MLB has "teamed up with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board" to attempt to buy all of the Fox RSNs that Disney is selling with the "exception of the YES Network, which the Yankees are expected to take hold of," according to sources cited by Kosman & Morgan of the N.Y. POST. It is "unclear how much MLB and the Canadian pension want to pay." Meanwhile, Sinclair "teamed with Leon Black’s Apollo Global Management in its offer" for all the RSNs ahead of Thursday's deadline (N.Y. POST, 2/1). BLOOMBERG NEWS' Soshnick, Ahmed & Palmieri cited sources as saying that proposals from yesterday's bidders valued the remaining RSNs at "roughly six to eight times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization." That "may mean the bids are closer" to $10B -- "aside from the billions" that YES may bring. MLB is "seen as a long-shot" and is "still looking for a partner that could bolster its bid." While MLB has support from the CPPIB, a source said that the league has been "seeking the kind of strategic partner that could ensure the networks get good distribution from pay-TV companies" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 1/31). The CPPIB in '12 invested in F1 and motorcycle grand prix organizer Dorna (THE DAILY).
