July 23 (Reuters) - Rogers Communications ( RCIAF ) has

raised its annual service revenue forecast, banking on a boost

from its stake acquisition in Maple Leaf Sports, which owns the

Toronto Raptors basketball team and NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs,

as it bets on live sports.

The Canadian wireless giant said on Wednesday it expects

full-year total service revenue to grow in the range of 3% to

5%, compared with its prior forecast of a 0% to 3% growth.

Rogers controls 75% of Maple Leaf Sports &

Entertainment, after it bought rival

Bell's stake

in the sports firm.

Within the broader media industry, live sports has shone

in the U.S. and Canada as hardcore fans rush to various

platforms to watch their favorite teams play, despite

consumer pricing

uncertainty arising from shifting global trade policies.

Rogers has made big bets on growing its presence in the

country by signing deals with sports leagues, including a

12-year agreement worth C$11 billion to secure media rights for

Canada's NHL games.

The company's media revenue rose 10% in the second

quarter, helped by higher sports-related revenue from the NHL

playoffs and the launch of Warner Bros Discovery's ( WBD ) suite

of television channels.

It reported quarterly revenue of C$5.22 billion ($3.84

billion), beating analysts' average estimate of C$5.18 billion,

according to data compiled by LSEG.

The company has also been benefiting from its expanding 5G

coverage across Canada as well as the offers on its flexible

mobile plans, even as competition from rivals BCE and

Telus ( TU ) intensifies.

Rogers added 35,000 monthly postpaid bill-paying

wireless phone subscribers during the quarter, just shy of

estimates of 35,640 additions, according to analysts polled by

Visible Alpha.

($1 = 1.3586 Canadian dollars)