Video Streaming Makes Up 70% Of Broadband Use
In five years audio and video streaming services have risen from under 35% of online traffic to almost 80%.
The latest data from broadband internet traffic firm Sandvine confirms that audio and video and streaming makes up the vast majority of internet traffic. The top two applications for downstream data (downloaded to your computer) were Netflix and YouTube who, combined, make up over 50% of the downstream share.
YouTube made up 17.85% of downloaded data for a total share of 16.88% of broadband usage, when including upstream data. Netflix was the runaway lead taking up over third of downloads with a massive 37.05%, overall Netflix accounts for 34.70 of aggregated internet data traffic.
In a statement Sandvine CEO, Dave Caputo said: “Streaming Video has grown at such a rapid pace in North America that the leading service n 2015, Netflix, now has a greater share of traffic than all of streaming audio and video did five years ago. With Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Video, and Hulu increasing their share since our last report, it further underscores both the growing role these streaming services play in the lives of subscribers, and the need for service providers to have solutions to help deliver a quality experience when using them.”
On mobile the top ten applications look a bit different with YouTube topping the downstream data at 20.78% share. Interestingly with mobile traffic, video streaming overall makes up a much smaller percentage of broadband traffic despite YouTube’s rise. This is presumably due to YouTube’s diverse nature with videos ranging from a second to 24 hours and more, whereas you’re less likely to sit and watch a whole film on Netflix on your mobile.