close
close

Association-anemone

Bite-sized brilliance in every update

The Tyson-Paul fight gives Netflix an opportunity to show it can handle big events with the NFL and WWE on the horizon
asane

The Tyson-Paul fight gives Netflix an opportunity to show it can handle big events with the NFL and WWE on the horizon

Jake Paul and Mike Tyson they’re not the only ones with high stakes when they meet in the boxing ring on Friday night.

For Netflix, it’s the biggest live sporting event to date and an opportunity to make sure it can keep up with audience demand, with the NFL and WWE on the horizon.

The fight between YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul and former heavyweight champion Tyson, 58, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, will be televised globally and available to its 280 million subscribers Netflix at no extra cost.

Netflix will broadcast the match in English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French and German. It was originally scheduled for July 20, but was postponed by Tyson having a medical episode on a plane and needing time to recover from a stomach ulcer.

Netflix declined multiple requests from The Associated Press to make a company executive available to discuss expectations for the fight.

JP Morgan Chase analyst Doug Anmuth didn’t mince words in his prediction that it would be the most watched fight ever. That might be an unrealistic bar to climb, as four of Muhammad Ali’s fights have estimated worldwide audiences of one billion.

The modern American mark of 4.6 million from the 2015 fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao could still be reached.

“We believe the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight could be the most-watched boxing match ever given NFLX’s (Netflix) ease of access and large subscriber base, and should attract subscribers, viewers and ad dollars “, Anmuth said in his analyst note according to CNBC Pro “Netflix is ​​increasingly focused on sports entertainment, events and shoulder content, and we expect a bigger push in live. sports over time, particularly as the bargaining power shifts in NFLX’s direction.”

Netflix has used live sports as a supporting program for the documentaries and series it broadcasts. “Countdown: Paul Vs. Tyson,” a three-part documentary series previewing the fight book, ranked second Thursday night among Netflix’s most-watched shows.

Last November’s Netflix Cup, in which Formula 1 drivers were paired with PGA golfers in a match-play format, brought together famous figures from “Drive to Survive” and “Full Swing,” the Netflix Exhibition Match March 3 Slam between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. tied with “Point Break” and a documentary series about Alcaraz that will air next year.

The NFL chose to partner with Netflix for a doubleheader of games on Christmas Day because two series — “Quarterback” and “Receiver” — were among the top 10 Netflix shows globally.

Most Valuable Promotions is handling production of Friday’s game, while CBS will produce the two NFL games for Netflix. When “Raw” begins streaming on Netflix on Jan. 5, World Wrestling Entertainment is handling the production of all of its events.

Netflix will stream “Raw” in the US, Canada, the UK and Latin America starting in January, with more countries to be added as contracts expire. The bigger component, however, is that Netflix becomes the carrier of all WWE shows and specials outside the US and the company’s premium live events, including WrestleMania and SummerSlam.

“Technically, it’s a great race by running live events. The biggest problem I can have is you get into a situation where you have so much volume and you see a way you haven’t in the past,” said Patrick Crakes, a media consultant and former Fox executive. Sports. “He might end up being more than just watching NFL games for a while. Others handle production, what they have to worry about is operational flow. They know what they’re doing.”

___

AP Sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.