Netflix Faces Blackout During Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Fight
Matthew Gupta
Tech Editor
Netflix is receiving wide criticism for its failure to successfully stream the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight, questioning the ability of Netflix to hold future live-streamed events.
On November 15th, Jake Paul defeated Mike Tyson by unanimous decision. A fight between the polarizing Youtuber-turned-boxer, and one of the most legendary figures in the sport who was likely participating in the final fight in his career, was bound to yield vast viewership. This event achieved this viewership, garnering views from across the world and reaching a height of 65 million streams. Despite this amazing success, the fight was overshadowed by the failures of Netflix to handle the overwhelming demand, as issues of blackouts and buffering plagued the experience for users. Over the course of the night, Netflix received 500,000 reports, as viewers flocked to social media to complain about buffering, lag, and low-quality images. This led Netflix to acknowledge the issues humorously via X, stating the fight “had our buffering systems on the ropes”. The outage of buffering also led to a $50 million class-action lawsuit filed by a Florida resident.
This is not the first failure of Netflix to ensure successful streaming. In April of 2023, Netflix hosted a reunion of the 4th season of “Love is Blind”. This was planned to be a live event, before which users were to wait in a waiting room. Users were never able to leave the waiting room to watch the live event, and the show ended up being taped and released on-demand.
The failure comes as Netflix is preparing for many upcoming streaming events. Netflix is scheduled to stream the NFL Christmas Day games, with the Kansas City Chiefs playing the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 PM, and the Baltimore Ravens playing the Houston Texans at 4:30. With some of the hottest teams in the NFL on a prime holiday gameday, advertisements have already been sold out, and Netflix must ensure it is able to provide a seamless experience for fans and advertisers alike. Netflix also has plans to host WWE Monday Night RAW as well as a comedy show hosted by John Mulaney.
As the world continues to move towards a world of live-streaming major sports and entertainment events, it will be paramount for companies like Netflix to ensure reliable connectivity to keep the entertainment industry, advertisers, and ultimately fans, content with the quality of media they are receiving. These sites have shown promise to lower entertainment costs for fans while reaching a wider audience for entertainers and advertisers, but if companies like Netflix fail to resolve their technological challenges swiftly, they will surely alienate these groups as the streaming market becomes even more competitive.
Contact Matthew at matthew.gupta@student.shu.edu