On Friday, Nov. 15, Mike Tyson and Jake Paul faced off in a boxing match that was streamed for free to all Netflix users.
Easy accessibility through the streaming service left many users ecstatic. Typically, boxing matches cost between $60 to up to $150 to view, so no up front cost to view the match added to the appeal of the “free” fight.
The event featured three professional matches before the main fight between Paul and Tyson. Some viewers tuned into the preceding fights but not nearly as many as for the main card. The unexpected magnitude of viewers for the Paul vs. Tyson fight caused many technical issues for the Netflix servers. “I think Netflix wasn’t expecting that many people to be watching it. I think they weren’t prepared for the activity. I believe Netflix screwed up the event with all the server issues. It created a lot of problems that could have been solved before the event,” senior Adam Dague said.
Many viewers experienced significant difficulties in viewing the fight, with a large portion stuck on the Netflix loading screen throughout the night. These difficulties negated the potential of the fight becoming the most watched ever, as it was expected to be.
Netflix claims they had 60 million viewers tune in for the match, making it a record-breaking night for the streaming service, but an incredible number of users took to social media to express their frustrations with Netflix. “It was very frustrating trying to watch it, I was debating whether to keep watching or not because there were so many loading problems while trying to get in,” Dague said.
In terms of the fight itself, many fans were disappointed in the outcome as well. The odds of the fight were in favor of a knockout in an earlier round by either fighter. Instead, it was an uneventful fight that went all eight rounds, leaving many viewers disappointed in the result due to the difficulties watching the fight as well. “I watched the fight and I really wanted Tyson to win. I watched him dominate when I was growing up and I wanted to see him win so I could feel that feeling again,” lifting coach Jake Larsen expressed.
Viewers of all ages felt disappointed in Netflix and its competitors, considering the outcome of the event. The potential for a record-breaking fight was diffused by Netflix’s errors that could have been easily prevented.
