Pepsi to Sponsor Super Bowl Halftime Show Again

Drinks giant Pepsi have officially been named as a Super Bowl halftime show sponsor.

The soda giant says it struck a multiyear deal with the National Football League to sponsor the big game’s musical performance. 

The Purchase, N.Y.-based company says it also bought 60 seconds of ad time during the big game, which has seen record ratings for the past three years.

Pepsi last sponsored the show in 2007, when the rock musician Prince performed. Bridgestone Tires sponsored the show after that.

The deal is set to take advantage of the estimated 111.3 million people who watched in February as the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots, 21-17, in a thrilling rematch of the contest four years earlier.

That made the game the most-watched television show in U.S. history for the third straight year.

Even better for PepsiCo, last year’s halftime show with Madonna, Cee Lo Green, Minaj and M.I.A. was seen by an estimated 114 million people — a higher average than the game itself.

Adam Harter, Pepsi’s vice president of consumer engagement, said that the NFL is letting Pepsi have more input than past sponsors have had — including on stage design and which musicians perform during the show.

He declined to give details, but said Pepsi will also partner with the league in how the halftime show can be viewed online. Pepsi will also use the sponsorship for promotions on the soda cans and bottles its sells in stores.

‘‘I think you’ll see more activation around sports and music together as the year unfolds,’’ Harter said.