in which the names of all of the Corporations stockholders of record, the address and number of shares registered in the name of each such stockholder, and all issuances and transfers of stock of the corporation are recorded in accordance with Section 224 of the DGCL shall be administered by or on behalf of the Corporation. Any records administered by or on behalf of the Corporation in the regular course of its business, including its stock ledger, books of account, and minute books, may be kept on, or by means of, or be in the form of, any information storage device, or method, or one or more electronic networks or databases (including one or more distributed electronic networks or databases), provided that the records so kept can be converted into clearly legible paper form within a reasonable time and, with respect to the stock ledger, that the records so kept (i) can be used to prepare the list of stockholders specified in Sections 219 and 220 of the DGCL, (ii) record the information specified in Sections 156, 159, 217(a) and 218 of the DGCL, and (iii) record transfers of stock as governed by Article 8 of the Delaware Uniform Commercial Code.
Article VII
General Matters
7.1 Execution of Corporate Contracts and Instruments.
The Board, except as otherwise provided in these bylaws, may authorize any officer or officers, or agent or agents, to enter into any contract or execute any instrument in the name of and on behalf of the Corporation; such authority may be general or confined to specific instances. Unless so authorized or ratified by the Board or within the agency power of an officer, no officer, agent or employee shall have any power or authority to bind the Corporation by any contract or engagement or to pledge its credit or to render it liable for any purpose or for any amount.
7.2 Stock Certificates.
The shares of the Corporation shall be uncertificated, provided that the Board by resolution may provide that some or all of the shares of any class or series of stock of the Corporation shall be represented by certificates. Certificates for the shares of stock, if any, shall be in such form as is consistent with the Certificate of Incorporation and applicable law. Every holder of stock represented by a certificate shall be entitled to have a certificate signed by, or in the name of the Corporation by, any two officers authorized to sign stock certificates representing the number of shares registered in certificate form. The chief executive officer, executive chair, chairperson or vice chairperson of the Board,
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the president, vice president, the treasurer, any assistant treasurer, general counsel or deputy general counsel, the secretary or any assistant secretary of the Corporation shall be specifically authorized to sign stock certificates. Any or all of the signatures on the certificate may be a facsimile. In case any officer, transfer agent or registrar who has signed or whose facsimile signature has been placed upon a certificate has ceased to be such officer, transfer agent or registrar before such certificate is issued, it may be issued by the Corporation with the same effect as if he or she were such officer, transfer agent or registrar at the date of issue.
7.3 Lost Certificates.
The Corporation may issue a new certificate of stock or uncertificated shares in the place of any certificate theretofore issued by it, alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed, and the Corporation may require the owner of the lost, stolen or destroyed certificate, or such owners legal representative, to give the Corporation a bond sufficient to indemnify it against any claim that may be made against it on account of the alleged loss, theft or destruction of any such certificate or the issuance of such new certificate or uncertificated shares.
7.4 Shares Without Certificates.
The Corporation shall adopt a system of issuance, recordation and transfer of its shares of stock by electronic or other means not involving the issuance of certificates, provided the use of such system by the Corporation is permitted in accordance with applicable law.
7.5 Construction; Definitions.
Unless the context requires otherwise, the general provisions, rules of construction and definitions in the DGCL shall govern the construction of these bylaws. In connection herewith, to the extent there are conflicts among these bylaws, the Certificate of Incorporation or the Governance Agreement, priority shall first be given to the Certificate of Incorporation, second to the Governance Agreement and third to these bylaws, in each case except as otherwise required by the DGCL. Without limiting the generality of this provision, the singular number includes the plural and the plural number includes the singular.
7.6 Dividends.
The Board, subject to any restrictions contained in either (a) the DGCL or (b) the Certificate of Incorporation, may declare and pay dividends upon the shares of its capital stock. Dividends may be paid in cash, in property or in shares of the Corporations capital stock. Until the Sunset Date, the Board shall pay dividends in accordance with the Cash Management Policy.
The Board may set apart out of any of the funds of the Corporation available for dividends a reserve or reserves for any proper purpose and may abolish any such reserve. Such purposes shall include but not be limited to equalizing dividends, repairing or maintaining any property of the Corporation, and meeting contingencies.
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7.7 Fiscal Year.
The fiscal year of the Corporation shall be fixed by resolution of the Board and may be changed by the Board.
7.8 Seal.
The Corporation may adopt a corporate seal, which shall be adopted and which may be altered by the Board. The Corporation may use the corporate seal by causing it or a facsimile thereof to be impressed or affixed or in any other manner reproduced.
7.9 Transfer of Stock.
Shares of the Corporation shall be transferable in the manner prescribed by law and in these bylaws subject to any transfer restrictions contained in the Certificate of Incorporation and the Governance Agreement. Shares of stock of the Corporation shall be transferred on the books of the Corporation only by the holder of record thereof or by such holders attorney duly authorized in writing, upon surrender to the Corporation or a subsidiary of the Corporation pursuant to applicable provisions of the governing documents such subsidiary of the Corporation, of the certificate or certificates representing such shares endorsed by the appropriate Person or Persons (or by delivery of duly executed instructions with respect to uncertificated shares), with such evidence of the authenticity of such endorsement or execution, transfer, authorization and other matters as the Corporation may reasonably require, and accompanied by all necessary stock transfer stamps. No transfer of stock shall be valid as against the Corporation for any purpose until it shall have been entered in the stock records of the Corporation by an entry showing the names of the Persons from and to whom it was transferred.
7.10 Stock Transfer Agreements.
The Corporation shall have power to enter into and perform any agreement with any number of stockholders of any one or more classes or series of stock of the Corporation to restrict the transfer of shares of stock of the Corporation of any one or more classes owned by such stockholders in any manner not prohibited by the DGCL.
7.11 Registered Stockholders.
The Corporation:
(i) shall be entitled to recognize the exclusive right of a Person registered on its books as the owner of shares to receive dividends and to vote as such owner; and (ii) shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such share or shares on the part of another Person, whether or not it shall have express or other notice thereof, except as otherwise provided by the laws of the State of Delaware.
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7.12 Waiver of Notice.
Whenever notice is required to be given under any provision of the DGCL, the Certificate of Incorporation or these bylaws, a written waiver, signed by the Person entitled to notice, or a waiver by electronic transmission by the Person entitled to notice, whether before or after the time of the event for which notice is to be given, shall be deemed equivalent to notice. Attendance of a Person at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except when the Person attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting at the beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any regular or special meeting of the stockholders need be specified in any written waiver of notice or any waiver by electronic transmission unless so required by the Certificate of Incorporation or these bylaws.
Article VIII
Amendments
Subject to Section 7.1(a) of the Certificate of Incorporation, the Board is expressly empowered to adopt, amend or repeal the bylaws of the Corporation. The stockholders also shall have power to adopt, amend or repeal the bylaws of the Corporation.
Article IX
Consent Rights
9.1 EDR Sunset Approval Rights. For so long as EDR beneficially owns, directly or indirectly (including through its controlled Affiliates), more than twenty percent (20)% (in the aggregate) of the voting power of the then-outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation, the Corporation shall not, and shall cause its subsidiaries not to, take the following actions without approval of (i) a majority of the Board (which must include, until the Sunset Date, the Executive Chair (or, if the Executive Chair Sunset has occurred, a majority of the WWE Designees or their successors)) and (ii) a majority of the Independent directors of the Board:
(a) any alteration, amendment or waiver of these bylaws, the Certificate of Incorporation, voting agreements or other governing documents of the Corporation or the HoldCo LLC Agreement that positively alters or changes (other than in an immaterial and ministerial manner) the rights, preferences or privileges of the Class B Common Stock in a disproportionate manner relative to the Class A Common Stock, or that otherwise positively affects (other than in an immaterial and ministerial manner) the holders of the Class B Common Stock in a disproportionate manner relative to the holders of Class A Common Stock (including, without limitation, with respect to ownership or rights in HoldCo) whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise;
(b) any sale, consolidation, reorganization, merger or acquisition involving HoldCo and/or the Corporation under which the holders of the Class B Common Stock would receive a disproportionate control premium (or other disparate consideration) relative to the holders of the Class A Common Stock (except for amounts explicitly and directly in respect of services contemplated by the Services Agreement);
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(c) formation of any new committee of the Board, including any executive committee, or altering, amending, waiving or otherwise modifying the charter of any committee of the Board, in each case, in a manner which adversely impacts (other than in an immaterial and ministerial manner) the rights of the WWE Designees under these bylaws, the Certificate of Incorporation, voting agreements or other governing documents of the Corporation or the HoldCo LLC Agreement; and
(d) entering into, modifying, amending or terminating, any agreements, arrangements or transactions with EDR or its affiliates (including, without limitation, adding an EDR business to HoldCo or entering into commercial agreements or other arrangements with EDR or its Affiliates, but excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, any transactions with portfolio companies of such affiliates in the ordinary course of such portfolio companies businesses) (in each case, other than pursuant to agreements in the form approved by the Corporation and EDR and entered into in connection with or effective as of the Closing Date); provided that, compensation decisions (including salary, bonus and equity awards) for overlapping executives with EDR who serve as the chief executive officer or president/chief operating officer of the Corporation (solely in their capacities as executives of the Corporation) will require the approval of only a majority of the Board and, until the date on which the Executive Chair Sunset occurs, the Executive Chair; provided, further, that any decision to hire or fire any such overlapping executive with EDR, and any compensation decisions for any overlapping executive with EDR other than the chief executive officer or president/chief operating officer (in their capacities as executives of the Corporation), in each case will require the approval of only a majority of the Board.
9.2 WWE Sunset Approval Rights. Until the Sunset Date, the Corporation shall not take the following actions without approval of (i) a majority of the Board (excluding the Executive Chair) and (ii) (x) until the Executive Chair Sunset, the Executive Chair and (y) after the Executive Chair Sunset, a majority of the WWE Designees or their successors:
(a) any acquisition or disposition of an operating business (whether by way of acquisition of stock, assets, merger, consolidation or otherwise) by the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries in a transaction or series of related transactions in each case involving aggregate consideration payable to or by the Corporation in excess of $750 million (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any sale of the Corporation or HoldCo);
(b) any change in the corporate headquarters of the legacy WWE business; and
(c) any modification to the Corporations cash management policy as of the date hereof (the Cash Management Policy).
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Article X
Definitions
As used in these bylaws, unless the context otherwise requires, the term:
Affiliate means, with respect to any Person, any other Person that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with such Person. For the purposes of this definition, control, when used with respect to any Person, means the power to direct or cause the direction of the affairs or management of that Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, as trustee (or the power to appoint a trustee), personal representative or executor, by contract, credit arrangement or otherwise and controlled and controlling have meanings correlative to the foregoing.
Board means the board of directors of the Corporation.
Closing Date means September 12, 2023.
EDR means Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc.
EDR Subscribers means, collectively, Endeavor Operating Company, LLC, a Delaware corporation and a subsidiary of EDR, January Capital Sub, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a subsidiary of EDR and January Capital Holdco, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and subsidiary of EDR.
Executive Chair Sunset has the meaning set forth in the Governance Agreement.
Governance Agreement means that certain Governance Agreement, dated as of the Closing Date, by and among EDR, the EDR Subscribers, HoldCo, TKO Group Holdings, Inc., and Vincent K. McMahon.
HoldCo means TKO Operating Company, LLC (f/k/a Zuffa Parent, LLC).
