Netflix CTO Comes Clean on ‘Poor Experience’ During Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul Livestream

As it turns out, Netflix was listening to all the contempt fans online were spewing after the streaming debacle during Friday's bout between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson! The streaming giant proudly announced on Saturday that over 60 million viewers tuned in to watch the utter snooze fest that was the Paul-Tyson fight. 'The Problem Child,' 27, defeated the youngest heavyweight champion in history in a lopsided fight via unanimous decision at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This bout marked Netflix's debut in boxing broadcasts, with little to no experience in covering such a high-profile event. Lo and behold, the worst that could have happened— did happen.

Scores, and seriously, scores of fans took to social media, as the fight was unfolding, to complain about the slow, buffering, and stuck live stream of the fight. Things got so bad that #NetflixCrash started trending on X, further putting the spotlight on the streaming service and more importantly, the poorly executed event. Since the incident on Friday, a statement from Netflix CTO Elizabeth Stone has come to light.

"This unprecedented scale created many technical challenges, which the launch team tackled brilliantly by prioritizing [the] stability of the stream for the majority of viewers," Stone wrote in a message addressed to Netflix employees, per Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "I'm sure many of you have seen the chatter in the press and on social media about the quality issues," she continued, adding, "We don't want to dismiss the poor experience of some members, and know we have room for improvement, but still consider this event a huge success."

Fans are now especially worried about Netflix's situation because of the future. The streaming platform is scheduled to air the NFL doubleheader on Christmas, with the Chiefs facing the Steelers and the Ravens taking on the Texans. Not to mention, the company is also set to become the broadcast home for WWE Raw in 2025. Regardless, Netflix seems confident about the NFL games on Christmas.

Netflix content chief on NFL after Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson streaming issues Despite what happened in the Paul-Tyson fight, Netflix content chief, Bela Bajaria, expressed excitement about the upcoming NFL games on Christmas Day. The doubleheader games will also feature Beyoncé performing at halftime, potentially increasing server traffic. However, Netflix's team is confident they can handle the technical demands.

Bajaria said, "We feel very ready and excited for the NFL on Christmas," according to The Wall Street Journal. It's worth mentioning that Downdetector[dot]com revealed 90,000 issues were reported at one point during the Friday fight. Regardless, with CBS Sports helping Netflix with the production side of things, the hope is the broadcast will go smoothly.