Bad Bunny and Zara dethrone Rihanna to become artist with greatest impact in Super Bowl history

There is currently no space, physical or virtual, worldwide where the historic performance of Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny during the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show is not being discussed. What might seem like a personal impression is, in fact, a confirmed reality. The initial economic analyses of the singer's performance last Sunday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara have already revealed this.

Wearing two total looks specially designed for the occasion by the Zara design team, Bad Bunny's show last Sunday was historic for two reasons. According to the fashion data and analytics platform Launchmetrics, the performance was groundbreaking. Firstly, it was the first time an artist invited by the NFL to perform during the Super Bowl halftime show delivered their entire performance in Spanish to millions of viewers. Secondly, it became the “most impactful” performance in Super Bowl history in terms of its recorded media impact value (MIV). This record was previously held by the Barbadian singer Rihanna.

“While we don't usually publish analyses this quickly, the magnitude (and impact) of this moment was too significant not to share,” stated Launchmetrics. This to perform entirely in Spanish has turned Bad Bunny's performance into “an undeniable cultural milestone,” the platform added. The performance also “took social media by storm and created a media sensation,” ultimately making it “the most impactful Super Bowl performance in history, in terms of MIV.”

3.1 million dollars of 'impact' for Zara

Based on data collected and analysed between February 7 and 9, 2026, which is expected to grow further in the coming days, Launchmetrics estimates the MIV impact of Bad Bunny's performance at nearly 170 million dollars. This figure was generated within just 12 hours following the show. During this time, mentions of the Puerto Rican singer accounted for up to 39 percent of the total Super Bowl coverage.

To put this impact into better context, this percentage far exceeds the 27 percent of Super Bowl coverage that Rihanna garnered during the same period following her 2023 halftime performance. That year was noted as the last time such a high level of influence was recorded. The Puerto Rican singer has now pushed this level to its maximum, practically rivalling the game itself between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. According to data from Apple Music, the official sponsor of the Super Bowl halftime show, this relevance also positively impacted listens of Bad Bunny's tracks on the platform. His streams multiplied by seven, with “DtMF,” “Baile inolvidable,” and “Tití me preguntó” becoming the most-streamed songs on the platform after the show.

Regarding the commercial “advantage” for brands associated with the singer during his performance, Launchmetrics calculates that Zara generated 3.1 million dollars in MIV. Adidas generated a smaller impact, estimated at 1.6 million dollars. Similarly, Audemars Piguet and its “Royal Oak” watch generated an impact of approximately 609,000 dollars. From a broader perspective, the top-performing social media post with the greatest “impact” from this Super Bowl final was one from the NFL itself, which alone generated an impact of 2 million dollars in MIV.

Donald Trump's disapproval

FashionUnited's initial analysis of Bad Bunny's performance mentioned its distinct political undertones, from the stage design to the final message, “Together, We Are America.” The US president, Donald J. Trump, has since validated this interpretation with a message on his social network, Truth Social. In the post, he openly criticised the singer, using terms that seem to overlook the fact that citizens of Puerto Rico are US citizens, despite the limitations of its commonwealth status.

“The Super Bowl halftime show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst in history! It makes no sense, it's an affront to the greatness of the United States, and it doesn't represent our standards of success, creativity, or excellence,” Trump lamented on his Truth account. “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for the young children watching from all over the United States and the world. This ‘show’ is a slap in the face to our country, which sets new standards and records every day, including the best stock market and the best 401(k) plans in history.”

The US leader said that, in contrast, “there is nothing inspiring about this disastrous halftime show.” He stated the show “will receive excellent reviews from the fake news media because they have no idea what is happening in the real world,” concluding his message with his signature slogan: “Make America Great Again!”.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

OR CONTINUE WITH

Bad Bunny

Data

Inditex

Launchmetrics

Sportswear

Super Bowl

Zara