Young internet star beats up an old man for a cash grab but it’s a sporting sensation, says streaming columnist NICK OVERALL. 

NETFLIX’S blockbuster boxing bout between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson wasn’t the only fight many subscribers had to endure.

Thousands who tuned in to watch the highly promoted live event were forced to battle with buffering, freezing and sound issues as the streaming platform’s servers were hit hard.

More than 60 million households around the world were watching, peaking at 65 million.

Considering that Netflix has around 280 million subscribers globally it is a huge statistic and a big deal for the platform.

YouTube star Jake Paul himself reckons the fight has “broken every viewership record for boxing since the advent of cable”.

But for many the action of the ring was reduced to an infuriating loading screen as the stream buckled.

As the two fighters entered, viewers were outraged to cop Netflix’s infamous glowing red circle with 99 per cent stuck in the middle of it.

Subscribers flocked to X (formerly Twitter) to vent their frustration.

Some described it as “absolutely horrendous”, others said “unwatchable”, one particularly apt description said watching the fight was like “trying to push a golf ball through a hose”.

Those who were brave enough to try calling Netflix’s support line said the wait was going to be more than three hours to speak to someone.

The fight itself, as many who watched will know, was rather underwhelming, too.

The consensus on it seems to have amounted to a young internet star beating up an old man for a cash grab.

The premise was genius though. By putting Tyson, the legendary former heavyweight champion of the world, against a modern internet sensation, the event was able to capitalise massively on two very different generations who were eager to watch.

Even those not into boxing tuned in just to see what the fuss was about.

Much more entertaining than the Tyson and Paul fight was the one before it between Taylor and Serrano.

That fight was watched by around 50 million households and according to Netflix that makes it possibly the most viewed women’s sporting event in history.

Regardless of the overall reception, the event is a huge win for Netflix and has offered a glimpse of what the future of major sporting events could look like.

Between the rounds of the big fight the platform was wasting no time in plugging the fact they’ll be streaming other sporting matches like the NFL in the coming months.

They’ve also made a deal with the hugely popular WWE franchise, buying the rights to stream the wrestling competition next year for around $5 billion.

The event also included an appearance from the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. It’s no coincidence they were recently the subject of a major Netflix documentary that hit the top of the website’s charts.

All of this makes it clear the streaming giant is determined to break into more sports and live events, but if this fight was anything to go by, right now they just aren’t ready for the sort of demand that will be generated.

Amusingly, even Jake Paul himself acknowledged the issues, posting that the fight “crashed the site”. Netflix probably wasn’t too happy about that.

Putting all the issues aside, the actual presentation of the event itself was pretty slick. Netflix’s graphics, scoreboards and overall design were impressive.

And if the platform can get its connection issues sorted, this could mark a big win for consumers as well. Usually fights like these operate on a pay per view basis (PPV), meaning viewers have to shell out around $50 to $100 to watch them.

To have major events like this included in a streaming subscription is a good deal and is set to shake up the way they’re watched globally.

It might have been a very rough start, but it’s undeniable this event has set a big precedent for global sporting events to come.

If this is supposed to be the future though, Netflix better step up its game.