Austin McBroom responds to Battle of the Platforms pay lawsuit
YouTube: The ACE FamilyYouTuber Austin McBroom from the ACE Family has explained what’s going on behind the TikTokers vs. YouTubers pay dispute, after streaming partner LiveXLive had a lawsuit filed against them by event organizers.
At the June 12 YouTubers vs. TikTokers fight at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, it was Austin McBroom who managed to take home the ultimate win of the night in his bout against TikToker Bryce Hall.
Although the event was hugely popular, in the weeks following it has been somewhat overshadowed by a dispute over pay, with fighters like Vinnie Hacker claiming they have yet to receive money from the event.
On July 21, event organizers Simply Greatness Productions (SGP,) who reportedly operate Social Gloves, filed a lawsuit against streaming partner LiveXLive, claiming that the company failed to turn over proceeds from the event.
YouTube: The ACE Family / Bryce HallIt has been alleged that McBroom owns Social Gloves, after it was discovered that his company Ace Hat Collection Inc owns the trademark, however, the YouTuber has not spoken widely about the extent of his involvement until now.
In an interview with paparazzi on July 24, Austin responded to the situation and gave some background on the dispute.
After acknowledging the lawsuit against LiveXLive, the influencer set out to dispel rumors that have been circulating about the situation. He denied claims that Social Gloves has gone bankrupt, saying he thinks they made $3 or $4 million just from in-person attendees alone.
He went on to confirm that fighters have not yet been paid, including himself, due to LiveXLive withholding funds, claiming “they have not paid Social Gloves one penny.”
Austin reiterated that “no one really knows” how many pay-per-view sales they made, with rumored numbers ranging from 100k to 2 million. He added that fighters will be paid before the next event.
“It’s unfortunate because all these fighters deserve what they’re owed,” he said. “Everyone worked their asses off, every fighter including myself. We worked our asses off for the last three or four months. And for LiveXLive to hold on to the funds and act like the event wasn’t a success—and the crazy thing is, they’re gonna act like the numbers were low, but now they’re jacking my idea and doing their own event in the next two months. That doesn’t make any sense to me.”
He went on to allege that LiveXLive tried to claim the UK only brought in 5000 PPV sales, saying it “doesn’t make any sense” when UK-based creators like Deji and AnEsonGib were involved in the event.
It looks like the lawsuit is set to drag out the dispute even longer, as fighters and artists await a resolution.