Back to All News
The True Climate Impact of Streaming
Emma Stewart, Ph.D.
Netflix Sustainability Officer
Daniel Schien, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Computer Science at University of Bristol
Social Impact
10 June 2021
Global
What's the true impact of streaming on the climate? Some studies have tried to answer this question, but it's hard to get right. Delivering an episode of Shadow and Bone to your screen requires different technologies that are constantly evolving - from the data centers where the data is housed, to the infrastructure that brings the internet to your home, to the electricity powering how you enjoy the show. Measuring those emissions took a lot of guesswork, resulting in studies with inaccurate estimates and myths - until now.
Researchers at the University of Bristol spent a decade developing a tool to calculate the carbon footprint of streaming and other everyday internet uses, such as browsing news stories, to answer this question. The calculator uses the latest scientific protocols to measure emissions (i.e., lifecycle assessments) and data directly from the entertainment and media companies who rely on streaming delivery themselves, compared to the generic estimations of past studies.
This research is the subject of a new independent white paper, released today, by sustainability researchers at The Carbon Trust. Though there's a lot to chew on in the full paper here, there are four key findings:
The average carbon footprint of one hour of streaming in Europe is approximately 55 gCO2e (grams of carbon dioxide equivalents). That's about the same as microwaving four bags of popcorn, or three boils in an electric kettle in the UK.* Previous guesswork profiled in the media had this figure as high as 3200 gCO2e, or as much as microwaving 200 bags of popcorn. So quite a difference!
Adjusting picture resolution makes a very small difference in carbon emissions. For example, changing from standard definition to 4K resolution increases emissions from just under 1g CO2e/hour to just over 1g CO2e/hour. Why? The internet is always on, so the additional energy it takes to transmit higher resolution to your TV is marginal compared to the energy it takes to constantly operate the internet. Past studies overestimated this increase to be as high as 500g CO2e/hour.
While streaming and internet use have grown these past few years, energy consumption from those activities has actually decreased over time. This is because data center, internet, and utilities providers can take on more demand without consuming more energy. They're continually updating their equipment to be more energy efficient, as well as buying and using more renewable electricity. The white paper looks at past trends to break this down.
Consumer devices (TVs, laptops/PCs, smartphones, tablets) make up more than half of the carbon emissions from streaming (over 50%), compared to other components like data centers or internet service, so the device you choose to stream on, and using renewable electricity at home, can have a big impact on emissions and energy consumption. Devices, including TVs, are becoming more energy efficient over time.
Netflix and other companies have used this calculator tool as part of DIMPACT, a collaborative project convening entertainment and media companies with University of Bristol researchers. Netflix recently ran its own data through the tool and found that the emissions from an hour of streaming the world over is well below 100gCO2e, or less than driving a gas-powered vehicle a quarter mile or 400 metres.* This figure includes more carbon-intensive electricity grids from regions like the U.S. and Canada, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. So it's a bit higher than Carbon Trust's finding, which is specific to Europe, where the power grid is less carbon-intensive.*
The tool's validation by Carbon Trust's research brings us one step closer to accurately and consistently assessing the climate impact of streaming -- be it from data centers, internet providers, or device manufacturers, and entertainment and media companies who rely on streaming. Better understanding this footprint means we can better focus on reducing those emissions across industries, countries and the world.
*These comparisons will vary by country, with the carbon intensity of the users national grid.*These comparisons will vary by country.*This assessment only currently considers the impact from electricity consumption during use. Other phases of the lifecycle researchers want to further investigate are the manufacturing and end-of-life stages of devices.
Emma Stewart, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) serves as inaugural Netflix Sustainability Officer, a position she's held since October 2020. She holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University and a B.A. Honors from Oxford University. Prior to Netflix, she was a Director at World Resources Institute, Head of Sustainability Solutions at design software leader Autodesk where she co-authored the world's first science-based corporate climate target, and founded the R&D department at Business for Social Responsibility. She has contributed to multiple books and taught Intrapreneurship for Sustainability at UC Berkeley and Stanford University.
Daniel Schien, Ph.D. (he/him/his) is Senior Lecturer in Computer Science (Associate Professor) at University of Bristol, UK. His research aims at improving our understanding of the environmental impact from information and communication technologies (ICT) and the reduction of such impact. Daniel and his team have pioneered new methods and tools to assess the carbon footprint of digital media which have been applied by major international media companies for more than a decade.
North America Stories
08/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Technology Exhibits Preview, Part 1By SVG Staff
Monday, December 8, 2025 - 6:56 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The 2025...
08/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Bill Rasmussen, the Entrepreneur Who Drea...
08/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Live Production Innovation Workshop Goes Deep on ST 211...
08/12/2025
#GALSNGEAR Announces East, West Leadership Retreats for 2026By Ken Kerschbaumer
Monday, December 8, 2025 - 9:10 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story High...
08/12/2025
MediaKind Acquiring Harmonic's Video Business to Create New Streaming-Video ...
08/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Sony HDR/SDR Camera Shading Techniques for Live Production...
08/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: NESN's Kenny Elcock and Harmonic's Jean Macher Talk Next-G...
08/12/2025
Monsters Funday Football,' ESPN's Latest Live Animation Effort, Advances...
08/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ESPN Director Jeff Nelson on Calling the (Animated) Action on Mon...
08/12/2025
Monsters Funday Football': Louisiana Philharmonic Delivers Again With Orches...
08/12/2025
Nielsen's robust data offering enables marketers to connect with their target audience more effectively and drive better results throughout Amazon's adv...
08/12/2025
LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK Paramount has launched a hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery with an all-cash tender offer to acquire all of the outstandin...
08/12/2025
EMERYVILLE, Calif. Media and entertainment technology and services provider Advanced Systems Group has named Macky Beheshti as director, enterprise storage and ...
08/12/2025
DENVER MediaKind, a global provider of cloud-based video streaming technology announced today that it is acquiring the video business of Harmonic Inc. for appro...
08/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsen has announced that its Audience Segments from Nielsen Marketing Cloud (NMC) are now available across the Amazon Ads marketplace, including the ...
08/12/2025
Marshall Electronics showcases the CV355-27X-ND3 Optical Zoom NDI (NDI HX2, NDI HX3) Camera at ISE 2026 (Booth 4N900). Designed for users seeking high-quality ...
08/12/2025
Cinnafilm today announced the immediate availability of IPx LIVE and Tachyon LIVE, delivering broadcast-grade, real-time IP video transcoding and motion-compens...
08/12/2025
Following a successful 45th anniversary year in 2024, Hiltron reports increasing demand for its wide range of satellite communication equipment manufacturing, p...
08/12/2025
When was the last time you updated your default playlist(s)? A default playlist keeps your station(s) on the air should your team ever miss a step in sending mu...
08/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix ISP Speed Index for November 2025
Product
08 December 2025
Global
Link copied to clipboard
This month marks 15 years of the Netfl...
08/12/2025
Back to All News
Another Exciting Chapter in Our Book-to-Screen Journey and What's to Come
Entertainment
08 December 2025
Global
Link copied to clipboa...
07/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Takes Over the Oslo Skyline With Celebratory Troll 2 L...
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public commen...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the First Look for Land of Sin' - Premier...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
Back to All News
