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Afternoon Edition

November 18, 2024

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The Netflix stream of a boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul on Friday night yielded enormous viewership—and a cavalcade of technical issues. The media company’s next pivotal test will come on Christmas Day, with a pair of exclusive NFL games. Sources, however, say the league is confident in Netflix’s ability to deliver on the holiday. We explore what went right and wrong Friday, and how the company can improve on Dec. 25.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

NFL Backs Netflix for Christmas Day Doubleheader Despite Recent Issues [[link removed]]

Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

Netflix’s historic, but technically marred, livestream [[link removed]] of the Jake Paul–Mike Tyson fight has caused some consternation within the NFL, but the league is still supporting the company as a major doubleheader on Christmas Day approaches.

The streaming giant is showing Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans on the holiday, the beginning of a three-year deal [[link removed]] that heightens Netflix’s already-growing ambitions in live events [[link removed]]. But widespread buffering and outage issues during the boxing match have prompted the league to re-inquire about the company’s technical infrastructure, according to multiple Front Office Sports sources.

“There were clearly a lot of emails and calls flying around over the weekend,” said an industry source. “What happened was definitely noted, and there were conversations.”

Still, the league has confidence in Netflix’s ability to deliver on Christmas, sources said, and there was also a sense of relief that something of a large-scale stress test has now happened—away from the NFL.

Self-Reflection

The NFL’s sentiment builds on an internal acknowledgment from Netflix CTO Elizabeth Stone, who said in a company memo that the event failed to live up fully to its intentions and that the company intends to learn from the issues.

“This unprecedented scale created many technical challenges, which the launch team tackled brilliantly by prioritizing stability of the stream for the majority of viewers,” Stone wrote in a company memo. “I’m sure many of you have seen the chatter in the press and on social media about the quality issues.

“We don’t want to dismiss the poor experience of some members, and know we have room for improvement, but still consider this event a huge success,” she wrote.

Major Star Power

The streaming giant, meanwhile, also sought to deflect some attention away from those traffic and buffering issues, announcing Sunday that pop superstar Beyoncé will perform during halftime of the Ravens-Texans game that will be the Christmas nightcap. The appearance in her hometown of Houston, representing the first live performance of songs from Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album, follows her two prior showcases during the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime show—first in 2013 as a headliner and again three years later in collaboration with Coldplay.

Like that latter appearance, Beyoncé’s performance on Christmas will also include special guests, and given her iconic stature, marks one of the biggest musical acts at an NFL game outside of the Super Bowl.

More Netflix Happenings

Investors also shrugged off Netflix’s issues over the weekend, sending shares up by nearly 3% Monday, closing at a new company high of $847.05 per share. Monday’s stock performance was the latest in a fervent run this calendar year in which Netflix shares have soared 81%.

The streaming audience, while certainly big, does not have a direct comparison to other major programming, either elsewhere online or on linear TV. The figures of 60 million households and a peak of 65 million concurrent streams released by Netflix on Saturday are global reach numbers and not U.S.-specific, per-minute audience averages that are common elsewhere in the domestic media industry. Nor have they been verified by a third party.

As a result, fully evaluating the true impact of the Paul-Tyson fight is rather difficult.

“If Nielsen required streamers to be in all-in or all-out with their live measurement—which is what’s always been required of [linear] networks—we’d have a more complete understanding of our market,” Fox Sports president of insight and analytics Mike Mulvihill posted on social media [[link removed]].

Netflix is working with Nielsen on its Christmas Day NFL doubleheader [[link removed]] but did not make a similar move for the boxing event.

Roaring to the Top: Lions Become Super Bowl Favorites for First Time [[link removed]]

The Detroit Free Press

For the first time in NFL history, the Lions are the betting favorites to win a Super Bowl.

Detroit (9–1) ascended to the top of sportsbooks’ odds lists after a 52–6 rout of the Jaguars (2–9) on Sunday, overtaking the Chiefs (9–1), who lost their first game of the season at the Bills (8–2). The Lions’ odds to win Super Bowl LIX range from +310 to +420 at major sportsbooks [[link removed]]. Kansas City is still not far behind, with odds between +450 and +500.

It’s yet another milestone for the 94-year-old franchise that has never reached the Super Bowl (but does have four pre-merger NFL championships). Last season’s run to the NFC championship game invigorated not just Lions fans but also the entire city of Detroit [[link removed]]—resulting in increased ticket prices, merchandise sales, and spending at bars and restaurants.