Independent means (a) being qualified as an independent director under the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange, or any other principal market on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted for trading and (b) not being (x) an Affiliate, equity security or interest holder, partner, member (in the case of each of the foregoing other than in respect of less than 5% of the voting or economic interest of the applicable Person) of HoldCo, EDR, TKO Group Holdings, Inc. or any of their respective Affiliates and (y) any employee, director, officer, or an immediate member of family (as applicable) of any Person described in (x) or of HoldCo, EDR, or any of their respective Affiliates, as determined by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board.
Person means any individual, general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, corporation, trust, business trust, joint stock company, joint venture, unincorporated association, cooperative or association or any other legal entity or organization of whatever nature, and shall include any successor (by merger or otherwise) of such entity.
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Services Agreement means that certain Services Agreement, dated as of the Closing Date, by and between HoldCo and EDR.
Sunset Date has the meaning set forth in the Governance Agreement.
Capitalized terms used but not defined in these bylaws shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Certificate of Incorporation.
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TKO Group Holdings, Inc.
Certificate of Amendment and Restatement of Bylaws
The undersigned hereby certifies that he is the duly elected, qualified, and acting Secretary of TKO Group Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Corporation), and that the foregoing bylaws were approved on April 1, 2023, effective as of September 12, 2023 by the Corporations board of directors.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has hereunto set his hand this 12th day of September, 2023.
/s/ Robert Hilton |
Exhibit 4.3
TKO GROUP HOLDINGS, INC.
2023 INCENTIVE AWARD PLAN
1. Purpose. The TKO Group Holdings, Inc. 2023 Incentive Award Plan (as amended from time to time, the Plan) is intended to help TKO Group Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (including any successor thereto, the Company), and Affiliates (i) to attract and retain key employees, directors, consultants, advisors and other Eligible Persons and to motivate such Eligible Persons to serve the Company and Affiliates and to expend maximum effort to improve business results and earnings of the Company by providing them the opportunity to acquire an interest in the operations and future success of the Company, and (ii) align the interests of such Eligible Persons with those of the Companys shareholders. To this end, the Plan provides for, among other things, the grant of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, other stock or cash based awards and dividend equivalents. Any of these awards may, but need not, be made as performance incentives to reward attainment of annual or long-term performance goals in accordance with the terms hereof. Stock options granted under the Plan may be non-qualified stock options or incentive stock options, as provided herein.
2. Effective Date. The Plan was adopted by the Board on September 12, 2023. Subject to the approval of the Plan by the Companys stockholders, the Plan is effective immediately prior to the closing of the transactions contemplated by that Transaction Agreement, by and among Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc., Endeavor Operating Company, LLC, Zuffa Parent, LLC, World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., New Whale Inc., and Whale Merger Sub Inc., dated as of April 2, 2023 as amended from time to time, are consummated (the Effective Date). No Incentive Stock Option may be granted pursuant to the Plan after the tenth anniversary of the earlier of (a) the date on which the Plan was adopted by the Board and (b) the date the Plan was approved by the Companys stockholders.
3. Definitions. The following definitions shall apply throughout the Plan:
(a) Administrator means the Board or a Committee to the extent that the Boards powers or authority under the Plan have been delegated to such Committee.
(b) Affiliate means (i) any Subsidiary and (ii) any other person or entity that directly or indirectly controls or is controlled by the Company (including, without limitation, OpCo) or OpCo. The term control (including, with correlative meaning, the term controlled by), as applied to any person or entity, means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such person or entity, whether through the ownership of voting or other securities, by contract or otherwise. For the avoidance of doubt, no subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc., Endeavor Manager, LLC or Endeavor Operating Company, LLC (other than OpCo and the Subsidiaries) shall constitute an Affiliate.
(c) Award means any Incentive Stock Option, Nonqualified Stock Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Unit, Other Stock or Cash Based Award or Dividend Equivalent granted under the Plan.
(d) Award Agreement means the agreement (whether in written or electronic form) or other instrument or document evidencing any Award granted under the Plan.
(e) Beneficial Ownership has the meaning set forth in Rule 13d-3 promulgated under Section 13 of the Exchange Act.
(f) Board means the Board of Directors of the Company.
(g) Cause in the case of a particular Award, unless the applicable Award Agreement states otherwise, (i) shall have the meaning given such term (or term of similar import) in any employment, consulting, change-in-control, severance or any other agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Subsidiary, or severance plan in which the Participant is eligible to participate, in either case in effect at the time of the Participants termination of employment or service with the Company and any Subsidiary, or (ii) if cause or term of similar import is not defined in, or in the absence of, any such employment, consulting, change-in-control, severance or any other agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Subsidiary, or severance plan in which the Participant is eligible to participate, means: (A) the Participants commission of any act or omission that results in or could reasonably be expected to result in conviction of, or entry of a plea of no contest to (x) a felony or (y) a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude (or the equivalent of a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude or a felony in a jurisdiction other than the United States), (B) the Participants gross negligence or willful misconduct, or a willful failure to attempt in good faith to substantially perform his or her duties (other than due to physical illness or incapacity), (C) the Participants material breach of a provision of any employment agreement, consulting agreement, directorship agreement or similar services agreement or offer letter between the Participant and the Company or any Subsidiary, or any non-competition, non-disclosure, non-solicitation agreement or confidentiality with the Company or any Affiliate, (D) the Participants material violation of any written policies adopted by the Company or any Affiliate governing the conduct of persons performing services on behalf of the Company or any Affiliate, (E) the Participants obtaining any material improper personal benefit as result of breach by the Participant of any covenant or agreement (including a breach by the Participant of the Companys code of ethics or a material breach by the Participant of other written policies furnished to the Participant relating to personal investment transactions) of which the Participant was or should have been aware, (F) the Participants fraud or misappropriation, embezzlement or material misuse of funds or property belonging to the Company or any Affiliate, (G) the Participants use of alcohol or drugs that materially interferes with the performance of his or her duties, or (H) willful or reckless misconduct in respect of the Participants obligations to the Company or Affiliates or other acts of misconduct by the Participant occurring during the course of the Participants employment or service that in either case results in or could reasonably be expected to result in material damage to the property, business or reputation of the Company or any Affiliate. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or elsewhere, if, within six (6) months following a Participants termination of employment or service for any reason other than by the Company or any Subsidiary for Cause, the Company or any Subsidiary determines that such Participants termination of employment or service could have been for Cause, such Participants termination of employment or service will be deemed to have been for Cause for all purposes, and such Participant will be required to disgorge to the Company all amounts received under this Plan, any Award Agreement or otherwise that would not have been payable to such Participant had such termination of employment or service been by the Company or any Subsidiary for Cause. The determination of whether Cause exists shall be made by the Administrator in its sole discretion.
(h) Change of Control means, in the case of a particular Award, unless the applicable Award Agreement (or any employment, consulting, change-in-control, severance or other agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Subsidiary) states otherwise, any of the following events or series of related events after the Effective Date: a merger or consolidation of the Company with any other Person or Persons, including a tender offer followed by a merger in which holders of Class A common stock of the Company, par value $0.00001 per share, receive the same consideration per share paid in the tender offer, and, immediately after the consummation of such merger or consolidation, the voting securities of the Company immediately prior to such merger or consolidation do not continue to represent or are not converted into more than 50% of the combined voting power of the then-outstanding voting securities of the Person resulting from such merger or consolidation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Change of Control shall not be deemed to have occurred (i) by virtue of the consummation of any transaction or series of integrated transactions immediately following which the record holders of
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the Class A common stock and Class B common stock of the Company, $0.00001 par value per share, immediately prior to such transaction or series of transactions continue to have substantially the same proportionate ownership in and voting control over, and own substantially all of the shares or equity of, an entity which owns all or substantially all of the assets of the Company immediately following such transaction or series of transactions, (ii) by virtue of the consummation of any transaction or series of transactions, immediately following which, the Company and one or more other entities (the Other Constituent Companies) shall have become separate wholly-owned subsidiaries of a holding company, and the record holders of the Class A common stock and Class B common stock of the Company, $0.00001 par value per share, immediately prior to such transaction or series of transactions, together with the record holders of the outstanding equity interests in the Other Constituent Companies immediately prior to such transaction or series of transactions, shall have become the equityholders of the new holding company in exchange for their respective equity interests in the Company and the Other Constituent Companies and such transaction or transactions would not otherwise constitute a Change of Control assuming references to the Company are references to such holding company, or (iii) as a result of any transaction involving Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (EGH) or any of its Affiliates or successors (including any transfer or other change of voting control of EGH or any of its Affiliates (other than the Company)) except for any such transaction where any single Person or group (within the meaning of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act) that does not include EGH or its Affiliates acquires securities of the Company representing more than 50% of the combined voting power of the Companys then outstanding voting securities. If a Change of Control constitutes a payment event with respect to any Award (or any portion of an Award) that provides for the deferral of compensation that is subject to Section 409A of the Code, to the extent required to avoid the imposition of additional taxes under Section 409A of the Code, the event or series of events described above with respect to such Award (or portion thereof) shall only constitute a Change of Control for purposes of the payment timing of such Award if such transaction also constitutes a change in control event, as defined in Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-3(i)(5). The Board shall have full and final authority, which shall be exercised in its sole discretion, to determine conclusively whether a Change of Control has occurred pursuant to the above definition, the date of the occurrence of such Change of Control and any incidental matters relating thereto; provided that any exercise of authority in conjunction with a determination of whether a Change of Control is a change in control event as defined in Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-3(i)(5) shall be consistent with such regulation.
(i) Code means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and any successor thereto. References to any section of the Code shall be deemed to include any regulations or other interpretative guidance under such section, and any amendments or successors thereto.
(j) Committee means one or more committees of the Board, which may include one or more directors or executive officers of the Company, or one or more committees consisting of executive officers of the Company, in each case, to the extent applicable laws permit. To the extent required to comply with the provisions of Rule 16b-3, it is intended that each member of the Committee will be, at the time the Committee takes any action with respect to an Award that is subject to Rule 16b-3, a non-employee director within the meaning of Rule 16b-3; however, a Committee members failure to qualify as a non-employee director within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 will not invalidate any Award granted by the Committee that is otherwise validly granted under the Plan.
(k) Common Stock means Class A common stock of the Company, par value $0.00001 per share (and any stock or other securities into which such common stock may be converted or into which it may be exchanged).
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(l) Disability in the case of a particular Award, unless the applicable Award Agreement states otherwise, (i) shall have the meaning given such term (or term of similar import) in any employment, consulting, change-in-control, severance or any other agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Subsidiary, or severance plan in which the Participant is eligible to participate, in either case in effect at the time of the Participants termination of employment or service with the Company and any Subsidiary, or (ii) if disability or term of similar import is not defined in, or in the absence of, any such employment, consulting, change-in-control, severance or any other agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Subsidiary, or severance plan in which the Participant is eligible to participate, means, that such Participant is either (A) unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than twelve months, or (B) determined to be disabled in accordance with a long-term disability insurance or similar program maintained by the Company or is subject to a determination by the U.S. Social Security Administration (or similar non-U.S. governmental authority) that he or she is totally disabled.
(m) Dividend Equivalent means a right to receive the equivalent value (in cash, shares of Common Stock or other property) of dividends paid on shares of Common Stock, awarded under Section 10(b) of the Plan.
(n) $ shall refer to the United States dollars.
(o) DRO means a domestic relations order as defined by the Code or Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to time, or the rules thereunder.
(p) Eligible Person means any (i) individual employed by the Company or a Subsidiary; provided, that no such employee covered by a collective bargaining agreement shall be an Eligible Person, (ii) director or officer of the Company or a Subsidiary, (iii) consultant or advisor to the Company or any of the Subsidiaries who may be offered securities registrable on Form S-8 under the Securities Act, or (iv) prospective employee, director, officer, consultant or advisor who has accepted an offer of employment or service from the Company or the Subsidiaries (and would satisfy the provisions of clause (i), (ii) or (iii) above once such individual begins employment with or providing services to the Company or a Subsidiary) and otherwise may be offered securities registrable on Form S-8 under the Securities Act.
