Sphere Entertainment Co. reported on Tuesday (Nov. 4) that the success of The Wizard of Oz and the Backstreet Boys residency at its state-of-the-art Las Vegas venue boosted revenue and operating income — though those gains couldn’t offset a nearly $130 million operating loss in the third quarter.

Sphere Entertainment generated revenue of $262.5 million, up 15% or $34.6 million, for the quarter ending Sept. 30, compared to the same period last year. Adjusted operating income, an indicator of how much of a company’s revenue will eventually become profit, rose to $36.4 million from negative $10.2 million a year ago. The company also reported an operating loss of $129.7 million, up $12.1 million from a year ago.

Since opening in 2023, Sphere has become a destination for artist residencies, hosting acts including U2, Phish, the Eagles, electronic act Anyma and now the Backstreet Boys, who recently extended their Into the Millennium residency into February 2026. Upcoming acts include the DJ/producer Illenium, who’s slated for a residency in March and April, and No Doubt, which will play the venue beginning in May.

When Sphere isn’t occupied by a concert, the mega-venue also shows movies, including the U2 immersive concert film recording of its U2:UV Achtung Baby Live residency and The Wizard of Oz at Sphere. The company’s executive chairman and CEO, James Dolan, has said that recording, licensing and adapting these films costs significantly less than live performances and presents meaningful upside revenue.

The Wizard of Oz at Sphere — an immersive adaptation of the classic 1939 movie — has sold more than 1 million tickets and generated more than $130 million in sales since its Aug. 28 premiere, the company reported late last month.

In a statement, Dolan called The Wizard of Oz “the best example to-date of experiential storytelling in this new medium.”

He added that the film “has been met with strong consumer demand. Looking ahead, we believe our Company is well positioned for long-term growth as we continue to execute on our global vision for Sphere.”

Quarterly revenue generated by the company’s Sphere segment rose 37% overall to $174.1 million in revenue over the same period last year, boosted by $28.3 million more in revenue coming from the venue’s film screenings, collectively known as The Sphere Experience.

The Sphere Experience posted higher per-show revenue from its 220 showings (up from 207 last year) of three movies: Postcard from Earth, the immersive U2 concert film and The Wizard of Oz at Sphere. An additional 16 concert residency shows compared to the prior year quarter also helped boost event-related revenue by $15 million, though that was offset by “lower average per-concert revenue due to the mix of concerts” and the absence of big sporting and corporate events in the quarter. Sponsorship and advertising on the outside of Sphere, along with suite licensing fees, rose $2.7 million from a year ago.

But more movies and shows mean more expenses, and those associated with The Sphere Experience rose by about $10 million. Meanwhile, event expenses primarily from residency shows rose by nearly $4 million, contributing to an overall 26% increase in the Sphere segment’s operating expenses, which totaled $78.7 million for the third quarter.

Overall, the Sphere segment posted an operating loss of $84.4 million — a $40.6 million improvement from last year — and adjusted operating income of $17.1 million.

Elsewhere, MSG Networks revenue fell 12% to $88.4 million on a more than 13% decline in subscribers and a $12.7 million decrease in distribution revenue.

Halsey is on the mend after spending the night in the emergency room following her Nov. 2 show in Boston.

The singer-songwriter, who had a two-night stop in Boston for her international Back to Badlands tour, took to Instagram Stories on Sunday (Nov. 3) to share that she experienced a “minor medical emergency” after her concert at MGM Music Hall. Despite the overnight ER stay, she confirmed she would be returning to the stage for her second Boston performance as scheduled.

“Boston I’m gonna be honest with ya, after the show last night I was in the ER till 6 this morning,” Halsey wrote. “Minor medical emergency but I am A-Okay now and ready to rock tonight! But if I’m pacing myself, that’s why!” She added a thank you to the hospital staff, calling them “the absolute best team I’ve ever met.”

The 31-year-old artist has been open about her ongoing health journey. In 2022, Halsey revealed she had been diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder, conditions that she says are now being managed or are in remission. “Both of which I will likely have for the duration of my life,” she wrote in a June 2024 Instagram post. She also lives with endometriosis and previously shared she suffered a miscarriage while on tour at age 20.

This latest health scare comes amid a particularly prolific era for the genre-blurring star. The Great Impersonator, released in October 2024 via Capitol Records, debuted at No. 2 on both the all-genre Billboard 200 and Top Album Sales charts. It also debuted atop Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts. The set earned 93,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending Oct. 31, according to Luminate.

Halsey previously ruled Top Alternative Albums for a week each with If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power in 2021 and Badlands in 2015.

Halsey has charted 20 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including two No. 1 hits: her 2016 Closer collaboration with The Chainsmokers, which topped the chart for 12 weeks, and 2019’s “Without Me,” her first solo No. 1. She’s also earned multiple top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, including Badlands (No. 2), Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (No. 1), Manic (No. 2), and If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power (No. 2).

