“The Sphere” hosts NFL campaign

In July, Las Vegas’ new mega-arena, “The Sphere”, was illuminated for the first time. With its unique façade that consists of several million LEDs, the operators hoped for new marketing opportunities. The first campaign started now.

"The Sphere" is known for its large projections, like this. Image: Sphere Entertainment

On the 4th of July “The Sphere” was lit up for the first time. With a seating capacity of 17,600 and a cost of 2 billion euros, the arena is expected to add another major attraction to the city. As part of the “NFL Sunday Ticket” presented by YouTube, the façade of the arena (so-called Exosphere) became part of a brand campaign. All 32 helmets of the NFL franchises are to be presented on the 580,000 square feet fully programmable LED exterior.

YouTube is the new home of NFL Sunday Ticket, which gives fans access to all live out-of-market Sunday afternoon games throughout the regular NFL season and is available to purchase on YouTube and YouTube TV. To celebrate, YouTube created an animation that transforms the exterior of Sphere into helmets of all 32 NFL teams. YouTube’s multi-week campaign started Sept. 1 and runs through the beginning of the NFL season.

“It’s only fitting that YouTube, one of the most respected and important media platforms in the world, is launching the first-ever brand campaign on the Exosphere to support NFL Sunday Ticket,” said Guy Barnett, Senior Vice President, Brand Strategy & Creative Development, Sphere Entertainment. “I can’t wait to see how NFL fans react once they see their team on the biggest LED screen in the world.”

“Using the Exosphere’s larger-than-life canvas for a brand campaign that combines two of the most widely recognized brands – YouTube and the NFL —resulted in an immersive experience that engages audiences ahead of the start of the season and the launch of NFL Sunday Ticket,” said David Hopkinson, President and Chief Operating Officer of MSG Sports, who oversees global marketing and brand partnerships across Sphere Entertainment and the MSG family of companies. “This activation spotlights the immense opportunity for brands on the Exosphere, which has quickly become an iconic global landmark since it illuminated earlier this summer.”

The largest LED screen on Earth, the Exosphere consists of approximately 1.2 million LED pucks, spaced eight inches apart. Each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes, with each diode capable of displaying 256 million different colors – creating a vivid new landmark on the Las Vegas skyline. (stadiaworld, 05.09.2023)