Netflix gets sued over Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson: Here's what you should know
Netflix recently faced a lawsuit from a subscriber over alleged streaming issues during the highly discussed event, which was headlined by a heavyweight boxing matchup between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, last Friday.
Numerous Netflix subscribers reported buffering issues during the event on social media, prompting a frustrated viewer named Ronald 'Blue' Denton to file a lawsuit against the streaming giant in Florida state court on Monday. The class-action suit accuses Netflix of breach of contract and engaging in unfair, deceptive practices, citing the disrupted viewing experience as a key grievance.
Denton’s legal action aims to secure undisclosed financial compensation and class-action designation to represent other affected consumers. The complaint further claims that the streaming platform was "woefully ill-prepared" to handle the overwhelming demand for the Paul vs. Tyson fight.
It alleges that the live stream was "unwatchable," with viewers missing significant portions or even the entirety of the bout due to technical issues.
Downdetector, a website that tracks real-time outages, recorded at least 98,000 Netflix users reporting issues on Friday night. Some users reported that the platform crashed even before the fight began, while others experienced poor sound and video quality.
Despite the streaming issues, Netflix announced that the event drew over 108 million viewers on its platform. The Paul vs. Tyson fight reached a peak of 65 million simultaneous streams, setting a new global record for the most-streamed sports event, with 38 million of those streams originating from the U.S. alone.
'The Problem Child' clinched a unanimous decision victory over the 58-year-old Tyson. Meanwhile, in the co-main event, Katie Taylor narrowly edged out Amanda Serrano in a polarizing split decision to successfully retain her undisputed super lightweight titles.
Has Netflix struggled with streaming live events in the past?
Netflix's first major live event, the 'Love Is Blind' reunion in April 2023, was marred by significant delays caused by technical setbacks. After approximately 90 minutes of complications, the streaming service decided to abandon the live broadcast, opting instead to record the reunion and release it on the platform 19 hours later than originally scheduled.
Netflix later explained that the delay was caused by a bug that arose while implementing updates aimed at enhancing the quality of its live-streaming broadcasts.