This is a major reason TV rights and viewership tied to advertising comercial costs why MLSE would not support a full tank and draft rebuild.
If the Leafs were like the Buffalo Sabres (glorified Marlies roster) now those TV numbers would be much lower than they already are and less fans watching.
Bell and Rogers are both Media moguls as that is their primary business.
I'd take Buffalo ownership anyway over Rogers/Bell. Terry and Kim Pegula are the main reasons why there is a new rink in Buffalo and the downtown area is cleaned up and prospering.
Buffalo won't be a laughing stock for very much longer with Tim Murray and Ted Nolan running the show. They are due for another great pick also.
MLSE is a joke. They are a corporation and don't mind producing a losing product as long as it keeps making money.
The problem for the last 47 years has solely been about ownership, from Ballard to the corporations that have owned the leafs and currently own the leafs. The only way to produce a winner in Toronto is with private ownership....but who has that kind of money? If you want MLSE, be prepared to cough up in the neighbourhood of 1.5 to 1.7 billion dollars.
I am glad viewership is down. Its not just about having a crap channel and crap coverage, its more about having a crap team with management that don't have a clue what they are doing.
Nonis (the contract idiot) is totally out of his league right now and giving away picks and crap trades like Gunnarson makes him one of the worst if not the worst in the league and the fact that Shanny hasn't canned him yet, shows Shanny can't see the forest through the trees.
Shanny has nearly a year now, if he doesn't do something by TDL, then he has to go too.
I'd like to see the banners in the air Canada place calling for Nonis's and Shanny's head. Then perhaps Shanny would drop the axe to save his own neck.
