Netflix Reportedly Taking a 25% Hit in Viewing Due to Olympics

paidContent cites a network company study that reports a 25% drop in Netflix streaming viewing.

Forget Mad Men reruns. The individual mixed dressage events are on tonight!

As predicted by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings last week, interest in the London Olympic Games seems to be sapping away significant viewership on his streaming service.

A study issued Wednesday by Procera Networks, which sells packet sniffing gear to internet service providers — research first reported Wednesday by entertainment trade publication Variety – revealed that Netflix streaming traffic was down 25 percent on Sunday from normal levels.

No wonder Netflix on Twitter is recommending all kids of movie and TV show alternatives to the Olympics.

Are you watching Netflix streaming or the Olympics? 

Comments

[Retro Hound]

My kids are still streaming. Unfortunately, due to some family issues I'm not doing either, but I would be watching a lot of Olympics normally.

[CordCutter]

Got my father in law to hook us up with streaming olympic coverage. Besides having to pay for cable/sat to get the streaming (B.S. I payed $4 for NCAA tourney coverage online, I would pay more for olympic coverage but I WILL NOT sub to cable/sat to get it), the streaming is TERRIBLE. It buffers, it crashes adobe constantly. The website is a cluttered mess if you're trying to find a specific event to watch and for "every event streaming live online" according to NBC-Comcast it is laughable you can only watch 1 event at a time. ESPN3 has PiP or you can tile 4 events on your screen. So you can watch 1-4 events at a time... but not the olympics, Every Event Live Online is less convenient than a PiP TV.

[Riverside Guy]

Definitely Olympics cutting into NF streaming. AND I just discovered that Amazon Prime is streaming 2 TV series (B5 & Stargate Atlantis) I had been watching on NF streaming until they were pulled at the last minute leaving me high and dry (i.e. if I had known a ton earlier, I would/could have gotten them both in). Being abruptly cut off like that puts several nails in NF's coffin.

[Discostu]

I'm watching more Netflix this week as a bunch of my favorite shows opted not to compete with the Olympics so the DVR is pretty empty. I don't like any of the sports they play in summer.

[GeeEmm]

NF can't be surprised by this, and if it was unprepared for the usage slow down it has only itself to blame. The Olympics are huge and access to video coverage is limited. NF, on the other hand, can be watched anytime.

I agree with CordCutter about the messy, non-intuitive NBC site and am a bit peeved that event videos are NOT accessible indefinitely, although I have not had the issues with streaming that CC has had (I get a crisp, clear picture and only occasional buffering. Also can watch two events simultaneously - but ONLY if both are live, not viewed after the fact.) I do take issue with the US-centric coverage of the athletes and sports, though. There is no info provided for most countries. This is the world-wide Olympics, after all, not a US championship.

[CordCutter]

Gee, how are you accomplishing the 2 events? I have an HTPC hooked up to by TV and go full-screen with the Youtube window, I can't find any setting that will allow me to tile/do PiP. Curious, are you using a tablet or are you just going with 2 windows side by side (not fullscreen)?

The adobe crashing is irritating. I cut the cord, I use the crap out of my HTPC. I don't have any problems with any other sites.... and I visit a crap load. I've update/reinstalled it. Looked for Firefox updates, etc. Tried to cover all my grounds even though the issue is only with olympic streaming, none of my other couple of dozen sites I might hit have issues so I wasn't surprised I couldn't find a fix. Whenever it goes to a 15-second commercial during an event it kills adobe. 30 seconds are fine, commercials that pop up when you initially click on an event are fine. Really odd and annoying.

I agree with your America Centric viewpoint. Big Boxing fan here, I want to search out Cubans and other international fighters even if they're not fighting Americans. I've had better luck going to my boxing sites for schedules than using NBC's site.

[thisguy]

the Olympics are stupid and a waste of time

[Kayla Sonergoran]

I'm not watching Netflix streaming currently not because of the stupid olympics (don't know anyone who would willingly want to watch something so stupid). the reason i am not streaming netflix at the moment is because i am streaming content on Amazon Prime.

[Keiko]

I'm watching Netflix via streaming or DVD. I feel that I should watch the Olympics, but haven't yet.

[GeeEmm]

CordCutter, it's not a full-screen PIP arrangement, unfortunately, but a side-by-side view, with one prominent video and a smaller secondary screen to the right with the option to switch/toggle prominence between the two. But, I have only been able to use this feature when watching two concurrent live events. I can't get a second event to run when watching replays, even though the smaller video screen is present - it just stays inactive and 'washed out' no matter what I select.

Don't know why I get such consistent Olympic video streaming - it's much better than any NF video I try to watch. Just using my basic internet connection, which is nothing special, and making good use of the YouTube video quality settings.

I really wish that NBC, after shelling out huge bucks to be exclusive US host for the games, had made the effort to get (and provide) comprehensive info on all the sports and athletes competing this year. I am not normally a sports fan, but I really enjoy the Olympics. The competition is exciting, but what makes it spectacular is the fact that it brings so many cultures and individuals together in such a positive way. Without an international angle, the coverage often just feels flat. What a missed opportunity to broaden the average American's horizons . . .

[GeeEmm]

I should clarify that the two-video arrangement that I'm watching on nbcolympics is on the same page, not open in two windows. It's a pain, because you can't watch either in full screen without losing the second video. (I'm using a 15" laptop, so a PIP option would be much easier on the eyes. I know it's pretty common these days, but I don't know how people can comfortably watch video on their phones.)

[CordCutter]

Thanks for the clarification Gee... talking about glitches... Rau'Shee Warren fought today, first 3-time Olympian boxer from USA (all before too tempted by pro signing bonuses), I missed the fight because the stream would never load. Not on my laptop or HTPC, solid black screen. Got some crowd audio, that's it. He was the single biggest thing I was looking forward to following these olympics. NBC-Comcast proving why they're #4 yet again. What a joke.

[Billy bob]

Is it just me or does this sound like a joke. Netflix doesn't care if streaming is slow. They get paid by the monthly memberships not how many people are streaming at one time. This is seriously strange that we are talking about this like netflix is loosing in some way over this. LOL LOL LOl.