Netflix uses more internet bandwidth during peak hours than Hulu, YouTube, and Amazon combined


Sandvine, a Canadian bandwidth management company, found that during primetime hours, Netflix streaming accounts for 36.5 percent of downstream internet bandwidth.
Meanwhile, all of Netflix's competitors combined still don't match that figure. During the same time period, YouTube accounted for 15.6 percent of downstream internet traffic, and just two percent was used for Amazon Instant Video and 1.9 percent for Hulu.
Sandvine measured bandwidth usage during primetime hours in North America in March. Netflix increased its primetime bandwidth usage since Sandvine's fall report, when Netflix video accounted for 34.5 percent of primetime bandwidth.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
Will the new grooming gangs inquiry achieve anything?
Today's Big Question Critics point to a previous inquiry's still-unfulfilled list of recommendations
-
Iran's allies in the Middle East and around the world
The Explainer Tehran will look to Middle East proxies and other authoritarian 'Crink' states for backing in its war with Israel
-
Crossword: June 17, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores