Netflix is responding to widespread viewer complaints following its live broadcast of the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight, which drew an astonishing 60 million viewers worldwide on Friday night. Despite the successful turnout at AT&T Stadium, the streaming giant faced criticism due to technical issues like freezing and crashing streams.
Elizabeth Stone, Netflix’s Chief Technology Officer, acknowledged the feedback in an internal communication shared with Bloomberg. “This unprecedented scale created many technical challenges, which the launch team tackled brilliantly by prioritizing stability of the stream for the majority of viewers,” Stone noted. She added, “We don’t want to dismiss the poor experience of some members and know we have room for improvement, but still consider this event a huge success.”
The fight, marking Netflix’s first foray into live boxing and one of its initial steps into live event broadcasting, sets a crucial precedent as the platform gears up to stream an NFL doubleheader on Christmas Day, featuring the Chiefs vs. Steelers and the Ravens vs. Texans.
On social media, Netflix highlighted the event’s popularity. “60 million households around the world tuned in live to watch Paul vs. Tyson! The boxing mega-event dominated social media, shattered records, and even had our buffering systems on the ropes,” the company posted on X.
In the ring, 27-year-old Jake Paul secured a victory over 58-year-old Mike Tyson by unanimous decision. Nakisa Bidarian, Paul’s promoter, emphasized the broader goal beyond the result, saying, “Our philosophy is it’s not about what is the decision that happens in the ring. It’s about the attitude that you have and the product you create and how you entertain the fans. And there’s no more entertaining of an athlete than Jake Paul.”
Netflix, which has plans to expand its live streaming offerings and will become the new home of WWE “Raw” in 2025, is determined to fine-tune its services following this high-profile event.
