Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Lady Gaga was one of Bad Bunny's special guests for this year's Super Bowl half-time show
ByBen CollinsBBC Sport journalist- Published23 minutes ago
The Super Bowl has become a cultural moment that transcends sport, let alone American football.
Much of that is down to the half-time show, as more viewers tend to watch that than the NFL's championship game itself.
As the United States' biggest sports league has expanded globally in recent years, it has treated international games like mini Super Bowls.
Now the NFL will take the gameday experience for international fans to another level when a record nine regular-season games are played overseas in 2026.
The NFL will stage a half-time show in all seven countries hosting those games - the most it has ever staged in one year.
So how did the Super Bowl half-time show become such a global phenomenon and what goes into deciding who will perform?
What's the most iconic half-time show?
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Figure caption,Michael Jackson, Prince and Shakira all rank in NFL director's greatest half-time shows
For more than 20 years, Super Bowl entertainment was about pageantry more than pop music. Most of the first 24 half-time shows featured dancers and/or marching bands.
All that changed in the 1990s, as New Kids on the Block and Gloria Estefan performed before Michael Jackson was booked for Super Bowl 27 in 1993.
Such was the excitement about his performance that some of the Dallas Cowboys players sneaked out of the locker room to watch the 'King of Pop'.
Tim Tubito, who has been the NFL's director of global event presentation, music and entertainment since 2021, says that show "changed everything".
"That was probably the most iconic half-time performance," he tells the BBC. "It revolutionised the way people view half-time shows. People started to expect that spectacle."
Since 1998, half-time headliners have been world-famous music acts from various genres and eras - but debate continues over which was the best show.
"I grew up on Jay-Z and Wu-Tang so Dr Dre, Eminem and Snoop [2022] was amazing," says Tubito.
"One that always sticks out for me is Prince and Purple Rain in the rain [2007]. I mean, there's just nothing more epic than that moment.
"Plus J Lo and Shakira [2020] has a special place in my heart and Bad Bunny this year was really special too."
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Why Bad Bunny was a 'difference maker'
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Bad Bunny's half-time show shared a message of unity - one couple even got married on the field during his performance
Since 2019 Roc Nation, the entertainment company owned by Jay-Z, has collaborated with the NFL on selecting artists for the Super Bowl and producing the half-time show.
That has helped propel the US TV audience beyond 120 million for each of the past four shows, with Kendrick Lamar's performance in 2025 surpassing Michael Jackson's as the most watched of all time (133.5m).
In recent years there has been much speculation over who will be selected for the iconic set, then what songs they will perform and what else they might say or do.
Although Drake had filed a defamation lawsuit against Lamar, he did play Not Like Us last year but without the most contentious lyric.
And despite concerns over whether Bad Bunny would make a political statement against US President Donald Trump in February, the only English words he spoke were "God bless America" while the video screen read 'The only thing more powerful than hate is love'.
Tubito says the NFL "don't like to be surprised" and they "go over the whole show and rehearse it, so we know what's coming".
"We never tell an artist what point of view to have or restrict them from doing things," he adds. "I think they understand the stage and the opportunity to really focus on the entertainment.
"With Bad Bunny, his and his team's vision was [to make the show] larger than life and we saw that come to life. He resonates so well, the story resonates so well and it really brought a message of unity that felt really good.
"Working with an artist like that is just the right move every time. The music transcends language, it transcends cultures. It was a difference maker."
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'Don't always chase the name, chase the talent'
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Raye is set to support Bruno Mars and has won awards in the UK and US since performing at an NFL game in London last year
Tubito's team, which plans and delivers the entertainment at all NFL events at home and abroad, produced half-time shows at six of last season's seven international games.
British artists Raye, Giggs and Jme performed at the two games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium while Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee headlined the NFL's first game in Spain last November.
After headlining last year's game in Brazil, Colombian singer Karol G appeared on the field alongside Bad Bunny at Super Bowl 60 and in April she became the first Latina to headline the Coachella festival, external in California.
"We want to be diverse across our talent and relevant in the market that we're in," says Tubito.
"It's really important to have that local connection because if the fans in the stadium aren't giving the energy, you can feel that from a broadcast. So in a perfect world, we get an artist that resonates well locally and appeals globally, not only back in the US."
The NFL will now stage more half-time shows than ever before and is set to announce the acts for this year's international games.
With Australia and France joining the schedule and Mexico back in the mix, it presents an opportunity to showcase an even more diverse range of talent.
And while Bad Bunny was Spotify's most streamed artist in four of the past six years, Tubito says it is not just about booking "the biggest star".
"You can't always do that," he adds. "There's only so many of those that transcend so you have to find the right mix. That's probably the most difficult part, selecting the right talent for each market.
"You don't always nail it but Raye in London last year, she was kind of about to break. At that point people knew Raye but Raye was not a household name.
"She and her team were wonderful to work with and she's so talented. You can do some real special things with those types of people so don't always chase the name, chase the talent - and people who have bought into the same vision that you have."
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