(q) Exchange Act means the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and any successor thereto. References to any section of (or rule promulgated under) the Exchange Act shall be deemed to include any rules, regulations or other interpretative guidance under such section or rule, and any amendments or successors thereto.
(r) Exchange Program means a program (i) under which (A) outstanding Awards are surrendered or canceled in exchange for Awards of the same type (which may have higher or lower exercise prices and different terms), Awards of a different type, and/or cash, (B) Participants would have the opportunity to transfer any outstanding Awards to a financial institution or other person or entity selected by the Board, (C) the exercise price of an outstanding Award is reduced or increased or (ii) which otherwise constitutes a repricing for purposes of the shareholder approval rules of the applicable securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation service on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted. The Board will determine the terms and conditions of any Exchange Program in its sole discretion.
(s) Exercise Price has the meaning set forth in Section 7(b) of the Plan.
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(t) Fair Market Value means, (i) with respect to Common Stock on a given date, (A) if the Common Stock is listed on a national securities exchange, the closing sales price of a share of Common Stock reported on such exchange on such date, or if there is no such sale on that date, then on the last preceding date on which such a sale was reported, or (B) if the Common Stock is not listed on any national securities exchange, the amount determined by the Administrator in good faith to be the fair market value of the Common Stock, or (ii) with respect to any other property on any given date, the amount determined by the Administrator in good faith to be the fair market value of such other property as of such date.
(u) Greater Than 10% Stockholder means an individual then owning (within the meaning of Section 424(d) of the Code) more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any subsidiary corporation (as defined in Section 424(f) of the Code) or parent corporation thereof (as defined in Section 424(e) of the Code).
(v) Incentive Stock Option means an Option that is designated by the Administrator as an incentive stock option as described in Section 422 of the Code and otherwise meets the requirements set forth in the Plan.
(w) Immediate Family Members has the meaning set forth in Section 15(b)(ii) of the Plan.
(x) Indemnifiable Person has the meaning set forth in Section 4(e) of the Plan.
(y) NYSE means The New York Stock Exchange.
(z) Non-Affiliate Director means a member of the Board other than any Person that (a) is an employee of the Company or any Subsidiary or (b) (i) has been appointed to the Board pursuant to the Governance Agreement, dated as of September 12, 2023, and (ii) does not qualify as Independent (as defined in the Governance Agreement).
(aa) Nonqualified Stock Option means an Option that is not designated by the Administrator as an Incentive Stock Option.
(bb) OpCo means TKO Operating Company, LLC.
(cc) Option means an Award granted under Section 7 of the Plan.
(dd) Option Period has the meaning set forth in Section 7(c) of the Plan.
(ee) Other Stock or Cash Based Award means an Award granted under Section 10 of the Plan.
(ff) Participant has the meaning set forth in Section 6 of the Plan.
(gg) Performance Criteria means the criteria (and adjustments) that the Administrator selects for an Award for purposes of establishing the Performance Goal(s) for an applicable performance period. The Performance Criteria that may be used to establish Performance Goals include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) net earnings, losses and operating income (either before or after one or more of the following: (A) interest, (B) taxes, (C) depreciation, (D) amortization and (E) non-cash equity-based compensation expense); (ii) gross or net sales or revenue or sales or revenue growth; (iii) net income (either before or after taxes); (iv) adjusted net income; (v) operating earnings or profit (either before or after taxes); (vi) cash flow (including, but not limited to, operating cash flow and free cash flow); (vii) return on assets; (viii) return on capital (or invested capital) and cost of capital; (ix) return on stockholders equity; (x) total stockholder return; (xi) return on sales; (xii) gross or net profit or operating
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margin; (xiii) costs, reductions in costs and cost control measures; (xiv) expenses; (xv) working capital; (xvi) earnings or loss per share; (xvii) adjusted earnings or loss per share; (xviii) price per share or dividends per share (or appreciation in and/or maintenance of such price or dividends); (xix) regulatory achievements or compliance (including, without limitation, regulatory body approval for commercialization of a product); (xx) implementation or completion of critical projects; (xxi) market share; (xxii) economic value; (xxiii) individual employee performance and (xxiv) specified, objective metrics (such as, without limitation, number of subscribers, viewership or other program ratings, social media metrics, live event attendance or average ticket price), any of which may be measured either in absolute terms or as compared to any incremental increase or decrease or as compared to results of a peer group or other employees or to market performance indicators or indices.
(hh) Performance Goals means, for any applicable performance period, one or more goals established in writing by the Administrator based upon one or more Performance Criteria. Depending on the Performance Criteria used to establish such Performance Goals, the Performance Goals may be expressed in terms of overall Company performance or the performance of an Affiliate, division, business unit, or an individual. The achievement of each Performance Goal shall be determined with reference to methodology determined appropriate by the Administrator.
(ii) Permitted Transferee has the meaning set forth in Section 15(b)(ii) of the Plan.
(jj) Person has the meaning given in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act, as modified and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, except that such term shall not include (i) a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or any Affiliate, or (ii) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering of such securities.
(kk) Released Unit has the meaning set forth in Section 9(d)(ii) of the Plan.
(ll) Restricted Period has the meaning set forth in Section 9(a) of the Plan.
(mm) Restricted Stock means an Award of Common Stock, subject to certain specified restrictions, granted under Section 9 of the Plan, including, without limitation, any such Awards that vest based upon and/or subject to achievement of Performance Goals (i.e., performance shares).
(nn) Restricted Stock Unit means an Award of an unfunded and unsecured promise to deliver shares of Common Stock, cash, other securities or other property, subject to certain specified restrictions, granted under Section 9 of the Plan, including, without limitation, any such Awards for which the amount delivered is based upon and/or subject to achievement of Performance Goals (i.e., performance stock units) and/or for which delivery of shares of Common Stock may occur over time based on achievement of Performance Goals or otherwise.
(oo) Rule 16b-3 means Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act and any amendments thereto.
(pp) SAR Period has the meaning set forth in Section 8(c) of the Plan.
(qq) Securities Act means the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any successor thereto. Reference in the Plan to any section of (or rule promulgated under) the Securities Act shall be deemed to include any rules, regulations or other interpretative guidance under such section or rule, and any amendments or successor provisions to such section, rules, regulations or other interpretive guidance.
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(rr) Stock Appreciation Right or SAR means an Award granted under Section 8 of the Plan.
(ss) Strike Price has the meaning set forth in Section 8(b) of the Plan.
(tt) Subsidiary means any corporation or other entity a majority of whose outstanding voting stock or voting power is beneficially owned directly or indirectly by the Company or OpCo.
(uu) Substitute Awards has the meaning set forth in Section 5(e) of the Plan.
4. Administration.
(a) The Administrator shall administer the Plan, and shall have the sole and plenary authority to (i) designate Participants, (ii) determine the type, size, and terms and conditions of Awards to be granted and to grant such Awards, (iii) determine the method by which an Award may be settled, exercised, canceled, forfeited, suspended, or repurchased by the Company, (iv) institute and determine the terms and conditions of an Exchange Program, (v) determine the circumstances under which the delivery of cash, property or other amounts payable with respect to an Award may be deferred, either automatically or at the Participants or Administrators election, (vi) interpret, administer, reconcile any inconsistency in, correct any defect in and supply any omission in the Plan and any Award granted under the Plan, (vii) establish, amend, suspend, or waive any rules and regulations and appoint such agents as the Administrator shall deem appropriate for the proper administration of the Plan, (viii) accelerate the vesting, delivery or exercisability of, or payment for or lapse of restrictions on, or waive any condition in respect of, Awards, and (ix) make any other determination and take any other action that the Administrator deems necessary or desirable for the administration of the Plan or to comply with any applicable law.
(b) Subject to the requirements of applicable law, the Administrator may delegate all or any portion of its responsibilities and powers to any person(s) selected by it, except for grants of Awards to persons who are Non-Affiliate Directors or are otherwise subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act. Any such delegation may be revoked by the Administrator at any time.
(c) As further set forth in Section 15(e) of the Plan, the Administrator shall have the authority to amend the Plan and Awards to the extent necessary to permit participation in the Plan by Eligible Persons who are located outside of the United States on terms and conditions comparable to those afforded to Eligible Persons located within the United States; provided, that no such action shall be taken without shareholder approval if such approval is required by applicable securities laws or regulation or NYSE listing guidelines.
(d) Unless otherwise expressly provided in the Plan, all designations, determinations, interpretations, and other decisions regarding the Plan or any Award or any documents evidencing Awards granted pursuant to the Plan shall be within the sole discretion of the Administrator, may be made at any time and shall be final, conclusive and binding upon all persons and entities, including, without limitation, the Company, any Affiliate, any Participant, any holder or beneficiary of any Award, and any shareholder of the Company.
(e) To the fullest extent permitted by law, no member of the Board or the Administrator, or any employee or agent of the Company (each such person, an Indemnifiable Person), shall be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken or any determination made with respect to the Plan or any Award hereunder (unless constituting fraud, a willful criminal act or a willful criminal omission). Each Indemnifiable Person shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be indemnified and held harmless by
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the Company against and from any loss, cost, liability, or expense (including attorneys fees) that may be imposed upon or incurred by such Indemnifiable Person in connection with or resulting from any action, suit or proceeding to which such Indemnifiable Person may be involved as a party, witness or otherwise by reason of any action taken or omitted to be taken or determination made under the Plan or any Award Agreement and against and from any and all amounts paid by such Indemnifiable Person with the Companys approval (not to be unreasonably withheld), in settlement thereof, or paid by such Indemnifiable Person in satisfaction of any judgment in any such action, suit or proceeding against such Indemnifiable Person, and the Company shall advance to such Indemnifiable Person any such expenses promptly upon written request (which request shall include an undertaking by the Indemnifiable Person to repay the amount of such advance if it shall ultimately be determined as provided below that the Indemnifiable Person is not entitled to be indemnified); provided, that the Company shall have the right, at its own expense, to assume and defend any such action, suit or proceeding, and once the Company gives notice of its intent to assume the defense, the Company shall have sole control over such defense with counsel of recognized standing of the Companys choice. The foregoing right of indemnification shall not be available to an Indemnifiable Person to the extent that a final judgment or other final adjudication (in either case not subject to further appeal) binding upon such Indemnifiable Person determines that the acts or omissions or determinations of such Indemnifiable Person giving rise to the indemnification claim resulted from such Indemnifiable Persons fraud, willful criminal act or willful criminal omission, or that such right of indemnification is otherwise prohibited by law or by the Companys certificate of incorporation or by-laws. The foregoing right of indemnification shall not be exclusive of or otherwise supersede any other rights of indemnification to which such Indemnifiable Persons may be entitled under the Companys certificate of incorporation or by-laws, as a matter of law, individual indemnification agreement or contract or otherwise, or any other power that the Company may have to indemnify such Indemnifiable Persons or hold them harmless.
5. Grant of Awards; Shares Subject to the Plan; Limitations.
(a) Awards. The Administrator may grant Awards to one or more Eligible Persons.
