By: Sean Crose
No doubt you have either heard about – or have actually experienced – the faulty live stream Netflix provided for last week’s massive Mike Tyson – Jake Paul novelty bout. The complaints have essentially been twofold – first, that the action on the screen would randomly pause for buffering, and, second, that the stream would simply not allow would-be viewers to see the action. This isn’t the first time live streams have come up short (Floyd Mayweather’s novelty bout with Jake’s brother, Logan comes to mind). Now, however, Netflix faces the loss of a considerable amount of money rather than receiving kudos for hosting such an enormous event.
Per The Hollywood Reporter: “A Florida resident alleges Netflix was ‘woefully ill-prepared’ for the nine-figure global audience that tuned in to the bout. The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages on behalf of subscribers who had trouble watching the fight, brings claims for breach of contract and violations of Florida laws surrounding deceptive trade practices and consumer protection.” Whether or not the lawsuit goes anywhere remains to be seen. It certainly adds to Netflix’ black eye, however. This is rather sad, since Netflix was clearly able to bring in a lot of eyeballs for the event last Friday night in Texas.
The card itself was hit and miss, with many viewers ending up disappointed by Tyson’s lackluster, but totally expected performance. The truth was that the 58 year old boxing legend no longer had what it took to best the likes of Paul, a man around thirty years Tyson’s junior. Those hoping for the Tyson of old were set up for a disappointing evening. On the other hand, the undercard was excellent, presenting the kinds of fights that could well bring in new fans. Katie Taylor’s second battle with Amanda Serrano, for instance, was literally an instant classic that sometimes was actually reminiscent of the legendary Hagler-Hearns war.
Yet it wasn’t the fights themselves that brought about Netflix being sued. “Netflix customers experienced massive streaming issues,” The Hollywood Reporter quotes the complaint as stating, “and should have known better because it’s happened before.” The Dallas ABC affiliate, WFAA is reporting the lawsuit will be for fifty million dollars, no small sum. Perhaps one positive element to the story is the likelihood that Netflix wouldn’t have been sued had there not been so many people trying to tune in to watch the Tyson-Paul. Tyson may not be the fighter he once was, but he clearly still possesses first rate drawing power.