Deezer data shows major impact of the Super Bowl halftime show on streaming numbers

Karina Klusen 3 min read

The halftime show of America’s most popular sports event increases the average daily streams of the performers by 42%

Paris, 9th February 2023: Every year, mega-acts perform in the Super Bowl halftime show, delivering a breathtaking 15-minute show — making it one of the biggest days in music. The past five years have seen superstars like Justin Timberlake, Shakira, J.LO and most recently, the “Hip-Hop Avengers” take to the stage to deliver an unforgettable show. Expectations are certainly high for this year’s artist, Rihanna.

Deezer wanted to find out what impact the Super Bowl has on artists’ streams before, during and after the show, based on streaming data** of the performers of the past five halftime shows. According to Deezer’s data, the artists see a significant spike in streams before, during and after the game. And the impact seems to grow every year. 

There is a sense of anticipation in the air before the halftime performance as the average streams of the performers rise by +35% on the day of the game compared to the week before. Justin Timberlake’s streaming numbers went through the roof with an extraordinary +122% of streams on game day in 2018, followed by Mary J. Blige (+92%) and Snoop Dogg (+65%), who both performed in 2022. 

The Super Bowl performance also has a long-lasting effect, with a general increase in streams (average of +42%) for the performing artists in the week after the game. The winner in the post-game category is Dr. Dre, whose streaming numbers reached +85% in 2022. Jennifer Lopez’s streaming numbers climbed by +58% in 2020, and Snoop Dogg’s by +51% in 2022. 

Overall, Deezer’s data show that the Super Bowl halftime show has an increasing impact on streaming numbers for the performing artists. Justin Timberlake’s daily streams increased by +20% following the week of the 2018 Super Bowl, and four years later, the “Hip Hop Avengers” saw an increase of +46%.

Age-wise, it was the 25 to 34 year old’s who were mainly responsible for the growth of the performing artists —with artists seeing an average increase of 47% of streams from this age bracket. In particular, +86% tuned into Dr. Dre, who also increased his streaming numbers by Gen-Z (18-24) by +70%. This is followed by Jennifer Lopez with a growth of +54% and Shakira with + 53% of Gen-Z listeners. This shows that the halftime show is a great way for artists to win over a whole new generation. 

All in all, the Super Bowl halftime show has had a massive effect on the streaming behaviour of Deezer users, with an overall growth of streaming numbers for the performers. Year after year, more and more fans from all age ranges get inspired and search for the Super Bowl artists to listen to their songs after the show.  


** Detailed information about data measured:
2018: Justin Timberlake – Scope period: 2018/01/29 to 2018/02/12
2019: Maroon 5 – Scope period: 2019/01/27 to 2019/02/10
2020: Shakira and JLO – Scope period: 2020/01/26 to 2020/02/09
2021: The Weeknd – Scope period: 2021/01/31 to 2021/02/14
2022: Hip-hop Avengers (Dr Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Mary J. Blidge50 Cent & Snoop Dog) – Scope period: 2022/02/06 to 2020/02/20