Streaming giant Netflix Inc (NASDAQ: NFLX) could be facing several lawsuits after shattering records from its highly anticipated boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, which saw Paul named the victor via unanimous decision.
What Happened: Netflix had a problem that most streamers would love to have on Friday. The company had so many people trying to watch its live boxing event that the site was crashing for viewers around the world.
While the good problem to have could mean a boost in subscribers for the current fourth quarter and a boost to advertising revenue from its ad-supported customers, Netflix is facing at least one lawsuit over tech hiccups.
A lawsuit has been filed in Florida by Netflix customer Ronald "Blue" Denton, as reported by Fox News. The lawsuit alleges "breach of contract" by Netflix and was first reported by TMZ.
Netflix said the fight was watched by more than 108 million viewers globally to become the "most-streamed sporting event ever," while also acknowledging the tech difficulties that some customers had. The event peaked at 65 million concurrent households in the U.S. watching with an estimated 56% of all U.S. TV traffic from 12 a.m. ET to 1 a.m. ET watching the Netflix fight.
"This unprecedented scale created many technical challenges, which the launch team tackled brilliantly by prioritizing stability of the stream for the majority of viewers," Netflix executive Elizabeth Stone said.
Stone said the event was "a huge success," while acknowledging there was room for improvement.
The hashtag #NetflixCrash trended on social media platform X Friday and more than one million people around the world, from 50 countries, reported issues with their stream according to DownDetector.
TechCrunch said 11 p.m. ET was the peak time for issues, and around 530,000 U.S. customers reported issues with their stream.
The class action lawsuit asks for unspecified damages. It will be interesting to see if other subscribers join the fight against Netflix.
Benzinga reached out to Netflix for comment and will update the story accordingly.
Why It's Important: While Netflix faces at least one lawsuit over the live boxing event, the company and others could be on the hook for more depending on any lawyers or subscribers who want to take on larger corporations.
Unlike the last fight Tyson took part in, which was an exhibition, his fight with Paul was sanctioned and sportsbooks took bets on the match.
With huge amounts wagered on the fight and the match ending in a draw that looked at times like Paul wasn't going 100%, there could be potential lawsuits against the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), Netflix, and other parties.
"It wouldn't shock me one bit to see a lawsuit filed on this fight," Sports attorney Dan Lust of Moritt Hock & Hamroff told the New York Post.
Paul's comments after the fight could even make a lawsuit more of a reality with the younger boxer and winner of the match saying he "didn't want to hurt someone that didn't need to be hurt."
Paul admitted to taking his foot off the pedal saying that he "wanted to give the fans a show."
"I could just tell that his age was showing a little bit and I just have so much respect for him and that violence, war thing between us ... kind of went away as the rounds went on," Paul added.
Lust, who is also a Law Professor at new York Law School, said the betting lines saw more action on a knockout to be the fight outcome than other outcomes like the ultimate winning bet of a decision.
"Paul taking bows and not fighting to the last minute, the optics are just odd," Lust added.
Lust said he would not be shocked if there was a class action lawsuit concerning the outcome of the fight and Paul not going 100%.
"It's not on me to form one, but I wouldn't be surprised to see one."
Lust said that while lawsuits against sportsbooks don't typically win, the fact that Paul and Tyson wouldn't get paid unless they fought, despite Tyson's later disclosed injuries from earlier in the year, could add to a more likely favorable outcome for bettors suing.
The current class action lawsuit and potential for more suits comes as Netflix has a quick turnaround to make sure its tech can handle huge viewership for live events again next month.
Netflix is set to stream two NFL games on Christmas Day with matchups between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers and between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. The streaming company recently announced that Beyoncé will perform during halftime of the Ravens and Texans game.
The Chiefs have dominated television ratings for NFL games this season, being involved in four of the five most-watched 2024 games. The combination of the Chiefs playing in the first game and a halftime show from Beyoncé could see strong viewership for Netflix live events in the future.
NFLX Price Action: Netflix stock is up 1.05% to $880.46 on Wednesday versus a 52-week trading range of $445.73 to $890.60. Netflix stock is up 87% year-to-date in 2024.