The highly anticipated bout between YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, and 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, will stream globally on Friday night and be available to Netflix’s 280 million subscribers at no additional cost.
Netflix will broadcast the bout in English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French and German. The fight was originally scheduled for July 20 but was delayed after Tyson had a medical episode on a plane and needed time to recover from a stomach ulcer.
On April 29, the fight was officially sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, meaning the bout will be professional and go on both fighters’ official records.
As of Friday afternoon, Paul’s odds sit at -235 with Tyson’s at +190.
“Mike Tyson is not going to lose to him,” FOX Sports’ Keyshawn Johnson said in March.
Most Valuable Promotions is handling the production of Friday’s bout. The modern-day U.S. mark of 4.6 million viewers from the 2015 bout between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao could be attainable to surpass.
“We believe the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight could be the most watched boxing match ever given ease of access and NFLX’s (Netflix’s) large global subscriber base, and it should attract Ad Tier subs, viewers, and dollars,” JP Morgan Chase analyst Doug 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 into live sports over time, particularly as negotiating leverage shifts in NFLX’s direction.”
Netflix has used live sports as support programming for documentaries and series it airs. “Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson”, a three-part docuseries previewing the fight card, was ranked second Thursday night among Netflix’s most-viewed shows.
Last November’s Netflix Cup, where 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 March 3 Netflix Slam exhibition match between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz tied in with “Point Break” and a documentary series about Alcaraz that will air next year.
The NFL elected to partner with Netflix for a Christmas Day doubleheader of games because two series — “Quarterback” and “Receiver” — were among Netflix’s top 10 series globally.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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