Bell sells ownership stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment; Rogers becomes majority owner
The deal involves Rogers buying out another company’s 37.5 percent ownership stake in MLSE. The president and CEO of Rogers expressed pride in expanding their ownership of these sports teams, stating that live sports and entertainment are crucial to their core business strategy.
Previously, two companies had jointly acquired a 75 percent stake in MLSE from a pension plan in 2012.
The deal allows for the continuation of current broadcast arrangements for Maple Leafs and Raptors games, with rights split between two networks.
For the Raptors, this ownership change puts focus on the team’s president and vice-chairman. There have been past disagreements between this executive and Rogers leadership regarding contract negotiations and pursuit of a WNBA team. The current contract for the team president runs through 2025-26.
A minority shareholder in MLSE, who is also the chair of the NBA’s board of governors, brought an expansion WNBA team to Toronto starting in 2026. Reports suggest Rogers may have the right to buy out this minority share in 2026.
Rogers also owns the Toronto Blue Jays and their home stadium.
For the Maple Leafs, this ownership change comes at a time when the team has consistently made the playoffs but struggled to advance beyond the first round. The new CEO of MLSE has emphasized the demand for a championship and the organization’s commitment to winning.
The approach of the new Board of Directors towards the hockey operations department will be closely watched, given the growing impatience with the team’s lack of playoff success. The current Leafs president is in his 11th year, while the general manager is entering his second season, and a new coach was hired over the summer.
On the media side, broadcast rights for Maple Leafs games have been secured for another 20 years as part of the sale.