Broadband News

Plusnet reveals impact of Netflix streaming

Friday 20 January, 2012

By Duncan Heaney

Plusnet data indicates that Netflix is an initial success.

Two weeks ago, movie and television streaming service Netflix arrived in the UK. Data from Plusnet indicates that, initially at least, the launch has been a success.

The broadband provider has revealed that there has been a significant rise in data traffic from customers using Netflix, and that the streaming service already accounts for more than 60Mb of its overall bandwidth. Although that’s not a massive chunk, it’s still impressive for a service that’s not even a month old.

According to Plusnet, data traffic is increasing day on day too. The broadband provider revealed that the total number of its customers accessing Netflix peaked on the day of launch, but despite a drop in individual users, the volume of traffic from the service is increasing every day.

Plusnet’s conclusion: “A lot of people clearly like what they’re seeing.”

Netflix at its lowest quality setting will consume 0.3GB of data an hour, and needs a minimum connection speed of 0.5Mb. Streaming high-definition (HD) content will guzzle up to 2.3GB of data and requires at least 5Mb broadband. LOVEFiLM, Netflix’s closest direct competitor in the UK, demands a minimum connection speed of 2Mb for streaming services.

In a blog post, Plusnet’s Chris Parr emphasised these high data demands, and noted the increasing importance of fast connections and generous data usage limits for people using streaming services.

He writes: “If you’re streaming or downloading content through Netflix or LOVEFiLM, you’re probably best to opt for fast broadband speeds and a generous monthly data allowance. Or, at least, to work out how many films you can view a month without going over your limit, and only watch that number, so you’re not charged extra for excess data.”

While Plusnet’s statistics are promising for Netflix, lasting success is not yet assured. Early adopters are still enjoying a free month’s subscription, after which the price goes up to £5.99.

Some have criticised Netflix's limited selection of content, and LOVEFiLM recently lowered its price to £4.99. The next few months will be critical for Netflix, and it will be interesting to see if usage continues to increase or settles down.