# Super Bowl XLIX halftime show
The **Super Bowl XLIX halftime show** was the Pepsi-sponsored halftime entertainment at [Super Bowl XLIX](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-xlix), performed by the American singer [Katy Perry](https://www.edgepedia.org/katy-perry) with guests [Lenny Kravitz](https://www.edgepedia.org/lenny-kravitz) and Missy Elliott at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on February 1, 2015, and broadcast on NBC.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/katy-perry-to-headline-pepsi-super-bowl-xlix-halftime-show-0ap3000000433189) Its United States television audience of 118.5 million viewers exceeded the 114.4 million who watched the game itself, and both figures were records for American television at the time.[2](https://www.nfl.com/news/super-bowl-xlix-is-most-watched-show-in-u-s-history-0ap3000000467823)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and venue | Sunday, February 1, 2015, University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona, during Super Bowl XLIX (Patriots 28, Seahawks 24)[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/katy-perry-to-headline-pepsi-super-bowl-xlix-halftime-show-0ap3000000433189) • [3](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/87313-largest-tv-audience-for-a-sports-broadcast-domestic) |
| Headliner and guests | Katy Perry, with Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/katy-perry-to-headline-pepsi-super-bowl-xlix-halftime-show-0ap3000000433189) |
| US viewership | 118.5 million average for the halftime show, then a record; the game averaged 114.4 million, then the most-watched show in US television history[2](https://www.nfl.com/news/super-bowl-xlix-is-most-watched-show-in-u-s-history-0ap3000000467823) |
| Social media | 238,400 tweets per minute during Perry's performance[2](https://www.nfl.com/news/super-bowl-xlix-is-most-watched-show-in-u-s-history-0ap3000000467823) |
| Production | NFL Network production; executive producer Ricky Kirshner, director Hamish Hamilton[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/katy-perry-to-headline-pepsi-super-bowl-xlix-halftime-show-0ap3000000433189) |
| Emmy Awards | 2 wins from 3 nominations in 2015, including Outstanding Costumes for a Variety Program or a Special[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/shows/super-bowl-xlix-halftime-show-starring-katy-perry) |
| Later standing | Surpassed as most-watched halftime show by Kendrick Lamar (133.5 million, 2025), Michael Jackson (133.4 million, 1993), and Usher (129.3 million, 2024)[5](https://apnews.com/article/1fff75414ea28b300133372984994ca0) |
## Announcement and production
The NFL confirmed Perry as headliner in November 2014 through what it described as an unprecedented multimedia, global announcement: the singer acknowledged the booking on Twitter while on her Prismatic World Tour in Australia, announcer [Bob Costas](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-costas) revealed it to the television audience at halftime of a Sunday Night Football game, and Pepsi launched an original digital video featuring Perry.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/katy-perry-to-headline-pepsi-super-bowl-xlix-halftime-show-0ap3000000433189) Pepsi was in its third year as title sponsor of the halftime show.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/katy-perry-to-headline-pepsi-super-bowl-xlix-halftime-show-0ap3000000433189)
Director Hamish Hamilton said the performance would be modeled on one of Perry's concerts while still being all-new, and he and executive producer Ricky Kirshner had spent a year in development, starting before an artist was chosen.[6](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2015/01/30/Events-and-Attractions/Halftime/) Lighting designer Robert Barnhart described a design that shifted between a projection surface, an LED stage, and separate key-light systems for Perry, Kravitz, and Elliott, with constraints such as avoiding floor light that would blow out the projection during Elliott's segment.[7](https://www.livedesignonline.com/concerts/bob-barnhart-lighting-super-bowl-xlix-halftime-show)
## The performance
Perry opened by riding a giant golden mechanical tiger into the stadium while singing "Roar", an entrance widely discussed at the time.[8](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/a-recap-of-the-crazy-that-was-katy-perrys-super-bowl-halftime-show/) The setlist ran: "Roar", "Dark Horse", "I Kissed a Girl" with Lenny Kravitz, "Teenage Dream", "California Gurls", "Get Ur Freak On" and "Work It" with [Missy Elliott](https://www.edgepedia.org/missy-elliott), "Lose Control", and "Firework".[9](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD1QrIe--_Y) Perry changed costumes four times, which one retrospective notes was the most changes by any halftime performer to that point.[10](https://honors.libraries.psu.edu/files/final_submissions/10235)
