Amazon and Apple become the latest companies to reduce streaming quality

Just yesterday we reported on Netflix’s decision to reduce the streaming quality in Europe to reduce the load on the internet. Immediately after Netflix, YouTube also dropped its streaming quality in Europe.

Now, both Amazon and Apple have confirmed that they too will be reducing the quality to reduce the strain on the internet.

We support the need for careful management of telecom services to ensure they can handle the increased internet demand with so many people now at home full-time due to Covid-19. Prime Video is working with local authorities and internet service providers  where needed to help mitigate any network congestion.

– Amazon spokesperson (via The Guardian)

Amazon currently has over 150 million subscribers worldwide so the company is monitoring the usage in other countries as well and will take necessary actions if required. As of now, the reduced quality is only applicable in Europe and not in other countries.

Apple has also decided to reduce the streaming quality on Apple TV Plus in Europe. The change was first spotted by 9to5Mac who noted a reduction in video quality that was “very noticeable.”

The situation is expected to worsen as more and more companies are asking users to work from home which has increased the strain on broadband. According to Nielsen, people staying in homes “can lead to almost a 60% increase in the amount of content we watch in some cases and potentially more depending on the reasons.” This combined with people using services like Zoom for meetings and even studies can have an adverse effect on the broadband speeds.