Netflix to not reduce video-streaming quality in India amid coronavirus

Cellular Operator Association of India (COAI), who had reached said to the Department of Telecom (DOT) sending a letter that streaming players like Hotstar, Netflix and Alt Balaji should lower their video quality so that internet service providers can continue to offer high-speed internet to their users in the country.

While Netflix has said that it will manage bandwidth consumption without affecting the streaming quality for its users.

These changes are being made as the country looks to manage its existing internet bandwidth to support people working from home as the country faces a major lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"Given the crisis, we've developed a way to reduce Netflix's traffic on telecommunications networks by 25 percent while also maintaining the quality of our service. So consumers should continue to get the quality that comes with their plan - whether it's Ultra-High, High or Standard Definition, "said Ken Florance, Vice President of content delivery, Netflix.

Steps suggested by COAI:

• Reduce streaming quality from HD (720 pixels) to SD (480 pixels) for users.
• Replace pop-up ads with information messages about the virus.
• Other technical measures to reduce the load on the internet.

Amazon Prime Video is making the necessary changes at its end to meet the demand. Whereas, Zee5 is also adhering to the changes, which are being deployed on the backend to support lower streaming quality to save data usage.

"We understand Indian audience's data consumption pattern and have initiated measures to restrict the streams being delivered on any device at the player level, which will ensure the existing bandwidth is not overstretched," said Tarun Katial, CEO, ZEE5 India.

These changes surely leave the users to complain, especially when they are paying a premium to get better service. For instance, an HD quality plan on Netflix costs Rs 650 per month so it will be uneasy for the subscribers to compromise.