Back to All News
What the Latest Research on Streaming Emissions Tells Us
Emma Stewart, Ph.D.
Netflix Sustainability Officer
Daniel Schien, Ph.D.
Senior Lecturer of Computer Science at University of Bristol
Social Impact
29 March 2023
Global
Link copied to clipboard
In 2021, Carbon Trust, one of the world's most trusted think tanks on product carbon footprinting, produced a white paper called Carbon Impacts of Video Streaming. With input from the International Energy Agency, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, University of Bristol, and data from BBC, BT, Ericsson, ITV, NENT, Netflix and Sky, they concluded that the average carbon footprint of streaming one hour of video is significantly lower than some had assumed1, roughly equivalent to three boils of an electric kettle in the UK (more here).
While the Carbon Trust study helped answer the trending question back in 2021, "how much does video streaming impact the environment?" it didn't answer the next logical question, "what should we do about that environmental impact?" That question is of utmost importance to the four industries that contribute to the lifecycle emissions of internet-based services like streaming: 1) data center operators, 2) internet service providers, 3) device manufacturers, and 4) electric utilities. Decarbonizing internet services requires concerted efforts across all four industries, especially device manufacturers, as the Carbon Trust study showed that devices within the home drive almost 90% of emissions2.
To enable evidence-based policymaking, DIMPACT.org worked with its academic advisors Dr. Daniel Schien, Dr. Jonathan Koomey, Jens Malmodin, along with companies including BT, Orange, TalkTalk, BBC, Spotify and Netflix3 to produce a new Literature Review and Policy Principles for Streaming and Digital Media Carbon Footprinting.
Summary of Key Takeaways from DIMPACT's Literature Review1. The energy consumption of data centers and networks is currently about 2-3% of global electricity consumption, driving 0.6% of total GHG emissions. We are committed as a sector to work across the value chain to reduce these emissions because climate change has reached such crisis proportions, and thus calls for an "all-of-society approach" (UN Environment Programme). This will likely be achieved in part through the enabling effect of ICT4 to drive decarbonization of carbon-intensive industries (e.g. smart technologies and control systems to minimize industrial and built environment emissions, real-time load balancing to maximize renewables use on grids, smart mobility and logistics, etc.)
2. Two industries in this value chain are seeing particularly rapid decarbonization due to an intense focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Data centers: The latest research shows that the energy intensity of global data centers has decreased by 20% annually since 2010, a notable improvement compared with recent annual efficiency gains in other major demand sectors (e.g., aviation and industry), which are an order of magnitude lower5.
Internet service providers: ISPs are making significant energy efficiency and decarbonization progress; T-Mobile, Vodafone Europe, and BT Group already operate on 100% renewable energy, and their relative energy consumption per network demand is decreasing6. This decoupling of data traffic demand and energy is already evident to researchers. For example, BT Group's energy consumption ( 90% from network operations) has reduced on average by 1.5% per year over the past five years, despite increases in data traffic7. In France, the French Federation of Telecoms reported a doubling of data traffic between 2015 and 2019 without growth of energy consumption.
3. The latest research shows that governments can help maximize the emissions reductions benefits in the digital sector by focusing on four principles:
Principle 1: Expand access to shared, contemporary data that is no more than 1-2 years old and which does not compromise competitive and proprietary information.
Principle 2: Ensure appropriate modeling for decision making through continued research to avoid oversimplified and biased results.
Principle 3: Institute energy efficiency requirements for devices and infrastructure (TVs, data centers, internet networks, home devices, etc.)
Principle 4: Prioritize broad availability of Low Carbon and Renewable Energy for companies that operate large-scale infrastructure (data centers and internet networks) and for consumers since most streaming emissions come from inside the home.
Looking ahead, Netflix remains committed to reducing our carbon footprint - which stems primarily from the making of film & television (see annual ESG reports here) - and to spurring the value chain of internet-based services at the speed prescribed by climate science.
1 GHG accounting, life cycle analysis, and digital sector modeling, are each complex topics that require deep expertise. 2 Carbon Trust, "Carbon Impact of Video Streaming," 2021 (Table 4, page 52) 3 Thirteen companies plus five leading academics listed in the DIMPACT paper. 4 Analysis by the Climate Group showed that the enabling effects of ICT may outweigh its direct carbon emissions. 5 E. Masanet, A. Shehabi, N. Lei, S. Smith, J. Koomey, Recalibrating global data center energy-use estimates, Science Magazine, 2020 6 BT 2022 blog, T-Mobile 2021 report (p56), Telefonica website and 2022 report. 7 DIMPACT analysis of the ESG Addendum to the BT Group plc Manifesto Report 2022 8 Etude Economique 2021: Les T l coms
North America Stories
26/03/2026
Extron and Audio-Technica have announced that their Design Solutions devices, Ce...
26/03/2026
SPORTEL Asia took place March 24-25 at the Orchard Hotel Singapore, drawing 370 participants representing more than 220 companies from 35 countries. Approximate...
