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Netflix says 60 million households worldwide watched Mike Tyson take on Jake Paul live, in the streaming giant's first foray into live boxing.
The event, which was free for subscribers, is being hailed by the tech giant as a “record-breaking evening.”
However, fans hoping to watch expressed anger and disappointment after some reported that Netflix crashed multiple times throughout the fight.
But there was also criticism from those who were able to tune in, with many saying they found the boxing match lackluster.
In the fight, which took place at AT&T Stadium in Texas, former world heavyweight champion Tyson, 58, was defeated by YouTuber-turned-fighter Paul, 27.
The fight garnered enormous media coverage. Tyson is one of the most famous boxers on the planet, while Paul has attracted a younger audience.
There was a star-studded audience at ringside, including Charlize Theron, Ralph Macchio, Joe Jonas and Hasan Minhaj.
Paul claims 120 million viewers watched it live globally on Netflix, while the tech company later said “60 million households” worldwide watched it. She said she would reveal further viewing figures early next week.
But some internet users reported experiencing buffering issues on the site, and others said they simply couldn't access it.
The fight was “unwatchable”, wrote one X user. Another said she was “furious”, while a third complained that she had “pulled an all-nighter for nothing”.
Netflix declined to comment on technical issues.
Brendan Ashford
Fans were left frustrated after buffering issues on Netflix prevented them from watching the fight.
Brendan Ashford, who lives in Devon, told BBC News he stayed up late to watch the fight, which took place in the early hours of Saturday morning UK time.
“I was interested to see how Mike Tyson, at 58 years old, would perform against a much younger guy,” he said.
“I'm not used to staying up late, but I figured it was worth a shot.”
He tried to log into Netflix around 04:00 GMT and says it was initially loading at 25%, then it got to 75%, but after that it got stuck.
“I knew I had a good connection, so I looked on social media and saw others were having problems too,” he said.
“It was really disappointing. I kept trying for a good hour before giving up.”
Mr. Ashford said that made him wonder how Netflix would fare with future live sporting events, given the problems it encountered this time around.
“It can’t be good for their reputation,” he said.
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The fight attracted huge media attention, but some fans were unable to watch Jake Paul's victory moment.
On social media, fans had a similar reaction, expressing their frustration.
Many also posted photos and videos of the fight that weren't loading, while some said the service failed at key moments during the event.
“All my friends came to see the Tyson vs. Paul fight. No loading,” one X user wrote.
“Shame on Netflix for not being able to handle streaming the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight,” wrote another.
“The delay is so bad that the fights are unwatchable for long-time subscribers like me and other people I know at home with friends, family, snacks and drinks, but no fights .”
Another person simply asked, “Did Netflix not have enough time to prepare for the Tyson/Paul fight?”
“This needs to be fixed”
This isn't the first time Netflix has had issues with live streaming.
Last year he apologized after a high-profile live broadcast of his hit dating show Love is Blind reunion was delayed due to a glitch.
The technical reason for the delay was unclear, but the streaming giant said it was “incredibly sorry.”
No reason was given for the latest problems, but Chris Stokel-Walker, a tech journalist, said the huge demand to watch the fight was “Netflix's loss.”
“Netflix has already broadcast live shows,” he said.
“What’s different is that this fight was so high profile.
“There were so many viewers who wanted to watch this, given the personalities involved – Jake Paul and his huge audience, Mike Tyson returning to the ring for the first time in decades.
“Even people who aren’t big boxing fans wanted to tune in because of all the media coverage.
“As a result, there has been additional demand far greater than that of an average live event, like a comedy special or the live golf tournament they used to broadcast.”
Mr Stokel-Walker said that with Netflix intending to move towards more live sports in the future, including a new deal with WWE starting next year, it “must resolve this problem.”
“They have to expect that if they want to enter this world, they will have to get used to this volume of people,” he said.
“The Tyson vs. Paul fight was one of the most high-profile examples of an event they did live, so it’s definitely not ideal.
“People are going to look at this and wonder if they can cope with it.”
Additional reporting by Emma Pengelly.