(b) Share Limits. Subject to Section 12 of the Plan and subsection (e) below, the following limitations apply to the grant of Awards:
(i) the number of shares of Common Stock that are reserved for issuance and may be delivered in the aggregate pursuant to Awards granted under the Plan may not exceed 10,000,000 (the Share Pool);
(ii) no more than 10,000,000 shares of Common Stock may be delivered pursuant to the exercise of Incentive Stock Options granted under the Plan; and
(iii) the maximum amount (based on the fair value of any equity grant on the date of grant as determined in accordance with applicable financial accounting rules) of Awards that may be granted in any single fiscal year to any Non-Affiliate Director, taken together with any cash fees paid to such Non-Affiliate Director during such fiscal year, in each case solely in respect of such Non-Affiliate Directors service on the Board, shall be seven hundred fifty thousand ($750,000); provided, that the foregoing limitation shall not apply in respect of any Awards issued to a Non-Affiliate Director (A) in respect of any one-time initial equity grant upon a Non-Affiliate Directors appointment to the Board or (B) in the event of extraordinary circumstances, to the extent such Non-Affiliate Director receiving such additional compensation does not participate in the decision to award such compensation or in other contemporaneous compensation decisions involving other Non-Affiliate Director.
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(c) Share Counting. The Share Pool shall be reduced by the relevant number of shares of Common Stock granted under the Plan for each Award that is valued by reference to a share of Common Stock; provided that Awards that are valued by reference to shares of Common Stock but are paid in cash pursuant to their terms or the Plan and Dividend Equivalents paid in cash in conjunction with any Award shall not reduce the Share Pool. If and to the extent that Awards originating from the Share Pool terminate, expire, or are canceled, forfeited, exchanged, or surrendered (including, without limitation, pursuant to an Exchange Program), without having been exercised, vested, or settled, the shares of Common Stock subject to such Awards shall again be available for Awards under the Share Pool. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the following shares of Common Stock shall not become available for issuance under the Plan: (i) shares of Common Stock tendered by Participants, or withheld by the Company, as full or partial payment to the Company upon the exercise of Stock Options granted under the Plan; (ii) shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance upon the grant of Stock Appreciation Rights, to the extent that the number of reserved shares of Common Stock exceeds the number of shares of Common Stock actually issued upon the exercise of the Stock Appreciation Rights; (iii) shares of Common Stock withheld by, or otherwise remitted to, the Company to satisfy a Participants tax withholding obligations upon the lapse of restrictions on, settlement of, or exercise of Awards granted under the Plan; and (iv) shares of Common Stock purchased on the open market by the Company with the cash proceeds received from the exercise of Stock Options. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5(c), after the tenth anniversary of the earlier of (a) the date on which the Plan was adopted by the Board and (b) the date the Plan was approved by the Companys stockholders, no shares of Common Stock shall again be available for future grants of Awards under the Plan pursuant to this Section 5(c) to the extent that such return of shares of Common Stock would at such time cause the Plan to constitute a formula plan or constitute a material revision of the Plan subject to shareholder approval under then-applicable rules of the NYSE (or any other applicable exchange or quotation system).
(d) Source of Shares. Shares of Common Stock delivered by the Company in settlement of Awards may be authorized and unissued shares, shares held in the treasury of the Company, shares purchased on the open market or by private purchase, or a combination of the foregoing.
(e) Substitute Awards. The Administrator may grant Awards in assumption of, or in substitution for, outstanding awards previously granted by the Company or any Affiliate or an entity directly or indirectly acquired by the Company or with which the Company combines (Substitute Awards), and such Substitute Awards shall not be counted against the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock available for Awards; provided, that Substitute Awards issued or intended as incentive stock options within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code shall be counted against the aggregate number of Incentive Stock Options available under the Plan. The Administrator may grant Substitute Awards on such terms as the Administrator deems appropriate, notwithstanding limitations on Awards in the Plan. Additionally, in the event that a company acquired by the Company or any Subsidiary or with which the Company or any Subsidiary combines has shares available under a pre-existing plan approved by its stockholders and not adopted in contemplation of such acquisition or combination, the shares available for grant pursuant to the terms of such pre-existing plan (as adjusted, to the extent appropriate, using the exchange ratio or other adjustment or valuation ratio or formula used in such acquisition or combination to determine the consideration payable to the holders of common stock of the entities party to such acquisition or combination) may be used for Awards under the Plan and shall not reduce the shares of Common Stock authorized for grant under the Plan (and shares of Common Stock subject to such Awards shall not be added to the shares of Common Stock available for Awards under the Plan); provided that Awards using such available shares of Common Stock shall not be made after the date awards or grants could have been made under the terms of the pre-existing plan, absent the acquisition or combination, and shall only be made to individuals who were not employed by or providing services to the Company or its Subsidiaries immediately prior to such acquisition or combination.
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6. Eligibility. Participation shall be limited to Eligible Persons who have been selected by the Administrator and who have entered into an Award Agreement with respect to an Award granted to them under the Plan (each such Eligible Person, a Participant).
7. Options.
(a) Generally. Each Option shall be subject to the conditions set forth in the Plan and in the applicable Award Agreement. All Options granted under the Plan shall be Nonqualified Stock Options unless the Award Agreement expressly states otherwise. Incentive Stock Options shall be granted only subject to and in compliance with Section 422 of the Code, and only to Eligible Persons who are employees of the Company and Affiliates and who are eligible to receive an Incentive Stock Option under the Code. If for any reason an Option intended to be an Incentive Stock Option (or any portion thereof) shall not qualify as an Incentive Stock Option, then, to the extent of such nonqualification, such Option or portion thereof shall be regarded as a Nonqualified Stock Option properly granted under the Plan.
(b) Exercise Price. The exercise price (Exercise Price) per share of Common Stock for each Option (that is not a Substitute Award) shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of such share, determined as of the date of grant. In addition, in the case of Incentive Stock Options granted to a Greater Than 10% Stockholder, such price shall not be less than 110% of the Fair Market Value of a share on the date the Option is granted (or the date the Option is modified, extended or renewed for purposes of Section 424(h) of the Code).
(c) Vesting, Exercise and Expiration. The Administrator shall determine the manner and timing of vesting (which, for the avoidance of doubt, may include service- and/or Performance Goal-based vesting conditions), exercise and expiration of Options. The period between the date of grant and the scheduled expiration date of the Option (Option Period) shall not exceed ten years (or in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to a Greater Than 10% Stockholder, five years), unless the Option Period would expire at a time when trading in the shares of Common Stock is prohibited by any exchange and/or insider trading policy that may be established by the Company, as may be amended from time to time (a Trading Policy), or any black-out or similar period under the Companys policies covering trading in the Companys securities, including any limited liability company units or other interests of any subsidiary of the Company that are convertible for or exchangeable into (i) any equity or other security of the Company or (ii) any equity or other security of such subsidiary which in turn is convertible for or exchangeable into any equity or other security of the Company (including any Trading Policy) to which the applicable Participant is subject (a Black Out Period), in which case, solely in respect of Nonqualified Stock Options, the Option Period shall be extended automatically until the 30th day following the expiration of such prohibition (so long as such extension shall not violate Section 409A of the Code). The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may accelerate the vesting and/or exercisability of any Option, which acceleration shall not affect any other terms and conditions of such Option.
(d) Method of Exercise and Form of Payment. No shares of Common Stock shall be delivered pursuant to any exercise of an Option until the Participant has paid the Exercise Price to the Company in full, and an amount equal to any U.S. federal, state and local income and employment taxes and non-U.S. income and employment taxes, social contributions and any other tax-related items required to be withheld. Options may be exercised by delivery of written or electronic notice of exercise to the Company or its designee (including a third-party administrator) in accordance with the terms of the Option and the Award Agreement accompanied by payment of the Exercise Price and such applicable taxes. The Exercise Price and delivery of all applicable required withholding taxes shall be payable (i) in cash or by check, cash equivalent and/or shares of Common Stock valued at the Fair Market Value at the time the Option is exercised (including, pursuant to procedures approved by the Administrator, by means of attestation of ownership of a sufficient number of shares of Common Stock in lieu of actual delivery of
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such shares to the Company) or any combination of the foregoing; provided, that such shares of Common Stock are not subject to any pledge or other security interest; or (ii) by such other method as elected by the Participant and that the Administrator may permit, in its sole discretion, including without limitation: (A) in the form of other property having a Fair Market Value on the date of exercise equal to the Exercise Price and all applicable required withholding taxes; (B) if there is a public market for the shares of Common Stock at such time, by means of a broker-assisted cashless exercise pursuant to which the Company or its designee (including third-party administrators) is delivered a copy of irrevocable instructions to a stockbroker to sell the shares of Common Stock otherwise deliverable upon the exercise of the Option and to deliver promptly to the Company an amount equal to the Exercise Price and all applicable required withholding taxes against delivery of the shares of Common Stock to settle the applicable trade; or (C) by means of a net exercise procedure effected by withholding the minimum number of shares of Common Stock otherwise deliverable in respect of an Option that are needed to pay for the Exercise Price and all applicable required withholding taxes. In all events of cashless or net exercise, any fractional shares of Common Stock shall be settled in cash.
(e) Notification upon Disqualifying Disposition of an Incentive Stock Option. Each Participant awarded an Incentive Stock Option under the Plan shall notify the Company in writing immediately after the date on which the Participant makes a disqualifying disposition of any Common Stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of such Incentive Stock Option. A disqualifying disposition is any disposition (including, without limitation, any sale) of such Common Stock before the later of (i) two years after the date of grant of the Incentive Stock Option and (ii) one year after the date of exercise of the Incentive Stock Option. The Company may, if determined by the Administrator and in accordance with procedures established by the Administrator, retain possession, as agent for the applicable Participant, of any Common Stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option until the end of the period described in the preceding sentence, subject to complying with any instruction from such Participant as to the sale of such Common Stock.
(f) Compliance with Laws. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the Participant be permitted to exercise an Option in a manner that the Administrator determines would violate the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or any other applicable law or the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission or the applicable rules and regulations of any securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation service on which the Common Stock of the Company is listed or quoted.
(g) Incentive Stock Option Grants to 10% Shareholders. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 7, if an Incentive Stock Option is granted to a Participant who owns stock representing more than ten percent of the voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or of a parent or subsidiary of the Company (within the meaning of Sections 424(e) and 424(f) of the Code), the Option Period shall not exceed five years from the date of grant of such Option and the Exercise Price shall be at least 110% of the Fair Market Value (on the date of grant) of the shares subject to the Option.
(h) $100,000 Per Year Limitation for Incentive Stock Options. To the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the date of grant) of shares of Common Stock for which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by any Participant during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company) exceeds $100,000, such excess Incentive Stock Options shall be treated as Nonqualified Stock Options.
8. Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs).
(a) Generally. Each SAR shall be subject to the conditions set forth in the Plan and the Award Agreement. Any Option granted under the Plan may include a tandem SAR. The Administrator also may award SARs independent of any Option.
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(b) Strike Price. The strike price (Strike Price) per share of Common Stock for each SAR shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of such share, determined as of the date of grant; provided, that a SAR granted in tandem with (or in substitution for) an Option previously granted shall have a Strike Price equal to the Exercise Price of the corresponding Option.
(c) Vesting and Expiration. A SAR granted in tandem with an Option shall vest and become exercisable and shall expire according to the same vesting schedule and expiration provisions as the corresponding Option. A SAR granted independently of an Option shall vest and become exercisable and shall expire in such manner and on such date or dates determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion and shall expire after such period, not to exceed ten years, as may be determined by the Administrator (the SAR Period); provided, that notwithstanding any vesting or exercisability dates set by the Administrator, the Administrator may accelerate the vesting and/or exercisability of any SAR, which acceleration shall not affect the terms and conditions of such SAR other than with respect to vesting and/or exercisability. If the SAR Period would expire at a time when trading in the shares of Common Stock is prohibited by a Trading Policy or Black Out Period, the SAR Period shall be automatically extended until the 30th day following the expiration of such prohibition (so long as such extension shall not violate Section 409A of the Code).
