Rogers steps to the plate in takeover of Blue Jays
Godfrey appointed prez, CEO of Toronto team
Subject to the approval of Major League Baseball and Canadian broadcast regulators, Rogers has inked a deal to purchase 80% of the Blue Jays from the Belgian beer maker Interbrew in a half-cash, half-stock deal. Canuck beer maker Labatt (an Interbrew subsidiary) will retain its 20% stake in the cash-strapped baseball club.
In addition, Rogers has appointed Paul Godfrey president and CEO of the Blue Jays. Godfrey is a high-profile Canuck media figure, most recently as the head of Sun Media, a major newspaper chain in Canada.
As reported (Daily Variety, Aug. 18), control of the Toronto Blue Jays is a strategic coup for Rogers because it furthers Rogers' vertical integration goals. In a press conference in Toronto on Friday, Ted Rogers held up a cellular phone and promised that Jays fans will eventually be able to watch the team on the phone's screen. (In addition to its cable interests, Rogers owns a number of radio stations, a high-speed Internet and cellular phone service.)
Rogers' next move would be to gain control of a national sports network such as CTV Sportsnet (of which Rogers already holds 30%) on which to show the Jays' games. Though the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission's current policy currently forbids cable companies from owning specialty channels, Rogers has been lobbying to change that.
