Nearly half of U.S. households watching the Super Bowl did not stay for Bad Bunny’s halftime performance, according to household-level data released by Samba TV.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Almost half of the U.S. households that tuned in to the Super Bowl did not watch the halftime show headlined by Bad Bunny, according to new viewership data released by Samba TV, highlighting a significant drop-off during one of the game’s most anticipated segments.
Samba TV reported that 48.6 million U.S. households watched Super Bowl LX, representing a 13 percent decline from last year’s game, based on data drawn from approximately 50 million opt-in smart televisions across the country. Of those households, 26.5 million watched Bad Bunny’s halftime performance, marking a 39 percent decrease compared with the audience that watched Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show in 2025, according to the firm’s analysis.
“Our latest viewership insights reveal,” Samba TV wrote in a post accompanying the data, that “48.6M U.S. households tuned in to #SuperBowl LX,” while substantially fewer remained for the halftime show led by Bad Bunny, as detailed in the company’s publicly shared results on X.
The numbers contrast with early headline figures circulating after the game that cited significantly higher totals, such as claims that roughly 135 million people watched the Super Bowl. Those figures are typically derived from Nielsen data, which measures individual viewers, while Samba TV measures households, a distinction that can produce markedly different topline results.
Industry analysts note that the two measurement systems are not considered competitors but complementary tools. Nielsen’s individual-based estimates and Samba TV’s household-based tracking are both widely used within the television and advertising industries, with Samba’s methodology valued for its consistency over time. Because Samba TV has collected data using the same opt-in smart TV approach for several years, its year-over-year comparisons are often cited as useful indicators of audience trends rather than absolute totals.
The sharp decline in halftime viewership has raised questions about where audiences went during the performance window. One alternative drawing attention was Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show,” which aired online and featured Kid Rock. Coverage of the alternative broadcast noted that it generated cultural buzz and online engagement during the same time period, as reported in a Breitbart News article.
Turning Point USA streamed the event live on YouTube, where the production remains available under the title “TPUSA Presents: The ALL-AMERICAN HALFTIME SHOW”, offering viewers a non-network option during the traditional halftime slot.
Media analysts say the divergence in viewing choices reflects broader changes in how audiences consume entertainment. While national broadcasts once dominated cultural attention, the expansion of digital platforms now allows viewers to select programming that aligns more closely with their preferences, even during traditionally unified events like the Super Bowl.
Samba TV’s data suggests that, at least for this year’s halftime show, a substantial portion of the Super Bowl audience chose to disengage or seek alternatives, underscoring shifting patterns in mass viewership and the growing fragmentation of live-event audiences.
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