Global streaming giant Netflix has struck a “first-ever” partnership with Sky Business, the commercial venue media arm of the UK pay-TV heavyweight, to help distribute its coverage of the upcoming bout between Tyson Fury and Arslanbek Makhmudov.
This marks the first time that Sky Business will disseminate coverage of a Netflix broadcast to its commercial customers, which include bars, pubs, and other ‘hospitality venues’ across the UK and Ireland.
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These venues can showcase the fight by acquiring a commercial pay-per-view license from Sky Business.
The April 11 fight will see former unified world heavyweight champion Fury return from ‘retirement’ (his fifth such return) against Russian contender Makhmudov, the WBA inter-continental heavyweight champion, in a non-title bout in the UK at London’s 62,850-capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
A heavily anticipated card, the event also features prominent UK fighters such as Connor Benn taking on Regis Prograis, Frazer Clarke taking on Richard Riakhporhe, and Jeamie Tshikeva fighting Justis Huni for the British heavyweight title.
Speaking on the agreement, Sky Business director of hospitality James Tweddle said: “We’re excited to partner with Netflix for the first time to bring this huge boxing event to the on-trade. Fury’s return, a strong undercard and a major British title on the line make this a standout night for all boxing fans – and a major commercial opportunity for venues to drive footfall and boost revenue.”
The event will coincide with golf’s iconic Masters tournament and English Premier League soccer, a coincidence that Sky says may help drive strong out-of-home viewership at commercial venues.
Sky already offers bundled TV packages that include Netflix as part of an existing commercial agreement between the two.
This is Netflix’s first major boxing event staged in the UK, but it has been on a strong run of major viewership for its US-based boxing showcases.
Indeed, the streamer was most recently the global broadcaster for the December bout between boxer Anthony Joshua and influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul, which drew a global audience of more than 30 million on the service.
The bout, which took place at the Kaseya Center in Miami, scored an estimated average minute audience (AMA) of 33 million live viewers globally from opening to closing bell as Joshua delivered a sixth-round knockout of Paul (who co-founded MVP as his promotional vehicle).
Prior to that, Netflix also showcased Paul’s victory over Mike Tyson in November 2024, which was watched by over 60 million households worldwide.
That event also included an all-female co-main event between Ireland’s Katie Taylor and Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano, which was watched by almost 50 million households in its own right.
Netflix called that fight a narrow and controversial points victory for the legendary Taylor, “likely to be the most-watched professional women's sporting event in US history.”
It is increasingly clear that Netflix sees high-profile combat sports events as a path into the sports market.
Most recently, it announced a major bout between boxing icons Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, which it will stream globally.
The fight, a rematch of the pair’s showpiece 2015 bout (a decision win for Mayweather), will be the first boxing fight to be held at the Sphere venue in Las Vegas, US, and will take place on September 19.
