Looks like boxing’s funeral can wait! Netflix hosted not one, but two high-profile fights on November 15, headlined by Jake Paul vs. the legendary Mike Tyson and co-headlined by Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor.
The result? A whopping 1.43 million new subscribers, according to data firm Antenna. That small number (or large, depending on your perspective) is the biggest one-day subscriber acquisition opportunity Netflix has seen since at least 2019.
For Netflix’s Paul-Tyson fight, Antenna observed 1.43 million registrations over a 3-day period. Regular big spikes in acquisition related to programming are common with many streamers, but not so for Netflix, which typically has a steady rate of sign-ups with minimal variance from day to day. (2/3) pic.twitter.com/Xnw6cBjwjo
— Antenna (@AntennaData) December 16, 2024
Jake Paul and Mike Tyson: The Circus Main Act
Sure, it was a spectacle—Jake Paul, the social media bruiser, and Mike Tyson, the living legend who probably shouldn’t be fighting in 2024. Call it what you will, but it drew viewers. The event peaked at 108 million eyeballs across 60 million homes worldwide. Dead sportright? Netflix seems to know exactly what people will tune in for, even if they won’t admit it publicly.
Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor: The Undercard That Wasn’t
While the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson bout grabbed all the headlines, the co-main event—Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor—quietly racked up 75 million global viewers. Not bad for an “undercard”. Apparently women’s boxing isn’t just surviving – it’s thriving! It’s almost as if Netflix thought, “Why not gamble on two fights at once? If one fails, the other can cover it.” Spoiler alert: Both succeeded!
Stream chaos meets record numbers
Let’s not sugarcoat it: the stream was a mess for some viewers. Frozen screens, buffering and tech glitches left thousands grumbling louder than a ringside hacker.
The march to more live sports
With 282 million subscribers already in the bag, you’d think Netflix wouldn’t bother trying to attract new people. But the big buyer has discovered a new golden goose in live sports. How convenient. Next up on the streamer’s grand calendar are two exclusive NFL games on Christmas Day. If you thought the boxing fiasco was a huge subscription magnet, just wait until Netflix hawks the best holiday soccer. This pivot in sports is about as subtle as a heavyweight’s knockout punch.
A “dead” sport, revived just in time
Cynics have praised boxing for years, saying it lacks the audience, the hype or the glamour. But in a world where YouTube personalities challenge old pros, 1.43 million new entries seem to say otherwise. One can’t help but admire the neat synergy: Netflix boasts “unprecedented” numbers while hawking the next big event, and boxing gets a convenient PR boost.
So, is boxing really dead? Netflix sure hopes not. They bank on the sweet science that fuels big paydays and even bigger subscription increases. Whether or not those 1.43 million newcomers stick around remains to be seen, but for now the streamer is treating these stats like the return of Ali vs. Frazier. Cynics might roll their eyes, but Netflix? They get new subscribers.
