Netflix’s Jake Paul and Mike Tyson Fight Has ‘Squid Games’ and More Ads
Who needs an advance anyway? Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, Netflix’s first live sporting event, was packed with Netflix promotion during its first hour of broadcast.
The main event kicked off at 8pm EST on Friday, and almost immediately there was plenty of self-promotion on Netflix. The first bit of entertainment before the first fight was a performance by “America’s Sweethearts” subjects, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Considering the fight takes place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas – home of the Cowboys – the synergy proved irresistible.
The first match on the main card was a super middleweight bout between India’s Neeraj Goyat and Brazil’s Whindersson Nunes. During the course of the fight, it was revealed that Nunes has three comedy specials on Netflix, and Goyat appeared on the streamer’s ‘Ultimate Beastmaster: India’.
Between rounds during the Goyat vs. Nunes fight, a gang of “Squid Game” guards were shown together in the crowd, giving the announcer an opportunity to mention that the show is returning for a second season this winter.
During the fight between Mario Barrios and Abel Ramos, Ralph Macchio and William Zabka from “Cobra Kai” were shown in the crowd, after which a new trailer for the series was shown.
The Netflix logo was inescapable everywhere, from shots of the ring, the chairs, interstitial images, and even the announcer’s note cards. Even the various announcers weren’t above making some puns about the streaming, including one who, as the night was about to start, said, “It’s time for Netflix and Thrill!”
Netflix shared partnership space with many other brands, including highly visible ads from Pepsi, Celsius, DraftKings, Meta Quest, Experian and more.
