The BBC has announced it is to stop streaming content on iPlayer in Ultra High Definition to help ease the pressure on the internet.
A BBC spokesperson said, “BBC iPlayer makes programmes available at different video quality levels, adapting to the amount of bandwidth available and the device being used – so we will automatically reduce the data used if networks are congested.
“As a precautionary measure, we will no longer make programmes on BBC iPlayer available in Ultra High-Definition. We will keep the situation under review and are in contact with the relevant organisations to determine if and when further action might be required.”
The decision follows the call from the European Broadcasting Union for its members to adapt the bitrates on the VoD services in order to reduce capacity on both mobile and fixed networks.
The BBC is the first of the UK’s broadcasters to reduce its capacity, while the likes of Netflix, Disney Plus, YouTube and Amazon have all reduced their content resolutions over the past week.
