The biggest winner of this year’s Super Bowl was not the New England Patriots. Not the Seattle Seahawks either. It was the house, the NFL. The league delivered one of the most exciting matchups in recent memory and paired it with a halftime show that was almost guaranteed to stir the pot. And that controversy did exactly what the house wanted. It drove viewership.
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Preliminary numbers suggest Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny‘s Spanish-only halftime show pulled in 135.4 million viewers. That clears last year’s 133.5 million mark by Kendrick Lamar, most in league history. The latest numbers will definitely push the NFL even deeper into international waters. At this point, fans are not just tuning in for football. They are waiting to see how much further the league can push the envelope.
That said, the profit highway runs both ways. With all eyes on the NFL, Bad Bunny now has the spotlight on him as well… firmly. After that 13-minute performance that had everyone talking online, anything he does next is bound to get a massive boost. That is why it caught people off guard when he wiped his Instagram clean: unfollowed everyone, deleted his posts or locked them behind privacy settings, and even removed his profile picture.
Here is the thing, though. This kind of reset is nothing new. Beyoncé has done it. Kendrick Lamar has done it. Taylor Swift has done it. The Weeknd has done it too. Artists often pull this move right before major announcements, whether it is a new album, a single, or a tour. Bad Bunny himself has gone down this road before, including ahead of music releases and even when announcing his TikTok debut.
This time, though, the stakes are higher. The rapper has over 52.3 million followers on Instagram, and right now, all those eyes are locked on him. Whatever announcement comes next, fans will be waiting with their notifications on. That is marketing 101, and it is being executed to the T. Or, at least that’s what we think.
Bad Bunny has wiped his Instagram following his #SuperBowl halftime show. pic.twitter.com/McpZbitbWj
— Pop Base (@PopBase) February 9, 2026
At the end of the day, this is a smart play. Artists do not get paid to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show. They get exposure. And if you are going to bet on yourself, you might as well go all in. Bad Bunny clearly understands that, and he is making the most of his moment while the iron is hot.








