Netflix Has Fewest Bugs Among Major Streaming Services, Survey Says

(Image credit: Netflix)

U.S. streaming video consumers say Netflix has the fewest technical glitches, according to an April survey conducted by J.D. Power TMT Insight.

The survey of 1,232 U.S. adults, conducted April 24-26, found that Netflix users reported an average of 0.07 technical problems per hour of streaming video watched. This was just over half as many glitches as Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus and YouTube TV. 

(Image credit: J.D. Power)

“Netflix’s reliability owes in part to its use of a proprietary, dedicated content delivery network (CDN), which allows the company to prioritize its own content, and its ability to adjust its stream quality based on users’ equipment and connection speeds,” the J.D. Power report said. “Other providers, such as Amazon Prime Video and Hulu rely on shared CDNs, where content is pooled from multiple providers, while Disney Plus streams all of its content in 4K, which can have a negative effect on the viewing experience for users with older equipment or slower internet speeds.”

The J.D. Power report is otherwise full of information that once again hammers home the point that streaming video usage—and all TV consumption—is way up amid the pandemic—67% of respondents say their usage is “somewhat” more increased, or “substantially” up, since COVID-19 sheltering-in-place began in mid-March. 

Netflix’s Ozark and Tiger King were the most widely viewed shows, according to the survey. 

(Image credit: J.D. Power)
Daniel Frankel

Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!