Much was made of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show, how many people watched it compared to previous versions, and what could be extrapolated from that information.
All of those conversations and narratives came from the American broadcast numbers, and before we knew the global reach of the Puerto Rican superstar’s performance.
According to the show’s producers, it was a lot of people.
Apple Music, the NFL, and Roc Nation announced Monday that Bad Bunny’s performance drew 4.157 billion views in 24 hours across the U.S. broadcast, global broadcast, YouTube, and social platforms.
The announcement referred to it as the most-watched Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show performance of all time, but specific details about where those views came from and whether these are independently verified numbers were not shared.
The press release included various metrics specific to X, the everything app, stating that the performance garnered 2 billion impressions, 209 million video views, and over 6 million related posts.
The release also included some metrics related to NFL-owned platforms, saying that fans spent “456 years of watch time” across its Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok channels and “822 years of watch time” on YouTube.
The TV audience for the halftime show in the United States averaged 128.2 million, which was down from last year’s 133.5 million. However, Bad Bunny was chosen specifically to appeal beyond U.S. borders towards the international audience that the NFL craves. Whatever all of those numbers above mean, it appears to have worked.
The announcement isn’t likely to change the hearts and minds of those who didn’t think Bad Bunny was the right choice for the halftime show, but it doesn’t sound like anyone involved regrets the choice for a second.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.