Justin Bieber streams jump 110% after star-studded World Cup halftime show
By SCN Entertainment Desk
NEW YORK — Justin Bieber, Madonna, BTS and other performers recorded significant streaming gains after appearing in the first official FIFA World Cup Final halftime show, according to new music industry data.
Bieber saw the biggest percentage increase among the featured artists. Global streams of his song “Everything Hallelujah” rose by 110%, climbing from about 592,000 streams before the final to 1.25 million during the final and the following day.
The figures were compiled by music data and analytics company Luminate, which compared streams from the Friday and Saturday before the World Cup final with listening figures from Sunday, July 19, and Monday, July 20.
Madonna’s “Music” increased by 66%, rising from approximately 193,000 global streams to 321,000. BTS’ hit “Dynamite” climbed 43%, from 2.14 million to 3.05 million streams worldwide.
World Cup stages first halftime show
The 11-minute performance was held during the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
It marked the first official halftime show in the tournament’s history and brought together some of the world’s biggest music acts, including Madonna, Bieber, BTS, Shakira, Burna Boy and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. The Muppets and a children’s chorus also appeared during the production.
Madonna opened the show with “Music”, accompanied onto the field by Brazilian football legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
The Muppets’ house band then performed a version of the White Stripes’ stadium anthem “Seven Nation Army”, led by conductor Gustavo Dudamel. BTS followed with “Dynamite.”
Bieber performed an acoustic version of “Everything Hallelujah,” changing part of the lyrics to “World Cup hallelujah.” Shakira and Burna Boy later performed “Dai Dai,” before Chris Martin, Shakira, the Muppets and a children’s chorus closed the show with “We Believe.”
Performed songs gained more than full catalogues
Luminate’s data showed that the most notable increases were concentrated in the individual songs performed during the halftime show rather than across the artists’ full music catalogues.
That pattern differs from the effect often seen after the Super Bowl halftime show, where performers can experience widespread increases across older and newer releases.
For comparison, Bad Bunny’s overall US catalogue streams rose 175% on the day after his Super Bowl performance when compared with the previous Monday.
The World Cup results suggest that viewers responded quickly to the songs they had just heard, but the brief format may not have provided enough exposure to drive equally large gains across each artist’s wider catalogue.
Why it matters
The streaming increases demonstrate how major sporting events can immediately influence global music consumption.
The World Cup already attracts a vast international audience. Adding a halftime show gives FIFA and the music industry a new platform capable of introducing songs to viewers across different countries, languages and age groups.
Bieber’s 110% increase was especially notable because it transformed a song receiving fewer than 600,000 streams in the earlier comparison period into one generating more than 1.2 million.
The strong performances by Madonna and BTS also showed that both established catalogue hits and relatively newer music can benefit from a short appearance during a major televised event.
What happens next
Music companies will now watch whether the increases continue beyond the immediate days after the final or decline once attention shifts away from the tournament.
FIFA may also use the figures to support future World Cup halftime productions after the first show demonstrated that football’s largest event can generate substantial engagement for participating musicians.
Most Unique Fact
Justin Bieber’s “Everything Hallelujah” recorded the largest percentage gain of the featured songs, but Shakira and Burna Boy’s “Dai Dai” added the greatest number of streams—approximately 3.48 million worldwide.