Arcep has published a study on the French Internet. According to the document, Netflix generates more than 20% of French Internet traffic. Far behind is Google, which generates nearly 13%. Akamai and Facebook follow. Between them, they represent half of the traffic in France.

These figures date from the end of 2020. Find out more about internet and Netflix use in France below.

Arcep (the French regulator dedicated to the Internet, telecommunications, and postal services) published this week a study on the state of the French web. A study of around a hundred pages dealing with the improvement of networks, the shortage of IPv4 addresses, Net neutrality, and the environmental impact of digital technology. One of the chapters of this study deals with the interconnection of data. That is to say the traffic entering and leaving France.

In this chapter, you will find a very interesting table on the distribution of French traffic according to the services used. The figures are dated the end of 2020. The first service used in France in terms of volume is Netflix. This is not a surprise, because it has been the case for several years. The streaming service generates just over 20%.

Netflix generates 20% of French traffic and stays ahead of Google netflix france

And that’s a surprise. Why?

Because this percentage is down compared to the previous year. It was 24% in 2019 ( + 1% compared to 23% generated in 2018 ). And that seems very surprising given the success of the platform, whether in France, as in the world. Netflix announced earlier in the year to have achieved its best audience figures at the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021. What could explain this drop? We have several hypotheses.

The first is linked to the 2019 lockdowns: like many content services, Netflix has restricted the bandwidth of its streams to ease the pressure on Internet networks (and give priority to remote collaborative work tools). This certainly had an impact, even if the short-time workers consumed more.

The second hypothesis is the increase in general Internet traffic in France. If Netflix’s traffic increases less quickly than that of the Internet (still video communication tools to work or stay in contact with relatives), the percentage of the streaming service may drop. It can also be a combination of the two.

Google, Facebook, Netflix and Akamai account for 50% of traffic

The four services that generate the most traffic in France are still the same: Netflix, followed far behind by Google (around 13% ), Akamai and Facebook. Between them, they generate half of it, quite simply. This figure is also declining: it was 55% in 2019 and 53% in 2018 . In the top 20, you also find Amazon, Twitch, Canal +, Microsoft and Apple.

You also find a lot of Akamai’s competitors, “CDNs” whose role is to “cache” regularly requested content. If a file is often consulted, it is duplicated on a local server, to be accessible there more easily and more quickly. This is the role of Akamai and the CDNs. The Arcep study explains that Disney + is not present in the ranking, because its service is duplicated there. netflix france

Netflix France offered several plans:

1. Essential plan: One screen at a time in standard definition.
2. Standard plan: Two screens at a time in high definition (HD).
3. Premium plan: Four screens at a time in HD and ultra HD.

However, Netflix prices vary by country and can change over time due to factors like inflation or changes in the market. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, please visit the Netflix France website or app directly.