'Baddest streaming on the planet': Florida man sues Netflix over Jake Paul, Mike Tyson fight
A Florida man is suing Netflix over streaming issues during the fight between boxing legend Mike Tyson and former YouTube star Jake Paul.
The class-action lawsuit was filed in Hillsborough County, Florida, on Monday by a man named Ronald “Blue” Denton, who is alleging a breach of contract and accusing Netflix of deception, saying users faced an “unwatchable” livestream on Nov. 15.
The lawsuit, obtained by USA TODAY on Wednesday, accuses the streamer of providing a substandard experience during an event that was expected to draw high viewership.
“Sixty 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,'” the lawsuit says.
Netflix did not immediately return USA TODAY's request for comment Wednesday.
Hundreds of thousands of complaints
The lawsuit also alleged that more than 100,000 people complained of problems online.
“Boxing fans, along with the average Americans wanting to see a legend in what would most likely be his last fight, were faced with legendary problems, including no access, streaming glitches and buffering issues,” the lawsuit said.
During the fight, buffering issues plagued the watching experience for some viewers, USA TODAY reported. Moreover, as the night progressed, screen quality became an issue for other viewers at home.
The issues did not stop at the lack of quality of watching for viewers as people at home were shown a little too much. A sudden view of Tyson’s backside was shown to viewers at home following an interview inside of his locker room.
Tens of millions tuned in to the fight
According to figures from Netflix, the main fight between Tyson and Paul drew in more than 108 million viewers around the world in what they called the “most-streamed sporting event ever.”
The broadcast reached 65 million concurrency households in the United States, making up 56% of all viewership in the country. Although it has been touted as an astronomical success by the streaming giant, the lawsuit alleges otherwise.
It alleges viewers “did not get what they bargained for" as they missed part or all of the fight.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.