Netflix grows to almost 18% of peak UK internet traffic

Netflix accounted for 17.8 percent of downstream internet traffic in the UK and Ireland during peak viewing hours in the evening, according to research by Sandvine. This makes it the second-largest source of internet traffic during the period. Netflix's share of traffic is even higher in the US, due to the higher-bit rate HD quality there. The streaming service grew to 34.2 percent of traffic in peak hours in the first half of this year, from 31.6 percent in Sandvine's previous semi-annual report. Amazon Instant Video continues to gain share in the US as well, but still only accounts for 1.9 percent of downstream traffic. 

Sandvine's global report on internet phenomena is based on data from a selection of the over 250 communication service providers that use its equipment. The report also looked at data use on mobile networks and highlighted the growing use of OTT apps. According to the report, Snapchat generates more traffic than any other third-party messaging app on North American mobile networks. On an African mobile network where the majority of subscribers have talk and text plans, WhatsApp accounts for over 23 percent of traffic due to the introduction of a low-cost, unlimited access plan for the service. On several LTE networks in Asia, third-party messaging apps such as Line or WeChat are used by over 40 percent of mobile subscribers each hour. 

Twitch.TV, a live streaming service where video gamers watch each other play, has established itself among the top-15 applications on many fixed networks across the globe, and now generates more traffic than HBO Go on US networks. During the World Cup, live streaming of matches is predicted to account for over 40 percent of network traffic on some Latin American mobile networks.