Rob Novak, a Duke basketball fan from Chicago, was in town on a family vacation last Thursday when his beloved Blue Devils squared off against Arizona in the Sweet 16. Needing a place to see the pivotal NCAA Tournament matchup, he thought it would be fun to check out Cosm.
The venue, which boasts an immersive viewing experience known as “shared reality,” uses proprietary technology to bring fans as close to a sporting event as you can get without actually being there.
Novak couldn't believe his eyes.
“I’ve never been to anything quite like this for a game,” he told NBC News.
Novak and other fans that night saw sweat roll down the face of future NBA star Cooper Flagg as he grabbed a rebound. When an errant pass by Arizona flew out of bounds, some hands went up in an attempt to bat down the ball (despite the action taking place 2,781 miles away from L.A.).
That sensation is thanks to specially-designed cameras on the sideline and behind the hoop that transmit views and crowd noise onto a massive 87-foot diameter dome screen in 12K resolution.
All of this happens while servers assigned to each section take food and drink orders that will be delivered directly to your seat.
It’s a VIP-style feel you don’t typically get at a sports bar (or even a game).
“We offer an elevated experience where you can come and have amazing views of your favorite team with great food and beverage in a comfortable, approachable way,” Jeb Terry Jr., the CEO of Cosm, told NBC News. “This is not a ‘peanuts on the floor’ sports bar. That’s not what we’re offering. If that’s what you want, fantastic. Go do that. If you want to be around the great crowds, great fan experience, that’s what we offer.”
Basketball is far from the only choice at Cosm. Fans are transported inside the cage at UFC events, in the end zone at football games, behind the home plate at the World Series and alongside a corner kick at English Premier League matches.
The latter is what excites Maurice Edu.
The former United States men’s national team midfielder went to Cosm last September in L.A. to see Arsenal face Aston Villa. Despite the match being more than 5,000 miles away at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham, he said he felt transported to England.
“It’s going to be hard to go and watch a game at home after watching here,” Edu, who played for Stoke City in the top flight of English soccer, told NBC News. “You feel like you’re part of the fan base. You’re surrounded by fans. The viewing of the fans is intimate enough to where you feel like you can feel their passion, their energy, and then the game watching as well.”
Edu, now a soccer commentator for Fox Sports and Apple TV, said Cosm would be a perfect place to broadcast matches because of the unique sightline and atmosphere.
“I wouldn’t mind calling a game from here because of the perspective you get,” he said. “An absolutely incredible experience.”
Those cameras aren’t entirely new, however. Fans may know Cosm's technology because it’s what’s used in the now-famous ‘pylon cam’ where viewers get an ultra-close shot of a player diving towards the corner of the end zone. However, according to Terry Jr., they now have the capability to use it all over the stadium. And unlike other production companies, no truck outside the event is needed. Cosm currently has partnerships with NBC Sports, ESPN, FOX Sports, TNT Sports, CBS Sports, Amazon, the NBA, NFL, WWE, and UFC.
Terry Jr. is quick to say that Cosm isn’t just a place to watch live games: “At our core, we’re an experiential technology company.”
A former offensive lineman at North Carolina, he played five years in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers from 2004-2008. After retiring, he founded the mobile video platform StraightCast Media, which was later sold to Fox Sports in 2015.
In 2020, he and a team that included his capital partner Stephen Winn acquired Evans and Sutherland, one of the largest planetarium companies in the world. And while the live sports experience is now part of what they do, the company still powers over 700 planetariums globally.
“The goal is to take you to space just the same way we can now take you to the sidelines of a football game or pitchside of a Premier League match,” Terry said.
Tickets for Cosm, which also sells immersive experiences like Cirque Du Soleil, vary just like any sporting event. The Dome has three ascending levels, all priced differently depending on your location and the demand of the experience. Monday’s Final Four, for example, will be priced higher than a regular season matchup.
You can experience the men’s national championship for as little as $28 in general admission seating (though most views are at the very top, limited and snagged on a first-come, first-served basis). At the high end — on a couch in the second level — they go for $275 per ticket.
Terry knows some fans may scoff at the price when you can see the same game at a sports bar for free. But he believes the elevated product and service warrants it. And it beats driving or flying to San Antonio, securing a hotel room and paying an average of $441 per ticket.
“We want to make sure we’re priced so you can come back, so you can come with your family of four if you want,” he said. “That is the goal — elevated, but approachable.”
Cosm hosts events most nights (or mornings). For the Dodgers’ season-opener in Tokyo, the dome was sold out for a game where the first pitch was at 3:10 a.m. PT. But if that’s what’s going to get the fan excited, Terry said, that’s what his team is going to do.
He said their intention is not to change the viewers’ experience watching sports. The goal is “to offer something new.”
“We’ll never beat the in-stadium experience. We don’t want to do that,” he said. “We’re going to be an additive to it.”
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