60 Million People Saw Netflix Fail for Tyson vs. Paul

One of them was NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who has entrusted Netflix with Christmas Day NFL games.

Friday night’s Mike Tyson (50-7, 44 KOs) vs. Jake Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) boxing match was both a triumph and a tragedy for Netflix. The fight saw 60 million households tuning in — or at least try to — for the live stream, but how many actually got to see the action?

Netflix‘s reach for its live-streaming ambitions still exceed its grasp. Some attempts (the Tom Brady roast!) saw success while others (the “Love Is Blind” reunion special) did not; that Netflix pro-am golf tournament was just lame. And on Friday night, Netflix Live’s biggest moment to date, the streamer’s tech, talent, and general approach let users down.

The biggest issue of Tyson vs. Paul was, of course, a bandwidth supply that simply could not keep up with demand. Kind of a humblebrag, right? We have so many members who tried to watch our marquee event that it blew up our best-in-class servers. You and I were pissed; NFL executives, who have entrusted Netflix with premier games for Christmas Day, were presumably shook. (An NFL spokesperson did not immediately respond to IndieWire’s request for comment on the tech issues.)

On that marquee holiday, tens of millions of viewers will log on to Netflix — but will they be able to watch?

Here’s the real problem, and it has nothing to do with server farms. Netflix’s approach to live sports thus far has been: This is a Netflix commercial; the sporting event is a distant second. That will not fly with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (even if he’s in the Christmas spirit). You do not mess with The Shield. Or for that matter the Bey Hive, which will read Netflix for filth if Beyoncé is pixelated while performing at halftime of the Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens game.

We probably should be grateful that CBS Sports will produce the NFL games aired on Netflix. Netflix’s own live-sports team needs to take notes.

Netflix knows it has some improvements to make. In a leaked memo (as obtained by Bloomberg and confirmed by IndieWire), the company’s CTO Elizabeth Stone 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.”

Wall Street also gives Netflix the benefit of the doubt.

“Netflix has now demonstrated that it can successfully leverage its massive global membership to broadcast a live sporting event,” Wedbush analysts wrote in a note obtained by IndieWire, “and we expect it to iron out kinks in ad delivery before its two NFL games on Christmas.”

Before you can worry about ad delivery, you need to get the game on the screen.

Netflix’s impressive 60-million households stat is “based on Netflix overnight data,” Netflix said in a press release, adding that Tyson vs. Paul peaked at 65 million concurrent streams. Based on personal experience, it feels as if Netflix servers can handle about half that.

For the match that preceded Tyson vs. Paul, a rematch between Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor, Netflix said “nearly 50 million households globally” tuned in — again, more likely they tried to tune in. The Tyson/Paul number is a Netflix record; Serrano vs. Taylor is said to “likely” be “the most watched professional women’s sporting event in U.S. history.” That is also almost certainly true.

Netflix did not contract Nielsen to measure Tyson vs. Paul — but Nielsen will measure (in real time) the Christmas NFL games. That was a stipulation of the NFL, we’re told.

Personally, my stream was unfixable by the time Serrano vs. Taylor 2 came around. My brother’s stream made it all the way to Round 1 of Tyson-Paul, and a friend (through much trial and error) said he got the main event to work on his phone only. That wasn’t an actual technological solution, a person with knowledge of the situation told IndieWire; it was just luck of the draw. My buddy’s reward was watching an incredibly boring bout at midnight on a 6.06″ screen. I had given up hope and gone to bed, but left my screen to forever buffer — my household still counted toward the big number.

In addition to its overheated servers was a ringside-commentary team assembled by random selection. Leading the way was WWE alum Mauro Ranallo, who Just. Does. Not. Stop. Talking. (Speaking of WWE, 52-week live program “Monday Night Raw” premieres on Netflix just 12 days after those Christmas NFL games, adding to executive — and server — stress.) On color commentary was Rosie Perez, the Oscar nominee from “Fearless.” Perez is a knowledgable boxing fanatic, but her professional inexperience was apparent. Ranallo and Perez also drowned out legendary boxer Roy Jones Jr., the night’s other color commentator and the only one viewers wanted to hear.

Netflix’s press releases following Friday’s event were (of course) entirely positive — that’s the job — but they were also semi-amusing, like this bullet point:

• #PaulTyson was the No. 1 trending topic worldwide on X on Friday with #Serrano at No. 2 in the U.S., Brazil, Spain, and Canada. The fight dominated social conversation, accounting for 11 of the Top 11 trending topics in the U.S. 

Sure, but how many of those hashtags followed some words along the lines of, “Hey @Netflix, fix your fucking stream!”

There were boasts about the ticket sales ($18 million!) and attendance (72,300!), and one about the “star-studded ringside audience.” The celebrities were certainly in attendance, though many (like “Cobra Kai” stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka) were there so Netflix could plug their Netflix projects. That’s certainly not unique to Netflix — just watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC — but having “Squid Game” stormtroopers in the crowd just makes all of it more annoying.

Also there was Evander Holyfield and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (he owns the arena and the Cowboys have an expanding relationship with Netflix), who were called on to filibuster to-camera between bouts. Tech issues struck again, as Holyfield’s earpiece and Jones’ microphone didn’t work, leading to awkward exchanges.

When reached by IndieWire, Netflix declined to comment on Friday’s tech issues.

Back to the press releases it is! Netflix called the Tyson fight “an unforgettable show for the packed stadium and millions watching worldwide.”

And the millions not watching.

“Iron Mike thrilled the crowd starting the bout showing this trademark ferocity, legendary grit, and toughness,” Netflix continued.

None of that happened — nor did it need to, considering the snail’s pace of the match (rounds were two minutes long instead of the standard three minutes).

“Paul displayed an impressive jab and continued to demonstrate significant improvement as a fighter, showcasing sharper skills and composure,” the release stated.

Translation: The 27-year-old making a stated $40 million from the event stayed far away from the 58-year-old making $20 million, ensuring neither fighter was actually ever in danger.

Thankfully, the undercard fought their asses off. The Barrios-Ramos bout was excellent, as was Serrano vs. Taylor 2 — or so I’m told.