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 Upwards of 100 million U.S. viewers are expected to tune in
for the intensely choreographed live 15-minute set, more than 50
times the audience of the band's last major tour in 2012,
according to figures from concert tracker Pollstar.
"In an incredibly divided and fragmented media environment, the
Super Bowl halftime show is absolutely one of the biggest, if
not the single biggest way to expose music to an enormous
audience," said Brian Hiatt, senior writer at Rolling Stone.
With a third of the U.S. population expected to watch the
Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos battle for the National
Football League championship, the Super Bowl offers a rare and
coveted opportunity for advertisers and performers alike.
Coldplay, better known for brooding hits such as "Yellow" and
"Fix You," takes the halftime stage on the heels of high-octane
crowd pleasers Katy Perry, Beyonce and Bruno Mars.
"It's all about the artist and their brand," Keith Caulfield,
co-director of Billboard charts, told Reuters.
Coldplay last week announced a U.S. tour and released a new
music video featuring Beyonce, who is reportedly joining the
halftime show this year after headlining in 2013. Rihanna, who
just released a new album, is also reported to be a potential
performer.
While there is no definitive way to quantify it, spikes in sales
and on social media suggest a significant Super Bowl effect.
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Last year, 118 million U.S. viewers tuned in to Perry's
pyrotechnics-laden extravaganza featuring a 1,600-pound robotic lion
and dancing sharks.
Despite no new album or U.S. tour last year, sales of Perry's
existing work surged 92 percent in the week after her performance.
YouTube videos of Perry's halftime show racked up views in the
millions.
Mars, best known for R&B and funk-infused radio hits such as "Uptown
Funk!" was one of the lesser-known headliners in 2014.
Mars saw an 82 percent bump in album sales post-performance
according to Billboard, and grossed $84 million in concert ticket
sales, according to Pollstar.
"There are sports fans who aren't watching the Grammys or American
Music Awards and are not familiar with artists as a live spectacle,
and maybe they would be interested in seeing them after the Super
Bowl," Caulfield said.
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Sara Catania and Leslie
Adler)
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