Rogers has officially taken full control of NBA TV Canada after buying out Bell’s stake in the joint venture.
The deal, approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on Thursday, is part of a larger transaction involving other assets, including Rogers’ increased stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), which owns the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC, and Scotiabank Arena.
With this change, Rogers now owns 75% of NBA TV Canada, while the remaining 25% stays with Kilmer Sports Inc., owned by Larry Tanenbaum.
The CRTC says Rogers must contribute $3.72 million over the next seven years to help support Canadian content. That money will go to funds like the Canada Media Fund, the Rogers Documentary and Cable Network Fund, and programs supporting Indigenous and multilingual sports programming. A portion will also support a sports media scholarship.
The deal also comes with stricter reporting requirements. NBA TV Canada must now file monthly updates showing how it’s improving closed captioning for live programming. The channel previously failed to meet quality standards for captioning in 2023 and 2024.
The updates will remain in place until the channel consistently meets CRTC standards for at least six months.
Although some groups called for more funding to go toward accessibility, Indigenous programming, and community media, the CRTC said Rogers’ proposal followed existing policy guidelines and would proceed as submitted.
Rogers must also show each year how the benefits money is being spent and prove it isn’t being used to promote its own commercial interests.
“We’re pleased to receive all the necessary approvals to expand our ownership of MLSE. We look forward to closing this strategic deal in early July,” said Tony Staffieri, President and CEO, Rogers, in a statement on Thursday. “MLSE is one of the most prestigious sports and entertainment organizations in the world, and live sports and entertainment are core to our business strategy.”
Rogers has secured all necessary approvals to become the majority owner of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), including clearance from the NHL, NBA, CFL, MLS, AHL, and the Competition Bureau.
The approvals follow Rogers’ September 2024 announcement that it would buy out Bell’s stake in MLSE for $4.7 billion CAD, giving Rogers a 75% ownership share and full control of the sports and entertainment giant. Some analysts believe Rogers could turn this larger MLSE stake into $16.5 billion with an IPO in the future.
No matter how things unfold, one thing is clear: Rogers is steadily becoming a vertically integrated powerhouse, with control over sports teams, content distribution, internet, and mobile networks.
The licence for NBA TV Canada is now valid until August 31, 2026.
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The fact they are approving Roger’s movement towards monopolizing televised sports proves that something needs to change at the crtc