Netflix Reduces Video Streaming Quality Across Europe to Prevent Strain on Internet Networks

[Tsing]

Image: Netflix



Netflix has decided to cut its streaming bit rates for European subscribers by 25 percent over the next 30 days. The decision was prompted by EU commissioner Thierry Breton, who warned Reed Hastings – Netflix’s CEO – of his service’s adverse effect on internet networks, which are under heavy strain due to the coronavirus.



Important phone conversation with @ReedHastings, CEO of @NetflixTo beat #COVID19, we #StayAtHomeTeleworking & streaming help a lot but infrastructures might be in strain. To secure Internet access for all...

Continue reading...

 

[Grimlakin]

I was just discussing this. With everyone being told to effectively shelter in place slowly... we will see a severe uptick in Netflix and other traffic clogging the internet. I'm surprised it wasn't pornhub announcing this first.

 

[Zarathustra]

I still don't understand why the likes of Netflix and Steam haven't embraced the peer to peer model to reduce network load. It just seems lazy to me.

Seems pretty likely that someone in your neighborhood might be binging the same show as you are. Why fetch everything from the mothershio again, if that data is already local?

 

[Brian_B]

I still don't understand why the likes of Netflix and Steam haven't embraced the peer to peer model to reduce net work load. It just seems lazy to me.

Seems pretty likely that someone in your neighborhood might be bringing the same show as you are. Why fetch everything from the mothershio again, if that data is already local?

Netflix uses a huge network of CDNs, so yeah, the data is already probably fairly local and on a high bandwidth trunk

 

[Brian_B]

My first question is - why is it on Netflix to degrade their service? Don’t they have, if not exactly an obligation, a business interest, in delivering the highest quality product they can to their customers?

Shouldnt it be on (in this order)
A: the customer to voluntarily step down their quality in order to be a good neighbor (this requires Netflix to have the tools to do so - I do fault NF for that)
B: the ISPs and backbone providers to implement or adjust their QOS policies
C: rather than degrading streaming I’d much rather see Netflix lean on preloading / downloading. If you want higher quality but don’t have the bandwidth, just let it precache for a bit, or queue up a few movies and let them trickle down.