Blue Jays playoff run helps boost Rogers’ profit

The Toronto Blue Jays' run to Game 7 of the World Series helped Rogers Communications Inc. double its media revenue during the company's most recent quarter, and it says 2026 could mark another big year for its growing sports portfolio.

TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays’ run to Game 7 of the World Series helped Rogers Communications Inc. double its media revenue during the company’s most recent quarter, and it says 2026 could mark another big year for its growing sports portfolio.

The Toronto-based cable and wireless company credited record Blue Jays television audiences and packed Rogers Centre attendances last fall as its net income grew. Rogers’ profit attributable to shareholders reached $743 million or $1.37 per diluted share for the quarter ended Dec. 31, up from a profit of $558 million or $1.02 per diluted share in the last three months of 2024.

Its total revenue was $6.17 billion in the fourth quarter, up from $5.48 billion in the same quarter a year earlier. Media revenue at Rogers, which includes the Jays, rose to $1.24 billion for the quarter, up from $547 million a year earlier.

The Blue Jays took the Los Angeles Dodgers to extra innings of Game 7 before losing the baseball championship. Rogers said an average audience of 10.9 million viewers watched the final game on its Sportsnet, Sportsnet+ and Citytv properties and the entire World Series averaged 7.5 million viewers, with 23 million Canadians tuning in at some point.

“Game 7 of the World Series was the most watched Rogers broadcast ever, and the most-watched broadcast in Canada’s history outside of the Winter Olympics back in 2010,” Rogers chief executive Tony Staffieri told analysts on a conference call Thursday.

The company hopes momentum from the team’s magical run can continue into the upcoming baseball season, which gets underway in just under two months. But chief financial officer Glenn Brandt acknowledged it can be tough to forecast economic impacts from sports teams.

“We do expect a strong return for the Blue Jays starting at the end of March with attendance, and we expect to have a competitive season,” he said.

“We are anticipating a successful season, but you can’t predict playoff runs for any of the teams.”