Dodgers TV rights could be worth up to $4 billion

If the $2 billion that Magic Johnson’s group paid to buy the Dodgers sounds like a lot of money, just wait until the new owners auction off the team’s television rights.

With Time Warner, Fox and others expected to show interest, estimates for the total value of the deal have risen as high as $4 billion.

“None of this is lost on the new owners of the Dodgers,” said Neal Pilson, former president of CBS Sports. “They have an opportunity to create a bidding war.”

Despite the team’s recent struggles on the field, Pilson expects that a number such as $4 billion might require a contract of 15 years or more. But that might not make good business sense because the value of TV rights could shoot even higher in the next decade.

“It’s a question of whether the Dodgers want to do that,” he said.

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Dodgers TV rights could bring billions