Rogers Communications Inc. is about to become the majority owner of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) after buying Bell Canada Enterprises Inc.’s 37.5 percent ownership stake for a reported $4.7 billion.
MLSE owns the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, NBA’s Toronto Raptors, CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, MLS’s Toronto FC, AHL’s Toronto Marlies, and Scotiabank Arena. The rest of MLSE’s ownership is held by chairman Larry Tannenbaum through his holding company Kilmer Sports, 20 percent of which was purchased by a Canadian pension fund in 2023.
“MLSE has been fortunate to have one of the very best ownership groups in sports and entertainment for many years and it has led to MLSE becoming one of the leading organizations in our industry,” said MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley in a statement. “As an organization, we are grateful for their contributions, and we remain fully focused on our priorities and further driving a championship mentality across MLSE.”
The Argonauts were purchased by Tannenbaum and Bell in 2015 before being added to MLSE’s portfolio three years later.
Rogers separately owns the Blue Jays, Rogers Centre, and Sportsnet, which exclusively televises Blue Jays games. The CFL’s exclusive broadcasting rights belong to TSN, which is owned by rival Bell, through 2026.
TSN indicated in a press release that it has secured access to content rights for the Maple Leafs and Raptors for the next 20 years, subject to league approvals. It is currently unclear what the parameters of those rights entail.
The Toronto Argonauts (7-6) will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-9) on Friday, Sept. 20 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT.
