Rumors have been fluttering around fan sites for weeks, but now it's official: U2 will star in a Super Bowl ad co-sponsored by Bank of America and Bono's high-profile nonprofit, (Red). The band plans to debut its new single, "Invisible," as a fundraiser for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
For 24 hours after the Super Bowl commercial airs, U2's song will be available for free download on iTunes. During that time, Bank of America will donate $1 to the Global Fund for each download, up to a total of $2 million.
One focus of the fundraiser is to help achieve the goal of ending mother-to-child transmission of HIV, which advocates feel could be accomplished as early as next year with the proper funding.
"We will continue to prioritize ways to contribute at home, while also finding places and moments where we can have an impact globally," Bank of America said in a statement about its partnership with (Red) and U2.
"This is one of those moments. A moment where together we have the collective ability to make a difference in the critical global AIDS fight. ... Delivering an AIDS-free generation is within our grasp."
In the clip below, Bono explains how this partnership came about and why he is hopeful that current fundraising efforts are making considerable headway toward ending the global AIDS epidemic.