
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Two unnamed players from Netflix’s “Squid Game: The Challenge” are threatening to sue the streaming giant and the game show’s producers over claims they experienced hypothermia and nerve damage while shooting the show, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://deadline.com/2023/11/squid-game-the-challenge-contestants-threaten-injury-lawsuit-1235635675/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Deadline</a>, which cited British personal injuries firm Express Solicitors.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Express Solicitors said in a statement the contestants are seeking compensation for the alleged injuries suffered while filming in the U.K. early this year.</p>



<p>The injuries were allegedly sustained while the contestants played the “Red Light, Green Light” game, which tasks players with crossing a field of play and having to suddenly stop their advances anytime an announcer says “red light.”</p>



<p>Express Solicitors told Deadline the contestants were left with injuries “after spending time being stuck in painful stress positions in cold temperatures.”</p>



<p>The lawsuit threat comes several months after Netflix acknowledged that three players required medical attention while filming at a former Royal Air Force base in Bedford.</p>



<p>A spokesperson for the show confirmed to Deadline that no lawsuit has been filed by any of the contestants.</p>



<p>Express Solicitors did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>$4.56 million. That’s the cash prize for the show, which currently has five out of 10 episodes out on Netflix and will be won by one of its 456 contestants.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>“We have sent letters of claim on behalf of contestants injured in this show,” Daniel Slade, chief executive officer at Express Solicitors, said in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.expresssolicitors.co.uk/blog/express-solicitors-in-the-news#news1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a statement</a>. “From what we’ve been told they pushed the boundaries of safety in the name of entertainment.”</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>The show’s contestants called out the show this year in an interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/2023/tv/global/netflix-squid-game-reality-show-frozen-inhumane-welfare-1235511809/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Variety</a>, saying the shooting conditions were “absolutely inhumane and had nothing to do with the game.” Contestants weren’t paid to participate in the show and were reportedly told the shoot would take about two hours to complete, though some players participated for nearly seven hours. The shoot also took place during a cold snap in the U.K., when temperatures dropped to 32 degrees fahrenheit and contestants collapsed, according to Variety, which reported cold and fatigue had hit players who dealt with eight hours of prep time before the game started. The game show is based on the South Korean dystopian drama, Squid Game, which raked in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnet.com/culture/entertainment/netflix-squid-game-is-even-bigger-than-you-thought-2-billion-hours-big/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">more than 1.5 billion&nbsp;</a>of streaming hours from users and became one of Netflix’s most popular shows of all time.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://deadline.com/2023/11/squid-game-the-challenge-contestants-threaten-injury-lawsuit-1235635675/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ Contestants Threaten Lawsuit After Claiming They Suffered Hypothermia &amp; Nerve Damage During Filming</a>&nbsp;(Deadline)</p>



<p><a href="https://variety.com/2023/tv/global/netflix-squid-game-reality-show-frozen-inhumane-welfare-1235511809/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Inside Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ Reality Show Disaster: ‘The Conditions Were Absolutely Inhumane’</a> (Variety)</p>


Opening Of Gamescom In Cologne

‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ Players Threaten Netflix With Lawsuit Over Alleged Injuries


<p>TOPLINE South Korean internet service provider SK Broadband sued Netflix, the company announced on Friday, alleging that the streaming platform’s popular show <em>Squid Game</em> caused a surge in network traffic, a move that comes after lawmakers and courts in the country have called on content providers to pay network usage.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>SK Broadband is demanding Netflix pay for the costs of increased network traffic and maintenance work caused by a large amount of bandwidth used by viewers of its popular show&nbsp;<em>Squid Game</em>&nbsp;Reuters&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/skorea-broadband-firm-sues-netflix-after-traffic-surge-squid-game-2021-10-01/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<p>In its lawsuit, the internet provider&nbsp;<a href="https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20210930005400320?section=search" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;traffic from Netflix on its network has risen from 50 Gigabits per second (Gbps) in May 2018 to 1,200 Gbps as of September 2021.</p>



<p>In response, Netflix has said it will review SK Broadband&#8217;s claim and in the meantime, it intends to work with the internet provider to ensure customers are not affected.</p>



<p>Netflix is the second biggest network traffic generator in South Korea after Google’s streaming platform Youtube, but unlike Amazon, Apple and Facebook both companies do not pay network usage fees to SK Broadband.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>SK’s suit comes after a Seoul court ruled against Netflix earlier this year stating that the company should “reasonably” pay something to the internet service provider for network usage. Several lawmakers in the country have also spoken out against online platforms that do not pay a network usage fee despite using high bandwidth. In July, Netflix appealed against the court ruling, arguing that it has no obligation to pay any fees as internet service providers are responsible for managing their networks. On Wednesday, Netflix&nbsp;<a href="https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20210929005900315?section=search" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">issued a statement</a>&nbsp;claiming it has contributed to the creation of about 16,000 jobs in South Korea stemming from its investments of about ₩770 billion ($651 million) which has led to an economic effect worth 5.6 trillion won (US$4.7 billion).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>In 2020, South Korean lawmakers passed an&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=45417" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">amendment</a>&nbsp;to the country’s Telecommunications Business Act that effectively holds content providers like Netflix and YouTube liable to network issues stemming from high consumption of their content. Several experts have argued that the law violates the principle of net neutrality. Net Neutrality is a key principle of the open internet that prevents internet service providers from discriminating against certain types of data. Advocates of the principle&nbsp;<a href="https://www.medianama.com/2020/08/223-net-neutrality-south-korea/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">claim</a>&nbsp;that Korea’s policy only serves to hamper smaller content providers as larger providers will simply be able to pay internet service providers for a more seamless service.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/skorea-broadband-firm-sues-netflix-after-traffic-surge-squid-game-2021-10-01/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">S.Korea broadband firm sues Netflix after traffic surge from &#8216;Squid Game&#8217;</a>&nbsp;(Reuters)</p>



<p><a href="https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20210930005400320" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Netflix says its investment has created economic effect worth 5.6 tln won in S. Korea</a>&nbsp;(Yonhap News)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.medianama.com/2020/08/223-net-neutrality-south-korea/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">How Bad Policy Led South Korea Into A Net Neutrality Nightmare</a> (Medianama)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Tag: Squid Games

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ Players Threaten Netflix With Lawsuit Over Alleged Injuries

Netflix Sued By South Korean Internet Provider After ‘Squid Game’ Causes Traffic Surge