The NFL has found the next presenting sponsor of the Super Bowl halftime show.
Apple Music has been named the official sponsor of the annual music and pop culture event, succeeding Pepsi, which announced earlier this year that it would give up its role in presenting the show. Pepsi had been the lead sponsor of the halftime show for the past decade.
Apple Music’s first Super Bowl halftime show will take place Feb. 12, 2023 in Arizona, with performers TBD. The tech giant says that it will roll out details and sneak peeks of the event on its @AppleMusic social channels ahead of the Super Bowl.
The NFL says the Apple Music partnership is part of a multi-year deal.
“We are proud to welcome Apple Music to the NFL family as our new partner for the iconic Super Bowl Halftime Show,” said Nana-Yaw Asamoah, senior vp of partner strategy for the NFL. “We couldn’t think of a more appropriate partner for the world’s most-watched musical performance than Apple Music, a service that entertains, inspires, and motivates millions of people around the world through the intersection of music and technology.”
This past year’s show featured Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige perform. Previous shows have seen some of the biggest names in music perform, from Beyonce and Prince to Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lopez.
The NFL says that over 120 million people watched this past year’s halftime show.
In fact, the show has become a much bigger event than the 12 or 15 minutes that make up the actual musical performance. The halftime shows featuring Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and The Weeknd have become the basis for documentaries about the lead-up to the performance, while Beyonce used her show to announce a global tour.
Indeed, an NFL source told The Hollywood Reporter last year that if Pepsi did pull out, the league was hoping to find a new sponsor that could make the show “bigger, taking different aspects of it and making it stand way outside of the 12 minutes.”
Apple, with its Apple Music and Apple TV+ platforms, may be just the partner to do so, creating content that can live alongside the live performance, and driving viewers to the performing artist’s songs.
“Music and sports hold a special place in our hearts, so we’re very excited Apple Music will be part of music and football’s biggest stage,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vp of Apple Music and Beats. “We’re looking forward to even more epic performances next year and beyond with the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show.”
Source: Hollywood
