Sphere Entertainment

Last updated
Sphere Entertainment Co.
Formerly Madison Square Garden Entertainment
Company type Public
NYSE:  SPHR (Class A)
Industry Entertainment
Real estate
FoundedApril 20, 2020;5 years ago (2020-04-20) (as Madison Square Garden Entertainment)
April 20, 2023;2 years ago (2023-04-20) (as Sphere Entertainment)
Founder James L. Dolan
Headquarters New York City, New York, U.S.
Key people
James L. Dolan (executive chairman and CEO)
Jennifer Koester (president and COO)
Owner Dolan family
Subsidiaries

Sphere Entertainment Co. is an American entertainment holding company based in New York City, and controlled by the family of Charles Dolan. It owns the Sphere event venue in Paradise, Nevada, in the Las Vegas Valley and New York-based regional sports network chain MSG Networks.

Contents

The company was originally formed in 2020 as Madison Square Garden Entertainment, a spin-off of the non-sports assets of the Madison Square Garden Company. In 2023, Madison Square Garden Entertainment spun off its live events business as a new company under the same name, and the original MSG Entertainment was renamed Sphere Entertainment.

History

Madison Square Garden Entertainment was first formed in 2020 as a spin-off of the non-sports assets of the Madison Square Garden Company (which was renamed Madison Square Garden Sports as a result). [1] [2] In 2021, it would acquire sibling company MSG Networks (which had been spun off from the Madison Square Garden Company in 2015). [3]

In March 2023, MSG Entertainment's board approved a plan to spin off its "traditional" live entertainment business, leaving its regional sports networks and forthcoming Sphere venue in Las Vegas. Executive chairman and CEO James L. Dolan stated that the spin-off would result in two companies "well positioned to generate long-term value for our shareholders." [4]

The spin-off was structured as a tax-free stock split, in which MSG Entertainment shareholders would receive one share in the events company for each share they own, and hold a 33% stake. The spin-off was completed on April 20, 2023, with the live events business being spun off under the Madison Square Garden Entertainment name, and the existing MSG Entertainment being renamed Sphere Entertainment. [5] [6]

Sphere briefly included MSGE's nearly 67% stake in Tao Group Hospitality, which was sold on April 18, 2023, to Mark Scheinberg's Mohari for $550 million. [7] [8]

In November 2023, CFO Gautam Ranji resigned. [9] In June 2024, Sphere executive Jennifer Koester was promoted to president and chief operating officer. [10]

In December 2023, Sphere was looking to build a new venue to be used for K-pop concerts in Hanam, South Korea [11] but discussions stalled for South Korea and also Saudi Arabia. Sphere then held talks with developers in United Arab Emirates to develop a second Sphere in Abu Dhabi. [12] [13] In October 2024, Sphere Entertainment confirmed that it would build a second Sphere in Abu Dhabi which would be similar to their property in Las Vegas. [14] In July 2025, Sphere Entertainment finalized a deal with the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism to develop the venue in Abu Dhabi. [15]

In March 2025, Dolan stated that that the company was exploring the possibility of building smaller-scale iterations of Sphere, with a capacity of around 5,000 spectators. [16]

In 2025, Sphere Entertainment sent Beyonce a cease and desist order after using images of the Sphere during her Cowboy Carter Tour. [17]

In August 2025, Sphere Entertainment, in collaboration with Magnopus, Warner Bros. Pictures, Google and producer Jane Rosenthal, created an immersive 4D version of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz to screen at the Sphere until March 2026. [18]

References

  1. ↑ Miller, Ben (April 20, 2020). "Madison Square Garden Entertainment spin-off is complete". New York Business Journal. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  2. ↑ Chin, Kimberly (November 7, 2019). "Madison Square Garden to Spin Off Entertainment Unit". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  3. ↑ Hayes, Dade (2021-03-26). "Madison Square Garden Entertainment Acquires MSG Networks Sibling In All-Stock Deal". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  4. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (2023-03-30). "Madison Square Garden Board Approves Spinoff Plans". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  5. ↑ Jones, Finn-Olaf (October 1, 2023). "Las Vegas and Its Big, Big Ambitions". The New York Times. Retrieved October 11, 2023. Earlier this year, New York-based MSG Entertainment, which owns the Sphere, split in two, renaming the venue's holding company Sphere Entertainment Company in order to insulate MSG Entertainment's core holdings and protect existing shareholders.
  6. ↑ Bary, Andrew (2023-04-25). "MSG Split Offers Plays on Vegas, Knicks Arena. What to Do With the Stocks". Barron's. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  7. ↑ Donnelly, Matt (2023-04-18). "Tao Group, Creator of Nightlife and Dining for Glitterati, Sells to Mohari for $550 Million". Variety. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  8. ↑ "MSG sells Tao Group Hospitality to New York investor for $550M". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2023-04-18. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  9. ↑ Brewer, Ray (2023-11-08). "Las Vegas Sphere reports $98.4 million loss; CFO quits". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  10. ↑ Weprin, Alex (2024-06-12). "Sphere Entertainment Ups Jennifer Koester to President and COO". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  11. ↑ Cajsa, Carlson (12 December 2023). "MSG seeks to create "K-pop Sphere" for Hanam". dezeen . Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  12. ↑ "The Owner of the Las Vegas Sphere Is Reportedly in 'Serious Talks' About a Second Location". Yahoo Life. 2023-12-12. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  13. ↑ Pilley, Max (December 21, 2023). "MSG Sphere venue could head to Abu Dhabi despite $98million loss in Vegas and rejection from London". NME .
  14. ↑ Weprin, Alex (October 15, 2024). "Another Sphere Is Being Built, This Time In Abu Dhabi". The Hollywood Reporter .
  15. ↑ Contract Finalized for Second Sphere in Abu Dhabi
  16. ↑ Liszewski, Andrew (2025-03-11). "The creators of the Las Vegas Sphere want to open smaller mini-Spheres". The Verge. Retrieved 2025-03-12.
  17. ↑ "Beyoncé receives cease-and-desist over Sphere Las Vegas video". KSLV.
  18. ↑ "Inside Opening Night of 'Wizard of Oz' at the Sphere: "We're Finally Off to See the Wizard"". The Hollywood Reporter . August 29, 2025. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
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