One year after Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers broke Super Bowl halftime viewership records, Katy Perry followed suit with her visually stimulating concert that also featured Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz.
Perry's show accounted for 118.5 million viewers, which topped Mars' effort by 3.2 million.
From the number-crunchers at Billboard: "Data for the halftime show covers the 8–8:30 p.m. block, which included the end of the first half and the start of the second half of the game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. The halftime half-hour outperformed every half-hour block except the final 40 minutes of the game, which saw the Patriots stage a come-from-behind victory."
In case you missed the game itself, the New England Patriots pulled out a thrilling last-minute comeback to defeat the Seattle Seahawks, 28-24.
Down by 10 points in the fourth quarter, the Pats rallied behind two Tom Brady touchdown passes. With victory in reach, the Seahawks pulled off an impressive drive of their own in the final moments, reaching the Patriots' one-yard-line.
But coach Pete Carroll made a controversial decision to throw the ball instead of run it with #BeastMode, and Russell Wilson's toss was intercepted by virtual unknown Malcolm Butler.
Essentially, if it weren't for the late fireworks provided by Brady and Butler, Perry probably would've outdrawn the final moments of the game.
But America came away happy with the experience as a whole, and the bar is set pretty high for next year's halftime artist after Perry's memorable performance.
Today is the day that the Lord has made! I will rejoice and be glad in it!
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) February 1, 2015
Today is for this girl. She had the dream, always believed in herself & her worth. Today she is the one smiling. pic.twitter.com/9jMh3hWubz — KATY PERRY (@katyperry) February 1, 2015
