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

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There have been tremors by way of the Canadian sports activities enterprise and media panorama this morning when Sportico’s Scott Soshnick and Kurt Badenhausen broke the information that Rogers was buying Bell’s 37.5 per cent stake in Maple Leaf Sports activities and Leisure for $4.7 billion, topic to the approval of sports activities leagues tied to MLSE’s possession of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors and Toronto FC.

From the reporting accomplished by Soshnick and Badenausen of the U.S.-based sports activities enterprise publication:

Rogers already owned 37.5% of MLSE, and now places a complete valuation of Rogers’ possession of the entity at $9.4 billion Canadian {dollars}. Rogers additionally owns the Toronto Blue Jays, who’re price $2.27 billion, in response to Sportico. Larry Tanenbaum owns the remaining 25% stake in MLSE, which additionally consists of the Canadian Soccer League’s Toronto Argonauts.

Jonah Sigel, the go-to individual for the most recent information on the Canadian sports activities media trade (you’ll find him on X at @yyzsportsmedia), and Parleh Media Group co-founder Mark Silver hopped on their laptops for a particular version of the Gaming Information Canada Present. Among the many subjects mentioned:

• The affect of in the present day’s announcement on the sports activities media enterprise in our dwelling and fatherland, together with the expiration of the NHL’s $5.2 billion, 12-year broadcasting contract with Rogers on the finish of the 2025-26 season;

• Bell Media securing content material rights for the Maple Leafs and Raptors for the subsequent 20 years;

• The potential affect 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 activities and leisure behemoth having a face for the group a la George Steinbrenner, Jerry Jones or Mark Cuban (which obtained us speaking about Bruce Garrioch’s characteristic on Ottawa Senators proprietor Michael Andlauer in in the present day’s Ottawa Citizen);

• Talking of which, the place/how does Larry Tanenbaum match into the way forward for MLSE?;

• And naturally, some ideas from a regulated playing trade respective given the {dollars} spent on media and partnerships with professional sports activities organizations by authorized operators in Ontario and provincial lottery and gaming companies throughout the nation.

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