The Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak has kept people indoors. This has led to a significant increase in Internet usage as people stream movies, play games, and try to figure out other ways to pass the time, and according to CNN, in order to reduce the strain on its infrastructure, Netflix has agreed to reduce the bit rate of all streaming in the European Union for the next 30 days, which will result in lower quality. Netflix has agreed to lower the bitrate of all streaming in the European Union (EU) for the next 30 days and, as a result, lower the quality as well.

The decision was in response to a request from EU authorities, who also asked Netflix users in European countries to stop watching the high-definition stream to reduce the load.EU Commissioner Thierry Breton said in a statement, "During the fight against the spread of viruses, All have a joint responsibility to take measures to ensure the smooth functioning of the Internet."

"We welcome the very swift action taken by Netflix to ensure the smooth functioning of the Internet while maintaining a good user experience during the Covid-19 crisis," Breton said.

According to a Netflix representative, the company will not simply eliminate HD and 4K streams, but will lower the bit rate of all streams, reducing bandwidth usage by about 25%. While some users may notice a "perceptible reduction in video quality" as a result of this reduction, the rep said, it will ensure "good quality service for our members."

Streaming video can consume huge amounts of bandwidth in a very hurry: according to Netflix's website, streaming in standard definition consumes about 700 MB per hour per device, compared to up to 3 GB per hour for HD streams, Ultra HD consumes 7 GB per hour. According to a 2019 report by network analyst firm Sandvine, video streaming accounts for more than 60% of "total global downstream volume," with Netflix alone accounting for 12.6% of downstream data volume in the first half of 2019.

No announcement has yet been made as to whether Netflix will reduce bitrates in the US. We have emailed the company and will update if we hear back.