Netflix, Amazon Prime And Other OTT Platforms Restrict High Definition Streaming During COVID-19 Shutdown
The country was not ready for this huge number of people working from home, bringing a serious strain on internet bandwidth. Earlier, the Cellular Operations Association of India had asked the platforms to stop high definition video facilities. OTT platforms listened.
The world is on its feet to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Many of the cities across the globe have gone into a shutdown. India is on a nationwide shutdown for the next three weeks. Tables have turned, and extensive work from home is the actually being called for. But the country was not ready for this huge number of people working from home, bringing a serious strain on the internet bandwidth. The strain on the internet is like never before, it has been pushed to its limit. Earlier, the Cellular Operations Association of India had asked the platforms, including YouTube, to stop high definition video facilities. Their request stems from the increasing pressure of India's internet bandwidth. Now, to help, OTT platforms listened.
Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar and other such streaming services will not be providing high-quality videos on the cellular network during the lockdown. Videos have been restricted their streaming qualities to Standard Definition. Netflix Sees An All-Time High In Traffic During COVID-19 Pandemic, Shares Shoot Up By 8.4 Percent.
Prime issue a statement: "While you continue to enjoy shows and movies on Amazon Prime Video, we wanted to let you know of a change we are making to do our part to ensure everyone across the country has continued access to internet services on their mobile phones,"
"Due to current exceptional circumstances, we will be temporarily restricting streaming to only SD (Standard Definition) on cellular networks until April 14, as part of a larger digital media industry initiative to reduce strain on the network. In HD or SD, we remain committed to entertain you. Please stay safe," the statement concluded.
Netflix has reduced traffic over Indian telecom networks by 25% over the next 30 days, the company said in a statement. The company took similar moves in Europe, after the telco's requests.
According to experts, you can use 3GB of data for one hour of streaming in HD quality. In SD, the data consumption can be brought down to 1GB.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 25, 2020 05:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).