The Owner of the Las Vegas Sphere Is Reportedly in 'Serious Talks' About a Second Location

Stacey Ritzen
·2 min read
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Madison Square Garden CEO James Dolan is reportedly eyeing a location for a second Sphere in Abu Dhabi, after a few other planned locations for the state-of-the-art arena have fallen through.

The New York Post reports that the billionaire is in "deep talks" with the United Arab Emirates and pitching investors about licensing the Sphere "These are serious talks with Abu Dhabi," a source claimed. "They keep going back and forth."

This would ostensibly be the fourth proposed location for the LED-wrapped venue, after discussions with developers to build Sphere locations in Saudi Arabia and South Korea have apparently stalled. Dolan was also shut down over a possible location in the Stratford neighborhood of east London amid backlash from residents and the city's Mayor Sadiq Khan slamming the project as "bulky, unduly dominant and incongruous."

However, the Sphere would be a much better fit in the United Arab Emirates, which is already home to the Burj Khalifa, the tallest skyscraper in the world, as well as the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab hotel, both located in nearby Dubai. The 18,000-seat Etihad Arena was also recently completed in Abu Dhabi in 2021, which has already hosted preseason NBA games and concerts.

Related: What You Need to Know About the Las Vegas Sphere

“We are in substantive discussions with multiple international markets,” about building more Spheres, the company recently said in a public statement.

The news comes just days after a Dec. 5 securities filing by Dolan’s Sphere Entertainment disclosed that the company is contesting $224.8 million of capital expenditure accruals tied to the construction of the Sphere, "a significant portion of which is in dispute and which the company does not expect to pay."

According to a source familiar with the dispute, speculation suggests that the bulk of the money is owed to former Sphere general contractor AECOM-Hunt and MJ Dean Construction, which filed legal action against Dolan last year. A trial is scheduled in February, but in the meantime, details of the case are under seal.

And while it had previously been reported that the Sphere suffered an operating loss of $98.4 million in the fiscal quarter ending Sept. 30, the recent securities filing also revealed that the company had earned a combined $75 million through Nov. 30 from its first two marquee shows, U2's UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere residency and the Darren Aronofsky original film Postcards From Earth.

But while some big names have been floated around, currently the Sphere has yet to book another residency to follow U2.