Where will the next Sphere be? Abu Dhabi or South Korea?

Speculation is growing over whether the next Sphere immersive entertainment venue will be built in Abu Dhabi or South Korea.

Publications in the US and in South Korea are running different stories but there is consensus on one point. The next Sphere will not be built in London.

That’s because mayor Sadiq Khan has signalled his rejection of a planning application- a move under review by the UK government – and Sphere Entertainment Co has indicated that it has now dropped plans for the city.

However, on Monday this week, the New York Post said Sphere Entertainment Co boss James Dolan is in “serious talks” about building a Sphere in Abu Dhabi.

Dolan is said to be negotiating a deal to license the Sphere in the Arab emirate which is now the leading contender for the next Sphere venue.

Abu Dhabi currently hosts the 18,000-seat Etihad Arena which opened in 2021 and which holds sports events and concerts. However, neighbouring Dubai contains the eye-catching Burj Khalifa skyscraper, the tallest building in the world, and the Burj Al Arab hotel, which is shaped like a sail boat.

The New York Post claims that discussions about new Spheres in Saudi Arabia and South Korea have stalled. The newspaper also claimed that Sphere Entertainment Co is in dispute about $225m in additional construction costs. This is after the Sphere in Las Vegas went more than $1.1bn over budget, with the cost coming in at $2.3bn so far, as construction took place during and after the Covid pandemic.

Meanwhile, Sphere Entertainment Co is reported to be planning to build a 120-metre-high and 160-metre-wide  “K-pop sphere” that would be the biggest Sphere so far in Hanam, South Korea.  That’s according to a Dezeen magazine review of South Korean newspaper reports.

The city of Hanam, which is located east of Seoul, is planning to open a 900,000 sq metre K-Star World entertainment district that would include a Sphere, a film studio, a theme park, and a K-culture and video industry complex.

Sphere Entertainment Co wants to start construction on the K-pop sphere in 2025 and the South Korean government has promised to halve the time required for a feasibility study and planning approval from a typical 42 months to just 21 months. The new Sphere in South Korea is expected to cost $2.25bn, with a third being financed by Sphere Entertainment Co.

The speculation comes as AV Magazine revealed that the Sphere Entertainment Co took a 30% equity interest in SACO Technologies and a 25% equity interest in Holoplot in the fiscal years 2018 and 2019 around about the start of construction of the Sphere in Las Vegas.

The equity financing helped to deliver Sphere Immersive Sound, “the world’s largest concert-grade audio system”, with around 1,600 permanently installed and 300 mobile Holoplot X1 matrix arrays. It also helped to put in place the venue’s 55,700 sq metre LED Exosphere – the world’s largest LED display – and its 15,000 sq metre wraparound interior LED display – the highest resolution LED display in the world at 16K x 16K.

The report follows the announcement that Sphere Entertainment Co took in $75m from two shows, a U2 residency and an original Darren Arononfsky film, during its first two months of operation. This does not include revenue from DOOH advertising on the Exosphere external LED display.