The highly anticipated boxing battle between YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul and former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson on Friday will be remembered for more reasons than just its unusual card.
According to a Netflix statement, the fight was the most streamed international athletic event ever, with 108 million live viewers worldwide and 65 million concurrent streams. According to the firm, the battle between Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor prior to the Tyson-Paul bout had an average of 74 million live views worldwide, making it the most viewed professional women’s athletic event in U.S. history with 47 million viewers. Other victories for the event included becoming the largest boxing gate outside of Nevada in history.
According to Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, whose organization marketed the bout, Tyson and Paul both earned ten-figure salaries. He said that Serrano and Taylor were paid more than ever for women’s boxing.
This event was important for Netflix as it gets ready to stream NFL games on Christmas Day, which will be the first time the most popular sport in the US is shown live. Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria stated that she is not worried about the company’s capacity to stream the NFL games, despite viewers complaining about buffering concerns.
The first streaming service to enter the live sports market was not Netflix. Since 2022, Thursday Night Football games have been available on Amazon, and last season, Peacock on NBCUniversal aired an NFL playoff game.
