Canelo vs Crawford fight free live Netflix stream warning issued

Boxing fans have been warned they face being fined if they illegally live stream Canelo Alvarez's fight with Terence Crawford tonight.

Alvarez puts his four super-middleweight world titles on the line in Las Vegas while Crawford is stepping up two weight divisions to challenge the Mexican champion. Crawford himself is a two-time undisputed ruler and will become the first man to achieve the feat in three divisions if he beats Alvarez.

The fight will be streamed live on Netflix and will be the third boxing bout broadcast on the service over the last year. The streaming giant showed Jake Paul's farcical fight with Mike Tyson before broadcasting Katie Taylor's trilogy fight with Amanda Serrano two months ago.

Fans who want to tune in to the fight can do so at no extra cost, assuming they are already Netflix customers. This marks a move away from boxing's long-standing pay-per-view model which saw fans forced to fork out a one-off fee on top of their monthly subscription. But fans who are not already subscribed to Netflix have been warned they could be fined £1,000 if they obtain a stream from elsewhere.

"As live streaming becomes increasingly popular across major streaming platforms, UK viewers need to stay informed about TV licensing requirements, particularly for live broadcasts," said Daniel McAfee from Lawhive. "For standard, on-demand content such as TV series, films, or other non-live programming on Netflix, a TV licence is not required. However, once the platform offers a live broadcast, the legal landscape shifts significantly.

"Under UK law, any live television broadcast requires a valid TV licence, regardless of the streaming platform - this includes Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime. Even if the live broadcast appears on a subscription-based service that otherwise only offers on-demand content, the rule applies.

"The licensing law aims to cover all live broadcasts to ensure that live television, whether over-the-air or streamed digitally, is monitored and funded appropriately. The law is comprehensive and applies equally to internet-based live streams as it does to traditional television.

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"Penalties for watching live broadcasts without a valid TV licence are substantial. Individuals caught watching live content without a licence could face fines up to £1,000. Additionally, the Licensing Authority may prosecute, which can lead to a criminal record.

"TV licence enforcement officers are permitted to visit properties, but occupiers are under no legal obligation to grant them entry. Access to inspect for a valid licence requires either an injunction or a search warrant. Consequently, enforcement authorities increasingly rely on technology solutions, such as signal scanners and other tech-enabled tools, to detect potential evasion without requiring physical entry."