Netflix says it is reducing the streaming quality of its service in Europe for the next 30 days.
The move is aimed at reducing the strain on internet service providers during the coronavirus crisis.
Demand for streaming has increased as people stay at home.
Neflix says lowering the picture quality will reduce data consumption by 25%, but viewers will still enjoy a "good quality service".
Earlier, the EU had warned that a spike in people watching Netflix due to the pandemic was putting Europe’s broadband network under strain.
The bloc’s Internal Market and Services Commissioner Thierry Breton raised the issue with Netflix CEO Reed Hastings by phone yesterday.
With an increasing number of people working or staying at home, the European Commission has called on users to act responsibility as domestic broadband connections are only designed to cope with evening surges in traffic.
In a statement quoted by Variety, Netflix said: “Following the discussions between Commissioner Thierry Breton and Reed Hastings - and given the extraordinary challenges raised by the coronavirus - Netflix has decided to begin reducing bit rates across all our streams in Europe for 30 days.
"We estimate that this will reduce Netflix traffic on European networks by around 25% while also ensuring a good quality service for our members.”
