Netflix says that 60 million households watched its boxing bout between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, peaking at 65 million concurrent streams. The numbers, based on Netflix overnight data, are impossible to validate independently. Additional viewing information has yet to be released. There were widespread reports of problems accessing the live coverage, which Netflix did not acknowledge in its announcement.
The 60 million number is a very round figure. It is conveniently just above the 59 million claimed by Disney Hotstar for its online coverage of the 2023 Cricket World Cup final.
Many people posted online that they experienced issues viewing the live coverage of the boxing on Netflix, although others around the world reported that there were no problems. For others, it was unwatchable. Quite why they would want to watch such a sad and sorry spectacle is another matter.
Apparently, the 27-year-old former YouTube sensation beat the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion in a unanimous decision.
The poor reception of the event will put pressure on the Netflix coverage of NFL matches scheduled for Christmas Day and its deal for WWE coverage.
It is not the first time that Netflix has had problems with a live event. Its first attempt, a Love Is Blind reunion in April 2023 was scrapped after a 90-minute delay and made available on demand the next day.
Elizabeth Stone, the chief technology officer of Netflix, reportedly told employees: “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,” she said. “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.”
As many have observed, it is one thing to serve recorded programming to the Netflix user base of over 280 million subscribers worldwide, of which around 85 million are in the United States and Canada. Producing and delivering a live event is very different, as broadcasters around the world recognise.