YouTube Follows Netflix in Reducing Streaming Quality in EU

Yesterday, Netflix announced its decision to reduce streaming quality in Europe to ease internet congestion, after a member of the European Commission reached out to the streaming service with concerns about the increased strain on the internet recently.

Today, YouTube became the second company to act. YouTube announced today that it will reduce streaming quality in the EU to ease internet strain as many Europeans are spending more time at home, working remotely during the day and streaming videos in the evenings, according to a report from Reuters.

Reportedly, EU industry chief Thierry Breton spoke to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, urging them to make the move.

“We are making a commitment to temporarily switch all traffic in the EU to standard definition by default,” the company said in a statement.

We don’t know yet whether streaming platforms will make the same decision to reduce streaming bit rates in the US or elsewhere around the world.

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