Yahoo Sports Report: Taylor Swift to headline Super Bowl LVII halftime show under new sponsor Apple Music
Taylor Swift will reportedly headline the Super Bowl LVII halftime show this year, according to Variety.
The news came 14 hours after it was announced that Apple Music would replace Pepsi as the main sponsor of the next show. It marks the first time since Super Bowl XLVI in 2012 that Pepsi didn't sponsor the event and the first time Swift will headline.
The 32-year-old Swift is an 11-time Grammy Award winner, including three Album of the Year awards.
Though no official announcement has been made, Variety reported that three sources close to the situation confirmed Swift will be the lead artist. Variety also speculated that the release of Swift's new album in October as well as a potential tour are good signs the rumor is legitimate. Even more, Swift's long partnership with Coca-Cola reportedly prevents her from playing at a Pepsi-sponsored event (since the two companies are competitors), which is no longer an issue after Pepsi gave up the naming rights to the halftime show earlier this year.
TMZ later reported Swift would not be performing at the halftime show.
It's unclear why Pepsi walked away or what Apple Music will pay for the rights, but Variety also reported that the league was asking for "significantly higher annual payments for the sponsorship rights." The original 10-year contract Pepsi signed in 2013 with the NFL cost the company a reported $2.3 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal.
"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, SVP of Partner Strategy for the NFL, said.
Viewership for the Super Bowl and its halftime soared in 2022. Super Bowl LVI became the most-watched show in five years, according to NBC Sports, after 112.3 million tuned in on television and streaming platforms. Last year's halftime show, which featured Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent — also averaged 103.4 million viewers. That was 7 percent more than the previous year.
This year's Super Bowl will take place on Feb. 12, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona.
