Streaming services account for 70% of America’s broadband usage

Streaming video and audio services such as Netflix and iTunes now make up more than 70 percent of Americans’ Internet use during peak evening hours, a new report has found. Netflix alone occupies 37 percent of the Internet that comes into customers homes, while YouTube —which recently began efforts to introduce streaming media with its YouTube Red service — makes up nearly 18 percent, according to a survey by the broadband network company Sandvine. That’s likely no surprise to many avid binge-watchers, who have increasingly abandoned traditional cable TV in favor of often lower-cost streaming media services. But it points to a changing definition of the role of the Internet — once thought of as a provider mainly of Web browsing and e-mail services, it’s increasingly become a way for people to access a wider variety of media. It also appears many consumers are more willing to pay for that content, avoiding both the additional complications and potential legal issues often associated with peer-to-peer file-sharing, which first became popular in the early 2000s, particularly on college campuses.