Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson has become the most-streamed sporting event ever (Picture Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix)
Netflix is used to attracting hefty numbers of viewers, but live streaming the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight surpassed expectations and smashed records.
The fight proved to be controversial, with some viewers claiming the match was scripted after Jake Paul claimed victory over 58-year-old boxing legend Tyson.
Nevertheless, the event proved popular with Netflix subscribers and was watched a massive 46.6 million times. Netflix revealed 60 million households tuned in live while the fight was taking place on Friday November 15.
That makes it the most-streamed sporting event ever, peaking at 65 million concurrent streams.
The huge success of the boxing match means it has taken the title of number one most-watched title on Netflix globally for the week of November 11 to 17.
It was also number one in 78 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, the UK and the US, and secured a place in the top 10 in 91 countries.
Jake Paul, 27, claimed victory over 58-year-old Mike Tyson (Picture: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
It’s hardly a surprise, then, that the streamer struggled to cope with the demand.
Viewers were left infuriated by buffering and poor screen quality, with reports emerging that a fan in Florida is suing Netflix for an alleged ‘breach of contract’.
‘The boxing-mega event dominated social media, shattered records and even had our buffering systems on the ropes,’ Netflix posted on X on Saturday.
Despite this, the enormous viewership means we’re likely to see more sporting events appearing on Netflix in future, with the company already announcing that it will stream two American football matches on Christmas Day this year.
Despite the huge viewing figures, Netflix struggled to cope with the demand (Picture: TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)
Elsewhere on the streaming service, animation series Arcane and Karate Kid TV spin-off Cobra Kai also attracted millions of viewers last week.
The former is based on the video game League of Legends, and has landed an impressive and rare 100% Rotten Tomatoes score for both season one and season two.
Last week, Arcane season two was watched over seven million times on Netflix.
Animation series Arcane is a hit with the critics (Picture: Netflix)
Season six will be the final installment of Cobra Kai (Picture: Curtis Bonds Baker/Netflix)
Cobra Kai, meanwhile, has similarly been praised by critics.
Season six part two is the latest and final installment of the show to be released on Netflix, and was also watched over seven million times last week.
Part one topped the Netflix chart when it was released in July, with over 14 million views.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.