The release for sports and streaming history, the highly hyped fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson sells a new record as the most streamed global sporting event ever, with over 108 million live viewers worldwide! The event somehow managed to pull an audience of 65 million concurrent streams at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on November 16, 2024.
The evening’s main event placed YouTube sensation-turned-boxing star Jake Paul against the truly fearsome ring legend Mike Tyson. Moments were pretty crazy in the bout, along with powerful punches and strategic moves that kept viewers on the edge of their seats. In the end, by unanimous decision, Jake Paul emerged as the victor, adding another feather to his cap.
Per Netflix, which live-streamed the fight, an estimated AMA of 108 million was recorded from the opening to the closing bell. That figure even increased to 125 million when adding in live-plus-one-day figures. The bout proved a darling in the United States, notching up 38 million concurrent streams in the country, and equally performed nicely internationally, topping charts in such countries as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, and South Africa.
The night wasn’t all about the Paul-Tyson face-off. Its co-main event was a rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, which became the most-watched professional women’s sports event in U.S. history, with 74 million live viewers globally. That fight further lifted the excitement quotient of the evening and underlined the increasing popularity of women’s boxing.
The event did not go without some technical mishaps despite record-breaking success: buffering, poor screen quality, and problems with audio. Netflix did respond to the complaints and promised to make some improvements regarding their live streaming for the future.
The bout dominated social media, especially with hashtags like #PaulTyson trending globally. It was the number one trending topic on X, formerly Twitter, on the night of the fight-a testament to the global interest and excitement attached to the event.
Even in defeat, Mike Tyson was grateful: “This is one of those situations when you lost but still won. I’m grateful for last night.” A return to the ring itself was a success for Tyson, who earlier this year had struggled with his health.
Jake Paul, on the other hand, celebrated his victory, being conscious of what it means to go into the ring with a legend of the sport. He showed respect to Tyson by underlining how this bout confirmed his standing in the boxing world.
It was not without technical glitches, but Netflix promised to work on improving its live-streaming abilities in case the event gets a replay for sporting action. Fans can only hope that with the continuous investments by streaming platforms in live sports, they will see more record-breaking events streaming on these platforms.
The Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight set a new bar for viewership on a stream and showed the appeal for combat sports. It’s clear, given the huge audience base, that these fans want to see high-stakes battles, whether that be in the ring or on screen. As the streaming services continue to create,
