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How Much Airtime Will Be Spent Discussing Taylor Swift Rather Than Football This Super Bowl Sunday?

How Much Airtime Will Be Spent Discussing Taylor Swift Rather Than Football This Super Bowl Sunday?

With the Kansas City Chiefs set to take on the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII this Sunday, there is no shortage of storylines to follow during the big game. However, one name that keeps popping up in discussions about the matchup is music superstar Taylor Swift.

Swift’s high-profile relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has put her squarely in the spotlight ahead of the Super Bowl. During the AFC Championship game between the Chiefs and Ravens, the broadcast spent 44 seconds showing Swift in the stands supporting her boyfriend.

But Swift’s actual airtime could far exceed projections, thanks to juicy prop bets that cater directly to her legions of fans. Sportsbooks like DraftKings are running dozens of Taylor-themed bets, with wagers like “You Belong with Rashee” (on Kelce or 49ers fullback Rashee Rice scoring a first half TD) and “Wildest Dreams” (on Kelce scoring the first and last TD).

Given that the average Super Bowl broadcast lasts about 4 hours or 240 minutes, can we predict how much airtime Swift will receive on Sunday?

Using the AFC Championship airtime data as a baseline, Swift was on screen for 44 out of 11,340 total seconds – about 0.39% of the broadcast. If we extrapolate that percentage out to the Super Bowl’s total length, Swift would be shown for approximately 56 seconds out of 14,400 seconds.

Of course, 56 seconds may not seem like very much time. But compared to the average viewer at home (who gets no airtime), it gives Swift disproportionate airtime relative to her relevance to the actual game itself.

Pre-game shows, halftime coverage, and studio analysis will surely spend time discussing Swift’s arrival, her outfit, interactions, and reactions to big plays. Between shots of her during gameplay and dedicated segments focused on her presence, Swift will likely receive multiple minutes of coverage.

Consider this – if Swift hits even the two-minute mark in terms of airtime, that would be 2 minutes dedicated to showing her out of a 240 minute (4 hour) broadcast. That comes out to about 0.8% of the Super Bowl telecast focused solely on Swift.

So when it comes to Swift vs. actual football analysis – advantage Swift by a long shot. Don’t be surprised if you hear the pop icon’s name more than even some star players out on the field come Super Bowl gameday.

Anthony Amador

A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
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