26/03/2026
LTN will demonstrate satellite-to-IP migration solutions for broadcasters, cable networks, MVPDs, and station groups at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2100).
The C-Ban...
26/03/2026
The Seattle Mariners have partnered with Daktronics to install an upgraded outfi...
26/03/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) has awarded National Team Partner status to organizations and individuals across more than 100 countries and territories for the Esp...
26/03/2026
Telestream has announced expanded integration between its Vantage workflow platf...
26/03/2026
FOR-A Corporation has announced a partnership with Nippon TV and NVIDIA to distr...
26/03/2026
CBS Sports and the WNBA have expanded their partnership through a new long-term, multiplatform rights agreement. CBS Sports will feature up to 20 regular-season...
26/03/2026
Zac Brown Band will star in the Sunday Night Baseball show open on NBC and Peacock, NBC Sports announced. The open was filmed at American Family Field, home of ...
26/03/2026
Major League Baseball opens the 2026 season with nationally televised games across multiple media partners. Fans can visit MLB.com/Watch for a complete schedule...
26/03/2026
DIRECTV has announced an agreement to carry nine new MLB-operated team channels, covering the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers (Detroit SportsNet), Kansas City R...
26/03/2026
Nationals.TV, the Washington Nationals' local broadcast channel, is now avai...
26/03/2026
Starting Thursday, March 26, MLB.TV will be available on the ESPN App, giving fans access to more than 2,000 out-of-market regular season games. Fans can also r...
26/03/2026
By Matt Klein
Hello to everyone reading this - whether you're a current YEP, HPA member, or just YEP-curious. I'm Matt Klein, one of the co-chairs of t...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
28 participating companies, from start-ups to blue-chips, lead the UK Group as part of the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland presence across all the Halls at N...
26/03/2026
Arkona Unveils BLADE//planner and Major Usability Enhancements at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
New graphical configuration tool and...
26/03/2026
Bitfocus showcases complete control at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
Continuing development drives advances in security, availa...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Nevion introduces powerful new Panel Builder to enhance VideoIPath broadcast con...
26/03/2026
2026 Oscar Nominated Films Powered by Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton March 25, 2026
0 Comments
DaVinci Resolve Studio used on 27 of this year's no...
26/03/2026
Leader to present full suite of advanced Test & Measurement solutions at NAB Sho...
26/03/2026
Boston Conservatory to Present New England and Collegiate Premiere of Groundbrea...
26/03/2026
Back to All News
Have a Wish Worth Dying For? Netflix's First Korean YA Hor...
26/03/2026
Back to All News
The Truthers, Starring Jose Coronado and St phanie Magnin, Pre...
26/03/2026
Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...
26/03/2026
That gaming backlog won't clear itself - GeForce NOW is here to help. Stream the latest titles straight from the cloud across a variety of devices.
This we...
25/03/2026
Live match directors Sarah Cheadle (Sky Sports), Rob Levi (TNT Sports), and Andrew Swift (BBC Sport) sit down with the Premier League's Rachel Nightingale t...
25/03/2026
The senior from Upstate New York is manning the mic while also interning for the athletic department's sports-information team
In the live-sports-video ind...
25/03/2026
Synamedia has announced ContentArmor Edge Watermarking, a server-side solution t...
25/03/2026
SES has announced meoSphere, a medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite network targeted for operation by 2030. The first phase will pair SES-developed software-defin...
25/03/2026
TVU Networks is working with Reuters on a phased migration from satellite to a c...
25/03/2026
Nielsen has announced three senior appointments. Seth Ladetsky has been named Head of Global Sports. Trevor Fellows will lead Nielsen's advertiser and agenc...
25/03/2026
Anoki and Amagi have launched In-Scene Ads powered by Anoki ContextIQ across Amagi's portfolio of in-content ad formats for Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (...
25/03/2026
Arkona Technologies will announce a series of enhancements to its BLADE//runner platform at NAB 2026 (Booth C.1808). The updates focus on usability and workflow...
25/03/2026
Daktronics has installed two tower displays and a video wall in the Lexus Club at Petco Park in San Diego ahead of the 2026 season.
Continuing to improve the ...
25/03/2026
MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems is celebrating its 50th anniversary as NAB Show 2026 approaches. The company was founded in 1976 by Vincent Jachetta, an N...
25/03/2026
IPC, a provider of integrated communication solutions, will make its NAB 2026 de...
25/03/2026
Live production categories were led by NBC, FOX, and ESPN's NFL coverage...
25/03/2026
The Atlanta Braves and Spectrum have announced a multiyear distribution agreemen...
25/03/2026
(L-R) Charlie Tyrell and Daniel Roher attend The AI Doc: Or How I Became An Apocaloptimist Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre ...
25/03/2026
L3Harris Technologies and RFTEQ Pty Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding to ...
25/03/2026
L3Harris delivers combat-ready Torpedo Tube Launch and Recovery system, which deploys and retrieves Iver4 900 autonomous underwater vehicles through submarine t...
25/03/2026
The company expands leadership team under Chief Revenue Officer Amilcar Perez
S...
Back to All News
