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Netflix streaming quality is going back to normal for some Europeans (Update)
July 07, 2025
Update, August 19, 2025 (11:00 AM ET):Netflixis now supporting higher video streaming quality once again in at least parts of Europe.FlatPanelsHD.comreportsthat Netflix customers in Denmark, Norway, Germany, and other markets are now able to stream movies and TV shows at 4K HDR at up to a 15Mb/s bitrate, along with normal bitrates for HD content. Netflix confirmed to the site that it is working with European ISPs to increase streaming quality, saying that it added four times its normal streaming capacity in April.
Original article, June 18, 2025 (3:44PM ET):As thecoronavirusoutbreak has spread throughout Europe, many more people are being forced to stay at home. So what do you do when you are stuck inside with an internet connection? You start streamingNetflix, of course. That prospect has led to some concern that the internet infrastructure might not hold up with all that Netflix activity. Thankfully, that problem seems to have been resolved, at least for the next month.
The EU Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Bretonposted on Twitterearlier this week that he has had discussions with Netflix CEO Reed Hastings on the matter. Specifically, Breton requested to Hastings that Netflix switch its streams in Europe to SD video quality and resolution rather than the more popular HD resolution.Netflix’s own websitestates that each of its SD streams use about 1GB of data per hour. Each of its HD streams use 3GB of data per hour. Breton feels that all those folks stuck at home could overwhelm the internet, even as more people are using it to work from their house.
While that may solve the problems in Europe’s internet infrastructure, it’s possible that more use of Netflix in the US and other parts of the world could cause similar issues. Indeed, the streaming service already takes up over 12% of worldwide download traffic, according to areport from the research firm Sandvine.
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