Last year, the Sports Business Journal reported that the NFL was “laying the groundwork” for an overhaul to the Super Bowl halftime show, potentially turning it into a year-long content factory. That report came along with the news that the NFL and Pepsi, the halftime show’s presenting sponsor, were “far apart” in their negotiations.
Yesterday, SBJ reported that sponsorship for the halftime show would go to the open market, and that the league was looking for between $40 million and $50 million per year for that sponsorship.
#ICYMI: After 10 years with @pepsi as an entitled sponsor, #NFL marketers are taking the Super Bowl Halftime Show to market.
According to sources, the Super Bowl halftime deal being pitched at $40-$50 million annually.
➖ Terry Leftonhttps://t.co/pFjzxPPMQL
— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) February 17, 2022
Yes, that’s a lot of money. But in all honesty…it seems like kind of a bargain? 30 second Super Bowl ads sold for as much as $7 million this year, and the cost is only going to continue increasing. Locking in the halftime show sponsorship at $50 million for say, five years (though the league will probably look for a longer term deal) and opening up access to this potential year-long flow of halftime show related content doesn’t seem to be out of line at all.
It feels like a no-brainer for a tech company to get involved (Amazon…hello) and attempt to turn the halftime show into a franchise, especially with the absurd amount of money streamers are dropping on new content. A marketing expense *and* a content play? Sure, why not?
