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It’s been two years since Apple Music agreed a five-year deal to sponsor the NFL’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. At the time, I explained why Apple was willing to pay a rumored $50 million for the deal. It raises awareness for Apple Music, which is the lead generation for Apple’s profit machines, like the App Store, iPhone, and AirPods. But I didn’t explain why a music and content company like Apple Music was attractive to the NFL.
In October 2021, Sports Business Journal made the case a year before the deal even happened:
“…Making it a year-round platform for a brand and its content. What if Apple, Amazon Prime, YouTube, or Netflix bought the title rights for branding, and then put their content budgets into shoulder programming?
Consider the potential assets: On-demand replays, extended cuts, secondary concerts, behind-the-scenes access, a making-of docuseries, and follow-ups about the impact on the performer’s career. All that content, with possible increased ad inventory too, sitting at the nexus of music and the world’s biggest one-day sporting event.”
Steve Stoute, who helped the NFL secure the deal with Apple Music, shared a similar perspective in his episode on Club Shay Shay:
“It’s the NFL halftime show. It’s all about music. Why wouldn’t Apple Music have that? Why wouldn’t a music company be there? Pepsi’s fine, and Bridgestone before Pepsi, but why is it a tire company?… The only thing genius about that is that nobody else seen it. Being able to speak to the guys over at Apple, Tim Cook, Eddy Cue, Oliver [Schusser], they loved the idea… Who wouldn’t want to be in business with Apple?”
The Pepsi - NFL deal, which ran from 2013 to 2022, started when Beyonce signed a $50 million deal with the beverage company. Part of the deal included her performance at the 2013 halftime show in New Orleans. For backstory on that partnership, check out my conversation with Visa CMO Frank Cooper III, who worked on the deal as Pepsi’s CMO of global consumer engagement at the time.
The other challenge for Pepsi, unlike Apple Music, is the exclusivity deals that artists have with brands. Some superstar artists have endorsements with Pepsi and some have deals with Pepsi’s competitors. Pepsi may not mind if a Coke artist is on that stage, but Coke may have an issue!
One of the long-rumored reasons that Taylor Swift has yet to do the Super Bowl halftime show is because of her deal with Coca-Cola. A similar situation may have played out for Team USA Basketball, where Jaylen Brown’s tension with Nike was a rumored reason why the 2024 NBA Finals MVP wasn’t chosen for the Nike-sponsored 2024 Olympic team.
Meanwhile, Apple Music—ever since the Frank Ocean Blonde situation—has kept out of the exclusivity business. They’re a home for all artists. Music streaming may still be polarizing for some, but not all companies get equal blame. When’s the last time you heard someone say, “Streaming doesn’t pay artists enough. Thanks, Apple Music!” People are more likely to call out its larger competitors.
The exclusivity challenge can also impact credit card companies, banks, and financial institutions. If Discover ever became the Super Bowl Halftime Show sponsor, would Capital One be cool with Taylor Swift performing on that stage? Maybe not. This isn’t a college football bowl game, this is the largest stage in music. It’s wiser for the league to partner with a company that’s “Switzerland” in its relationships with the artist community.
The next iteration of Apple Music could be an integration with Apple TV+. It’s an obvious home for all the content extras and behind-the-scenes footage in the Sports Business Journal above, that are more likely to appear on YouTube instead. We’ve seen Amazon integrate its live music events on both Amazon Prime Video and Prime Music. Amazon’s Black Friday NFL game and its Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime make it feel like there’s ‘One Amazon’ that the sports and entertainment can partner with. Apple has an opportunity to do the same.
One of the critiques about Apple TV+ is the lack of marketing that its critically acclaimed shows get. Well, there’s no better marketing than sharing promotional content for its 15-minute concert that 130 million people will watch on Super Bowl Sunday.
Listen to the full episode here for more on:
- How Roc Nation, Jay Z, and the NFL became partners
- The power of relationships
- Predictions for future Halftime Show performers
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