Bell bids adieu to MLSE ownership stake, leaving Rogers with majority ownership

There were tremors through the Canadian sports business and media landscape this morning when Sportico’s Scott Soshnick and Kurt Badenhausen broke the news that Rogers was acquiring Bell’s 37.5 per cent stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment for $4.7 billion, subject to the approval of sports leagues tied to MLSE’s ownership of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors and Toronto FC.From the reporting done by Soshnick and Badenausen of the U.S.-based sports business publication:Rogers already owned 37.5% of MLSE, and now puts a total valuation of Rogers’ ownership of the entity at $9.4 billion Canadian dollars. Rogers also owns the Toronto Blue Jays, who are worth $2.27 billion, according to Sportico. Larry Tanenbaum owns the remaining 25% stake in MLSE, which also includes the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts.Jonah Sigel, the go-to person for the latest news on the Canadian sports media industry (you can find him on X at @yyzsportsmedia), and Parleh Media Group co-founder Mark Silver hopped on their laptops for a special edition of the Gaming News Canada Show. Among the topics discussed:The impact of today’s announcement on the sports media business in our home and native land, including the expiration of the NHL’s $5.2 billion, 12-year broadcasting contract with Rogers at the end of the 2025-26 season;Bell Media securing content rights for the Maple Leafs and Raptors for the next two decades;The potential impact of the announcement on Rogers and the leaders – led by Edward Rogers - of MLSE and its franchises, and the Blue Jays; The relevance of the sports and entertainment behemoth having a face for the organization a la George Steinbrenner, Jerry Jones or Mark Cuban (which got us talking about Bruce Garrioch’s feature on Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer in today’s Ottawa Citizen);And of course, some thoughts from a regulated gambling industry respective given the dollars spent on media and partnerships with pro sports organizations by legal operators in Ontario and provincial lottery and gaming corporations across the country. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.