Netflix Lowers European Streaming Quality to Ease Internet Strain During Pandemic
Netflix reduces video bitrates across Europe for 30 days to prevent coronavirus-related surges in viewership from overwhelming internet infrastructure. The change cuts network traffic by approximately 25 percent.
Millions of people across Europe are staying home to combat the coronavirus pandemic, leading to a massive surge in Netflix viewership. This unprecedented demand puts a heavy burden on regional internet infrastructure, prompting urgent discussions between European officials and Netflix leadership.
In response to these concerns, Netflix temporarily lowers video bitrates across all European accounts for a period of 30 days. The company estimates that this reduction decreases network traffic by roughly 25 percent, though it does not specify exactly how much the visual quality drops or whether users can manually override the change.
European Commissioner Thierry Breton publicly urges citizens to switch to standard definition when high definition is not strictly necessary. While Netflix already adjusts streaming quality based on available bandwidth, this new measure goes further to ensure stable internet access for everyone, and similar actions could follow in other regions if infrastructure strain continues.