Eddie Hearn believes Netflix broke from its usual pattern by releasing only a UK viewership figure for the Tyson Fury vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 11, and he thinks the reason is straightforward.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, the Matchroom chairman noted that Netflix has consistently released global figures for its boxing events, and that the decision to release a UK-only figure of 5 million viewers suggests the worldwide total was not worth publicizing.
“I’ve never seen it announced like that before. Every other show’s given a global number,” Hearn said. “The bulk of that viewership would be in the UK, but you’d have to think the number was less than 10 million, certainly, and it may even be less than seven or eight. Just strange that a UK number was given rather than a global number.”
The event also featured Conor Benn vs. Regis Prograis and Shakur Stevenson vs. Teofimo Lopez on the undercard, giving the card additional star power beyond Fury’s return fight. Despite that, the viewership picture appears to have fallen short of the benchmarks Netflix has previously seen from its boxing portfolio, which has included major numbers for Jake Paul events and the first Fury vs. Usyk fight.
The figures carry implications beyond the Makhmudov fight itself. Netflix is expected to broadcast the Anthony Joshua vs. Fury fight later this year, and a declining trend in Fury’s standalone drawing power could affect the platform’s approach to that deal. A sub-10 million global number for Fury’s return would represent a meaningful step back from the numbers the platform has used to justify its investment in boxing.
