Netflix Reports “Record-Breaking” 60 Million Households Tuned In for Tyson vs. Paul Bout

According to Netflix, 60 million households globally watched the live boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, marking the streaming service’s initial venture into live combat sports. The technology company described the event, offered without charge to its subscribers, as a “record breaking night”. Nevertheless, numerous viewers intending to watch voiced frustration and dissatisfaction following reports that the Netflix platform experienced frequent crashes during the fight. Additionally, criticism emerged from individuals who successfully accessed the broadcast, with a significant number describing the boxing contest as uninspiring. The fight, held at the AT&T Stadium in Texas, saw 58-year-old former world heavyweight champion Tyson defeated by 27-year-old Paul, a YouTuber who transitioned into fighting. The match garnered extensive media attention. Tyson is recognized as one of the world’s most renowned boxers, whereas Paul attracted a demographic of younger viewers. A ringside audience featuring celebrities such as Charlize Theron, Ralph Macchio, Joe Jonas, and Hasan Minhaj was present. Paul claimed 120 million global viewers watched the event live on Netflix, though the technology company subsequently reported that “60 million households” worldwide had tuned in. The firm announced it would disclose additional viewership data early the following week. However, certain viewers reported encountering buffering problems on the platform, with others stating they were unable to access it at all. An X user described the fight as “unwatchable.” Another individual expressed being “furious,” and a third lamented that he “did an all-nighter for nothing.” Netflix chose not to provide a statement regarding the technical malfunctions. Brendan Ashford, a resident of Devon, informed BBC News that he remained awake into the early hours of Saturday morning UK time to view the fight. He stated, “I was interested to see how Mike Tyson, at 58, would perform against a much younger guy.” “I’m not in the habit of staying up late, but I thought it was worth it,” he added. He attempted to log into Netflix at approximately 04:00 GMT, reporting that it initially loaded to 25%, then progressed to 75%, but subsequently froze. “I knew I had a good connection, so then I looked on social media and saw others were also experiencing issues,” he recounted. He expressed, “It was really disappointing. I kept trying for a good hour before I gave up.” Mr. Ashford indicated that the issues experienced raised concerns for him about Netflix’s capacity to handle future live sports broadcasts. “It can’t be good for their reputation,” he commented. Social media platforms showed comparable reactions from fans, who voiced their grievances. Numerous users additionally shared images and videos depicting the fight failing to load, and some reported that the service malfunctioned during critical junctures of the event. An X user posted, “Had all my friends over to watch the Tyson vs. Paul fight. Not loading.” Another user wrote, “Shame on Netflix for not being able to handle the streaming of the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight.” A further comment read, “The lagging is so bad the fights are unwatchable to long time subscribers like me and other people I know at home with friends, family, snacks, and drinks but no fights.” One individual simply inquired, “did Netflix not have enough time to prepare for the Tyson / Paul fight?” This incident is not Netflix’s initial encounter with live streaming difficulties. In the previous year, the company issued an apology when a highly promoted livestream of its popular dating program, the Love is Blind reunion, experienced a delay caused by a technical fault. The specific technical cause for the postponement remained unknown, but the streaming service stated it was “incredibly sorry”. While no explanation has been provided for these recent problems, tech reporter Chris Stokel-Walker suggested that the immense viewership demand for the fight was “Netflix’s undoing”. He noted, “Netflix has done live broadcasting before.” “What’s different, was that this fight was so hyped,” he explained. “There were so many viewers that were wanting to watch this, given the personalities involved – Jake Paul with his huge following, Mike Tyson returning to the ring for the first time in decades.” He added, “Even people who aren’t major boxing fans wanted to tune in because of all the coverage.” “As a result, there was additional demand well above and beyond your average live event, like a comedy special, or the live golf tournament they previously broadcast,” he concluded. Mr. Stokel-Walker commented that given Netflix’s future plans to expand into live sports, including a new agreement with WWE starting next year, the company “needs to get this fixed”. He asserted, “They have to expect that if they’re going to get into this world, they’re going to have to get used to this volume of people coming.” “The Tyson vs Paul fight was one of the most high profile examples of an event they’ve done live, so it’s really not ideal,” he observed. He concluded, “People will be watching this and wondering can they cope.” Reporting was also contributed by Emma Pengelly. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding its external linking policy is available.