## Viewership and records
Super Bowl XLIX averaged 114.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched telecast in US television history at the time, with a peak of 120.8 million from 9:45 to 10:00 p.m.[11](https://mediaarchive.nfl.net/media/Publications/2015%20Postseason%20Media%20Guide.pdf) The halftime show drew a larger audience still: 118.5 million viewers and a 48.2 average household rating, both records, and about 3 million more than the previous year's [Bruno Mars](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruno-mars) halftime show.[2](https://www.nfl.com/news/super-bowl-xlix-is-most-watched-show-in-u-s-history-0ap3000000467823) • [3](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/87313-largest-tv-audience-for-a-sports-broadcast-domestic) [Guinness World Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/guinness-world-records) lists the game as the largest domestic TV audience for a sports broadcast and the Perry-fronted halftime show as the highest on record at that time.[3](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/87313-largest-tv-audience-for-a-sports-broadcast-domestic)
Perry's performance generated 238,400 tweets per minute, and more than 28.4 million tweets containing terms related to the game and halftime show were sent during the live telecast.[2](https://www.nfl.com/news/super-bowl-xlix-is-most-watched-show-in-u-s-history-0ap3000000467823) • [11](https://mediaarchive.nfl.net/media/Publications/2015%20Postseason%20Media%20Guide.pdf) Nearly four million people watched live streaming video of Super Bowl XLIX across NBC Sports Live Extra (2.5 million) and NFL Mobile from Verizon (1.2 million).[11](https://mediaarchive.nfl.net/media/Publications/2015%20Postseason%20Media%20Guide.pdf)
## Reception and aftermath
Commentators singled out Missy Elliott's guest slot; [CBS Sports](https://www.edgepedia.org/cbs-sports)' recap concluded that while Perry nailed her turn in the spotlight, "Missy Elliott definitely stole the show".[8](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/a-recap-of-the-crazy-that-was-katy-perrys-super-bowl-halftime-show/) Sales of Elliott's music rose sharply on Spotify shortly after the performance.[12](https://exhibits.archives.marist.edu/files/original/2ab08f452fd4383ecf23dd4075320749167391ae.pdf)
The Television Academy credited the broadcast with 3 Emmy nominations and 2 wins in 2015: Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Special, won by Robert Barnhart, David Grill, Pete Radice, and Jason Rudolph, and Outstanding Costumes for a Variety Program or a Special, won by costume designer Marina Toybina and assistant Courtney Webster; the show was also nominated for Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/shows/super-bowl-xlix-halftime-show-starring-katy-perry)
The show's audience record has since been exceeded. [Kendrick Lamar](https://www.edgepedia.org/kendrick-lamar)'s Super Bowl LIX halftime show averaged 133.5 million viewers in 2025, ahead of [Michael Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jackson)'s 1993 show at 133.4 million and Usher's 2024 show at 129.3 million, placing Perry's 118.5 million fourth on that list.[5](https://apnews.com/article/1fff75414ea28b300133372984994ca0) The full NFL broadcast on the NFL's official YouTube channel, published in 2016, has drawn more than 109 million views.[9](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD1QrIe--_Y)
## References
1. [Katy Perry to headline Pepsi Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/katy-perry-to-headline-pepsi-super-bowl-xlix-halftime-show-0ap3000000433189)
2. [Super Bowl XLIX is most-watched show in U.S. history, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/super-bowl-xlix-is-most-watched-show-in-u-s-history-0ap3000000467823)
3. [Largest TV audience for a sports broadcast, domestic, Guinness World Records](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/87313-largest-tv-audience-for-a-sports-broadcast-domestic)
4. [Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show Starring Katy Perry, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/shows/super-bowl-xlix-halftime-show-starring-katy-perry)
5. [Super Bowl averages 124.9M viewers in US, Bad Bunny's halftime 128.2 million, both short of records, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/1fff75414ea28b300133372984994ca0)
6. [Walking On Air: Katy Perry Promises Jaw-Dropping, Colorful Super Bowl Halftime Show, Sports Business Journal](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2015/01/30/Events-and-Attractions/Halftime/)
7. [Bob Barnhart On Lighting The Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show, Live Design Online](https://www.livedesignonline.com/concerts/bob-barnhart-lighting-super-bowl-xlix-halftime-show)
8. [A recap of the crazy that was Katy Perry's Super Bowl halftime show, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/a-recap-of-the-crazy-that-was-katy-perrys-super-bowl-halftime-show/)
9. [Katy Perry's FULL Pepsi Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show! | Feat. Missy Elliott & Lenny Kravitz, NFL on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD1QrIe--_Y)
10. [Penn State honors thesis on the Super Bowl halftime show](https://honors.libraries.psu.edu/files/final_submissions/10235)
11. [Super Bowl XLIX, 2015 Postseason Media Guide, NFL](https://mediaarchive.nfl.net/media/Publications/2015%20Postseason%20Media%20Guide.pdf)
12. [Katy Perry elevates her status at halftime show, Marist archives](https://exhibits.archives.marist.edu/files/original/2ab08f452fd4383ecf23dd4075320749167391ae.pdf)
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