The Philadelphia Flyers is a professional ice-hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL), competing in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division. The franchise was founded in 1967 and is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The team plays its home games at the arena owned and operated by its parent company.
The Flyers are widely known for their distinctive orange-black uniforms and fierce reputation—once nicknamed the “Broad Street Bullies” in their 1970s heyday.
Ownership Status of the Philadelphia Flyers
There is no single private individual who “owns” the Philadelphia Flyers in isolation. Rather, the team is owned by Comcast Spectacor, which itself is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.
Major Ownership Details
| Entity | Role / Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Comcast Spectacor | Parent company of the Flyers | Founded by Ed Snider’s Spectacor entity in 1974; merged with Comcast in 1996. |
| Comcast Corporation | Ultimate controlling entity (100 % ownership of Comcast Spectacor)-post transaction in 2016 | In Sept 2016, Comcast announced acquisition of Ed Snider’s remaining 24 % stake, giving full ownership. |
Because the team is part of a larger corporate structure, the Flyers are not “owned” in the sense of a single individual proprietor, but under corporate ownership of Comcast via Comcast Spectacor.
Key Shareholder Highlights
- Ed Snider: Founder of the Flyers and of Spectacor. He mortgaged his house to secure the NHL franchise for Philadelphia in 1966–67 and led Spectacor, which was established in 1974 to oversee the Flyers and the Spectrum arena.
- In 1996, Spectacor (led by Snider) merged its operations with Comcast Corporation to form Comcast Spectacor, with Comcast acquiring a majority stake.
- In 2016, Comcast purchased the remaining 24 % stake of Snider’s estate in Comcast Spectacor, thereby achieving 100% ownership of the parent company that owns the Flyers.
- Today, Comcast Spectacor is the direct owner of the Flyers franchise and handles operations, while Comcast Corporation is the ultimate owner.
Recent Developments in Ownership
- The ownership structure has been stable at the top for several years: Comcast Spectacor fully owns the franchise, and Comcast Corporation controls Spectacor.
- As part of its broader sports and entertainment business, Comcast Spectacor is expanding venue and arena operations, including naming rights deals (such as for the current home arena).
- While this doesn’t directly change ownership of the Flyers, it reflects the business environment in which the team is owned and operated—highlighting the corporate model rather than a sole individual owner.
FAQs
1. Who is the current owner of the Philadelphia Flyers?
There is no single private owner. The franchise is owned by Comcast Spectacor, which is fully owned by Comcast Corporation.
2. Is the Philadelphia Flyers team privately owned or publicly traded?
The team is privately owned in that it is not a publicly traded independent entity with its own listed shares. Its ownership is corporate via Comcast Spectacor (a subsidiary), under Comcast Corporation (publicly traded).
3. Who founded the Philadelphia Flyers?
The Flyers were founded by Ed Snider in 1967. He later founded Spectacor (1974) which became Comcast Spectacor when merged with Comcast.
4. Has the ownership changed recently?
Yes, in 2016 Comcast acquired Ed Snider’s remaining 24 % stake in Comcast Spectacor, thus acquiring full ownership of the parent company which owns the Flyers. The team’s ownership has not changed hands in terms of major ownership since then.