A disgruntled Netflix subscriber has filed a lawsuit against the streaming giant following a glitchy livestream of the much-anticipated boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. Ronald “Blue” Denton, a Hillsborough County, Florida resident, claims that Netflix’s technical failures made the event “unwatchable.”
The lawsuit, filed in Florida state court on Monday, seeks unspecified damages and class-action status for other affected consumers, alleging breach of contract and deceptive trade practices under Florida law, as reported by WFLA-TV.
Denton’s complaint asserts that Netflix was “woefully ill-prepared” for the high demand surrounding the Paul-Tyson fight, leading to widespread problems during the livestream.
On the night of the match, November 15, numerous customers took to social media to voice their frustrations about frozen video feeds and persistent buffering issues.
Despite these technical hiccups, the Paul-Tyson event drew an impressive average minute audience of 108 million live viewers globally, a figure that Netflix touted as making it the “most-streamed global sporting event ever.”
The fight saw a peak of 65 million concurrent streams and 38 million in the U.S. alone. Denton highlighted the irony in his lawsuit, noting, “60 million Americans were hyped to see ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson, ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ versus YouTuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul. What they saw was ‘The Baddest Streaming on the Planet.’”
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This isn’t the first time Netflix has faced scrutiny over its live streaming capabilities. In April 2023, the platform experienced significant delays during its first major live event, a “Love Is Blind” reunion, which aired 19 hours late due to technical issues. Denton pointed out that customers have previously experienced similar streaming problems, raising questions about the company’s preparedness for high-demand events.
The lawsuit claims that over 100,000 viewers complained online about the streaming issues during the Paul-Tyson match, leaving boxing fans and casual viewers alike frustrated by the lack of access and ongoing glitches. “Instead of providing the programming its viewers pay for every month, Netflix was completely unprepared and unable to fix the issues,” the lawsuit states.
In the fight itself, held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Jake Paul emerged victorious against Mike Tyson after eight rounds, winning by unanimous decision.
