Shows · Today in Vegas · November 5, 2026

Sphere Sells the Show Inside. Ads on the Outside Led a $10.5 Million Jump.

By Hargreaves Ledger, Pace Vegas Desk · November 5, 2026

The short versionSphere Entertainment said revenue from sponsorship, Exosphere advertising and suite licenses rose $10.5 million in the second quarter of 2026, mainly because of higher Exosphere advertising. The Las Vegas venue's total revenue rose 29% to $226.4 million.

Neon sign of a glowing globe with a dollar sign on its surface

Sphere's quarter was about a lot more than the shows, according to Sphere Entertainment's second-quarter 2026 earnings release. The Sphere segment brought in $226.4 million in the three months ended June 30, up $50.8 million, or 29%, from $175.6 million a year earlier. Adjusted operating income rose to $39.9 million from $24.9 million.

Inside, The Wizard of Oz at Sphere ran 220 performances, against 215 combined performances of Postcard from Earth and the U2 concert film a year earlier, and the venue added six concert residency shows. Outside, the company said revenue from sponsorship, Exosphere advertising and suite license fees rose $10.5 million, mainly because of higher Exosphere advertising revenue. It did not break out how much the Exosphere itself brings in.

The rest of the company went the other way. MSG Networks revenue fell 18%, to $87.3 million from $107.1 million, and its adjusted operating income dropped to $11 million from $36.5 million.

The desk's takeThe Exosphere is the most expensive billboard ever built, and it finally behaves like one. A screen that every Strip visitor photographs is worth more than any seat inside, and the earnings release just said so in accountant. Meanwhile the old cable business is shrinking, which means the company's future depends on a giant LED ball selling ads to the people walking past it. That's not a concert venue. That's a very round media company.

Sphere Sells the Show Inside. Ads on the Outside Led a $10.5 Million Jump.

Sources

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