Pepsi is not renewing its title sponsorship of the NFL's Super Bowl Halftime Show, it announced Tuesday, confirming months of speculation and officially ending its 10-year run during which the 12-minute event became an advertising star in a night of advertising stars.
Pepsi characterized the move as the first step in a “much larger strategic shift” in how it would present music and entertainment experiences to fans, although it shared few immediate details of those plans. Pepsi parent PepsiCo made the announcement while also noting multiyear extensions of other brand sponsorship deals with the NFL, including deals covering Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi. Those deals were also set to expire this year.