(d) Method of Exercise. SARs may be exercised by delivery of written or electronic notice of exercise to the Company or its designee (including a third-party administrator) in accordance with the terms of the Award, specifying the number of SARs to be exercised and the date on which such SARs were awarded.
(e) Payment. Upon the exercise of a SAR, the Company shall pay to the holder thereof an amount equal to the number of shares subject to the SAR that are being exercised multiplied by the excess, if any, of the Fair Market Value of one share of Common Stock on the exercise date over the Strike Price, less an amount equal to any U.S. federal, state and local income and employment taxes and non-U.S. income and employment taxes, social contributions and any other tax-related items required to be withheld. The Company shall pay such amount in cash, in shares of Common Stock valued at Fair Market Value as determined on the date of exercise, or any combination thereof, as determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion. Any fractional shares of Common Stock shall be settled in cash.
9. Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units.
(a) Generally. Each Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Unit Award shall be subject to the conditions set forth in the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement. The Administrator shall establish restrictions applicable to Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units, including the period over which the restrictions shall apply (the Restricted Period), and the time or times at which Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units shall become vested (which, for the avoidance of doubt, may include service- and/or Performance Goal-based vesting conditions). Subject to such rules, approvals, and conditions as the Administrator may impose from time to time, an Eligible Person who is a non-employee director may elect to receive all or a portion of such Eligible Persons cash director fees and other cash director compensation payable for director services provided to the Company by such Eligible Person in any fiscal year, in whole or in part, in the form of Restricted Stock Units. The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may accelerate the vesting and/or the lapse of any or all of the restrictions on Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units which acceleration shall not affect any other terms and conditions of such Awards. No share of Common Stock shall be issued at the time an Award of Restricted Stock Units is made, and the Company will not be required to set aside a fund for the payment of any such Award.
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(b) Stock Certificates; Escrow or Similar Arrangement. Upon the grant of Restricted Stock, the Administrator shall cause share(s) of Common Stock to be registered in the name of the Participant and held in book-entry form subject to the Companys directions. The Administrator may also cause a stock certificate registered in the name of the Participant to be issued. In such event, the Administrator may provide that such certificates shall be held by the Company or in escrow rather than delivered to the Participant pending vesting and release of restrictions, in which case the Administrator may require the Participant to execute and deliver to the Company or its designee (including third-party administrators) (i) an escrow agreement satisfactory to the Administrator, if applicable, and (ii) the appropriate stock power (endorsed in blank) with respect to the Restricted Stock. If the Participant shall fail to execute and deliver the escrow agreement and blank stock power within the amount of time specified by the Administrator, the Award shall be null and void. Subject to the restrictions set forth in this Section 9 and the Award Agreement, the Participant shall have the rights and privileges of a shareholder as to such Restricted Stock, including without limitation the right to vote such Restricted Stock.
(c) Restrictions; Forfeiture. Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units awarded to the Participant shall be subject to forfeiture until the expiration of the Restricted Period and the attainment of any other vesting criteria established by the Administrator, and shall be subject to the restrictions on transferability set forth in Section 15(b) and the Award Agreement. In the event of any forfeiture, all rights of the Participant to such Restricted Stock (or as a shareholder with respect thereto), and to such Restricted Stock Units, as applicable, including to any dividends and/or Dividend Equivalents that may have been accumulated and withheld during the Restricted Period in respect thereof, shall terminate without further action or obligation on the part of the Company. The Administrator shall have the authority to remove any or all of the restrictions on the Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units whenever it may determine that, by reason of changes in applicable laws or other changes in circumstances arising after the date of grant of the Restricted Stock Award or Restricted Stock Unit Award, such action is appropriate.
(d) Delivery of Restricted Stock and Settlement of Restricted Stock Units.
(i) Upon the expiration of the Restricted Period with respect to any shares of Restricted Stock and the attainment of any other vesting criteria, the restrictions set forth in the applicable Award Agreement shall be of no further force or effect, except as set forth in the Award Agreement. If an escrow arrangement is used, upon such expiration the Company shall deliver to the Participant or such Participants beneficiary (via book-entry notation or, if applicable, in stock certificate form) the shares of Restricted Stock with respect to which the Restricted Period has expired (rounded down to the nearest full share). Dividends, if any, that may have been withheld by the Administrator and attributable to the Restricted Stock shall be distributed to the Participant in cash or in shares of Common Stock having a Fair Market Value on the date of distribution (or a combination of cash and shares of Common Stock) equal to the amount of such dividends, upon the release of restrictions on the Restricted Stock.
(ii) Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator in an Award Agreement, upon the expiration of the Restricted Period and the attainment of any other vesting criteria established by the Administrator, with respect to any outstanding Restricted Stock Units, the Company shall deliver to the Participant, or such Participants beneficiary (via book-entry notation or, if applicable, in stock certificate form), one or more shares of Common Stock (or other securities or other property, as applicable) for each such outstanding Restricted Stock Unit that has not then been forfeited and with respect to which the Restricted Period has expired and any other such vesting criteria are attained (Released Unit), as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement; provided, that the Administrator may elect to (A) pay cash or part cash and part Common Stock in lieu of delivering only shares of Common Stock in respect of such Released Units or (B) defer the delivery of Common Stock (or cash or part Common Stock and part cash, as the case may be) beyond the expiration of the Restricted Period if such extension would not cause adverse tax consequences under Section 409A of the Code. If a cash payment is made in lieu of delivering shares of Common Stock, the amount of such payment shall be equal to the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock as of the date on which the shares of Common Stock would have otherwise been delivered to the Participant in respect of such Restricted Stock Units.
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(iii) If and to the extent provided in an Award Agreement, the holder of outstanding Restricted Stock Units may be granted Dividend Equivalents payable upon or in connection with the payment by the Company of dividends on shares of Common Stock either in cash or, if determined by the Administrator, in shares of Common Stock or other property having a Fair Market Value equal to the amount of such dividends as of the date of payment (or a combination of cash, shares of Common Stock or other property) (and interest may, if determined by the Administrator, be credited on the amount payable in respect of the Dividend Equivalents in cash at a rate and subject to such terms as determined by the Administrator). Payments in respect of the Dividend Equivalents (and interest thereon, if applicable) shall be payable at the same time as the underlying Restricted Stock Units are settled (in the case of Restricted Stock Units, following the release of restrictions on such Restricted Stock Units), and if such Restricted Stock Units are forfeited, the holder thereof shall have no right to payments in respect of such Dividend Equivalents.
(e) Legends on Restricted Stock. Each certificate, if certificated, representing Restricted Stock awarded under the Plan, if any, shall bear a legend substantially in the form of the following in addition to any other information the Company deems appropriate until the lapse of all restrictions with respect to such Common Stock:
TRANSFER OF THIS CERTIFICATE AND THE SHARES REPRESENTED HEREBY IS RESTRICTED PURSUANT TO THE TERMS OF THE TKO GROUP HOLDINGS, INC. 2023 INCENTIVE AWARD PLAN AND A RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD AGREEMENT, DATED AS OF __________, BETWEEN TKO GROUP HOLDINGS, INC. AND _________. A COPY OF SUCH PLAN AND AWARD AGREEMENT IS ON FILE AT THE PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES OF TKO GROUP HOLDINGS, INC.
10. Other Stock or Cash Based Awards; Dividend Equivalents.
(a) Other Stock or Cash Based Awards. The Administrator may issue unrestricted Common Stock, rights to receive future grants of Awards, or other Awards denominated in Common Stock (including performance shares or performance units), or Awards that provide for cash payments, whether based in whole or in part on the value or future value of shares of Common Stock or otherwise, under the Plan to Eligible Persons, alone or in tandem with other Awards, in such amounts and on such terms and conditions as the Administrator shall from time to time determine (Other Stock or Cash Based Awards). Each Other Stock or Cash Based Award shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement, which may include conditions including, without limitation, the payment by the Participant of the Fair Market Value of the shares of Common Stock underlying such Award on the date of grant. Other Stock or Cash Based Awards may be available as a form of payment in the settlement of other Awards granted under the Plan, as stand-alone payments, as a part of or in settlement of a bonus, deferred bonus, deferred compensation, phantom equity or other arrangement, and/or as payment in lieu of compensation to which an Eligible Individual is otherwise entitled.
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(b) Dividend Equivalents. The Administrator may provide a Participant with Dividend Equivalents alone or as part of an Award, on a current or deferred basis, on such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Administrator, including, without limitation, a requirement of reinvestment of additional shares of Common Stock received in connection therewith; provided, that no dividend equivalents shall be payable (i) in respect of outstanding Options or SARs or (ii) in respect of any other Award unless and until the Participant vests in such underlying Award; provided, further, that Dividend Equivalents may be accumulated in respect of unearned or unvested Awards and paid as soon as administratively practicable, but no more than 60 days, after such Awards are earned and vested and become payable or distributable or are settled (and, unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, the right to any such accumulated Dividend Equivalents shall be forfeited upon the forfeiture of the Award to which such Dividend Equivalents relate).
11. Limitations Applicable to Section 16 Persons. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the Plan, and any Award granted or awarded to any Participant who is then subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, shall be subject to any additional limitations set forth in any applicable exemptive rule under Section 16 of the Exchange Act (including Rule 16b-3) that are requirements for the application of such exemptive rule. To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Plan and Awards granted or awarded hereunder shall be deemed amended to the extent necessary to conform to such applicable exemptive rule.
12. Changes in Capital Structure and Similar Events. In the event of (a) any dividend (other than regular cash dividends) or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, shares of Common Stock, other securities or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, amalgamation, consolidation, split-up, split-off, spin-off, combination, repurchase or exchange of shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company, issuance of warrants or other rights to acquire shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company, or other similar corporate transaction or event (including, without limitation, a Change of Control) that affects the shares of Common Stock, or (b) unusual or nonrecurring events (including, without limitation, a Change of Control) affecting the Company, any Affiliate, or the financial statements of the Company or any Affiliate, or changes in applicable rules, rulings, regulations or other requirements of any governmental body or securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation service, accounting principles or law, such that in any case an adjustment is determined by the Administrator to be necessary or appropriate, then the Administrator shall make any such adjustments in such manner as it may deem equitable, including without limitation any or all of the following:
(i) adjusting any or all of (A) the number of shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company (or number and kind of other securities or other property) that may be delivered in respect of Awards or with respect to which Awards may be granted under the Plan (including, without limitation, adjusting any or all of the limitations under Section 5 of the Plan) and (B) the terms of any outstanding Award, including, without limitation, (1) the number of shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company (or number and kind of other securities or other property) subject to outstanding Awards or to which outstanding Awards relate, (2) the Exercise Price or Strike Price with respect to any Award and/or (3) any applicable Performance Goals;
(ii) providing for a substitution or assumption of Awards (or awards of an acquiring company), accelerating the delivery, vesting and/or exercisability of, lapse of restrictions and/or other conditions on, or termination of, Awards or providing for a period of time (which shall not be required to be more than ten (10) days) for Participants to exercise outstanding Awards prior to the occurrence of such event (and any such Award not so exercised shall terminate or become no longer exercisable upon the occurrence of such event);
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(iii) cancelling any one or more outstanding Awards (or awards of an acquiring company) and causing to be paid to the holders thereof, in cash, shares of Common Stock, other securities or other property, or any combination thereof, the value of such Awards, if any, as determined by the Administrator (which if applicable may be based upon the price per share of Common Stock received or to be received by other shareholders of the Company in such event), including without limitation, in the case of an outstanding Option or SAR, a cash payment in an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the Fair Market Value (as of a date specified by the Administrator) of the shares of Common Stock subject to such Option or SAR over the aggregate Exercise Price or Strike Price of such Option or SAR, respectively (it being understood that, in such event, any Option or SAR having a per-share Exercise Price or Strike Price equal to, or in excess of, the Fair Market Value (as of the date specified by the Administrator) of a share of Common Stock subject thereto may be canceled and terminated without any payment or consideration therefor); and
(iv) providing that any or all of the Awards cannot vest, be exercised or become payable after such event and any or all of the unvested Awards are canceled and terminated without any payment or consideration therefor;
provided, that the Administrator shall make an equitable or proportionate adjustment to outstanding Awards to reflect any equity restructuring (within the meaning of the Financial Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (or any successor pronouncement thereto)). Except as otherwise determined by the Administrator, any adjustment in Incentive Stock Options under this Section 12 (other than any cancellation of Incentive Stock Options) shall be made only to the extent not constituting a modification within the meaning of Section 424(h)(3) of the Code, and any adjustments under this Section 12 shall be made in a manner that does not adversely affect the exemption provided pursuant to Rule 16b-3. The Company shall give each Participant notice of an adjustment hereunder and such adjustment shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes. In anticipation of the occurrence of any event listed in the first sentence of this Section 12, for reasons of administrative convenience, the Administrator in its sole discretion may refuse to permit the exercise of any Award during a period of up to 30 days prior to, and/or up to 30 days after, the anticipated occurrence of any such event.
