Netflix faced a significant technical disruption during its broadcast of the high-profile boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson on Friday night. The streaming service experienced widespread service outages, with over 90,000 reports of issues from subscribers, according to Downdetector. The disruption lasted for several hours, with many viewers on social media voicing frustration over the connectivity problems before and during the fight. The technical difficulties were eventually resolved, and Netflix resumed normal operations after six hours of downtime.
The event, which marked Netflix’s first live sports broadcast of this magnitude, was a pivotal moment for the company as it tested its ability to handle large-scale live sports streaming. The fight, held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, was an eight-round bout between 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul and 58-year-old boxing legend Mike Tyson, which Paul won by unanimous decision. Despite the technical issues, the fight was streamed to Netflix’s 280 million global subscribers at no additional cost, marking a significant step in the company’s growing sports content portfolio.
Netflix has previously ventured into sports programming, offering golf, tennis, and the popular “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” series. The company’s expanding sports offerings reflect its ambition to compete in this arena, particularly as sports content increasingly shifts to streaming platforms. Industry experts note that the Tyson-Paul fight, while disrupted, is part of a broader trend, with significant streaming deals such as the $2.5 billion MLS agreement with Apple TV and similar partnerships with the NFL and MLB.
Looking ahead, Netflix plans to continue building its sports presence, with major events scheduled for later this year. The streaming service is set to broadcast two NFL games on Christmas Day and will begin airing WWE Raw starting January 6. As Netflix continues to develop its sports streaming capabilities, it aims to meet growing viewer demand and solidify its place in the competitive live sports broadcast market.
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