Apple Music Named Main Sponsor of Super Bowl Halftime Show in Multi-Year NFL Deal

what just happened Next year’s Super Bowl halftime show will have a new main sponsor. The NFL has announced Apple Music as its new halftime show sponsor, replacing Pepsi, which has sponsored the show since 2013. Terms of the multi-year partnership were not disclosed, although sources familiar with the negotiations said the NFL bought the deal in the $50 million range.

The deal represents a shift in strategy for Apple, as the company rarely sponsors events it doesn’t control. The last time it gave its name to an event was in 2016 to promote the Apple Watch.

The Super Bowl halftime show is the most-watched musical performance of the year. More than 120 million people watched the Super Bowl LVI halftime show earlier this year, which featured Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem performed.

Next year’s show will be produced by Jay-Z’s entertainment company Roc Nation, but Apple will now have some say in the show’s direction, according to a source. Jay-Z previously owned Tidal, a streaming music service that competes with Apple Music. In 2021, Jay-Z sold Tidal to Square for $297 million.

The NFL has increasingly sought to strike deals with tech companies. Last year, it struck an 11-year, $13 billion deal with Amazon for the exclusive rights to Thursday Night’s games. The first Thursday night game of the season between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers averaged 15.3 million viewers, according to Amazon and Nielsen.

Super Bowl LVII, being played February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona, will mark Apple Music’s first year as a sponsor of the show. It’s unclear how long Apple will serve as a sponsor of the halftime show.

Last year, Roc Nation announced the halftime lineup in September. If the company follows precedent, a similar announcement for the next show could arrive any day now.

Apple Music launched in mid-2015 and had 98 million subscribers as of last February. Those who haven’t tried the service can sign up for a one-month free trial.