13. Effect of Change of Control. Except to the extent otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, or any applicable employment, consulting, change-in-control, severance or other agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Subsidiary, in the event of a Change of Control, notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary (but without limiting the Administrators rights under Section 12), if the Participants employment with or service to the Company or any Subsidiary is terminated by the Company or such Subsidiary without Cause (and other than due to death or Disability) on or within 12 months following a Change of Control, the Administrator may (but is not obligated to) provide that all Options and SARs held by such Participant shall become immediately exercisable with respect to 100% of the Shares subject to such Options and SARs, and that the Restricted Period (and any other conditions) shall expire immediately with respect to 100% of the shares of Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units and any other Awards held by such Participant (including a waiver of any applicable Performance Goals); provided, that if the vesting or exercisability of any Award would otherwise be subject to the achievement of Performance Goals, the portion of such Award that is determined to become fully vested and immediately exercisable (if any) shall be based on the assumed achievement of actual or target performance as determined by the Administrator and, unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, prorated for the number of days elapsed from the grant date of such Award through the date of termination.
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14. Amendments and Termination.
(a) Amendment and Termination of the Plan. The Administrator may amend, alter, suspend, discontinue, or terminate the Plan or any portion thereof at any time; provided, that no such amendment, alteration, suspension, discontinuation or termination shall be made without shareholder approval if such approval is necessary to comply with any tax or regulatory requirement applicable to the Plan (including, without limitation, as necessary to comply with any applicable rules or requirements of any securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation service on which the shares of Common Stock may be listed or quoted, for changes in GAAP to new accounting standards); provided, further, that any such amendment, alteration, suspension, discontinuance or termination that would materially and adversely affect the rights of any Participant or any holder or beneficiary of any Award theretofore granted shall not to that extent be effective without the consent of the affected Participant, holder or beneficiary, unless the Administrator determines that such amendment, alteration, suspension, discontinuance or termination is either required or advisable in order for the Company, the Plan or the Award to satisfy any applicable law or regulation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Exchange Programs are expressly permitted hereunder and the Administrator may in its sole discretion, and without shareholder approval, institute any such Exchange Program.
(b) Amendment of Award Agreements. The Administrator may, to the extent not inconsistent with the terms of any applicable Award Agreement or the Plan, waive any conditions or rights under, amend any terms of, or alter, suspend, discontinue, cancel or terminate, any Award theretofore granted or the associated Award Agreement, prospectively or retroactively (including after the Participants termination of employment or service with the Company or any Subsidiary); provided, that any such waiver, amendment, alteration, suspension, discontinuance, cancellation or termination that would materially and adversely affect the rights of any Participant with respect to any Award theretofore granted shall not to that extent be effective without the consent of the affected Participant unless the Administrator determines that such waiver, amendment, alteration, suspension, discontinuance, cancellation or termination is either required or advisable in order for the Company, the Plan or the Award to satisfy any applicable law or regulation.
15. General.
(a) Award Agreements; Other Agreements. Each Award under the Plan shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement, which shall be delivered to the Participant and shall specify the terms and conditions of the Award and any rules applicable thereto. In the event of any conflict between the terms of the Plan and any Award Agreement or employment, change-in-control, severance or other agreement in effect with the Participant, the term of the Plan shall control.
(b) Nontransferability.
(i) Each Award shall be exercisable only by the Participant during the Participants lifetime, or, if permissible under applicable law, by the Participants legal guardian or representative. No Award may be assigned, alienated, pledged, attached, sold or otherwise transferred or encumbered by the Participant other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution or, subject to the consent of the Administrator, pursuant to a DRO, unless and until such Award has been exercised (if applicable) and the Shares underlying such Award have been issued and all restrictions applicable to such Shares have lapsed, and any such purported assignment, alienation, pledge, attachment, sale, transfer or encumbrance shall be void and unenforceable against the Company or an Affiliate; provided, that the designation of a beneficiary shall not constitute an assignment, alienation, pledge, attachment, sale, transfer or encumbrance.
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(ii) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Administrator may permit Awards (other than Incentive Stock Options) to be transferred by the Participant, without consideration, subject to such rules as the Administrator may adopt, to (A) any person who is a family member of the Participant, as such term is used in the instructions to Form S-8 under the Securities Act or any successor form of registration statements promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (collectively, the Immediate Family Members); (B) a trust solely for the benefit of the Participant or the Participants Immediate Family Members; (C) a partnership or limited liability company whose only partners or shareholders are the Participant and the Participants Immediate Family Members; or (D) to the extent such transfer will not be a prohibited transfer for value under the instructions to Form S-8, any other transferee as may be approved either (1) by the Administrator, or (2) as provided in the applicable Award Agreement (each transferee described in clause (A), (B), (C) or (D) above is hereinafter referred to as a Permitted Transferee); provided, that the Participant gives the Administrator advance written notice describing the terms and conditions of the proposed transfer and the Administrator notifies the Participant in writing that such a transfer would comply with the requirements of the Plan.
(iii) The terms of any Award transferred in accordance with the immediately preceding paragraph shall apply to the Permitted Transferee, and any reference in the Plan, or in any applicable Award Agreement, to the Participant shall be deemed to refer to the Permitted Transferee, except that (A) Permitted Transferees shall not be entitled to transfer any Award, other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution or, subject to the consent of the Administrator, pursuant to a DRO; (B) Permitted Transferees shall not be entitled to exercise any transferred Option unless there shall be in effect a registration statement on an appropriate form covering the shares of Common Stock to be acquired pursuant to the exercise of such Option if the Administrator determines, consistent with any applicable Award Agreement, that such a registration statement is necessary or appropriate; (C) the Administrator or the Company shall not be required to provide any notice to a Permitted Transferee, whether or not such notice is or would otherwise have been required to be given to the Participant under the Plan or otherwise; (D) the consequences of the termination of the Participants employment by, or services to, the Company or any Subsidiary under the terms of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement shall continue to be applied with respect to the transferred Award, including, without limitation, that an Option shall be exercisable by the Permitted Transferee only to the extent, and for the periods, specified in the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement; and (E) any non-competition, non-solicitation, non-disparagement, non-disclosure, or other restrictive covenants contained in any Award Agreement or other agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Affiliate shall continue to apply to the Participant and the consequences of the violation of such covenants shall continue to be applied with respect to the transferred Award, including without limitation the clawback and forfeiture provisions of Section 15(u) of the Plan.
(c) Tax Withholding.
(i) The Participant shall be required to pay to the Company or any Affiliate, and the Company or any Affiliate shall have the right (but not the obligation) and is hereby authorized to withhold, from any cash, shares of Common Stock, other securities or other property deliverable under any Award or from any compensation or other amounts owing to the Participant, the amount (in cash, Common Stock, other securities or other property) of any required withholding taxes (up to the maximum permissible withholding amounts) in respect of an Award, its exercise, or any payment or transfer under an Award or under the Plan and to take such other action that the Administrator or the Company deem necessary to satisfy all obligations for the payment of such withholding taxes.
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(ii) Without limiting the generality of paragraph (i) above or Section 7(d), the Administrator may permit the Participant to satisfy, in whole or in part, the foregoing withholding liability by (A) payment in cash, (B) the delivery of shares of Common Stock (which shares are not subject to any pledge or other security interest) owned by the Participant having a Fair Market Value on such date equal to such withholding liability or (C) having the Company withhold from the number of shares of Common Stock otherwise issuable or deliverable pursuant to the exercise or settlement of the Award a number of shares with a Fair Market Value on such date equal to such withholding liability. In addition, subject to any requirements of applicable law, the Participant may also satisfy the tax withholding obligations by other methods, including selling shares of Common Stock that would otherwise be available for delivery, provided that the Board or the Administrator has specifically approved such payment method in advance.
(d) No Claim to Awards; No Rights to Continued Employment, Directorship or Engagement. No employee, director, consultant or other person employed by or providing service to the Company or an Affiliate shall have any claim or right to be granted an Award under the Plan or, having been selected for the grant of an Award, to be selected for a grant of any other Award. There is no obligation for uniformity of treatment of Participants or holders or beneficiaries of Awards. The terms and conditions of Awards and the Administrators determinations and interpretations with respect thereto need not be the same with respect to each Participant and may be made selectively among Participants, whether or not such Participants are similarly situated. Neither the Plan nor any action taken hereunder shall be construed as giving any Participant any right to be retained in the employ or service of the Company or an Affiliate, or to continue in the employ or the service of the Company or an Affiliate, nor shall it be construed as giving any Participant who is a director any rights to continued service on the Board.
(e) International Participants. With respect to Participants who reside or work outside of the United States, the Administrator, in its sole discretion, may amend the terms of the Plan or appendices thereto, or outstanding Awards, with respect to such Participants, in order to conform such terms with or accommodate the requirements of local laws, procedures or practices or to obtain more favorable tax or other treatment for the Participant, the Company or Affiliates. Without limiting the generality of this subsection, the Administrator is specifically authorized to adopt rules, procedures and sub-plans with provisions that limit or modify rights on death, disability, retirement or other terminations of employment, available methods of exercise or settlement of an Award, payment of income, social insurance contributions or payroll taxes, withholding procedures and handling of any stock certificates or other indicia of ownership that vary with local requirements. The Administrator may also adopt rules, procedures or sub-plans applicable to particular Affiliates or locations.
(f) Beneficiary Designation. The Participants beneficiary shall be the Participants spouse (or domestic partner if such status is recognized by the Company and in such jurisdiction), or if the Participant is otherwise unmarried at the time of death, the Participants estate, except to the extent that a different beneficiary is designated in accordance with procedures that may be established by the Administrator from time to time for such purpose. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the absence of a beneficiary validly designated under such Administrator-established procedures and/or applicable law who is living (or in existence) at the time of death of a Participant residing or working outside the United States, any required distribution under the Plan shall be made to the executor or administrator of the estate of the Participant, or to such other individual as may be prescribed by applicable law.
