Apple Music will sponsor the Super Bowl halftime show next February, replacing long-time sponsor Pepsi. According to a press release, over 120 million people saw Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar perform at the Super Bowl LVI halftime show in February of this year. According to reports, the NFL had been marketing the sponsorship arrangement around for roughly $50 million, but the actual details of the eventual transaction were not disclosed.
The agreement comes as Apple and other streaming service providers turn to sports as a source of development. Apple has previously agreed to show Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer events on Apple TV Plus, while competitor Amazon has agreed to broadcast Thursday Night Football.
Live sports, particularly American football, are regarded as one of the most popular viewing options on television. According to reports, 95 of the top 100 most viewed shows in 2021 were sports telecasts, with 75 of them being NFL games.
In addition to agreeing to sponsor the Super Bowl halftime show, Apple is allegedly in discussions with the NFL for the rights to a package of Sunday football games. The league is reportedly in negotiations with Google, Amazon, and ESPN to broadcast the games, but talks with Apple are said to be in their last stages. The NFL is allegedly demanding $2.5 billion for the package, a significant increase from the estimated $1.5 billion value of its existing NFL Sunday Ticket arrangement with DirecTV.
Apple seldom supports events that are not under its control, however, this has occurred in the past. The firm sponsored the Met Gala in 2016 in order to market the Apple Watch as a fashion piece. Pepsi has sponsored the Super Bowl halftime show since 2013 when it announced a ten-year partnership. According to the NFL’s press release, the annual halftime show is “the most-watched musical performance of the year.” Though, with just 120 million views this year, it was eclipsed by the 161 million people who turned in to witness the Eurovision Song Contest in May.
Super Bowl LVII will be held on February 12th, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. Expect lots of “exclusive insights and sneak peeks” regarding the program to be released through Apple Music’s social platforms on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter in the coming months.
