NeuLion, UFC settle on compensation for Mayweather-McGregor viewers

A settlement has been hammered out by lawyers for Plainview streaming company NeuLion Inc., the UFC and the pay-per-view purchasers who faced technical problems while trying to view the Mayweather-McGregor fight in August, according to court documents.

The deal, which settles a class-action suit and requires final approval by the U.S. District Court in Nevada, comes about a month after NeuLion agreed to be acquired by Endeavor, a closely held Beverly Hills entertainment company, for $250 million cash.

Endeavor also owns Las Vegas-based UFC, also known as the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The agreement provides tiered refunds ranging from $25 for those who missed a portion of the preliminary bouts to $99.99 for fans who missed more than 5 minutes of the main bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor.

The settlement also provides one to three months of free access to UFC Fight Pass or a $5 cash payment as compensation for viewing party expenses. Compensation for party expenses would be available to all purchasers, including those who had received earlier refunds from UFC and NeuLion.

Lawyers representing UFC, NeuLion and streaming purchasers declined to speak on the record, citing clauses in the settlement agreement.

Some of the roughly 275,000 streaming viewers of the Mayweather-McGregor bout in the United States suffered outages after buying access on the UFC.TV website, the UFC mobile app, Apple TV, Microsoft Xbox, Amazon Fire TV and other devices.

That technical issue prompted bout sponsor UFC and NeuLion to begin offering refunds soon after the event to almost 100,000 viewers.

Purchasers have until June 8 to raise objections to the agreement, and the court is scheduled to rule on final approval in July. The deadline to submit claim forms is Aug. 20.

The boxing match lasted 10 rounds as Mayweather Jr. defeated mixed martial artist McGregor on a technical knockout.

Talk of a rematch has circulated in the media.