Video websites in Europe reduce bitrates to ease the burden on broadband operators

During the epidemic prevention and control period, people around the world stayed at home for social isolation. People who could not go out turned to the Internet for work and entertainment. Streaming platforms including Netflix and YouTube were forced to limit the video quality in Europe, which never reduced the burden on broadband operators.

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"For the next 30 days, users in Europe will experience reduced quality when watching content," Ken Florance, Netflix's vice president of content delivery, said in a statement on Saturday.

"If you're a particular fan of HD video, you may notice a slight drop in video quality at each resolution," Florance added.

Google-owned YouTube confirmed that it is temporarily defaulting all video quality in the EU to "standard definition".

"We have committed to temporarily defaulting to standard definition for all traffic in the EU," Google CEO Sundar Pichai said following a meeting with YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki and EU Internet Markets Commissioner Thierry Breton.

Amazon officials similarly said they have taken action in Europe, and while the degradation of video quality has not yet affected the United States, they are closely monitoring the situation and are prepared to take action if requested by government agencies.

"Prime Video is working with local authorities and internet service providers to help alleviate any network congestion, including in Europe where we have already started efforts to reduce streaming bitrates while maintaining a great streaming experience for customers," the spokesperson said.

Disney's streaming service, Disney+, will temporarily reduce its overall bandwidth utilization by at least 25% starting Tuesday in all markets where it launches, Kevin Mayer, chairman of Walt Disney Co.'s direct-to-consumer and international businesses, said.