Netflix ventured back into the world of live entertainment on Friday with a series of boxing matches that drew in viewers from around the world.
The marquee fight pitted 58-year-old Mike Tyson against 27-year-old Jake Paul. The two men entered the ring at about 10 p.m. MST.
Even before their underwhelming bout began, many viewers were frustrated, since the Netflix stream was beset by a number of challenges.
On social media and in news reports, people complained about the event stream repeatedly freezing and about getting error codes when they tried to reload.
At the event, commentators and celebrities making guest appearances dealt with broken earpieces and microphones.
NFL on Netflix
As Netflix’s fight night unfolded, some viewers questioned whether the streaming giant will have enough time to fix its issues before airing live NFL events in about six weeks.
Netflix has the exclusive rights to two NFL games on Christmas: the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Houston Texans.
“Netflix is finding out in real time how hard it is to produce live TV. They need to get these Mic issues fixed before the NFL broadcast’s on Christmas,” observed Emmanuel Acho on X during Friday’s fights.
For Netflix’s NFL games on Christmas, CBS and NFL Network will handle the game production and surrounding commentary, respectively, while Netflix will handle the “transmission and streaming,” The Athletic reported.
“Netflix needs it to work because it sees advertising as part of its long-term ambition for sustainable earning sources, and live sports can be a driver there,” the article said.
Netflix declined to comment when The Athletic asked it to weigh in on Friday night’s streaming issues.
Beyoncé halftime performance
Perhaps to mitigate some of the negative buzz around Netflix’s fight night, the NFL announced Sunday that NFL fans can look forward to more than just football during Netflix’s NFL games on Christmas.
The Ravens-Texans game will also include a halftime performance from Beyoncé, the league said, including a shoutout to Netflix in its post.
Beyoncé's halftime show is expected to feature songs from her “Cowboy Carter” album, per The Athletic.
As with Friday’s Tyson-Paul fight, the NFL games on Christmas will be available to Netflix subscribers at no additional cost, the article said.