It was predicted to happen eventually – a new study by global research firm Sandvine has announced, for the first time ever, Netflix over YouTube in worldwide internet traffic.
The information comes alongside the unsurprising news that streaming and short-form video are driving the rise in internet usage across the globe. How much of a raise? 23 percent overall in traffic. Sandvine also said there were six companies responsible for all Internet traffic in general.
These companies include Facebook, Amazon, Google, Apple, Netflix, and Microsoft. Google and Netflix share the highest numbers. Sandvine Chief Solutions Officer Samir Marwaha explained that COVID played a big role in changing the status quo.
“After the historic internet traffic increases driven by COVID in 2020 and 2021, it seems that the ‘new normal’ in application usage and volumes is here to stay. The acceleration of digitalization led to increased reliance on applications and a rapid evolution towards more sophisticated apps that combine multiple functions and features.”
Video is the main driving force in this equation. According to the company’s findings, video grew 24 percent last year and now accounts for 65 percent of all traffic on the Internet. Netflix generates the most traffic, a niche previously occupied by YouTube. Apps like TikTok, Disney Plus and Hulu are also in the top ten of most traffic generators.
“Video is almost to the point where it can no longer be considered a category on its own, as it is now essential to conferencing, gaming, social networking, messaging, and almost every application that is to drive interaction and communication,” Marwaha said.
This is good news for Netflix, a company that has had quite a few growth issues in the past year. Time will tell if this is a temporary boon for the company or something that will last in the long run.
