Netflix 'cannot get away with' production issues for NFL games, ex-star Shawne Merriman warns

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Former NFL star Shawne Merriman was among the supposed 60 million viewers who tuned into Netflix to watch Jake Paul’s unanimous decision victory over Mike Tyson.

Merriman was also among those who were left perplexed by the production’s quality. With an overload of viewers who streamed onto the platform around 8 p.m. ET, many customers experienced buffering issues. Additionally, the broadcast itself was plagued by strange cutaways, Tyson’s full moon and mics dropping out at the most inopportune time.

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Shawne Merriman is the founder of Lights Out Xtreme Fighting and Lights Out Sports TV. (Robert Hanashiro, USAT, USA Today via Imagn Content Services, LLC)

Unlike most viewers who watched the fight, Merriman has experience in producing live sports television. Lights Out Xtreme Fighting, which the former San Diego Chargers linebacker founded, streams live on Lights Out Sports TV – the free channel he also founded.

The questionable production sparked worries among NFL fans, who worry what their experience will be like when Netflix streams two Christmas Day games. Down Detector said it had logged more than 85,000 complaints from users having issues during the fight.

"They can get away with what happened with the Jake Paul and Mike Tyson fight. They cannot get away with the NFL because the one thing about the NFL, their product is No. 1," Merriman told Fox News Digital in an interview on Monday. "That shield, the look, the graphics packages, their transitioning from in and out of spots is pristine.

"You cannot under no circumstances botch an NFL broadcast and they have to work out all those