Netflix celebrates a decade of Open Connect for smooth streaming

It has been a decade since Netflix launched its Open Connect programme, an infrastructure that efficiently delivers quality entertainment to it members — no matter where they are around the world or what device they’re watching on — in partnership with internet service providers (ISPs) worldwide.

It was in 2012 that Netflix premiered Lilyhammer, its first original series, and expanded to Europe, launching in the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

Even in the early days of streaming, with 2.4 billion internet users worldwide and rapidly ballooning, it was clear that easy and flexible access to high-quality entertainment over the internet was soon going to become the norm. In anticipation of this growing demand from consumers and in line with our long-term vision of entertaining the world, we knew we had to invest in our own global content delivery network — and that’s how the Open Connect programme was born,” said Gina Haspilaire, Vice President, Open Connect Partnerships and Planning Content Delivery, Netflix.

How does it work

Every time a member presses play, Netflix want them to have the best possible viewing experience with high definition and no lag. It builds and installs servers close to where its members are, so Netflix’s shows and films are streamed from nearby, not from halfway around the world. To date, the streamer has 18,000 servers in 6,000 locations (and growing) across 175 countries. This reduces the load on networks, reducing traffic and costs for operators all around the world, which allows the streamer to smoothly deliver fan-favorites like Red Notice and Bridgerton seamlessly to members.

Open Connect is built to collaborate with ISP partners around the globe. When the streamer anticipates high streaming demand for popular content, Open Connect identifies the most efficient delivery route based on ISPs preferences, and ensures that the show or film is available on local servers ahead of time. So, even when demand is at its highest, members can be assured that they can access must-watch series like Squid Game and Stranger Things and join in real-time conversations around these global hits.

“This helps our ISP partners avoid paying extra fees for delivering content from a further distance. We estimate that in 2021 alone, the programme helped ISPs to avoid $1.25 billion in spend, allowing the growing demand from consumers to be handled sustainably without having to build out additional network infrastructure over time. Additionally, our improved video compression technology means that Netflix now delivers content at half the bitrate of five years ago, lessening the load on all our networks,” said Gina Haspilaire.

“Netflix continues to invest in must-watch, fan-favorite series and films, and we hope to see network improvements that meets consumer demands and that the internet remains open and free without tolls on content usage online — so that people can continue to enjoy great stories from around the world,” she adds.