A new multi-billion dollar deal is set to reshape ownership of Toronto sports. Rogers Communications has announced that it will buy the last remaining stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, making it the full owner of every major men's professional sports team in the city.
With the agreement, Toronto's major men's professional sports teams are now set to have just a single owner, after Rogers signed the deal to buy the remaining stake in the company known as MLSE.
The reach of that ownership spans the city's biggest leagues, from the NHL to the NBA, along with the CFL and Major League Soccer, bringing the marquee franchises under one corporate roof.
Rogers was already deeply embedded in Toronto's sports landscape. The company already owned Sportsnet, the Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers Centre before moving to take full control of MLSE.
Observers said the consolidation could create efficiencies, pointing to potential synergies between the various teams and the facilities they use across the city under a single owner.
The move also raised questions about what a single owner controlling so much of the city's sports scene could mean for fans and advertisers, as the deal drew attention to the growing concentration of Toronto's professional teams.