MLSE is the conglomorate that owns the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, the NBA's Toronto Raptors and Major League Soccer's amongst other minor sports franchises, products and properties. Recently, the current majority owners, the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan (OTPP) pulled MLSE off the buyers market, so today's ownership changes came as somewhat of a big surprise.
The new suitors are Rogers Communication & BCE--the largest two media commmunication giants in Canada...who have a major foothold in Print, Television, Radio, Digital. & Wireless communication in this country, along with a presence in the professional sports sector.
These two companies are rivals...but now together, they will own 75% of MLSE with the other 25% being maintained by the chair of MLSE, Larry Tanenbaum (current ownership was just under 80% by the OTPP and just over 20% by Tanenbaum).
What this deal does is concentrate the ownership oif MLSE amongst the two entities that can best distribute the sports product throught their many commmunication channels--Rogers and BCE both run successful cable sports networks with the ability to deliver the programming through their other communication channels.
These two organizations have collaborated before in producing the national broadcasts of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games from Vancouver. They are powerful and the properties they just purchased are quite lucrative (the Toronto Maple Leafs are the highest valued franchise in the NHL). The value of MLSE has been pegged at close to $2 Billion ($CDN).
Canadians need to wait and see what will happen with this purchase and how it will affect not only the way they see Toronto sports teams delivered to them in the future---but how it will set the standard in Canada for the way all Canadians will watch their professional sports! Rogers also owns Major League Baseball's Toronto Blue Jays.
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