By Joe Utichi Editor, AwardsLine Standard definition has become the streaming default for YouTube users in Europe, a day after Netflix announced that it too would be trimming bitrates.
The moves are a response to EU Commissioner Thierry Breton’s request Thursday that streaming platforms be mindful of the additional bandwidth demands as Europe faces lockdowns due to Coronavirus, and people work from home in increasing numbers.
Users will still be able to switch to HD streams manually on YouTube, but they will default to SD. A spokesperson said: “While we have seen only a few usage peaks, we have measures in place to automatically adjust our system to use less network capacity.
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