Netflix users given £1,000 warning as Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight confirmed

The hotly anticipated fight between YouTuber Jake Paul and boxer Anthony Joshua has officially been given the go-ahead for later this year.

Netflix confirmed the fight, which is set to be streamed live from Miami, Florida, at 8pm ET on 19 December, or technically 20 December here in the UK as it will be 1am GMT.

With the prize pot said to be around £140 million, it's no wonder Joshua has finally been convinced to go toe to toe with the social media personality turned boxer, in what is billed to be a professionally sanctioned fight.

"This isn’t an AI simulation. This is Judgment Day," said Paul in an official press release.

"A professional heavyweight fight against an elite world champion in his prime. When I beat Anthony Joshua, every doubt disappears, and no one can deny me the opportunity to fight for a world title.

The fight is confirmed for 19 December (Jake Paul/X)

"To all my haters, this is what you wanted. To the people of the United Kingdom, I am sorry. On Friday, December 19, under the lights in Miami, live globally only on Netflix, the torch gets passed and Britain’s Goliath gets put to sleep. I KNOWWWW YOU GOT EM PICKED HAHAHHA."

But while millions of people all over the world are expected to tune into the sporting event, a stark warning has been issued to Netflix streamers who will be staying up to watch Jake vs. Joshua: Judgement Day live.

The only way to watch the fight will be on Netflix, which will require a subscription, and the fight itself will not cost anything extra on top of the monthly fee.

Jake Paul has been trying to get Anthony Joshua in the ring for years (Dave Benett/Getty Images for BGC Group)

However, those tuning in from the UK will have to be careful to avoid breaking the law and landing themselves a very costly punishment.

That's because in the UK, the law states you must hold a TV licence to watch any kind of live television, including via apps like iPlayer, ITVX and Netflix.

If you were to get caught breaking that rule, you could be hit with a fine of up to £1,000.

The cheapest Netflix subscription, which comes with ads, is only £5.99, with a standard account costing £12.99 and premium hiking up to £18.99 for the added benefits of having four simultaneous streams, Ultra HD, HDR, and spatial audio quality.

Meanwhile, a licence fee will set you back £174.50 per household, so if you live with family or friends, you will only need the one between you. However, if you live in rented accommodation where you have your own individual tenancy, each tenancy holder in the property will be required to have their own TV licence.