MSG Sphere London

The MSG Sphere London is a building project of United States-based The Madison Square Garden Company, and financed by former Cablevision owner Charles Dolan and his son, James L. Dolan.[2] If approved, it would be identical to the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas, which is also backed by James Dolan, and was completed in 2023.[3] Both buildings have been designed by the architectural firm Populous.[4]

The MSG Sphere would be equipped with a 19,000 x 13,500 pixel resolution LED screen which will spread across the interior of the venue. All 17,500 seats would have high speed internet access and the sound system uses a technology called beam forming to provide targeted, spatialized sound that is consistent in volume and quality across all seats. Haptic technology capabilities will be delivered through the floorboards. The exterior of the venue would feature 54,000 square metres of programmable lighting.[5] A 3,000 person club venue is under consideration as well.

The venue is proposed to be located in Stratford near Westfield Stratford City, the East Village housing development, and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, built on a site used as a coach park during the 2012 Summer Olympics. The sphere-shaped venue is designed to have the world's largest LED screen and will have a seating capacity of 17,500.[6] It is not designed for use as a sporting arena, but primarily for music, as well as award ceremonies, corporate events, and product launches.[2][3]

According to the official MSG website, public comments were reviewed at the end of 2018 and a poll of local residents was conducted by Deltapoll in July 2019.[7][8]

On 5 June 2019, the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), the planning authority for the site, held a consultation with the public, during which residents emphasised their need for greater transparency regarding the project.[9] MSG's most recent document submission to the LLDC was filed in August 2020 in relation to the Regulation 25 rules of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017; all documents are available for review by the public.[10]

The project gained planning approval on 22 March 2022 from the LLDC. The next steps comprise a review by the Mayor of London and a legal planning agreement. If those steps result in approval, then construction can begin.[11]

In February 2023, the scheme was put on temporary hold by Michael Gove, Secretary of State at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, using powers that potentially allow for a public planning inquiry into the project.[12]

Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which operates the O2 Arena in south-east London, inquired about the Sphere's proximity to existing entertainment venues such as the London Stadium, the Copper Box Arena, and its own O2 Arena,[13] emphasising that "it is imperative that MSG's proposals do not add to congestion in the area".[14]

Others have highlighted that there is a shortage of affordable housing in the surrounding London Borough of Newham, which has more than 25,000 households on its waiting list. They claim that up to 1,400 homes could be built in place of the planned venue,[15] and noted that plans for a "snow dome" ski centre in the same location, backed by former London mayor Boris Johnson, were scrapped in 2016.[16] In January 2019, a group of local residents set up a website describing the reasons for their opposition to the Sphere project.[17] On 14 June 2019, Hackney Council opposed plans by the Madison Square Garden Company to display giant illuminated advertisements on the dome of the sphere,[18] however on 27 January 2023, the LLDC approved the use of advertising on the dome.[19]

• Avicii Arena
• Cinematic virtual reality
• Sphere at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada

• Official website