(g) Termination of Employment or Service. The Administrator, in its sole discretion, shall determine the effect of all matters and questions related to the termination of employment of or service of a Participant. Except as otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, or any employment, consulting, change-in-control, severance or other agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Subsidiary, unless determined otherwise by the Administrator: (i) neither a temporary absence from employment or service due to illness, vacation or leave of absence (including, without limitation, a call to active duty for military service through a Reserve or National Guard unit) nor a transfer from employment or service with the Company to employment or service with any of the Subsidiaries (or vice versa) shall be considered a termination of employment or service with the Company or such Subsidiary; and (ii) if
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the Participants employment with the Company or any Subsidiary terminates, but such Participant continues to provide services with the Company or any Subsidiary in a non-employee capacity (including as a non-employee director) (or vice versa), such change in status shall not be considered a termination of employment or service with the Company or any Subsidiary for purposes of the Plan.
(h) No Rights as a Shareholder. Except as otherwise specifically provided in the Plan or any Award Agreement, no person shall be entitled to the privileges of ownership in respect of shares of Common Stock that are subject to Awards hereunder until such shares have been issued or delivered to that person.
(i) Government and Other Regulations.
(i) Nothing in the Plan shall be deemed to authorize the Administrator or any members thereof to take any action contrary to applicable law or regulation, or rules of the NYSE or any other securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation service on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted.
(ii) The obligation of the Company to settle Awards in Common Stock or other consideration shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, and to such approvals by governmental agencies as may be required. Notwithstanding any terms or conditions of any Award to the contrary, the Company shall be under no obligation to offer to sell or to sell, and shall be prohibited from offering to sell or selling, any shares of Common Stock pursuant to an Award unless such shares have been properly registered for sale pursuant to the Securities Act with the Securities and Exchange Commission or unless the Company has received an opinion of counsel, satisfactory to the Company, that such shares may be offered or sold without such registration pursuant to and in compliance with the terms of an available exemption. The Company shall be under no obligation to register for sale under the Securities Act any of the shares of Common Stock to be offered or sold under the Plan. The Administrator shall have the authority to provide that all shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company or any Affiliate delivered under the Plan shall be subject to such stop-transfer orders and other restrictions as the Administrator may deem advisable under the Plan, the applicable Award Agreement, U.S. federal securities laws, or the rules, regulations and other requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, any securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation service upon which such shares or other securities of the Company are then listed or quoted and any other applicable federal, state, local or non-U.S. laws, rules, regulations and other requirements, and, without limiting the generality of Section 9 of the Plan, the Administrator may cause a legend or legends to be put on any such certificates of Common Stock or other securities of the Company or any Affiliate delivered under the Plan to make appropriate reference to such restrictions or may cause such Common Stock or other securities of the Company or any Affiliate delivered under the Plan in book-entry form to be held subject to the Companys instructions or subject to appropriate stop-transfer orders. Notwithstanding any provision in the Plan to the contrary, the Administrator reserves the right to add any additional terms or provisions to any Award granted under the Plan that it in its sole discretion deems necessary or advisable in order that such Award complies with the legal requirements of any governmental entity to whose jurisdiction the Award is subject.
(iii) The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may cancel an Award or any portion thereof if it determines that legal or contractual restrictions and/or blockage and/or other market considerations would make the Companys acquisition of shares of Common Stock from the public markets, the Companys issuance of Common Stock to the Participant, the Participants acquisition of Common Stock from the Company and/or the Participants sale of Common Stock
20
to the public markets illegal, impracticable or inadvisable. If the Administrator determines to cancel all or any portion of an Award in accordance with the foregoing, unless prevented by applicable laws, the Company shall pay to the Participant an amount equal to the excess of (A) the aggregate Fair Market Value of the shares of Common Stock subject to such Award or portion thereof canceled (determined as of the applicable exercise date, or the date that the shares would have been vested or delivered, as applicable), over (B) the aggregate Exercise Price or Strike Price (in the case of an Option or SAR, respectively) or any amount payable as a condition of delivery of shares of Common Stock (in the case of any other Award). Such amount shall be delivered to the Participant as soon as practicable following the cancellation of such Award or portion thereof.
(j) No Section 83(b) Elections Without Consent of Company. No election under Section 83(b) of the Code or under a similar provision of law may be made unless expressly permitted by the terms of the applicable Award Agreement or by action of the Administrator in writing prior to the making of such election. If the Participant, in connection with the acquisition of shares of Common Stock under the Plan or otherwise, is expressly permitted to make such election and the Participant makes the election, the Participant shall notify the Company of such election within ten days of filing notice of the election with the Internal Revenue Service or other governmental authority, in addition to any filing and notification required pursuant to Section 83(b) of the Code or other applicable provision.
(k) Payments to Persons Other Than Participants. If the Administrator, in its sole discretion, shall find that any person to whom any amount is payable under the Plan is unable to care for such persons affairs because of illness or accident, or is a minor, or has died, then any payment due to such person or such persons estate (unless a prior claim therefor has been made by a duly appointed legal representative or a beneficiary designation form has been filed with the Company) may, if the Administrator so directs the Company, be paid to such persons spouse, child, or relative, or an institution maintaining or having custody of such person, or any other person deemed by the Administrator to be a proper recipient on behalf of such person otherwise entitled to payment. Any such payment shall be a complete discharge of the liability of the Administrator and the Company therefor.
(l) Nonexclusivity of the Plan. Neither the adoption of the Plan by the Board nor the submission of the Plan to the shareholders of the Company for approval shall be construed as creating any limitations on the power of the Board or the Administrator to adopt such other incentive arrangements as it may deem desirable, including, without limitation, the granting of stock options or awards otherwise than under the Plan, and such arrangements may be either applicable generally or only in specific cases.
(m) No Trust or Fund Created. Neither the Plan nor any Award shall create or be construed to create a trust or separate fund of any kind or a fiduciary relationship between the Company or any Affiliate, on the one hand, and the Participant or other person or entity, on the other hand. No provision of the Plan or any Award shall require the Company, for the purpose of satisfying any obligations under the Plan, to purchase assets or place any assets in a trust or other entity to which contributions are made or to otherwise segregate any assets, nor shall the Company maintain separate bank accounts, books, records or other evidence of the existence of a segregated or separately maintained or administered fund for such purposes. Participants shall have no rights under the Plan other than as unsecured general creditors of the Company.
(n) Reliance on Reports. Each member of the Administrator, each member of the Board and each member of a committee or subcommittee thereof shall be fully justified in acting or failing to act, as the case may be, and shall not be liable for having so acted or failed to act in good faith, in reliance upon any report made by the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company and Affiliates and/or any other information furnished in connection with the Plan by any agent of the Company or the Administrator or the Board (other than such member) as to matters the member reasonably believes are within such agents professional or expert competence and who has been selected with reasonable care by or on behalf of the Company.
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(o) Relationship to Other Benefits. No payment under the Plan shall be taken into account in determining any benefits under any pension, retirement, profit sharing, group insurance or other benefit plan of the Company except as otherwise specifically provided in such other plan.
(p) Purchase for Investment. Whether or not the Options and shares covered by the Plan have been registered under the Securities Act, each person exercising an Option under the Plan or acquiring shares under the Plan may be required by the Company to give a representation in writing that such person is acquiring such shares for investment and not with a view to, or for sale in connection with, the distribution of any part thereof. The Company will endorse any necessary legend referring to the foregoing restriction upon the certificate or certificates representing any shares issued or transferred to the Participant upon the exercise of any Option granted under the Plan.
(q) Governing Law. The Plan shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to principles of conflicts of laws thereof, or principles of conflicts of laws of any other jurisdiction that could cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware.
(r) Severability. If any provision of the Plan or any Award or Award Agreement is or becomes or is deemed to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable in any jurisdiction or as to any person or entity or Award, or would disqualify the Plan or any Award under any law deemed applicable by the Administrator, such provision shall be construed or deemed amended to conform to the applicable laws, or if it cannot be construed or deemed amended without, in the determination of the Administrator, materially altering the intent of the Plan or the Award, such provision shall be construed or deemed stricken as to such jurisdiction, person or entity or Award, and the remainder of the Plan and any such Award shall remain in full force and effect.
(s) Obligations Binding on Successors. The obligations of the Company under the Plan shall be binding upon any successor corporation or organization resulting from the merger, consolidation or other reorganization of the Company, or upon any successor corporation or organization succeeding to all or substantially all of the assets and business of the Company.
(t) Section 409A of the Code.
(i) It is intended that the Plan comply with or be exempt from Section 409A of the Code, and all provisions of the Plan shall be construed and interpreted in a manner consistent with the requirements for avoiding taxes or penalties under Section 409A of the Code. Each Participant is solely responsible and liable for the satisfaction of all taxes and penalties that may be imposed on or in respect of such Participant in connection with the Plan or any other plan maintained by the Company, including any taxes and penalties under Section 409A of the Code, and neither the Company nor any Affiliate shall have any obligation to indemnify or otherwise hold such Participant or any beneficiary harmless from any or all of such taxes or penalties. With respect to any Award that is considered deferred compensation subject to Section 409A of the Code, references in the Plan to termination of employment (and substantially similar phrases) shall mean separation from service within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code. For purposes of Section 409A of the Code, each of the payments that may be made in respect of any Award granted under the Plan is designated as a separate payment.
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(ii) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, if the Participant is a specified employee within the meaning of Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code, no payments or deliveries in respect of any Awards that are deferred compensation subject to Section 409A of the Code shall be made to such Participant prior to the date that is six months after the date of such Participants separation from service within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code or, if earlier, the Participants date of death. All such delayed payments or deliveries will be paid or delivered (without interest) in a single lump sum on the earliest date permitted under Section 409A of the Code that is also a business day.
(iii) In the event that the timing of payments in respect of any Award that would otherwise be considered deferred compensation subject to Section 409A of the Code would be accelerated upon the occurrence of (A) a Change of Control, no such acceleration shall be permitted unless the event giving rise to the Change of Control satisfies the definition of a change in the ownership or effective control of a corporation, or a change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of a corporation pursuant to Section 409A of the Code and any Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder or (B) a Disability, no such acceleration shall be permitted unless the Disability also satisfies the definition of disability pursuant to Section 409A of the Code and any Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder.
(u) Clawback/Forfeiture. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Administrator may, to the extent provided in any Award Agreement, cancel an Award if the Participant, without the consent of the Company, (A) has engaged in or engages in activity that is in conflict with or adverse to the interests of the Company or any Affiliate while employed by or providing services to the Company or any Affiliate, including fraud or conduct contributing to any financial restatements or irregularities, or (B) violates a non-competition, non-solicitation, non-disparagement or non-disclosure covenant or agreement with the Company or any Affiliate, as determined by the Administrator, or if the Participants employment or service is terminated for Cause. The Administrator may also provide in an Award Agreement that in any such event the Participant will forfeit any compensation, gain or other value realized thereafter on the vesting, exercise or settlement of such Award, the sale or other transfer of such Award, or the sale of shares of Common Stock acquired in respect of such Award, and must promptly repay such amounts to the Company. The Administrator may also provide in an Award Agreement that if the Participant receives any amount in excess of what the Participant should have received under the terms of the Award for any reason (including without limitation by reason of a financial restatement, mistake in calculations or other administrative error), all as determined by the Administrator, then the Participant shall be required to promptly repay any such excess amount to the Company. In addition, the Company shall retain the right to bring an action at equity or law to enjoin the Participants activity and recover damages resulting from such activity. Further, to the extent required by applicable law (including, without limitation, Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act), Rule 10D-1 of the Exchange Act and/or the rules and regulations of the NYSE or any other securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation service on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted, or as required pursuant to a written policy adopted by the Company, Awards shall be subject (including on a retroactive basis) to clawback, forfeiture or similar requirements (and such requirements shall be deemed incorporated by reference into all outstanding Award Agreements).
