Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show, which fans are calling the ‘Benito Bowl’, drew an average of 128.2 million viewers on Sunday, according to Nielsen.
The viewership figure was higher than the 124.9 million average viewers for this year’s Super Bowl telecast in the United States but lower than the 133.5 million viewers achieved by Kendrick Lamar, who set the halftime record last year.
Before Lamar, Usher held the record for his 2024 performance.
Digital engagement around the show also saw a rise. According to Ripple Analytics, total social consumption of the halftime show — including fans, owned platforms, broadcast partners and influencers — reached four billion views within 24 hours, a 137 per cent increase from last year.
The NFL said its three most-viewed social posts of all time now stem from the Bad Bunny halftime show. They include ‘Only Thing More Powerful Than Hate Is Love’ (179 million views on Instagram, most viewed clip on NFL social ever); Bad Bunny listing the countries of the Americas before spiking the football at the end of his performance (168 million views on Instagram); and that same clip on TikTok (100 million views).
Apple Music said streaming of Bad Bunny’s music increased seven times following the halftime show, led by DtMF, BAILE INoLVIDABLE and Tití Me Preguntó.
According to the NFL, more than half of its social views came from international markets. Full global viewership data for the “Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show” is expected early next week, and the current US-only figure of 124.9 million viewers could rise once worldwide numbers are added.
The halftime show had generated headlines months before the game, owing to criticism from right-wing commentators over his emphasis on Puerto Rican heritage in his work. Turning Point USA, the conservative group co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk, produced an alternative halftime show “for folks who love America,” per headliner Kid Rock.
The New York Times reported that the group’s YouTube livestream peaked at 6.1 million viewers during the show and has since reached 21 million views, compared to Bad Bunny’s 57 million YouTube views.
Highlights of Bad Bunny’s performance included a live wedding, cameo appearances by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, and 380 performers dressed as grass.
