The Super Bowl is known for its massive commercial ad placements — 30-second spots sold for $6.5 million for the 2022 game.

Pepsi has owned sponsorship rights to the halftime show since 2012 as part of a larger marketing deal valued at more than $2 billion. Before that, auto parts maker Bridgestone paid up to $10 million annually.

After this season’s Super Bowl, the halftime show’s rights will be available once again and could fetch from $25 million to $50 million annually, according to one marketing expert’s estimates. Pepsi will have the opportunity to renew its deal, with the halftime show being sold as a separate asset.

• The 2021 Super Bowl averaged 96.4 million viewers, generating $95.8 million in media value for the top five sponsors.
• Pepsi’s halftime broadcast earned $9.4 million in media value this year.

Performers are not paid, but their production costs are covered — Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s 2020 performance reportedly cost $13 million. The exposure is unparalleled, too. Justin Timberlake’s music sales rose 534% after his performance in 2018.

This year’s show will feature Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and Eminem. Jay-Z’s Roc Nation will assist with the league’s production.

BlackRock battled through volatility to post record revenues of $5.05 billion for the third quarter, a 16% uptick year-over-year.

The firm’s net income grew 23% year-over-year to $1.68 billion.

A massive investor incorporating numerous strategies, BlackRock became the largest stakeholder in Sports Illustrated owner Authentic Brands Group in 2019, buying 30% of the company for $875 million.

Authentic Brands also owns tennis apparel maker Prince, Aéropostale, Juicy Couture, and the brand rights to Shaquille O’Neal, Muhammad Ali, and golfer Greg Norman. It is expected to go public later this year.

• BlackRock bought into “Fortnite” maker Epic Games in a $1 billion funding round in April and a $1.8 billion round in August 2020. The company’s valuation rose from $17.3 billion to $28.7 billion over that span.
• In February, BlackRock invested in the SPAC set to merge with Fertitta Entertainment, founded by Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, as part of a $1.2 billion funding round.
• This summer, the firm joined a $250 million investment in free-to-play gamemaker Playstudios, which also received $100 million from Activision Blizzard.

BlackRock’s assets under management grew 21% year-over-year to $9.46 trillion. It is the largest asset manager in the world.

Collectibles trading app Rally raised $15 million in a funding round led by Wheelhouse, a media and investment business founded by Jimmy Kimmel and “Pawn Stars” creator Brent Montgomery.

The round — which included Kevin Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures and The Ringer founder Bill Simmons — gives Rally a $175 million valuation, and brings its total funding to over $65 million.

Rally allows users to buy and sell equity shares in a wide range of collectibles and has more than 250,000 users on its app.

The platform will use the funding to increase its head count and expand into other collectible categories after making its mark in sports.

• One Rally listing includes a signed piece of hardwood from Kobe Bryant’s farewell game.
• The company displayed a Honus Wagner baseball card worth more than $1 million at a private event on Wednesday.

Wheelhouse is reportedly helping Rally launch a podcast and getting some of its items featured on the History channel’s “Pawn Stars.”

Previous Rally investors include Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, Nas, and Porsche Ventures, among others.

Slinger, known for its tennis ball launcher, has acquired video and analytics platform PlaySight in a deal valued at $82 million.

PlaySight has previously received investments from Verizon Ventures, SoftBank, Novak Djokovic, and tennis legend Billie Jean King.

Over the past year, Slinger has been busy scaling its business.

• June: It acquired Foundation Tennis, a pioneer in tennis software applications.
• August: It raised $11 million in a funding round led by Spartan Capital.
• September: It purchased GameFace.ai, a sports video analysis company, for $24 million.

Slinger recorded $2.5 million in net sales in fiscal Q1 2021, its strongest quarter to date and a 349% increase year-over-year. The company went public in 2019.

New product orders totaled $3.7 million in Q1 despite global supply chain setbacks.

Slinger is represented in more than 60 markets worldwide and expects to pocket roughly $250 million in revenue over the next five years.