Following that success, Detroit GM Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell received contract extensions through 2027. Season-ticket prices for 2024 also increased by an average of 30% [[link removed]].

Watch Party

After Week 11 of the 2024 regular season, the Lions have a one-game lead over the Vikings (8–2) in the NFC North and are in pole position to grab the No. 1 seed, which would mean at least one, and potentially two, more raucous playoff games at Ford Field in January.

With seven more games to play, the Lions will be in the national TV spotlight for more than half of their remaining schedule:

Nov. 28: An early Thanksgiving Day contest against the Bears (4–6) on CBS that could outdraw the reeling Cowboys [[link removed]] (3–6), who host the Giants (2–8) later in the afternoon Dec. 5: A Thursday Night Football matchup against the division rival Packers (7–3) on Amazon Prime Video Dec. 15: A late-afternoon visit to Buffalo for a potential Super Bowl LIX preview that will be seen by a large portion of the country on CBS Dec. 30: The final Monday Night Football game of the season against the defending NFC champion 49ers (5–5) on ESPN

Several Lions games have already drawn big TV audiences this season, including two of just over 24 million viewers each on Fox for matchups against Dallas and Green Bay. But Detroit is now set to get its most exposure of the season as the team is peaking on the field.

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ONE BIG FIG Saving Some Dimes

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

$23 million

The guaranteed money Giants quarterback Daniel Jones will receive in 2025 if he sustains an injury that prevents him from passing a physical in March. The Giants, who are 2–8, will bench Jones [[link removed]] for this Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers.

Jones, who is in the second year of a four-year, $160 million deal, has a $30 million salary next year, though none is guaranteed at the moment. New York would owe him $12 million next year if he is on the roster by the fifth day of the season. If the team releases Jones before any of his remaining salary becomes guaranteed, it would incur a dead-money cap hit of $22.21 million in 2025.

STATUS REPORT Two Up, One Down, One Push

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Seattle Storm ⬇ The team has hired a law firm to investigate accusations of harassment and bullying by its coaching staff [[link removed]] to players due to on-court performance, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The Storm have been led by head coach Noelle Quinn since 2021. The team finished with a 25–15 record last season, a 14-win improvement from the prior year driven by offseason acquisitions of 2016 MVP Nneka Ogwumike and six-time WNBA All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith. Ogwumike will be an unrestricted free agent in January.

Jannik Sinner ⬆ The world No. 1 men’s tennis player defeated Taylor Fritz to win the ATP Finals on Sunday in Italy. Sinner earned $4.8 million, the largest first prize on that tour, by sweeping all five of his matches in the tournament. He has earned $16.9 million in 2024, which includes wins in the Australian Open and US Open.

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports ⬆⬇ Two NASCAR teams have filed an antitrust lawsuit against the league [[link removed]] and both will be able to compete in the 2025 season. They will race as “open” teams [[link removed]], which means their cars must qualify for each event and won’t receive the same benefits or cut of the purse as chartered teams.

Formula One calendar ⬆ The Canadian Grand Prix will be moved from June to May on the F1 calendar, which allows for a consolidated European leg on the calendar [[link removed]] starting in 2026. Last week, F1 announced the Monaco GP, which originally took place on the last weekend of May, was moved to June [[link removed]]. F1 teams and drivers have complained about the league’s grueling schedule—which has a record 24 races this year—particularly the travel across different continents and time zones.

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Conversation Starters Northwestern released a video unveiling plans for the renovated, $850 million Ryan Field, which includes closer sight lines—but also has the smallest capacity of any Big Ten stadium. Check it out [[link removed]]. The Pop-Tarts Bowl will have three mascots this year—and the game’s MVP will decide which mascot will be eaten by the winners. View the options [[link removed]]. John Snelson, the Colorado Buffaloes’ director of creative, shared a behind-the-scenes video of their social media team during Saturday’s football game against Utah. Take a look [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Louisiana Governor’s PAC Paid for Controversial LSU Tiger [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Jeff Landry’s backers funded the tiger that appeared at Alabama-LSU. The WBD-NBA Settlement’s Ripple Effect on College Sports [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]WBD’s networks will air Big 12 football and men’s basketball games. Vintage Soccer Jerseys Have Found a Sweet Spot in the Lucrative U.S. Market [[link removed]]by Alex Christian [[link removed]]The money-making shirts are at the prime intersection of memorabilia and fashion. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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