Netflix has heard all the complaints and they’re vowing to improve.
The streaming company announced Saturday that 60 million people tuned in for its heavily anticipated Mike Tyson-Jake Paul Friday night at AT&T Stadium.
But scores of fans complained throughout the broadcast that their stream froze or crashed.
“This unprecedented scale created many technical challenges, which the launch team tackled brilliantly by prioritizing stability of the stream for the majority of viewers,” Netflix CTO Elizabeth Stone wrote to employees, according to Bloomberg. “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 streaming issues are notable since the company is set to air an NFL doubleheader on Christmas — Chiefs vs. Steelers and the Ravens vs. Texans.
Jake Paul (l.) punches Mike Tyson (r.) on Nov. 15, 2024.Getty Images
“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,” Netflix wrote on X on Saturday.
Friday’s bout was Netflix’s first foray into streaming live boxing fights and one of its first attempts to stream live events in general.
It’s an area Netflix has said it wants to grow in — it will become the new home of WWE “Raw” in 2025.
Netflix claimed 60 million people tuned into the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight on Nov. 15, 2024.REUTERS
The 27-year-old Paul beat Tyson, now 58, via unanimous decision.
“Boxing is ebbs and flows, ups and downs, big events, small events, medium-size events,” Nakisa Bidarian, Paul’s promoter, said after the bout. “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.”