(v) No Representations or Covenants With Respect to Tax Qualification. Although the Company may endeavor to (i) qualify an Award for favorable U.S. or non-U.S. tax treatment or (ii) avoid adverse tax treatment, the Company makes no representation to that effect and expressly disavows any covenant to maintain favorable or avoid unfavorable tax treatment. The Company shall be unconstrained in its corporate activities without regard to the potential negative tax impact on holders of Awards under the Plan.
23
(w) No Interference. The existence of the Plan, any Award Agreement, and the Awards granted hereunder shall not affect or restrict in any way the right or power of the Company, the Board, the Administrator, or the shareholders of the Company to make or authorize any adjustment, recapitalization, reorganization, or other change in the Companys capital structure or its business, any merger or consolidation of the Company, any issue of stock or of options, warrants, or rights to purchase stock or of bonds, debentures, or preferred or prior preference stocks whose rights are superior to or affect the Common Stock or the rights thereof or that are convertible into or exchangeable for Common Stock, or the dissolution or liquidation of the Company or any Affiliate, or any sale or transfer of all or any part of their assets or business, or any other corporate act or proceeding, whether of a similar character or otherwise.
(x) Expenses; Titles and Headings. The expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company and Affiliates. The titles and headings of the sections in the Plan are for convenience of reference only, and in the event of any conflict, the text of the Plan, rather than such titles or headings shall control.
(y) Whistleblower Acknowledgments. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, nothing in this Plan or any Award Agreement will (i) prohibit a Participant from communicating directly with, cooperating with, or providing information to, or receiving financial awards from, any federal, state or local government agency, including without limitation, (A) the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or the U.S. National Labor Relations Board, or (B) the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in accordance with the provisions of and rules promulgated under Section 21F of the Exchange Act or Section 806 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or (ii) require prior approval by or notification to the Company or any of the Affiliates of any reporting described in clause (i).
(z) Defend Trade Secrets Act Acknowledgment; Other Protected Disclosures. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained nothing in this Plan or any Award Agreement, pursuant to the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016, no Participant shall be held criminally or civilly liable under any federal or state trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret that: (i) is made (A) in confidence to a federal, state, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and (B) solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (ii) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal. If a Participant files a lawsuit for retaliation by the Company for reporting a suspected violation of law, such Participant may disclose the trade secret to his or her attorney and use the trade secret information in the court proceeding, if such Participant (x) files any document containing the trade secret under seal, and (y) does not disclose the trade secret, except pursuant to court order. Further, nothing in this Plan or any Award Agreement will prevent a Participant from (I) exercising any rights a Participant may have under Section 7 of the U.S. National Labor Relations Act, such as the right to engage in concerted activity, including collective action or discussion concerning wages or working conditions, or (II) discussing or disclosing information about unlawful acts in the workplace, such as harassment or discrimination based on a protected characteristic or any other conduct that a Participant has reason to believe is unlawful.
(aa) Lock-Up Period. The Company may, in connection with registering the offering of any Company securities under the Securities Act, prohibit Participants from, directly or indirectly, selling or otherwise transferring any shares of Common Stock or other Company securities during a period of up to one hundred eighty days following the effective date of a Company registration statement filed under the Securities Act, or such longer period as determined by the underwriter. In order to enforce the foregoing, the Company shall have the right to place restrictive legends on the certificates of any securities of the Company held by the Participant and to impose stop transfer instructions with the Companys transfer agent with respect to any securities of the Company held by the Participant until the end of such period.
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(bb) Data Privacy. The Company will hold, collect and otherwise process certain personal data as set out in the Companys privacy notices and policies, which are available for review on the Companys intranet. All personal data will be treated in accordance with applicable data protection laws. As a condition of receipt of any Award, to the extent permitted under applicable law and save as would conflict with any data privacy notice or policy adopted in relation to the jurisdiction in which the Participant is based, each Participant explicitly and unambiguously consents to the collection, use and transfer, in electronic or other form, of personal data as described in this Section 15(bb) by and among, as applicable, the Company and Affiliates for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing the Participants participation in the Plan. The Company and Affiliates may, to the extent permitted under applicable law and save as would conflict with any data privacy notice or policy adopted in relation to the jurisdiction in which the Participant is based, each hold certain personal information about a Participant, including but not limited to, the Participants name, home address and telephone number, date of birth, social security or insurance number or other identification number, salary, nationality, job title(s), any shares of stock held in the Company or any of the Affiliates, details of all Awards, in each case, for the purpose of implementing, managing and administering the Plan and Awards (the Data). To the extent permitted under applicable law and save as would conflict with any data privacy notice or policy adopted in relation to the jurisdiction in which the Participant is based, each Company and Affiliates may each transfer the Data amongst themselves as necessary for the purpose of implementation, administration and management of a Participants participation in the Plan, and the Company and Affiliates may each further transfer the Data to any third parties assisting the Company and Affiliates in the implementation, administration and management of the Plan. These recipients may be located in the Participants country, or elsewhere. Through acceptance of an Award, to the extent permitted under applicable law and save as would conflict with any data privacy notice or policy adopted in relation to the jurisdiction in which the Participant is based, each Participant authorizes such recipients to receive, possess, use, retain and transfer the Data, in electronic or other form, for the purposes of implementing, administering and managing the Participants participation in the Plan, including any requisite transfer of such Data as may be required to a broker or other third party with whom the Company or any of the Affiliates or the Participant may elect to deposit any shares of Common Stock. The Data related to a Participant will be held only as long as is necessary to implement, administer, and manage the Participants participation in the Plan. A Participant may, at any time, view the Data held by the Company with respect to such Participant, request additional information about the storage and processing of the Data with respect to such Participant, recommend any necessary corrections to the Data with respect to the Participant or refuse or withdraw the consents herein in writing, in any case without cost, by contacting his or her local human resources representative. To the extent permitted under applicable law and save as would conflict with any data privacy notice or policy adopted in relation to the jurisdiction in which the Participant is based, the Company may cancel the Participants ability to participate in the Plan and, in the Administrators sole discretion, the Participant may forfeit any outstanding Awards if the Participant refuses or withdraws his or her consents as described herein. For more information on the consequences of refusal to consent or withdrawal of consent, Participants may contact their local human resources representative.
* * *
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Exhibit 5.1
TKO Group Holdings, Inc.
200 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10010
Re: | TKO Group Holdings, Inc. |
To the addressees set forth above:
We have acted as special counsel to TKO Group Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Company), in connection with the preparation and filing by the Company on the date hereof with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) of a Registration Statement (the Registration Statement) on Form S-8 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Act), relating to the issuance of (i) up to 10,000,000 shares of Class A common stock of the Company, par value $0.00001 per share (the Shares), which may be issued pursuant to the Companys 2023 Incentive Award Plan (the Incentive Plan), and (ii) up to 2,600,000 Shares issuable in connection with outstanding restricted stock units (the RSUs) and performance stock units (the PSUs) granted under the World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. 2016 Omnibus Incentive Plan that will be assumed by the Company as a result of the consummation on September 12, 2023 of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Agreement by and among Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc., Endeavor Operating Company, LLC, TKO Operating Company, LLC (f/k/a Zuffa Parent, LLC), World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (f/k/a New Whale, Inc.) and Whale Merger Sub Inc., dated April 2, 2023. This opinion is being furnished in connection with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Act, and no opinion is expressed herein as to any matter pertaining to the contents of the Registration Statement or related Prospectus, other than as expressly stated herein with respect to the issue of the Shares.
As such counsel, we have examined such matters of fact and questions of law as we have considered appropriate for purposes of this letter. With your consent, we have relied upon certificates and other assurances of officers of the Company and others as to factual matters without having independently verified such factual matters. We are opining herein as to General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, and we express no opinion with respect to any other laws.
September 12, 2023
Page 2
Subject to the foregoing and the other matters set forth herein, it is our opinion that, as of the date hereof, when the Shares shall have been duly registered on the books of the transfer agent and registrar therefor in the name or on behalf of the purchasers, and have been issued by the Company for legal consideration in excess of par value in the circumstances contemplated by the Incentive Plan and the RSUs and PSUs, as applicable, assuming in each case that the individual issuances, grants or awards under the Incentive Plan and the RSUs and PSUs are duly authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company and duly issued, granted or awarded and exercised in accordance with the requirements of law, the Incentive Plan and the RSUs and PSUs, as applicable, (and the agreements duly adopted thereunder and in accordance therewith), the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. In rendering the foregoing opinion, we have assumed that the Company will comply with all applicable notice requirements regarding uncertificated shares provided in the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
This opinion is for your benefit in connection with the Registration Statement and may be relied upon by you and by persons entitled to rely upon it pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Act. We consent to your filing this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
Sincerely,
/s/ Latham & Watkins LLP
Exhibit 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. of our reports dated February 2, 2023, relating to the financial statements of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company), and the effectiveness of the Companys internal control over financial reporting, appearing in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2022.
/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP
Stamford, Connecticut
September 12, 2023
Exhibit 23.2
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of TKO Group Holdings, Inc., of our report dated May 12, 2023, relating to the financial statements of Zuffa Parent, LLC, appearing in the registration statement No. 333-271893 on Form S-4 of New Whale Inc./ World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP
New York, New York
September 12, 2023
Exhibit 107
Calculation of Filing Fee Table
Form S-8
(Form Type)
TKO Group Holdings, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Table 1: Newly Registered and Carry Forward Securities
Security Type |
Security Class Title |
Fee Calculation or Carry Forward Rule |
Amount Registered(1) |
Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Unit |
Maximum Aggregate Offering Price |
Fee Rate | Amount of Registration Fee | |||||||||
Fees to Be Paid | Equity | Class A Common Stock, par value $0.00001 per share | 457(c) and 457(h) | 10,000,000(2) | $102.01(3) | $1,020,100,000.00(3) | 0.0001102 | $112,415.02 | ||||||||
Equity | Class A Common Stock, par value $0.00001 per share | 457(c) and 457(h) | 2,600,000(4) | $102.01(3) | $265,226,000.00(3) | 0.0001102 | $29,227.91 | |||||||||
Total Offering Amounts | $1,285,326,000.00 | $141,642.93 | ||||||||||||||
Total Fees Previously Paid | | |||||||||||||||
Total Fee Offsets | | |||||||||||||||
Net Fee Due | $141,642.93 |
(1) | Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), this Registration Statement shall also cover any additional shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.00001 per share (Common Stock), of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (the Registrant), which become issuable under the TKO Group Holdings, Inc. 2023 Incentive Award Plan (the 2023 Plan) or World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. 2016 Omnibus Incentive Plan (2016 Plan) , by reason of any stock dividend, stock split, recapitalization or any other similar transaction effected without the receipt of consideration which results in an increase in the number of the Registrants outstanding shares of Common Stock. |
(2) | Represents 10,000,000 shares of Common Stock authorized to be issued under the 2023 Plan. |
(3) | Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) and 457(h) of the Securities Act. Such computation is based on the average of the high and low prices of the Common Stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange on September 12, 2023, a date within five business days of the date of this Registration Statement. |
(4) | Consists of Common Stock issuable in connection with outstanding restricted stock units and performance stock units granted under the 2016 Plan that will be assumed by the Company as a result of the consummation on September 12, 2023 of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Agreement by and among Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc., Endeavor Operating Company, LLC, TKO Operating Company, LLC (f/k/a Zuffa Parent, LLC), World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (f/k/a New Whale, Inc.) and Whale Merger Sub Inc., dated April 2, 2023. |