The Super Bowl 2026 Effect: Vevo’s Rob Velez Discusses Shifts in Multicultural Mass-Reach Moments
With international superstar Bad Bunny taking center stage as the first primarily Spanish-language artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show, marketers' perspectives on multicultural mass-reach events are rapidly changing.
Vevo, the world's leading music video network, offers a unique perspective on how Super Bowl-related programming excels around halftime performers and related genres, and the ways that post-game catalog viewing and music discovery continue well beyond game day.
In this interview, Rob Velez, VP of Inclusive Network & LATAM Sales at Vevo, discusses how user engagement for the Super Bowl has now far transcended the game itself, Vevo’s capabilities that give it distinct insights into post-game day viewing metrics, the shift in the ways that marketers are thinking about mass-reach moments, and how multilingual and international artists challenge conventional notions about the market.
Rob Velez, VP of Inclusive Network & LATAM Sales at Vevo
Beyond Super Bowl game day, what happens to viewing and discovery, especially regarding ongoing interest in the halftime performers?
What we consistently see is that the Super Bowl doesn’t start or end when the broadcast does. In the days leading up to the event, viewers are already tuning in and discovering, or rewatching, some of the Super Bowl performer’s music video content. The halftime show becomes its own moment of discovery. Afterwards, music fans rewatch highlights, then move into music videos to reconnect with songs they already know or explore deeper into an artist’s catalog.
We’ve seen this pattern around other major cultural moments like the 2026 GRAMMYs, where music video viewing doesn’t peak during the broadcast alone, but continues into the following days, with some artists seeing viewership increases well over 100% after the event. That pre- and post-event behavior often lasts for days or weeks, not hours. It’s less about a single spike and more about sustained curiosity, especially when the performance taps into culture in a meaningful way.
What are some of Vevo’s unique capabilities that give it distinct insights into post-game day viewing metrics of related content?
Vevo has a unique view because we sit at the intersection of premium music video content and large-screen viewing. Through our connected TV distribution and platform partnerships, we can see how audiences move from a live, shared moment like the Super Bowl into intentional, on-demand viewing. Around live cultural events, we see YouTube Search become a major traffic source on the day after the broadcast, which tells us audiences are actively seeking out content rather than encountering it passively. Further, we see how interest flows into related genres, adjacent artists, and broader viewing behavior over time. That gives us a clear picture of where attention actually goes after the event passes.
After Bad Bunny’s historic Album of the Year Grammy win, and with his upcoming performance at the Super Bowl halftime show, how is Vevo seeing a shift in the ways that marketers are thinking about mass-reach moments?
Moments like this are reinforcing that traditional ideas of mass reach are changing. A Spanish-language artist winning ‘Album of the Year’ and headlining the Super Bowl Halftime Show reflects where audiences are today, not where they have historically been.
If you zoom out, this didn’t happen overnight. We can trace a clear trajectory back nearly a decade to when “Despacito” became the most-watched video in the world, and from there’s been a steady surge of Latin artists entering the mainstream, driving sustained growth in both views and revenue.
At the same time, marketers are operating in a cautious environment. Economic pressure, global events, and shifting priorities are affecting how marketers plan their media strategies across the board. Marketers are aware of the cultural shifts, but the process of adapting is not meeting the speed of change.
What are some approaches that brands can now take to engage through culture in much more genuine and lasting ways?
The brands that tend to resonate most are the ones that plan beyond the moment itself. Instead of treating the Super Bowl or halftime as a single placement, they think about what happens after. They show up where audiences continue the experience, whether that’s through music video viewing, artist fandom, or genre-driven discovery. Authentic engagement also comes from consistency. Brands that have maintained a long-term commitment to diverse audiences, even when budgets tighten, tend to earn more trust than those that appear only when a moment feels safe or obvious.
Where does audience crossover significantly scale versus remaining culturally distinct, and how do interaction patterns vary by genre?
True crossover at mass scale usually happens at the very top, with global superstars who are familiar even to casual audiences. Beyond that tier, engagement can still be enormous but more culturally specific. Certain genres have a broader crossover because the sound travels easily, while others remain deeply rooted in community and identity. That distinction is not a limitation. In many cases, culturally distinct audiences show stronger engagement and loyalty, even if the reach looks different on paper.
What’s interesting is that some of the strongest post-event growth often comes from artists who are still breaking through, which suggests culturally specific fandoms can be just as powerful as broad crossover when the moment resonates.
How do multilingual and international artists challenge conventional notions about the market by causing quantifiable changes in audience behavior?
They challenge the idea that language defines reach. What we see is that audiences respond to emotion, identity, and cultural relevance more than translation. Multilingual and international artists often drive measurable changes in viewing behavior, from increased discovery across genres to deeper catalog engagement. It’s similar to what we’ve seen with K-pop and Afrobeats over the years. Language was never the barrier people assumed it would be. These artists are proving that mass audiences are already more global than many planning models still reflect.
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