A report citing Nielsen quarter-hour data said Super Bowl viewership declined heading into the halftime show.
A Front Office Sports reporter noted in a post on X that, "Based on my understanding of the data, Bad Bunny lost more [percentage] of the Super Bowl viewership from the end of the second quarter than has ever happened before."
The report said 135.9 million people watched the NBC and Telemundo broadcasts from 8 p.m. to 8:14 p.m. ET, then viewership fell to 128.2 million from 8:15 p.m. to 8:29 p.m.
"Bad Bunny's performance," according to the report, "occurred during the latter window," and added, "This was a decline of 7% from the game's peak viewership of 137.9 million in the second quarter, and 5.7% from the immediately preceding quarter-hour."
The report noted halftime audiences typically increase during most Super Bowls, while last year's halftime performance by Kendrick Lamar also saw a decline when it shed 4% of viewers late in the first half.
Front Office also indicated that the game appeared largely decided by halftime in both the Seahawks-Patriots game this year and the Eagles-Chiefs game last year, and the report did not include Nielsen data for the 15-minute segment immediately after the halftime show.
Mediaite reported that the 128.2 million halftime audience still exceeded the game's 124.9 million average audience.
The reporting described viewer division around the performer selection and said some viewers chose Turning Point USA's "All-American" alternative halftime show, which drew over five million live viewers at peak.
Some viewers reported being unhappy about the halftime performance being presented in Spanish and referenced Bad Bunny's prior comments about immigration enforcement activities at the Grammy Awards.
President Donald Trump called the show "terrible" and a "slap in the face" to Americans.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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