Super Bowl LX: Bad Bunny's Halftime Performance Falls Short of Ratings Records, But Social Media Engagement Sets a New Standard
The highly anticipated Super Bowl LX on Sunday night, featuring the Seattle Seahawks' victory over the New England Patriots, did not break records for the most-watched U.S. broadcast or halftime show. According to Nielsen's Big Data + Panel rating system, the game averaged 124.9 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, NBC Sports Digital, and NFL+.
While this number fell short of last year's record-breaking 127.7 million viewers for the Philadelphia Eagles' victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, it's worth noting that Super Bowl XL still holds the title of the most-watched program in NBC history, marking the network's 100th anniversary with a bang.
However, Bad Bunny's halftime show, which averaged 128.2 million viewers from 8:15-8:30 p.m. ET, made history in a different way. It became the fourth-most-watched halftime performance, following Kendrick Lamar (133.5 million, 2025), Michael Jackson (133.4 million, 1993), and Usher (129.3 million, 2024).
Peak audience records were also broken, with the game reaching a record-breaking 137.8 million viewers during the second quarter (7:45-8 p.m. ET), surpassing the previous mark of 137.7 million from last year's Super Bowl.
Despite the lower viewership compared to previous years, the Super Bowl continues to be a powerhouse event, with its social media engagement setting new records. After the first 24 hours, Bad Bunny's halftime show accumulated a staggering 4 billion views on social media, a 137% increase over last year. This includes views from fans, owned platforms, broadcast partners, and influencers, with over 55% of the views coming from international markets.
The Spanish-language broadcast on Telemundo averaged 3.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched Super Bowl in Spanish-language history. The halftime show, in particular, averaged 4.8 million viewers, further solidifying its place in Super Bowl history.
The impact of the Super Bowl on other events was also notable. NBC's 'Primetime in Milan' Olympic show, featuring the women's downhill and team figure skating events, averaged 42 million viewers, the network's largest Winter Olympics audience since 2014. This was a significant 73% increase from the show after Super Bowl LVI, which averaged 24.3 million viewers.
In summary, while Super Bowl LX may not have broken viewership records, it continues to be a cultural phenomenon, with record-breaking social media engagement and a significant impact on other events, solidifying its status as one of the most powerful events in the world.