Winnie Harlow has responded to criticism of her Whitney Houston Halloween costume, saying she never meant to insult the late singer.

Harlow recreated Houston’s appearance at the 2001 BET Awards, and posted a subsequent video of her reenacting the icon’s famous Lifetime Achievement Award speech. After some blowback, Harlow addressed the situation on her Instagram Story.

“My video wasn’t mocking Whitney. That clip has always been one of my favorite of hers,” Harlow wrote, via People. “She was radiant, funny, confident and captivating. She was being awarded. The way she moved across that stage with flair and swag? Iconic.”

She continued, “People are more than headlines. A woman who could command a room, make you laugh & carry herself like royalty. If all you see when you see Whitney are her struggles, you’re missing her charisma, humor, talent, personality & wit. She was hilarious & magnetic. THAT is and what should always be highlighted. The light that made us all love her. Attention to positivity.”

Celebrities had mostly praised Harlow’s costume in her Instagram comments, with Naomi Campbell, Halle Berry, Ciara, Tracee Ellis Ross, Rita Ora and Law Roach showering Harlow in praise.

Houston struggled with drug addiction throughout most of her adult life. She died from an accidental drowning in 2012, with an investigation concluding that heart disease and cocaine were contributing factors. The report also found that the singer had marijuana, Xanax, Benadryl and other meds in her system.

Whitney Houston’s impact on the Billboard charts is both historic and unmatched. With 11 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, she stands among the top 10 most successful solo artists in U.S. chart history. From 1985 to 1988, she made history as the only artist ever to land seven consecutive No. 1 singles, a record that still stands in 2025.

Her signature ballad “I Will Always Love You” spent 14 weeks at No. 1, setting a then-record for the longest-running No. 1 by a solo female artist and topping multiple Billboard charts simultaneously. She earned 16 Billboard Music Awards, including a record-breaking 11 wins in a single year (1993), and remains the most awarded female artist in history.

Agents Jenna Adler of CAA, Marsha Vlasic of Independent Artist Group, Sara Williams of WME and Elisa Vazzana of UTA took part in a conversation about the current challenges and trends in touring — and what it’s like being a female agent in 2025 — at the Billboard Live Music Summit on Monday (Nov. 3) in West Hollywood, California.

In a panel moderated by Billboard editor-in-chief Hannah Karp, the four agents — who collectively represent artists including Green Day, Neil Young, Luke Combs and Megan Maroney — discussed the expansion of the micro-residency model as one of the ways the live business is likely to change over the next few years.

Adler remarked that “micro-residencies are only going to get more and more expansive; micro-residencies meaning it’s no longer a 45-date tour across the country, it’s more like four or six markets and we’re going to do multiple days. I think it not only saves on costs, because it’s so expensive to tour these days, especially as a mid-level and young artist, that these micro-residencies actually really help curtail that.”

Adler also noted that global touring is now a major priority for artists, “so as we’re planning 24-month calendars. I think that we’re looking at all of it and making sure there’s breaks in between and just really being mindful for the artist, because it’s grueling out there.”

Vazzana noted that with this emphasis on global touring, it’s important for artists to grow their international fanbases earlier in their careers, as “it hurts a lot more when you have a much bigger team to go and try to do it then, than if you had just done it from day one and taken those incremental steps. I also think that international audiences really appreciate the early investment.”

The agents also discussed the state of the glass ceiling for women agents. Vlasic, who began her career 40 years ago, when she was often the only woman in meetings, reflected that “there are more women in our business than ever. When I started out there were three. It has tremendously [improved].”

“Learning form the past, being in rooms with women who have taught us to come into the room and bring another woman into the room and have those conversations,” is important, Williams continues, “because it’s not over. It’s much better, but it’s not over. The number of times we might be one of the only women on a screen or in the room is significant in this business, still.”

“I feel like we’ve come such a long way, but there’s so much more to do,” added Adler. “We do belong in the room, and we have to advocate for ourselves, and we have to continue to advocate and fight.”

“But you must do it,” said Vlasic. “You cannot expect to have the path laid for you; you have to create it yourself.”

“Sometimes I just feel like we just have to continue to fight for each other and to be there and show up for each other,” Adler continues, “because as much as people try to pit us against each other, I just feel like we just need to be screaming and amplifying from the rooftops that we do belong in the room, because it’s systemic at times.”

“I’ve always said that it’s not a disadvantage to be a woman, and I firmly believe that,” continued Vazzana. “I was raised by a dad who was like, ‘Get in there, do the job, be smarter than everyone else,’ and by the way, sometimes I maybe have to yell a little louder, but I don’t see that as a negative. I see it as a necessity, and if it helps move women forward, so be it.”