Apple Music will replace Pepsi as the official sponsor of the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
The new multi-year partnership will debut at the upcoming Big Game, scheduled to air on Fox on Feb. 12, 2023.
“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 around the world—through the intersection of music and technology,” Nana-Yaw Asamoah, the NFL’s svp of partner strategy, said in a statement.
In the coming months, Apple Music intends to release additional details of its halftime show plans via its various social media channels.
“Music and sports hold a special place in our hearts, so we’re very excited Apple Music will be part of music and football’s biggest stage,” Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vp of Apple Music and Beats, said in a statement.
In May, Pepsi announced it would no longer sponsor the Super Bowl Halftime Show following a decade-long run. The beverage brand’s final appearance as a presenting partner at the 2022 Super Bowl, which featured a performance by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, attracted more than 120 million viewers, according to the NFL. For the past three years in a row, Pepsi has driven the most conversation on Twitter among all Big Game advertisers during the sporting event.
As for why Pepsi walked away from one of the nation’s biggest moments of live television, CMO Todd Kaplan recently told Adweek the decision to leave was part of a “much larger strategic shift to bring unique and unprecedented music and entertainment experiences to fans where they are now—and where we think they’re going to be in the future.”
Despite ending its halftime show sponsorship, Pepsi will remain the NFL’s official soft drink under a new 10-year deal, extending a partnership that goes back nearly four decades. The cola brand will continue to run marketing campaigns on TV, digital and social media, as well as collaborate with the league’s teams and players.
Earlier this month, Fox revealed it’s sold 95% of its in-game inventory for the 2023 Super Bowl, with multiple 30-second spots going for more than $7 million. The most expensive commercial NBCUniversal secured for the 2022 Super Bowl, by comparison, was $7 million.
