This week: Netflix wins and loses with live boxing match; ‘Outlander’ returns
This week: Netflix wins and loses with live boxing match; ‘Outlander’ returns
The world’s largest streaming service was responsible for plenty of headlines this week, along with the return of ‘Outlander’ and the end of ‘The Franchise’
The hotly anticipated boxing match between YouTube star Jake Paul and former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson dominated headlines this week. The fight was watched by a huge audience but experienced problems that prevented thousands of viewers from watching.
All of that, plus the premiere of new episodes of “Outlander,” and the end of a fresh new HBO comedy series give viewers plenty of awesome things to stream this weekend!
This week’s biggest streaming news
Top news: Netflix shows the potential and pitfalls of streaming sports
The biggest story of the week was Netflix and its attempts to successfully deliver a live boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. The fight was a huge ratings generator for Netflix; after initially reporting that 60 million homes watched the fight, Netflix revised its numbers to reflect that 108 million viewers tuned in to stream the night live.
However, the stream also saw plenty of adversity. Netflix’s CTO was forced to acknowledge in an internal memo that the evening was a “poor experience” for some viewers after hundreds of thousands of Netflix subscribers reported problems watching.
The quality was so infuriating for some viewers that they’ve resorted to suing Netflix over their inability to watch. The fight showed the potential of offering huge sports events via the world’s largest streaming services, and the technical drawbacks that still exist.
Best premiere of the week: Outlander
After more than a year without new episodes, “Outlander” is finally back with the second half of its seventh season. The series tells the story of Claire Fraser, a woman who discovers she has the ability to move through time and stumbles upon a love so strong it could almost be defined as destiny.
The seventh season takes place during the American Revolution, in which Claire’s husband Jamie has been conscripted to fight in the Continental Army. Will the two ever get a chance to live the life they want? Viewers can now watch Season 7, Part 2 of “Outlander” on STARZ, or on the cable network Starz through DIRECTV STREAM and other services.
Outlander
The story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate affair is ignited that tears Claire’s heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
Best premiere of the weekend: The Franchise
Ever wonder what it takes to bring a big-name superhero movie to life? That process is explored in “The Franchise,” the HBO series that wraps its first season on Sunday, Nov. 24. The show is a hilarious look behind the scenes of a fictional comic book movie which is struggling under the weight of its quirky director, intransigent actors and studio demands that become increasingly impossible.
You can watch “The Franchise” starting at $10 per month with a subscription to Max!
The Franchise
The crew of an unloved franchise movie fight for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe. The series shines a light on the secret chaos inside the world of superhero moviemaking, to ask the question — how exactly does the cinematic sausage get made? Because every f*ck-up has an origin story.