Netflix has been sued over a “breach of contract” stemming from the buffering and glitches viewers experienced during the broadcast of Jake Paul’s win over Mike Tyson.
On Friday night at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, Paul took on iconic heavyweight Tyson – who made his first appearance in a professional boxing contest in 19 years – over eight rounds. The fight went the distance, with the younger Paul clinching victory on the judge’s scorecards.
Tyson managed to win the first two rounds, but Paul found his rhythm while the former world heavyweight champion appeared to run out of steam. Boos rained down from the crowd as neither fighter made much effort to do anything as the clock ran down on the two-minute rounds.
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Meanwhile, the co-main event saw Katie Taylor clash with Amanda Serrano in a thriller that became the most-watched professional women’s sports event in U.S. history as 74 million viewers tuned in. But the event broadcast was deeply affected by buffering issues that began during the Mario Barrios-Abel Ramos bout and only increased as the card played out.
As a result, Florida resident Ronald “Blue” Denton filed a class-action lawsuit against Netflix, accusing the streaming giant of a “breach of contract” over the constant glitches, according to court documents obtained by TMZ. Netflix acknowledged the poor streaming quality in a statement released Monday.
“This unprecedented scale created many technical challenges, which the launch team tackled brilliantly by prioritizing stability of the stream for the majority of viewers,” read the statement by Netflix executive Elizabeth Stone. “I’m sure many of you have seen the chatter in the press and on social media about the quality issues.
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Jake Paul defeated 58-year-old Mike Tyson in a fight that has been derided on social media (
Getty Images for Netflix © 2024)
“We don’t want to dismiss the poor experience of some members and know we have room for improvement but still consider this event a huge success.”
Throughout the night, Detector reported that at least 85,000 viewers reported problems. One moment that stood out was when boxing legend Evander Holyfield and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had their mics cut out while discussing fights, especially when the 82-year-old was also talking about the NFL’s partnership with Netflix.
On his radio show, legendary announcer Howard Stern warned Netflix that they must improve. He said: “You know, I don’t how this stuff works, but you gotta make sure it works… But if you f— up people’s football, there’s gonna be hell to pay.”
Netflix also revealed that the event drew 108 million viewers globally, making it the most streamed sporting event in history. Netflix must seek to improve its service before streaming an NFL debut doubleheader on Christmas with games between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers followed by the clash between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans.
