A class action lawsuit has been initiated in Hillsborough County, as discontent brews over a promised spectacle that turned into a technological debacle. Ronald "Blue" Denton leads the charge against Netflix for what many experienced as a substandard live stream during the much-anticipated fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. In a lawsuit filed on Monday, WFLA reports that Denton accused Netflix of breach of contract and engaging in unfair, deceptive actions.
Anticipation had swelled to watch Tyson, known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet," take on the YouTuber-turned-prizefighter. However, viewers were left grappling with a stream that "60 million Americans were hyped to see," but which, according to the lawsuit, failed to fully deliver on the live viewing experience. Netflix, facing the lawsuit's claims of an "unwatchable" event, had reportedly no comment on the issue, according to a statement obtained by FOX59. Reports of "over 100,000 people complaining online" were cited in the complaint, highlighting the widespread dissatisfaction.
While the lawsuit alleges that boxing enthusiasts and casual fans alike were served an evening of frustrations, including "no access, streaming glitches, and buffering issues," details emerge of the broader context. Downdetector, a real-time service outage tracker, noted at least 98,000 outage reports during the eventful night. Yet, WTSP highlighted the plaintiff's frustrations post event, with Denton allegedly having to "bite their gloves" in dismay as the fight's stream faltered repeatedly.
Moreover, this is not the first instance of Netflix stumbling in the live-stream arena—the complaint references past issues, like those that occurred during the "Love Is Blind" live reunion in 2023. The streaming platform is slated to quickly try and redeem itself with another live event: a double-header NFL game on Christmas Day featuring a halftime performance by Beyoncé.
