Posted in: ABC, NFL, Opinion, Sports, Super Bowl, TV, TV | Tagged: K-Pop, opinion, super bowl

Super Bowl LXI K-Pop Halftime Show Needs to Happen, Disney & NFL

With Bad Bunny's halftime success, Disney and the NFL should consider BTS, BLACKPINK, Stray Kids, and other K-pop groups for Super Bowl LXI.

We used to joke that it felt like coverage of the next Super Bowl would start an hour after the current one ended. Well, Disney made that punchline a reality this year, with "The Handoff" kicking off at 11:30 pm this past Sunday night from SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park (the site of Super Bowl LXI) and running across multiple platforms… for 24 hours. Seriously. Just to be clear? The big game is still over a year away. That said, we can understand why there's so much excitement about next year's game because it has a lot going for it. The game itself is taking place on February 14th – yup, Valentine's Day. Remember how much you wished that you could get the day off after the game to "freshen up"? The day after Super Bowl LXI is February 15th – yup, President's Day. Plus, we're probably looking at the big game getting even more global reach via the combo of ABC, ESPN, Disney+, Hulu, and more that "The Mouse" has at its disposal. With all of that in play, it only makes sense that such a special Super Bowl should have a special first: a K-pop group performing during the halftime show.

The NFL is doing everything it can to be a global brand – that was pretty obvious heading into the Super Bowl, based on the news that they were expanding the number and locations for its international games. As much sense as it made to have global phenomenon Bad Bunny play this year's halftime show (proving to be a bigger success than anyone could've imagined), it makes the same level of sense to consider BTS, BLACKPINK, Stray Kids, SEVENTEEN, and other K-pop groups for the global stage in 2027. In fact, it feels like Bad Bunny's performance threw open the doors to considering musical options on a much broader scale. If you're shocked by that idea, then you're closed off to the power and influence that K-pop has around the world – and yes, that includes the United States. NBC's The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon renting out NYC's Grand Central Station for BTS to offer a special performance is a ten-ton example of that – and that was in 2020. This past weekend, the concert film Stray Kids: The dominATE Experience took the top spot at the global box office with $19.9 million. And then there's Netflix's massive KPop Demon Hunters. The main stage at Super Bowl LXI just feels right.

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