Netflix responds to streaming issues during Tyson-Paul fight

Jake Paul beats Mike Tyson by decision

Jake Paul beat boxing legend Mike Tyson by unanimous decision to win an intergenerational heavyweight battle in Texas on Friday that failed to live up to its enormous hype. The bout between the 27-year-old social media influencer-turned-prizefighter Paul and the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Tyson was streamed live on Netflix and played out in front of a sold-out crowd at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Corey Long, AP sports writer, joined LiveNOW from FOX to discuss the fight.

Friday night’s bout between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul was Netflix’s biggest live sports event to date – and an opportunity to make sure it can handle audience demand with the NFL and WWE on the horizon.

The streaming giant seemed to fail that test.

The Tyson-Paul fight was available to Netflix’s 280 million subscribers at no additional cost, but Netflix apparently couldn’t handle the massive audience. Users reported streaming and buffering problems throughout the event, which led to a lot of frustration on social media.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 15: (L-R) Jake Paul and Mike Tyson fight during LIVE On Netflix: Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium on November 15, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images for Netflix © 2024)

Netflix broadcast the bout in English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French and German. It was originally scheduled for July 20, but was delayed by Tyson having a medical episode on a plane and needing time to recover from a stomach ulcer.

Paul won the fight by unanimous decision.

Netflix responds

According to the website Down Detector, nearly 85,000 viewers logged problems with outages or streaming leading up to the fight.

Netflix had "nothing to comment on at this time" when FOX TV Stations asked about the widespread streaming issues.

Which live sports are Netflix streaming next?

Netflix is scheduled to air back-to-back NFL games on Christmas Day, followed by WWE "Raw" in January.

Netflix will carry "Raw" in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and Latin America beginning on Jan. 6, with additional countries to be added as contracts expire. The bigger component, though, is that Netflix will carry all of the company’s shows overseas, including its premium live events like WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble.