Bad Bunny Breaks Super Bowl Records
Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime performance is now the most-watched ever according to Roc Nation. The reggaeton superstar's show demonstrates the massive mainstream crossover of Latin hip-hop culture. This breaks viewership records previously held by traditional pop and rock acts.
The record-breaking 4.157 billion global views for Bad Bunny's halftime show were tallied within the first 24 hours across all platforms, including global broadcast, YouTube, and social media. In the United States, the live broadcast drew 128.2 million viewers, making it the fourth most-watched halftime show in history. The Spanish-language broadcast on Telemundo, however, set its own record with 4.8 million viewers, the largest audience for an American football broadcast on the network. The performance was a powerful celebration of Puerto Rican culture, performed almost entirely in Spanish. Bad Bunny was joined on stage by fellow Puerto Rican star Ricky Martin, the bomba group Los Pleneros de la Cresta, and a surprise appearance by Lady Gaga for a mashup of their respective hits. This marked the first time a Latino solo artist headlined the Super Bowl halftime show. Immediately following the performance, Bad Bunny's music streams on Apple Music surged by a factor of seven. Six of his songs re-entered the charts, and his collaboration with Cardi B, "I Like It," returned for the first time since January 2020. On the social media platform X, the halftime show generated 2 billion impressions and over 6 million posts related to the artist. The show's unapologetic celebration of Latino culture drew a strong reaction, including criticism from conservative groups. In response, the organization Turning Point USA staged a competing "All-American" halftime show featuring country singers, which peaked at approximately 6.1 million real-time viewers. Fresh off his Super Bowl success, Bad Bunny has continued to break records globally. He recently played two sold-out shows at Sydney's ENGIE Stadium for nearly 90,000 fans, setting a new attendance record for a concert at that venue. His next major performance is a special show in Tokyo as part of Spotify's Billions Club Live series.
