By Todd Spangler
26.03.2020 - 14:07 / nme.com
The streaming service lowered its quality last week to deal with demand amid the coronavirus crisis
Netflix users across Europe are experiencing trouble connecting to the streaming service as demand surges amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Many millions are now working from home as social distancing rules become more strictly enforced by Governments across the continent, and it’s put a strain on both broadband providers and entertainment streaming services.
Last week, the EU urged Netflix and
By Todd Spangler
Netflix’s streaming service was experiencing widespread technical problems Wednesday, according to user reports and third-party monitoring services.
Streaming site has reduced customer support hours
Disney has joined other streamers in cooperating with the European Union to temporarily curtail bandwidth usage of Disney Plus for its scheduled launch next week in several countries during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
European government and regulatory bodies have authorized the European Union's telecom operators and internet service providers to apply exceptional measures, including the throttling of online speeds, to prevent network congestion amid increased demand as millions of Europeans are forced to stay home and use online collaboration and teleworking tools amid the coronavirus.
Google's YouTube said Friday that it has agreed to reduce its streaming quality in Europe, including the U.K., to standard definition for the next month to help avoid internet congestion amid the coronavirus pandemic. The move, in response to a request from EU Internal Market and Services Commissioner Thierry Breton, comes a day after Netflix unveiled a similar initiative.High definition streams require more online bandwidth, potentially causing broadband congestion during peak times.
Google's YouTube said Friday that it has agreed to reduce its streaming quality in Europe, including the U.K., to standard definition for the next month to help avoid internet congestion amid the coronavirus pandemic.
YouTube will limit streaming in European countries to standard-definition video by default, following a similar move by Netflix to curtail bandwidth usage across the continent amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Netflix is limiting streaming quality.
Netflix has agreed to temporarily reduce video quality of its streaming service in Europe, reducing bit rates for the next 30 days at the behest of the European Union in order to ease the load on internet networks in the region.
The coronavirus has yet another unforeseen impact. The European Union recently urged Netflix and other streaming platforms to only allow video streaming in standard definition — rather than high definition — to relieve some of the bandwidth strain during times of unprecedented usage as people are increasingly quarantined due to the spread of COVID-19.
Amid concerns that there could be a surge in online traffic driven by people forced to stay home amid the coronavirus crisis, a high-ranking member of the European Union has called on Netflix to do its part. EU Internal Market and Services Commissioner Thierry Breton has asked the streaming giant to limit streaming of its films and TV series to standard definition, not high definition, or HD, streams, which require more online bandwidth, at peak times.
Binge-watching might have to be in SD
A top European Union official called on Netflix and other streaming-video services to reduce video quality to standard-definition format — forgoing HD for now — so that internet networks don’t get overloaded during the COVID-19 pandemic.