Featured Image Credit: CFOTO/Contributor / Al Bello/Staff / Getty
A Florida man is reportedly suing Netflix over the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson stream.
If the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight passed you by, seriously, where have you been? Even before we saw "The Problem Child" take on "Iron Mike", there had been slaps, trolling, and accusations of fixing, but that's nothing compared to what came after. With the 27-year-old YouTuber besting the 58-year-old former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world based on points, there's been plenty of uproar.
Still, with viewers amazed that Tyson went all eight rounds, and him already getting plenty of offers to return to the ring, we have a sneaky suspicion this isn't the end of his boxing career. Well, with him reportedly netting a cool $20 million, we don't blame him.
The November 15 match didn't quite go off without a hitch, and while some 60 million households tuned in to watch on Netflix, there were reports of stuttering streams and freezes. The streaming giant has since spoken out about the issues and promised to do better, but apparently, that's not enough for some.
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60 million households around the world tuned in live to watch Paul vs. Tyson!
— Netflix (@netflix) November 16, 2024
The boxing mega-event dominated social media, shattered records, and even had our buffering systems on the ropes. pic.twitter.com/kA8LjfAJSk
According to TMZ Sports, a Florida man called Ronald "Blue" Denton is trying to sue Netflix because he struggled to watch the stream. The site claims to have obtained court documents that puts Netflix in the firing line. Presumably because Denton pays a monthly subscription to Netflix, he'd expect some level of service.
Denton apparently says that he faced issues when he tried to tune in at 8pm ET but was “faced with legendary problems, including: no access, streaming glitches, and buffering issues.”
He's suing Netflix for an unknown amount, citing 'breach of contract' and other issues.
Despite Netflix acknowledging the issues, Paul has been taking it in his stride. After the match, he said: "We crashed the site. This is the biggest event."
It's been well-documented that there were issues on the night, with Downdetector reporting over 100,000 complaints logged during the fight. In particular, one moment saw the mics of boxing legend Evander Holyfield and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones cut off.
Netflix servers during the Mike Tyson - Jake Paul stream. pic.twitter.com/guK5PndLUQ
— Cabbie Richards (@Cabbie) November 16, 2024
There are questions about whether Netflix can get things sorted in time for Christmas, especially as Jones was there to promote the NFL's partnership with Netflix. There's a massive double-header coming on December 25, with the Kansas City Chiefs vs the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens vs the Houston Texans.
Howard Stern addressed the Paul vs Tyson issues on his radio show and looked ahead to the Christmas cracker: "You know, I don’t how this stuff works, but you gotta make sure it works. … But if you f**k up people’s football, there’s gonna be hell to pay."
The internet is awash with memes mocking the Netflix situation, but if the Denton case moves forward, it could set an unfortunate precedent for future server struggles.
UniladTech reached out to Netflix for comment but has not heard back at the time of publication
