Netflix is responding to criticism following its live broadcast of Friday night’s highly anticipated boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul at AT&T Stadium.
While the event attracted a staggering 60 million viewers worldwide, many fans reported issues with frozen or crashed streams during the broadcast.
Netflix Chief Technology Officer Elizabeth Stone acknowledged the problems in a statement shared with employees, according to 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. I’m sure many of you have seen the chatter in the press and on social media about the quality issues. 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.”
Netflix’s social media team echoed this sentiment on X (formerly Twitter):
“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 event, Netflix’s first attempt at streaming live boxing, marked a significant step as the platform expands into live events. Its success and challenges come ahead of an NFL doubleheader Netflix is set to stream on Christmas Day, featuring the Chiefs vs. Steelers and Ravens vs. Texans.
The fight itself saw 27-year-old Jake Paul defeat 58-year-old Mike Tyson via unanimous decision. Paul’s promoter, Nakisa Bidarian, reflected on the event: “Boxing is ebbs and flows, ups and downs, big events, small events, medium-size events. 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.”
The bout represents a significant moment for Netflix as it looks to become a major player in live sports streaming. The company is also set to become the home of WWE “Raw” in 2025.
