Netflix is tooting its own horn for 10 years of Open Connect, an initiative designed to provide customers with improved technical performance. Since launching the program in 2012, Netflix has worked with global ISPs to optimize servers in high-density customer areas so programming will stream at high quality and with minimal lag time. 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, ensuring access even when demand is at its highest, according to Netflix.

As streaming grew in popularity, placing formidable demands on network infrastructure, “we knew we had to invest in our own global content delivery network,” Netflix VP Open Connect partnerships and planning content delivery Gina Haspilaire wrote in a blog post detailing “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 us to smoothly deliver fan favorites like ‘Red Notice’ and ‘Bridgerton’ seamlessly to members,” Haspilaire wrote.

Netflix estimates that “in 2021 alone, the program 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.” In addition, writes TV Technology, “Netflix has invested heavily in improved video technology, which means that Netflix now delivers content at ‘half the bitrate of five years ago, lessening the load’” on all networks.

Looking to the decade ahead, Open Connect is focused on network improvements that continue to meet ever-increasing consumer demands, Haspilaire said, the goal being to ensure the Internet stays “open and free,” without content usage tolls, “so that people can continue to enjoy great stories from around the world.”

In an article examining the carbon footprint of streaming, Telecoms.com says “the consumption of video has dramatically increased during the last decade, lately accelerated with the deployment of 5G which allows us to stay connected at any time and in any location.” Internet service providers estimate Netflix accounts for as much as “a third of their network traffic,” according to Telecoms.com. Netflix has about 200 million global subscribers in more than 200 countries.

“Netflix supports more than 2,000 devices and each requires different resolutions and formats,” reports Telecoms.com, underscoring the complexity of the Open Connect project.