Bad Bunny headlined the halftime performance during the Super Bowl Final this year. And one would wonder if he would receive a massive paycheck for his 13-minute appearance in the primetime slot.

But it turns out, artists in general receive a very modest fee. 

According to NFL spokesperson Joanna Hunter in 2016, “We do not pay the artists. We cover expenses and production costs.” The production costs are covered by the sponsor Apple Music, which reportedly pays the NFL $50 million, out of which $15 million is allocated for stage production. 

The artists are paid a minimum fee of $1000, as per the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, according to CBS News. Artists usually earn a massive appearance fee in other concerts, but this is not the case with the Super Bowl halftime performance. 

This year’s headliner, Bad Bunny, has surged in recent years. The Puerto Rican has dominated charts with his album Debí Tirar Más Fotos in 2025. He is a 6-time Grammy Award and 17-time Latin Grammy Award winner.

Despite the ongoing flak, this was not his first time on the Super Bowl stage, as he performed alongside Jennifer Lopez and Shakira in the 2020 game. 

So the million-dollar question is, what do artists like Bad Bunny gain by performing at the halftime show in the Super Bowl?

An exposure like no other as millions tune in to their performance

The value of a halftime performance in the Super Bowl cannot be measured by just the fees received by the artists. Millions of people tune in every year to watch their favourite artists perform, leading to increased streaming views and exposure. 

In 2025, Kendrick Lamar headlined the halftime show, and his performance received a record-breaking 133.5 million views. His streaming views, as a result, shot up by 157%. In 2024, Usher received 123.4 million views. Rihanna’s show in 2023 received 121 million views.

In fact, Rihanna’s show in 2023 highlights what exposure can do for an artist in a few minutes of their performance. Rihanna’s brand Fenty Beauty became a sensation after she touched up her makeup during the show. According to WWD, this moment added $5.6 million in Media Impact Value (MIV) for Fenty Beauty in the first 12 hours after her performance. 

The halftime show in a Super Bowl clearly is an opportunity of a lifetime for artists, and they stand to gain massive traction from it. 

Read more Super Bowl updates at the Cleveland Browns Community!

Written by

Shyam Hari

Edited by

Joyita Das