A new report from Sandvine revealed some startling numbers about the way people use the internet between the hours of 9 p.m. and 12 a.m. on any given night.
According to Sandvine's latest research, some 65 percent of all web traffic during those peak hours is devoted to streaming services.
Even more impressive is the fact that Netflix accounts for 33 percent of all streaming traffic during that same time frame in North America.
Other streaming services like Amazon (1.8 percent), Hulu (1.4 percent) and HBO Go (0.5 percent) just can't compete with the performance of Netflix.
With half of all streaming devoted to Netflix, it's no wonder the service has reportedly drawn buyout interest from Microsoft in recent weeks.
Exponential growth
Sandvine's report wasn't just limited to North American results, detailing some impressive global stats as well.
YouTube is big in Europe, with the online video network garnering 20 percent of all peak-time bandwith.
Asia's mobile growth has increased 10 percent in the last six months alone, with the average user downloading 659MB of data.
Of course that number pales in comparison to the North American growth rate, which has increased 120 percent in the past year.
"With a 120 percent growth rate there is no doubt that more communications service providers will be launching application-based pricing plans that provide cost certainty and a consistent quality of experience for high-demand applications," said Sandvine CEO David Caputo.
Given the amount of web traffic devoted to streaming, Sandvine expects its analysis to provide a better understanding of future streaming services and streamed events, including what Caputo believes will be the most streamed event ever.
"Sandvine's video quality metrics, including display and transport quality, will be key to understanding the impact of major events like the 2014 World Cup, which will likely be the most streamed event in internet history," Caputo said.
The data was culled from Sandvine's 200-plus users, and paints an intriguing picture of how the internet is used around the world.
It will be interesting to see just how these services continue to grow in the future as more and more consumers adopt smartphones and tablets capable of streaming on the go.
Via Sandvine
