MSG Entertainment Opens New MSG Sphere Studios Location in Burbank
‘Big Dome’ Studio Will Develop Content for MSG Sphere in Las Vegas
BURBANK, CALIF., May 19, 2022 – Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (NYSE: MSGE) (“MSG Entertainment”) today held a ribbon cutting ceremony to open its new MSG Sphere Studios location in Burbank.
MSG Sphere Studios’ ‘Big Dome’ is where our production and technology teams are working with creators, artists and partners to develop original content and immersive experiences for MSG Sphere – the Company’s state-of-the-art-venue scheduled to open in Las Vegas the second half of calendar 2023. MSG Sphere at The Venetian is a new entertainment medium that will introduce a 160,000 square foot display plane that wraps up, over and around an audience. It will be the highest resolution LED screen in the world, with more than 170 million pixels and a resolution of 16K x 16K.
Until Burbank Big Dome was built, there was no screen capable of displaying immersive visual content with the size and fidelity required to simulate the experience of MSG Sphere. The approximately 28,000 square foot facility features a large, curved LED display that is a quarter-scale, full-resolution prototype of the Las Vegas screen. It will be an essential tool for the MSG Sphere Studios team, along with artists and creators, to develop and test content that will ultimately be used in MSG Sphere.
Jim Dolan, Executive Chairman and CEO of MSG Entertainment said: “MSG Sphere Studios is on a mission to work with visionary artists and creators to bring the future of entertainment to life. MSG Sphere will be unlike any entertainment destination in the world, delivering multi-sensory experiences at a scale never previously contemplated. With Big Dome, we are now able to give artists a true representation of what it will be like to tell stories in MSG Sphere. I want to thank our partners in Burbank for welcoming us to the community; we look forward to continuing our pioneering work here for years to come.”
Jess Talamantes, Mayor of Burbank said: “As a city that has shaped the entertainment industry for more than a century, Burbank is the perfect home for MSG Sphere Studios. This truly innovative new studio adds an exciting chapter to our rich history, and reinforces our position as the media capital of the world. We welcome MSG Entertainment’s expanded commitment to our city, and we cannot wait to see what the Burbank-based team will create.”
In addition to the LED display, the new Big Dome facility will also feature meeting and production spaces. MSG Sphere Studios has also leased approximately 60,000 square feet of office and studio space in the adjacent Media Studios Complex, which it will begin relocating to this summer. The Company has more than 150 full-time employees in Burbank and is actively hiring for additional roles.
About MSG Sphere Studios
Established in 2020, MSG Sphere Studios features an interdisciplinary team of creative, production, technology, and software experts, working together to develop the content and tools that will make MSG Sphere a first-of-its-kind entertainment destination. The studio provides full in-house creative and production services – including strategy and concept, capture, postproduction, and show production – so artists, directors and brands can seamlessly utilize MSG Sphere’s capabilities to bring their creative vision to life in a way never before possible. Currently located at the Burbank Studios, where it turned the soundstage that was originally home to The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson into a state-of-the-art, full-service studio, MSG Sphere Studios will relocate to the Media Studios Campus at 3333 Empire Avenue and 2255 Ontario Street near the new Big Dome facility later this year.
About MSG Sphere at The Venetian
With approximately 17,500 seats – including 10,000 immersive seats – and a scalable capacity up to around 20,000 guests, MSG Sphere at The Venetian will become the venue of choice for a wide variety of content, including attractions, concerts, residencies, product launches, and sporting events. In addition to the world’s highest resolution LED screen, MSG Entertainment has developed a multi-layered audio system equipped with more than 160,000 speakers that utilize beamforming technology to deliver targeted, crystal-clear and consistent audio to every seat in the house. The venue will also feature multi-sensory technologies such as immersive seating, evocative scents and changing temperatures, to take experiential storytelling to an entirely new level. MSG Sphere at The Venetian is scheduled to open in the second half of calendar 2023.
About Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp.
Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (MSG Entertainment) is a leader in live entertainment. The Company presents or hosts a broad array of events in its diverse collection of venues: New York’s Madison Square Garden, Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre; and The Chicago Theatre. MSG Entertainment is also building a new state-of-the-art venue in Las Vegas, MSG Sphere at The Venetian. In addition, the Company features the original production – the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes – and through Boston Calling Events, produces the Boston Calling Music Festival. The Company’s two regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG Network and MSG+, deliver a wide range of live sports content and other programming. Also under the MSG Entertainment umbrella is Tao Group Hospitality, with entertainment dining and nightlife brands including: Tao, Marquee, Lavo, Beauty & Essex, Cathédrale, Hakkasan and Omnia. More information is available at www.msgentertainment.com.