Netflix, Amazon Prime To Take Measures To Meet Rising Demand Amid COVID-19 Lockdown

Mobile internet traffic has increased by 20 per cent amid lockdowns to contain COVID-19 as people are forced to stay indoors, according to a report in The Print.

Video streaming giant Netflix on Tuesday said it will reduce traffic load on telecommunications networks by 25 per cent while maintaining the quality of service for users in India.

“Given the crisis, we’ve developed a way to reduce Netflix’s traffic on telecommunications networks by 25 per cent while also maintaining the quality of our service. So consumers should continue to get the quality that comes with their plan: whether it’s Ultra-High, High or Standard Definition,” Netflix VP Content Delivery Ken Florance said in a statement.

This measure, which has been applied in Europe and other places, will be used in India for the next 30 days, he added.

In India, however, Netflix has significant subscribers in the mobile plan which streams at Standard Definition, the lowest video quality for Netflix.

Amazon Prime Video is temporarily lowering bit rates to mitigate network congestion amid the coronavirus pandemic. Lowering bit rates lowers video and audio quality.

The Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI) has asked the government to issue restrictions for these platforms in order to ease pressure on the telecom networks.

Hotstar too is reportedly considering lowering bitrate if the need arises.