NBCU gets naming rights to Microsoft Theater, Xbox Plaza

NBCUniversal has signed a multiyear naming rights deal for key parts of the L.A. Live entertainment complex.

The 7,100-seat Microsoft Theater will be rebranded as the Peacock Theater, while the nearby 40,000-square-foot open-air space will drop the Xbox Plaza name in favor of Peacock Place. Both names are references to NBCU’s streaming service Peacock.

Owner and developer Anschutz Entertainment Group and NBCU announced the deal June 15, 2023. The new name takes effect July 11, 2023.

Plans call for a new LED installation at Figueroa and Olympic boulevards that will be used to showcase Peacock content. There will also be an on-site content studio along with fan activations and brand integrations, though few details were initially provided. 

Existing LED signage throughout the venue will also feature Peacock branding and content.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

NBC confirms it’s switching to a redrawn peacock logo, updated type

While the name has a direct connection to the streamer, both the network NBC and NBCU parent Comcast use the historic “NBC peacock” as part of their logos. The NBC network announced in late 2022 that it would introduce a new version of the peacock logo.

The L.A. Live theater has been the venue for the Primetime Emmy Awards since 2008 (with the exception of the 2020 telecast that was held in a “bubble” at what is now the Crypto.com Arena due to the COVID-19 pandemic). 

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It is tentatively scheduled to host the 75th annual installment of the awards, though the WGA strike could affect those plans. A deal signed for the Emmys to be held at the L.A. Live venue runs through 2026.

The theater has also been used for ESPN’s ESPYS awards, though it moved to the Dolby Theatre in 2022.

The L.A. Theater opened in 2007 with the name Nokia Theater L.A. Live. Microsoft acquired Nokia’s mobile division in 2015 and the name was changed to the Microsoft Theater. Microsoft also owns the Xbox gaming brand and used its naming rights deal with AEG to showcase the brand. The outdoor space was previously known as Microsoft Square.

In 2008, Disney-owned ESPN opened a studio and ESPN Zone restaurant and entertainment center as part of the second phase of the L.A. Live development, but that venue has since shuttered. At one time, the 1 a.m. eastern edition of “SportsCenter” was broadcast from the facility.