Palladium Times Square

Palladium Times Square is an indoor live-events venue located in One Astor Plaza at the intersection of Broadway and 44th Street in New York City. The venue occupies a site with a longer theatrical and entertainment history: the building originally contained the Loews Astor Plaza Theatre, a movie theater operated by Loews Theatres that opened in 1974 and closed in August 2004. Following the cinema's closure, the space was leased by Anschutz Entertainment Group, commonly known as AEG, and converted into a venue for concerts and other large-scale live productions. The conversion reportedly cost approximately $21 million, and the redesigned venue was created by architect David Rockwell. It opened as a live-events facility in September 2005. Over its operating history, the venue has used several commercial names associated with different sponsorship or branding arrangements. It was known as Nokia Theatre Times Square, then Best Buy Theater, and later PlayStation Theater. The PlayStation Theater name remained in use until the expiration of the venue's lease. The venue closed on December 31, 2019, after a final series of performances by Philadelphia-based trance-fusion band Disco Biscuits. It reopened in 2020 under the Palladium Times Square name. The venue is designed primarily for concerts and other high-capacity productions. It has a capacity of approximately 2,100 people, with a large standing-room orchestra area and a substantial seated section toward the rear of the auditorium. This configuration allows the space to accommodate both general-admission music performances and events requiring audience seating. Its technical and production facilities include an approximately 85-foot-long LED screen, described as one of the largest marquees on Broadway, as well as systems capable of displaying live footage from the stage or other locations within the theater. Palladium Times Square also includes two private mezzanines, several dressing rooms, and a green room that can accommodate up to 30 people. These facilities support a broader range of uses than conventional concert programming. The venue has hosted concerts, private and public event parties, live television productions, web broadcasts, and award ceremonies. From 2005 through 2019, it hosted the Heisman Trophy ceremony. Its marquee was directly connected to MTV Studios, enabling live footage from MTV Studios to be displayed on the exterior screen. The brand therefore represents a flexible urban entertainment venue rather than a film studio or a conventional consumer product line. Its positioning is based on a prominent Times Square location, adaptable audience layouts, visible digital signage, and the ability to support music, broadcast, streaming, ceremony, and corporate-event formats. Publicly available reference material does not identify a current owner, a separate corporate parent for the Palladium name, or named current executives.

The site occupied by Palladium Times Square was originally developed as a cinema rather than as a concert hall. The Loews Astor Plaza Theatre opened in 1974 in One Astor Plaza, on the Broadway and 44th Street corner in Times Square. Operated by Loews Theatres, the movie theater served the area until it closed in August 2004. After the cinema ceased operations, Anschutz Entertainment Group leased the space and undertook a conversion into an indoor venue for live entertainment. The redevelopment reportedly involved an estimated investment of $21 million. Architect David Rockwell designed the live-event conversion, which opened in September 2005. The resulting facility retained a prominent Times Square presence while being reconfigured for concerts and other productions rather than regular film exhibition. The auditorium was built around a hybrid audience arrangement. Its orchestra section provides a large standing-room area suited to general-admission concerts, while seating toward the rear offers a more conventional theater layout. The venue's reported capacity is 2,100. It also includes two private mezzanines, several dressing rooms, and a green room designed for groups of up to 30 people. These features enable the site to function as both a music venue and a production space for televised, streamed, ceremonial, and private events. The facility operated under several names during the period after its conversion. It was first associated with the Nokia Theatre Times Square branding, later became the Best Buy Theater, and subsequently operated as the PlayStation Theater. These changes reflected successive commercial naming arrangements rather than a change in the underlying Times Square location. The venue's technical identity was reinforced by an approximately 85-foot-long LED screen, described in reference material as one of Broadway's largest marquees. The display could show live imagery from the stage or other points in the venue. It was also directly connected to MTV Studios, allowing footage from MTV Studios to appear on the marquee. Programming included concerts, event parties, live television, web broadcasts, and award shows. One recurring high-profile use was the Heisman Trophy ceremony, which took place at the venue from 2005 through 2019. This range of programming demonstrated the venue's ability to support both ticketed music events and productions built around broadcast distribution or institutional ceremonies. The PlayStation Theater period ended when the venue's lease expired. It closed on December 31, 2019, after a group of shows by the Philadelphia trance-fusion band Disco Biscuits. The space reopened in 2020 under the Palladium Times Square name. The available reference material does not establish a separate founding company for the Palladium brand, identify a current owner, or provide a detailed account of post-2020 programming. Palladium Times Square is best understood as the current identity of a continuously repurposed Times Square entertainment facility whose history spans cinema, sponsored concert-venue branding, and multi-format live production.

• 2020

  Palladium Times Square name introduced

  [1]Palladium Times Squareen.wikipedia.org

  The venue reopens under the Palladium Times Square name.

• 2019

  PlayStation Theater closes

  [1]Palladium Times Squareen.wikipedia.org

  The venue closes on December 31 after the expiration of its lease, following performances by Disco Biscuits.

• 2005

  Live-events venue opens

  [1]Palladium Times Squareen.wikipedia.org

  Following a conversion leased by Anschutz Entertainment Group and designed by David Rockwell, the facility opens as an indoor live-events venue in September.

• 2004

  Cinema closes

  [1]Palladium Times Squareen.wikipedia.org

  The Loews Astor Plaza Theatre closes in August, clearing the way for conversion into a live-events venue.

• 1974

  Loews Astor Plaza Theatre opens

  [1]Palladium Times Squareen.wikipedia.org

  The building's space opens as the Loews Astor Plaza Theatre, a movie theater operated by Loews Theatres.

A centrally located, technology-equipped Times Square venue for concerts, broadcasts, ceremonies, parties, and other live productions, with a flexible 2,100-person auditorium and prominent digital signage.

• Live entertainment · 2005

  Concert and live music venue

  The core offering is an indoor concert venue with capacity for approximately 2,100 people. Its large standing-room orchestra section supports general-admission shows, while seating toward the rear accommodates more traditional theater-style audiences. The venue has operated under several sponsored names, including Nokia Theatre Times Square, Best Buy Theater, and PlayStation Theater.

• Event production · 2005

  Broadcast and special-event facility

  The facility supports live television, web broadcasts, award ceremonies, event parties, and other special productions. Its dressing rooms, private mezzanines, and green room complement the auditorium, while the large LED marquee can display live footage from the stage or other locations in the theater.

• 2020

  Reopening under the Palladium Times Square identityOther

  Background

  The venue's PlayStation Theater lease expired, and the facility closed at the end of 2019.

  Action taken

  The venue reopened in 2020 with the Palladium Times Square name.

  Aftermath

  The site continued its role as a Times Square indoor venue for live entertainment and special events.

  Source

• 2004

  Conversion from cinema to live-events venueStrategy

  Background

  The Loews Astor Plaza Theatre closed in August 2004, leaving the Times Square space available for a new entertainment use.

  Action taken

  Anschutz Entertainment Group leased the space and converted it into a concert and multi-purpose live-events venue, with design work by David Rockwell.

  Aftermath

  The redesigned facility opened in September 2005 and became a venue for concerts, broadcasts, ceremonies, parties, and other productions.

  Estimated conversion cost. $21 million estimated conversion cost (2004-2005)

  Source

1. 1Palladium Times Squareen.wikipedia.org