When Bad Bunny stepped onto the Super Bowl LX stage, millions of eyes were already fixed on the performance long before the first beat dropped. The halftime show has outgrown its role as a brief interlude.
Last year’s halftime show set a daunting benchmark with roughly 133.5 million viewers tuning in, outdrawing the NFL game itself and underscoring the cultural weight this moment now carries.
Even as broadcasts splinter across platforms and screens, the return to a unified global event for this halftime performance reminded audiences why this stage still commands mass attention beyond the metrics of any single game.
How many people watched the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show?
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime performance, which was packed with celebrities and an incredible setlist, drew a massive television and streaming audience, reinforcing the show’s status as one of the most watched musical moments of the year.
The Puerto Rican show drew an average of 128.2 million viewers in the United States, according to Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel ratings. This figure slightly exceeded the overall game’s average of 124.9 million viewers and placed the performance among the most-watched halftime shows in Super Bowl history.
Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga perform onstage during the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show (Source: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The total reflected not only traditional U.S. broadcast numbers but also a growing share of digital and international streaming. Audience measurement now blends Nielsen television data with platform analytics, meaning the halftime show’s reach extends far beyond the stadium and even beyond the domestic market.
Super Bowl LX continued the trend of halftime performances rivaling—or at times surpassing—the game’s own audience. Comparisons with recent editions quickly followed. The previous year’s halftime benchmark of 133.5 million viewers had set a high bar, turning the 2026 show into a referendum on Bad Bunny’s global draw.
Whether measured by peak-minute audience, average viewers or social media engagement, the performance generated numbers that positioned it firmly within the modern era of record-setting halftime spectacles.
What was the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show?
The record for the most-watched Super Bowl halftime performance in U.S. television history belongs to Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 show at Super Bowl LIX, which drew approximately 133.5 million viewers across broadcast and streaming platforms, narrowly surpassing earlier benchmarks.
That figure edged out the historic 1993 Michael Jackson halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII, which attracted about 133.4 million viewers in the United States and helped redefine the event as a must-see cultural spectacle.
Other standout performances that have drawn huge audiences include Usher’s 2024 set and Rihanna’s 2023 show, each pulling well over 120 million viewers — numbers that highlight how the halftime show has grown into a cultural tentpole event that often rivals the game itself for attention.
