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Entertainment09 February, 20263 min read

Bad Bunny Smashes Spotify Streaming Records After Super Bowl Halftime Show

Headlined the Super Bowl halftime show, performing mostly in Spanish and showcasing Puerto Rican culture Sparked sharp criticism from former President Donald Trump and conservative commentators

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Bad Bunny Smashes Spotify Streaming Records After Super Bowl Halftime Show
Image: WTVC
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102 outlets told this the same way.

Halftime show streaming surge

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show triggered an immediate and massive spike in music consumption across platforms.

“Apple Music listens jumped sevenfold after the performance — led by ‘DtMF,’ ‘BAILE INoLVIDABLE,’ and ‘Tití Me Preguntó’ — Shazam recognitions in the U.S. rose 8% in January 2026 versus December 2025, and monthly radio spins reached their highest level since June 2025, up 13% versus the prior six months.”
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Spotify figures indicate a historic surge: Bad Bunny earned 183.7 million Spotify streams on Feb. 9 - the biggest single-day total for a male artist and the highest single-day figure so far in 2026.

Image from aapnews.aap.au
Image: aapnews.aap.au

Short-form clips and social posts around the set went viral, with one outlet reporting clips of his performance amassed about four billion views in 24 hours, up 137% year-on-year.

Other platform metrics tracked large gains as well: Apple Music listens jumped sevenfold after the performance, Shazam recognitions in the U.S. rose 8%, and radio spins hit their highest level since June 2025, underscoring a cross-platform streaming boost following the halftime appearance.

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Halftime streaming impact

Industry observers and outlets placed Bad Bunny’s streaming spike in historical context, comparing the halftime bump to past halftime and awards-show uplifts for other artists. One piece noted previous Super Bowl and awards-stage streaming multipliers, citing Kendrick Lamar’s 430% jump after his 2025 set and Lady Gaga’s catalog rising 1,000% after 2017, to argue that halftime exposure reliably translates into massive listening gains. Early viewership estimates for Bad Bunny’s set were similarly enormous, with one report giving an early audience estimate around 135–135.4 million and others reporting the halftime attracted roughly 128–130 million TV viewers, figures that help explain why streaming spiked immediately afterward.

Reporting for this sectionWHUR 96.3 FMDeciderDaily MailUNILAD

Factors behind streaming surge

Outlets linked the streaming surge to the show's choreography, guest moments, and cultural messaging, noting these factors made songs and visuals more shareable and discoverable. Reports singled out moments such as Lady Gaga's salsa turn, a staged wedding, Ricky Martin's cameo, and the roof-crash/utility-pole imagery in "El Apagón" as clips that circulated widely and drove searches for specific tracks (Shazam recognitions rose post-show). Commentary varied on why the set resonated: lifestyle and culture outlets emphasized representation and joy, while mainstream news noted a mix of celebration and pointed critiques about Puerto Rico's infrastructure and identity.

“Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny headlined the 2026 Super Bowl LX halftime show at Levi’s Stadium, delivering a 13‑minute set performed entirely in Spanish that opened with ‘Tití Me Preguntó’ and included hits like ‘Yo Perreo Sola,’ ‘Safaera,’ ‘Baile Inolvidable,’ and ‘Nuevayol.’”
Vogue
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Reactions to Halftime Performance

Political backlash and alternative programming amplified attention to the halftime set in opposing ways, which in turn likely fed streaming interest. Conservative figures, including former President Donald Trump, publicly condemned the performance on Truth Social, calling it 'absolutely terrible' and saying 'nobody understands a word', and conservative groups staged rival programming while the NFL and Apple Music defended the choice. Coverage varied sharply by outlet type: right-leaning outlets emphasized a supposed affront to American values, while mainstream and left-leaning outlets highlighted representation, unity messaging, and the commercial spike in streams.

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Bad Bunny halftime impact

The streaming records after Bad Bunny’s halftime show carry longer-term implications for Latin music’s visibility and for the Super Bowl’s role as a launchpad. Several outlets called the set a milestone — the first halftime headliner to perform mostly or entirely in Spanish — and linked the streaming surge to increased mainstream acceptance.

“The set marked historic firsts — the first Super Bowl halftime performed entirely in Spanish and prefaced by an Apple Music unity trailer — and deployed visual cues (light‑blue accents, a Puerto Rican flag with a light‑blue triangle, Lady Gaga’s dress) that referenced independence movements and alluded to past repression such as the Ley de la Mordaza.”
Rolling Stone

One report noted Bad Bunny was Spotify’s most-streamed global artist in 2025 and that his Apple Music and press numbers drew record interest (63+ million views in 48 hours at an Apple press event), while cultural outlets framed the moment as representation for Puerto Ricans and the Latino diaspora. Taken together, the numbers suggest halftime exposure still converts to measurable commercial gains, and that an unapologetic Spanish-language performance can reach and break records among global streaming audiences.

Image from Associated Press
Image: Associated Press
Reporting for this sectionRolling StoneDaily MailEvrim AğacıThe Tico Times