Netflix Apologizes For Botched Mike Tyson Vs. Jake Paul Livestream

Technical Glitches Mar Platform's First Major Combat Sports Event

A live stream of the heavyweight match between Myke Tyson and Jake Paul on November 15, 2024. Netflix apologizes for technical Inconvenience during the fight for a heavyweight bout / Stephen MacCarthy/Getty Images.

By Priscilla Jepchumba

Netflix's highly-anticipated live stream of the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight was plagued by severe technical difficulties, leading to widespread viewer frustration. The platform experienced frequent buffering, stream freezes, and audio issues throughout the event. Even the broadcast's own commentators were forced to apologize for the constant interruptions.

Netflix apologized after the backlash over Mike Tyson and Jake Paul livestream. Streaming Quality Netflix spent months building up the fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, only for the live-streamed event to be called "unwatchable" and marred by near-constant technical glitches.

 It reached the point that even the official Netflix commentators had to apologize for how bad it was getting.

However, things quickly went awry as viewers experienced frequent buffering, stream freezes, and other disruptions throughout the event. From the start, Netflix's live broadcast struggled to deliver a seamless experience.

 Social media was flooded with complaints from frustrated subscribers, who described the viewing experience as a ‘classic torture chamber, a circle of infinite buffering’; these issues were not limited to the stream itself. Technical glitches also affected the broadcast production.

 During early interviews, both Evander Holyfield's earpiece and Jerry Jones' microphone malfunctioned, adding to the mounting frustration.

 Later, presenter Kate Abdo was forced to issue an apology after a series of technical glitches disrupted Netflix's live broadcast. The seasoned presenter, who led the coverage, was joined by boxing legends Andre Ward, Lennox Lewis, and Evander Holyfield at the broadcast desk.

As the show progressed, Abdo repeatedly sought the trio's analysis of the preliminary bouts, but a major issue quickly became apparent:

Holyfield's headphones malfunctioned, leaving the Hall of Famer unable to hear any of the questions Abdo posed.

This created an awkward pause in the broadcast, prompting Abdo to ask Holyfield's former rival, Lennox Lewis, to step in and offer his thoughts on her behalf. Realizing the technical difficulties were causing a disruption, Abdo quickly apologized.

 "Evander, I'm so sorry about the sound, then thanked Lewis for his help, Lennox, thank you for stepping in and helping with the interview. We appreciate you,” Abdo said.

The 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer dominated the former heavyweight champion, who was making his first sanctioned professional appearance in almost 20 years.

The animosity that fueled the pre-fight hype faded away, replaced by boos from an audience that had hoped for more.

 The judges scored the bout decisively in Paul's favor, 80-72 and 79-73, respectively.