Netflix yesterday reduced its streaming quality by 25 percent under pressure from the EU Commission in order to reduce the amount of network traffic within Europe. Now other services are following suit.
In the course of reporting on Netflix I already noted this morning that other services could also reduce their streaming quality. Now this has happened. The Corona crisis is currently causing a state of emergency worldwide. While students have to learn from home, employees are forced to work remotely. It is somehow clear that more and more people are turning to streaming services. However, this is causing internet problems. The EU Commission sees only one solution - reduce the streaming quality to reduce network load. After Netflix, other companies are now following suit. According to Reuters, YouTube has now followed suit. This is what the report:
YouTube said on Friday it will reduce its streaming quality in the European Union to avoid straining the internet as thousands of Europeans confined by the coronavirus outbreak move to telecommuting and watching videos at home.
YouTube is the second company, after Netflix, to act after EU industry chief Thierry Breton called on streaming platforms to reduce the quality of their videos to prevent an internet shutdown. Videos make up a significant part of internet traffic data.
The move came after Breton spoke with Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki. He said he had only seen a few spikes in usage so far, but decided to act to minimize the strain on the system."
In addition to Netflix and YouTube, Amazon has now also confirmed that it is throttling Prime Video. The press release states:
Prime Video works with local authorities and Internet service providers where necessary to help reduce network congestion, including in Europe where we have already started reducing bitrates for streaming while ensuring a high-quality streaming experience for our customers.
It is not yet known whether there will be a reduction in streaming quality in other parts of the world. What do you think about this? Write it to us in the comments. (Photo by AndreyPopov / Bigstockphoto)
