Apple Music to sponsor Super Bowl half-time show

Apple Music is to replace Pepsi as the title sponsor of the Super Bowl’s prestigious half-time show, the NFL announced on Friday.

Neither Apple nor the NFL disclosed terms of the sponsorship, described as a multi-year agreement.

US media reported the NFL has been seeking around $50 million a year for sponsorship of the show, one of the traditional highlights of the biggest event on the US sporting calendar.

“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,” said Nana-Yaw Asamoah, the NFL’s senior vice president of partner strategy.

The sponsorship is the latest example of a technology giant embracing live sport in the United States.

Amazon has already started screening the NFL’s Thursday fixtures while Apple TV has also struck deals to stream live baseball and Major League Soccer.

Apple Music’s sponsorship of the Super Bowl half-time show will start in 2023, when the NFL’s championship game is staged in Glendale, Arizona on February 12.

More than 120 million viewers watched The Super Bowl half-time show in Los Angeles earlier this year, when stars such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar appeared together.

Past half-time shows have featured a galaxy of music icons, such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, U2, the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen.

arb/rcw/bgs