Netflix might dominate binge-watching marathons, but when it came to livestreaming the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight, let’s just say the platform took one on the chin.
Friday night (November 15) saw 60 million viewers tuning in for this highly anticipated “Battle of the Generations” — and while Tyson and Paul traded punches, Netflix fans were stuck wrestling with freezing screens, buffering circles of doom, and outright app crashes. Honestly, it felt like Netflix itself was trying to tap out.
Netflix: ‘Oops, Our Bad!’
Netflix’s Chief Technology Officer Elizabeth Stone, doing her best impersonation of a corner coach, huddled up with employees to break down what went wrong. According to a note shared by Bloomberg, Stone admitted:
“This unprecedented scale created many technical challenges, which the launch team tackled brilliantly by prioritizing stability of the stream for the majority of viewers.”
Translation? “Hey, most of you got to see something… right?”
Stone also acknowledged the internet outrage:
“I’m sure many of you have seen the chatter in the press and on social media about the quality issues.”
By “chatter,” she means hashtags that would make a sailor blush.
But don’t worry, Netflix isn’t pulling a full Logan Paul apology video here. Stone spun the debacle into a humblebrag, calling the event a “huge success” while also admitting they’ve got some fine-tuning to do. Somewhere in Silicon Valley, a buffering wheel shed a single tear.
Coming Soon: NFL Chaos?
If you thought the Tyson-Paul fight was Netflix’s final boss, think again. Their next live-streaming adventure is set for Christmas Day, featuring NFL matchups like the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans. Let’s just hope Santa brings Netflix some stronger servers.
Meanwhile, Netflix flexed its PR muscles on social media with a celebratory post:
“60 million households around the world tuned in live to watch Paul vs. Tyson! The boxing mega-event dominated social media, shattered records, and even had our buffering systems on the ropes.”
If only they’d thrown in a “No buffering wheels were harmed in the making of this event” disclaimer, we might’ve believed it.
Netflix, much like Jake Paul in the ring, gave it their best shot but ended up fumbling under pressure. Here’s hoping they’ve learned their lesson before Christmas because nobody wants their NFL action interrupted by a frozen screen featuring Patrick Mahomes mid-sneeze. As for Tyson and Paul? They’ll keep throwing punches. Netflix? Better start throwing cash at their tech team.
60 million households around the world tuned in live to watch Paul vs. Tyson!
The boxing mega-event dominated social media, shattered records, and even had our buffering systems on the ropes. pic.twitter.com/kA8LjfAJSk
— Netflix (@netflix) November 16, 2024