Apple Music to Replace Pepsi as Sponsor of NFL’s Super Bowl Halftime Show

Author: Editors Desk Source: WSJ:

September 23, 2022 at 12:56

Mary J. Blige performing during the Super Bowl halftime show in February. PHOTO: KEVIN C. COX/GETTY IMAGES

Tech company signed a multiyear deal with the NFL; the league hasn’t announced who will perform at the next halftime show

Apple AAPL -1.68%▼ Music is set to be the new sponsor of the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime show, replacing longtime sponsor PepsiCo Inc., PEP -0.52%▼ after Apple signed a multiyear deal with the league.

The NFL announced the deal with Apple Inc.’s streaming service on Friday.

The halftime show, played during the annual championship game in February, is typically an extravagant, nearly 15-minute-long performance. It features some of the country’s most popular musical acts and is one of the most watched performances every year in the U.S.

Pepsi first sponsored the 2012 show as part of a decadelong sponsorship deal. Around the time the deal was signed, it was estimated to be worth $2.3 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported in 2011. During the shows, branded the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show, Pepsi’s logo was shown in a corner of the feed.

Bridgestone Corp. sponsored the halftime show in the years before Pepsi.

The next Super Bowl will be played in Glendale, Ariz., the NFL said. The league hasn’t announced who will perform at the next show.

Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg during the Super Bowl halftime show in February.PHOTO: JOHN G MABANGLO/SHUTTERSTOCK

Apple, which is based in Cupertino, Calif., has been trying to expand its subscription services in recent years for music, news, TV and other services.

The iPhone maker has also been betting big on sports. Apple said in June that it had signed a 10-year deal with Major League Soccer—worth at least $2.5 billion—to broadcast all of the league’s games on its streaming service, Apple TV.

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Apple, Amazon.com Inc., Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN and other companies have been in a bidding war in recent months for the rights to air NFL’s Sunday Ticket. DirecTV’s multibillion-dollar deal for the rights to Sunday Ticket, a subscription-only package to watch Sunday games, is set to expire next year.

Amazon Prime Video this week streamed its first “Thursday Night Football” regular-season game as part of an 11-year deal with the NFL. Amazon said the game, between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs, had 15.3 million viewers across all platforms, citing Nielsen data and its first-party measurement.

Amazon is paying the NFL $1.2 billion annually for the rights to Thursday night games.