- The European Union has asked Netflix to downgrade the quality of its video streams to SD to reduce the strain on networks.
- More people in the EU are staying at home because of the coronavirus, and they’re consuming more content online whether it’s due to working from home, schoolwork, or entertainment.
- Netflix isn’t the only service seeing a surge in activity, with Facebook’s WhatsApp and Messenger seeing more than double their usual levels of traffic.
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UPDATE: Netflix has agreed to reduce the quality of its streaming content in Europe to help reduce the strain on networks in the region. “Following the discussions between Commissioner Thierry Breton and Reed Hastings — and given the extraordinary challenges raised by the coronavirus — Netflix has decided to begin reducing bit rates across all our streams in Europe for 30 days,” a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement.
EARLIER: Governments around the world have been declaring national emergencies and instituting various types of measures meant to enforce social distancing because medical systems need time to deal with the potentially massive influx of COVID-19 patients. Treatment is possible but might require intensive care for some patients, including access to ventilators to help with breathing. It turns out that having too many people isolating themselves at home may have an unexpected side effect, at least in the European Union. Authorities have already asked Netflix to reduce movie streaming quality because networks are under increased strain. While you may be annoyed to see your 4K or Full HD streams downgraded to SD quality, the EU’s request has a silver lining in it that might not be immediately obvious.
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EU wants Netflix to downgrade its streaming quality, and that’s fantastic news originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 19 Mar 2020 at 15:02:53 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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