Bad Bunny Smashes Records, TPUSA Alternative Craters in Viewership

𝘉𝘢𝘥 𝘉𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺'𝘴 2026 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘰𝘸𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 135 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘗𝘜𝘚𝘈 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 ~6.1 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯—𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 20 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘳.

𝘈𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘴: Bruce Alpine.

T

he Apple Music Super Bowl LX halftime show, headlined by Bad Bunny, drew massive audiences, becoming the most-watched halftime performance in Super Bowl history according to early reports. 

Preliminary figures from sources like CBS News, NBC, and Nielsen estimates placed viewership at over 135 million, with some outlets citing 135.4 million viewers. 

This edged past the previous record set by Kendrick Lamar in 2025 (133.5 million) and earlier benchmarks like Michael Jackson's 1993 performance (around 133.4 million in adjusted terms). 

The numbers include the main NBC broadcast, streaming on Peacock, and other platforms, reflecting U.S. audiences primarily (with global reach adding more). 

Apple Music also reported that related content, such as the press conference live stream and clips, exceeded 63 million views, underscoring the event's digital impact. 

The main "alternative" was the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) All-American Halftime Show, a counterprogramming event featuring Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, Gabby Barrett, and others. 

Promoted as a response to Bad Bunny's selection and streamed primarily on YouTube (with some cable and other outlets), it peaked at around 6.1 million concurrent viewers on its YouTube channel, according to reports from The New York Times, USA Today, and The Athletic. 

During the head-to-head window with Bad Bunny's set, viewership hovered between 4–5 million on YouTube. 

Some claims suggested higher totals (up to 20 million including replays and partners like Rumble or TBN), but these were not verified as concurrent or equivalent live figures and remained far below the official show. 

The gap was enormous: Bad Bunny's performance attracted roughly 20 times more viewers than the TPUSA alternative's peak concurrent audience (135M+ vs. 6.1M). 

Bad Bunny holds the record of the most watched Apple half-time show in the history of NFL.

This disparity reflects structural differences—the official halftime show benefits from the Super Bowl's built-in audience (often 120–130 million for the full game), major-network reach, and broad cultural appeal, while the TPUSA event relied on online streaming and targeted promotion in conservative circles. 

Official Nielsen ratings for the full Super Bowl and halftime were expected to be finalized shortly after February 9 or 10, 2026, potentially adjusting these preliminary numbers slightly. 

Still, early consensus across outlets (CBS, USA Today, People, Hot97, and others) confirmed Bad Bunny's dominance. 

The NFL's YouTube upload of the performance quickly surpassed 20–23 million views post-event, further highlighting its reach compared to the alternative. 

In short, while the TPUSA show never posed a serious challenge to the official halftime spectacle. 

Bad Bunny's set not only broke records but underscored the Super Bowl's unmatched scale as America's biggest annual entertainment event.

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