Jake Paul Mike Tyson fight: Netflix streaming has tech issues

Netflix’s First Live Sports Event Faces Streaming Issues

Netflix ventured into the world of live sports with the highly anticipated fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, but the streaming service faced significant challenges.

Numerous viewers took to social media platforms such as Twitter and Bluesky to voice their frustrations over streaming and buffering issues before and during the fight. According to reports from Down Detector, approximately 85,000 viewers encountered problems with outages or streaming disruptions leading up to the event.

The fight, which saw Paul emerge victorious by unanimous decision, was a departure from the traditional format with eight two-minute rounds instead of the usual three minutes and 10-12 rounds.

Despite the technical difficulties, Netflix has not provided any official statement regarding the streaming problems experienced by viewers.

The bout, held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, marked Netflix’s largest live sports event thus far, serving as a test for handling audience demand ahead of upcoming NFL and WWE broadcasts. The event was streamed globally to Netflix’s extensive subscriber base of 280 million at no extra cost.

Looking ahead, Netflix is set to broadcast two NFL games on Christmas Day and will begin streaming WWE’s “Raw” on Jan. 6.

In addition to the streaming challenges, Netflix faced other issues leading up to the fight. Viewers were surprised to catch a glimpse of Tyson’s bare behind in a jockstrap as he walked away during a pre-fight interview in his locker room.

Despite the unexpected exposure, Netflix opted to take a lighthearted approach to the incident.