Coronavirus: After Netflix, YouTube will also reduce the quality of its streaming video to relieve the internet

Coronavirus: After Netflix, YouTube will also reduce the quality of its streaming video to relieve the internet

     Netflix and youtube have decided to voluntarily lower the quality of its video streams in Europe for a period of 30 days, by reducing the "bit rate", i.e. the amount of digital data sent per second (between 8 and 18 Mbit/s for HD for example).

     The aim is to drastically reduce the traffic generated by home-bound users.

     The tech giants are taking steps to prevent networks from being overloaded, while Internet use explodes during this period of containment, which concerns more and more countries.

     Netflix said on Thursday 19 March that it would reduce the quality of its video streaming in Europe for 30 days.

     This Friday, it's YouTube's turn to announce that its player will automatically switch to standard resolution when you watch a video, according to Reuters.

     This measure concerns the entire European Union as well as the United Kingdom, for a period of 30 days.

     The decision (and that of Netflix) comes after EU Commissioner Thierry Breton called on video streaming giants to reduce their bandwidth consumption in order to preserve the Internet.

     "In times of containment with COVID-19, teleworking and streaming are very useful, but the infrastructure can be put under severe strain," the former France Telecom CEO tweeted on Thursday, following a phone conversation with Netflix CEO Reed Hastings.

     "We estimate that this will reduce Netflix traffic on European networks by approximately 25% while ensuring good quality for our users," Netflix said in a release.

     "I warmly welcome the initiative that Google has taken to preserve the proper functioning of the Internet during the COVID-19 crisis," reacted this Friday Thierry Breton, quoted by Reuters.

     The measure does not seem, at the time of writing, by still applied. When it will be, it should still be possible to switch back to high definition if you wish, by clicking on the cogwheel at the bottom of the YouTube player, then on "quality".