The NFL chose Paul McCartney to headline the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville, Florida, one year after a broadcast incident that drew fierce public backlash. In 2004, Justin Timberlake tore away part of Janet Jackson's costume during the performance, exposing her breast to an audience of 144.4 million viewers, the largest in US television history at the time.
The incident generated 540,000 complaints to the Federal Communications Commission and a $550,000 fine against CBS. MTV was barred from future halftime production. The 2005 show was placed in the hands of Don Mischer, a veteran of Olympic opening ceremonies and the 1993 Super Bowl.
McCartney, 62, was allocated a 12-minute set. NFL officials reviewed his planned songs but imposed no restrictions. "I can tell you I won't," he said, when asked about a wardrobe malfunction. The pre-game program featured the Black Eyed Peas.
The fallout from 2004 reshaped the ad market as well. Anheuser-Busch, Fox, and an auto manufacturer each withdrew planned commercials after objections from advocacy groups. Airtime on Fox ran to a record $2.4 million per 30 seconds, with the network projected to clear roughly $200 million across 12 hours of Super Bowl programming.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in February 2005, in its own words.