Facebook has said it will also reduce video streaming quality on its platform and on Instagram in Europe, in the wake of similar action by Netflix and YouTube, Reuters reported. The move comes after European Commissioner Thierry Breton asked platforms to switch to SD from HD feeds, in order to conserve bandwidth for vital sectors and people working at home during the coronavirus outbreak. Amazon and Disney have also said they will downgrade their video quality.
"To help alleviate any potential network congestion, we will temporarily reduce bit rates for videos on Facebook and Instagram in Europe," a Facebook spokesperson said.
Netflix said in a statement that it started reducing bandwidth usage in Spain and Italy first and achieved a 25 percent reduction in network traffic. It's now rolling out the techniques to the rest of Europe this week. Customers will still receive their contracted resolution of SD, HD or UHD, but may experience a very small drop in video quality within that resolution.
