YouTube, Netflix Claim 55% Of Total North American Downstream Internet Traffic

Sandvine has some new findings about just how popular YouTube and Netflix are with internet users. The networking technology company discovered the video sharing site and premium subscripotion service combined to use up 55% of all downstream internet traffic in North America during September and October 2015.

Netflix, which has regularly topped Sandvine’s findings as a traffic hog over the last few years, now claims over one-third of all peak internet traffic, spiking at 37.05% of total downstream bytes. YouTube’s share of traffic at 17.9% means Google’s online video site and Netflix take up about the aforementioned 55% of total internet traffic during peak times. Sandvine’s report discovered that overall, real-time entertainment (which involves both audio and video formats) is responsible for 70% of all downstream traffic in North America during peak periods (roughly defined as “evening hours”).

It’s interesting to note the traffic YouTube generates in North America, especially when compared to Facebook. While 17.9% of all downstream internet traffic may not seem like much, Sandvine notes this is roughly a 3.9% increase over YouTube’s stats from 2014. Facebook, despite hitting 8 billion video views a day, actually lost 0.5% of its internet traffic share this year, hitting only 2.5% compared to 2014’s 3% total share. Additionally, Facebook’s share of internet traffic was beat out by both Amazon and Hulu in 2015, as well.

You can learn more by downloading Sandvine’s “Global Internet Phenomena” report for free here.