NEWS
Katy Perry's Halftime Show the Most-Watched in Super Bowl History
2/2/2015
by
Phil Gallo
Katy Perry's Super Bowl performance was seen by 118.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched halftime show ever, according to Nielsen data.
The audience for Perry's 13-minute appearance, with guests Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz, topped Bruno Mars' show last year by 3.2 million viewers. The Mars performance in 2014 was the previous record-holder.
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Data for the halftime show covers the 8-8:30 p.m. block, which included the end of the first half and the start of the second half of the game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. The halftime half-hour outperformed every half-hour block except the final 40 minutes of the game, which saw the Patriots stage a come-from-behind victory.
The 9:30-10 p.m. block had a viewership of 119.2 million; 120.3 million viewers tuned in the for game's final 10 minutes.
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Perry's performance included "Roar," "Dark Horse," "California Gurls" and "Firework." And while those songs were doing reasonably well on iTunes through Monday, it was Elliott's "Work It" and "Lose Control" that were enjoying the significant post-performance sales spikes.
Halftime shows have been tracked since 1991, when New Kids on the Block became the first pop act to appear in the NFL championship game. The first 24 editions of the Super Bowl featured drill teams, Up With People, Disney-programmed shows and other themed performances.
