What Rogers' Purchase of MLSE Will Mean for Raptors Fans

Toronto Raptors fans shouldn't expect much to change after Rogers' purchase of the controlling stake of MLSE

May 7, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; TSN commenters Rod Black (left) and Jack Armstrong and Leo Rautins prepare for a broadcast before game five of the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images / Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Jack Armstrong isn't going anywhere.

Despite Rogers' decision to buy out Bell's 37.5% stake in MLSE, the two telecommunication giants have agreed to keep their current division of television broadcast rights in place for the next 20 years. Both TSN and Sportsnet will continue their 50-50 partnership broadcasting Toronto Raptors games for the next two decades.

For Raptors fans, not much is expected to change in the immediate future following this deal. Armstrong and Matt Devlin will continue to broadcast TSN games and Sportsnet will continue to broadcast their half.

It'll be well into the future before the broadcasting rights are turned over and Rogers takes full control over what to do with Raptors games. At some point, it'll likely become a Sportsnet-only product, but that's not something fans need to worry about right now.

As for the on-court product, the Raptors won't see any changes this year due to ownership changing. Toronto has been reluctant to spend into the luxury tax, save for the organization's lone championship season. That's unlikely to change in the short-term.

Rogers has, however, made a considerable investment into the Rogers Centre and the Toronto Blue Jays over recent years and it's possible their ownership of Toronto's other sports teams sees an influx of cash following this new deal.

For the Raptors, the big question is going to be about Masai Ujiri's future with the organization as his contract is reportedly set to expire in 2026, per Sportsnet. It seems increasingly unlikely he will re-sign with the organization, but the next two seasons will go a long way to determining what's next for Ujiri and the Raptors.