April 29, 2026
AMC Global Media (Nasdaq: AMCX) and Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) are expanding the seasonal advertising partnership they debuted last Halloween, adding a December holiday crossover to the October tie-up that first paired Sphere’s “Sphere of Fear” with AMC’s “FearFest.” The new December program links Sphere’s annual Exosphere holiday celebration, “Sphere of Cheer,” with AMC’s “Best Christmas Ever” December programming, and the two companies are packaging both windows as sponsorship opportunities for brands.
From a Halloween Debut to a Two-Season Deal
The partnership started as a Halloween experiment. Last year’s first-ever collaboration, built around October’s “Sphere of Fear” and “FearFest” programming, drew sponsors including Bacardi and Kraft Heinz for full-week activations on the Exosphere, amplified across AMC’s platforms. Sphere and AMC Global Media are joining forces around Halloween again this October, pitching brands on fan engagement through the “Sphere of Fear” and “FearFest” events.
The December addition is the bigger swing, and AMC framed it as its biggest programming moment of the year. AMC Global Media said it will work with Sphere to secure branded activations on the Exosphere, which Sphere calls the world’s largest LED screen, with custom content created by Sphere Studios, the company’s in-house creative team. That content will also run throughout AMC’s “Best Christmas Ever” programming across AMC platforms, making what the companies described as the first Sphere and Best Christmas Ever crossover.
The Reach the Partners Are Selling
The pitch to advertisers rests on scale. AMC said last year’s “Best Christmas Ever” event attracted 68 million cross-platform viewers, and it calls the event its highest-rated annual programming event. Through Content Room, AMC Global Media’s in-house branded entertainment studio, participating brands get co-branded social content with Sphere plus amplification across AMC’s linear, digital, and streaming channels.
For the holiday window, the companies are offering a bundle of touchpoints: custom Content Room creative, a presence across all “Best Christmas Ever” placements, branded ornaments on the Exosphere, and social and influencer coverage through AMC Global Media. It is the kind of multi-surface package that treats a single seasonal moment as an advertising event rather than a spot buy.
The Exosphere as a Seasonal Ad Canvas
The deal is a marker of how live-entertainment venues have turned their signature spectacle into ad inventory. The Exosphere, the illuminated exterior of Sphere’s Las Vegas venue, draws crowds on its own, and pairing it with a broadcaster’s seasonal programming lets a sponsor buy both the physical spectacle and the on-air reach around it. Halloween and the winter holidays are the partnership’s two anchor windows, and the AMC deal is built to sell both of them as packaged, fandom-driven campaigns.
“After a successful first-ever Halloween collaboration with Sphere last year across Sphere of Fear and FearFest, we knew the next step was to go even bigger,” said Mike DiGiacomo, head of integrated marketing and Content Room for AMC Global Media.
“AMC and Sphere are both powerful platforms for bringing people together around meaningful moments,” said Marcus Ellington, Executive Vice President, Ad Sales and Sponsorships, Sphere. “This partnership demonstrates how brands can leverage Sphere’s technology and global reach to amplify their message in new ways, and we look forward to creating high-impact activations for brands to connect with audiences around Halloween and during the holiday season.”
About the Partners
Sphere Entertainment Co. describes Sphere as an experiential medium powered by advanced technologies. The first Sphere opened in Las Vegas, with venues also announced for Abu Dhabi and National Harbor. AMC Global Media is the parent of cable networks including AMC, BBC AMERICA, IFC, SundanceTV, and We TV, and streaming services including AMC+ and Shudder. Full partnership details are on AMC Global Media’s announcement.
