Where can you watch the Tyson vs Paul fight and do you need a TV Licence?

The fight will take place in the early hours of Saturday morning. Credit: AP

One of the biggest fights in a generation and, certainly one of the most lucrative, is set to take place this evening as former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson will come out of retirement to take on Youtuber Jake Paul.

The long-delayed match will see the 58-year-old take on the internet celebrity turned-boxer fight at the AT&T Stadium in Texas on Friday night.

Millions of people are expected to tune in from around the world to watch the fight with Netflix having arranged the fight and live streaming it on their platform.

But for UK viewers it might be a bit more difficult to watch.

When is the fight?

If you want to watch the fight live in the UK you're going to need to be prepared to stay up very late on Friday or have an extremely early start on Saturday.

Mike Tyson has come out of retirement for the fight. Credit: AP

Although the live stream will start at 8pm Eastern Time (1am in the UK) with several pre-headline fights, Paul and Tyson are not expected to enter the ring until 11pm ET or 4am GMT on Saturday.

How can I watch it?

If you have a standard Netflix subscription you can watch the fight live, this is a considerable steal when compared to most high-profile boxing matches that can have steep upfront pay-per-view costs.

Do I need a TV Licence to watch it?

In this instance, yes because it is a live stream.

In the UK you do not need a TV license to watch a normal Netflix show or any other programme from a streaming platform. But because the Tyson vs Paul fight is being broadcast live, the law changes.

Jake Paul practicing ahead of the match. Credit: AP

Under UK law any live television broadcast requires a TV Licence, regardless of what platform it is streamed on.

The same is true for watching live football on Sky Sports, for example. Those who breach the law around live broadcasts can face a fine of up to £1,000.

When asked to comment on if you need a TV Licence to watch the fight a TV Licensing spokesperson said: "A TV Licence is needed to watch live content on streaming services, watch or record a TV programme on any channel and when using BBC iPlayer."

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