The showdown between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul was a huge success for Netflix but also drew criticisms for constant interupptions.
The bout between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul may have been a disappointment for viewers, but they helped make it a tremendous success for Netflix, seeing upwards of 65 million concurrent of the highly-anticipated fight…which means far more than that were ticked off by the constant streaming interruptions.
While the numbers won’t officially be known until later in the week, it was determined by Netflix over the weekend that 60 million households were tuned into the Tyson and Paul fight, a little under a quarter of their total subscribers. With 6,000 bars/restaurants also streaming the match, it was also found to be the most commercially distributed combat sports event ever.
But whether at home or at the watering hole, the Tyson and Paul fight was marred by seemingly constant lags — and we’re talking about the streaming itself. According to Downdetector, there were around 90,000 reports of streaming issues with Netflix even ahead of the main event. While there were fewer reports during the headline fight, there were still serious problems with buffering, pixelization, and crashing. Even still, trying to watch the Tyson / Paul match on Netflix was almost nothing but headaches, especially for those hosting watch parties or who placed bets.
With Netflix laying out their plans to get in on streaming live sporting events, they have their work cut out for them if the Mike Tyson / Jake Paul bout is anything to go off of. Not only did they snag streaming rights to WWE Raw for $5 billion but they also have two NFL games set for Christmas Day: the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers. With all of those teams holding winning records (as of publication) and the Chiefs themselves undefeated and defending Super Bowl champs, Netflix has a lot on the line here. If you thought people were irritated with Friday night’s service, wait until you get on the wrong side of a football fan! Raw will debut on Netflix on January 6th.
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul would end up going the full eight rounds, with Paul winning by unanimous decision. Also unanimous: how terrible the streaming quality was.
What are your thoughts on how Netflix presented the fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul? Share your thoughts and frustrations with us below.