What We're Reading
Sale of MLSE may boost TV for Toronto FC
- The Star, Monday, December 12, 2011 4:58 PM
As part of the Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment empire that has been bought by Rogers Sportsnet and Bell Canada in a deal valued at $1.32 billion, Toronto FC doesn't yet know what the effects
may be.
The deal, announced Friday, gives Rogers and Bell Canada 80 percent ownership of the NHL Maple Leafs, the NBA Raptors, and TFC, along with the Toronto Marlies minor-league hockey
team and the Air Canada Centre, where the Raptors and Maple Leafs play their home games.
MLSE CEO Tom Anselmi says TFC's planning for the 2012 season won't be affected by
the ownership change and foresees a better television landscape in the future. TFC's games have been shown on Gol TV Canada, which has struggled with problems of distribution and HD technology. He
believes some TFC games could be carried on Rogers Sportsnet, one of Canada's two major sports networks.
"It's not secret that we've had trouble getting real broad television exposure,"
said Anselmi. "Over time this is just going to give us more access to broader media distribution. And that's great for the fans."
