Reports indicate that Katy Perry, Rihanna or Coldplay are the NFL's top choices for 2015's Super Bowl Halftime Show performer. Oh, and in a new twist, the NFL is hoping that they'll pay-to-play.
Say what?
The same reports that revealed this year's nominees also establish that the world's highest earning sports league wants performers at the Super Bowl to make a contribution to the league in the form of "a portion of their post-Super Bowl earnings," as if to say Perry, Rihanna or Coldplay couldn't possibly sell out an arena without the help of NFL exposure. "Chilly reception" was the term the Wall Street Journal used to describe the reaction of the performers' respective representatives.
Seems like somewhat of a raw deal considering that NFL doesn't pay the performers anything for the gig, although they do cover travel and production costs-but only part. A majority of the funds that go toward special effects and band logo-shaped stages are handled by corporate sponsors, such as Pepsi, who get their names on the event as a result.
Ultimately the NFL is not operating at a loss during the event. Forbes reported during 2012 that the value of the "Super Bowl" brand was around $470 million, with a good chunk coming from television rights. Networks are willing to spend huge amounts on the right to air the event thanks to huge advertising revenues brought in from a game that typically pulls in near the highest viewing numbers of any program in American history. During the 2013 show with Bruno Mars, 115.3 million watched, making it also one of the more valuable slots for commercials.
But if the Super Bowl demands payment from performers that don't need to be there, those musicians won't necessarily show up and those viewing numbers will go down. The Super Bowl seems to realize the idea is half-baked, considering the timid way in which they asked the performers if they'd be willing.
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