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For these artists, the Super Bowl offers up the promise of increased exposure and bumped record sales”
SETTING THE STAGE Advertisers already know this well: more eyes simultaneously watch the Super Bowl than almost anything else. For most artists, the Super Bowl halftime show will likely be the most-watched live concert of their entire career. From a production standpoint, these 12 to 15 minutes must be executed flawlessly, from staging to lighting to sound. There are no do-overs and no time for technical difficulties – not when the whole nation, and much of the world, is watching live. Kendrick Lamar has always done things his way, and the 2025 edition of the Super Bowl halftime show was no different. Having won a Pulitzer Prize for Music, his talent speaks for itself, but it’s his anti-establishment attitude that really sets him apart. Lamar had plenty to say about politics, recruiting Samuel
whose album Dangerous subsequently rose 90 places on the US charts. In other words, it was an obvious win for both parties, and proof that the halftime show, once deemed a snoozefest, had the potential to be something greater. It took a few years, but the halftime shows eventually brought on more popular headliners and dropped themes altogether. American football fans were even blessed with British rockers like The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and The Who, while others came from across the United States – Atlanta, Minneapolis, Miami, Nashville, New York and more. For these artists, the Super Bowl offers up the promise of increased exposure and bumped record sales (or streams). It’s an honour to play the Super Bowl halftime show, but it’s also a great business opportunity.
Eventually, TV producers got the great idea: what if at-home audiences actually wanted to watch the halftime show, instead of leaving the room? What if they in fact tuned in specifically to see it? In 1992, Fox pulled one over on the NFL, stealing 29 million viewers with a live broadcast of In Living Color , which aired during halftime. It was clear then that the Super Bowl needed to step it up, so in 1993 they hired Michael Jackson. Although the King of Pop’s solo performance wasn’t necessarily on par with his most iconic on-stage moments, it marked a significant milestone for the Super Bowl halftime show. With 133.4 million viewers, it surpassed the football game’s own figures (and held the record for the most-watched halftime show for over two decades). It also proved to be a worthwhile endeavour for Jackson,
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