Netflix faces lawsuit over freezing issues in Tyson fight
The boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson was watched by 60 million households worldwide on Netflix, and at its peak, the fight reached 65 million views. What does it matter if, in many homes, the image just... froze?
Now, Variety reports that Netflix has been sued for technical issues during the broadcast. The lawsuit was filed by Ronald "Blue" Denton from Florida, who accuses the company of technical problems during the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight broadcast. Denton, a Netflix subscriber, filed a lawsuit in Florida state court, seeking compensation and class action status for other affected consumers.
The lawsuit accuses Netflix of breach of contract and unfair trade practices under Florida law. Denton claims that Netflix was "insufficiently prepared" for the high interest in the fight, and the broadcast was "unwatchable" due to technical issues. Netflix did not respond to a request for comment.
During the fight, which took place on 15 November, Netflix users complained on social media about frozen broadcasts. Despite the technical problems, the fight attracted an average of 108 million viewers worldwide, making it the "most-streamed sporting event ever," according to Netflix.
At the peak, the broadcast reached 65 million simultaneous streams, 38 million of which were in the U.S.
This is not the first time Netflix has faced technical issues during a live broadcast. In April 2023, the platform experienced delays during the "Love Is Blind" broadcast. According to the lawsuit, there were "over 100,000 people complaining online" about the Paul-Tyson fight broadcast issues.
