Netflix Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over Streaming Chaos During Mike Tyson Vs. Jake Paul Fight
Al Bello/Getty Images for Netflix © 2024
Netflix is facing a class action lawsuit over the platform’s streaming chaos that unfolded during last week’s live boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul.
Subscribers are prepared to file a class action lawsuit after being plagued by continuous buffering and cashing issues that resulted in viewers missing portions of the fight between Tyson and Paul, according to a report by Hollywood Reporter.
The fight became the most widely-viewed sporting event ever on Netflix, with 108 million people watching around the world. Tens of thousands of subscribers, however, reported problems with the streaming service.
During the boxing match, Netflix was slammed by viewers on social media, where “NetflixBroken,” “unwatchable” and “#buffering” trended on X. For some, the live event even paused on Tyson’s bare buttocks, adding further chaos to the experience.
“Netflix customers experienced massive streaming issues and should have known better because it’s happened before,” the complaint filed Monday in Florida state court reads.
The lawsuit is reportedly seeking unspecified damages on behalf of subscribers who were unable to watch parts of the fight, sparking breach of contract claims and allegations of violations of Florida laws involving deceptive trade practices and consumer protection.
The complaint also cites Netflix declining to offer refunds or discounts as a result of the debacle.
“Instead of providing the programming its viewers pay for every month, Netflix was completely unprepared and unable to fix the issues,” the lawsuit reads, adding that the streaming platform had failed “to fulfill contractual obligations” as the company “continued billing for services not delivered.”
Before the match, after being asked if the streaming giant was prepared for the slew of viewers tuning in, Gabe Spritzer, Vice President of Netflix’s sports division, told Hollywood Reporter, “On the tech side, everyone is excited and prepared.”
Fight promoter Nakisa Bidarian also chimed in, claiming he was confident that Netflix’s “servers are going to be up for it.”
But by 8:00 p.m. EST, Netflix subscribers began reporting streaming issues, according to Down Detector, which monitors service outages. About three hours later, approximately 97,000 reports were documented.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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