Netflix's online video streaming service set a new record. The company, which is headquartered in Los Gatos, California, United States, has gained more than 1 billion downloads on the Google Play Store, as quoted from GSM Arena, Monday (3/8/22).
The achievement of this figure far exceeds similar streaming services, such as Amazon Prime which is still at 100 million to 500 million downloads, followed by Hulu with 50 million to 100 million downloads. Then there is HBO Go which is still lagging behind, having only been downloaded about five million times.
This record high number of downloads cannot be separated from the Covid-19 pandemic, because many people are now doing more activities at home, such as Work From Home (WFH), and don't miss watching shows and movies through video streaming applications, including Netflix.
Even in March, Netflix took the initiative to lower the quality of its video streaming in Europe. The goal is none other than to prevent traffic spikes and reduce internet bandwidth.
The move was taken after the European Union's Head of Industry, Thierry Breton, summoned a number of video streaming service providers and asked them to reduce the burden on internet infrastructure due to policies during the pandemic.
Not only Netflix, other video streaming service providers are also taking similar steps, including YouTube, Disney Plus, and Amazon Prime Video.
Even so, Netflix seems to be facing stiff resistance from the Disney Plus streaming service. The reason is, even though it has not been even a year since it was released, this service has been downloaded more than 10 million times.
Netflix is an on-demand video streaming service that can be accessed through a number of devices such as smartphones, smartTVs, tablets, PCs, and laptops.
Since its founding in 1997, Netflix has been a pioneer in providing online movie rental services. At that time, Netflix accommodated the most comprehensive movie archives with the most operating territories.
However, as internet penetration increases, similar video streaming services are now emerging.