Summary:
Netflix is a major contributor to U.S. downstream traffic, according to a new report.

Full article:
(Mashable) -- Despite recent troubles, Netflix is a major force on the Internet, accounting for 32.7% of peak U.S. downstream traffic, according to a new report. Sandvine Intelligent Broadband Networks' report analyzed 200 Internet service providers in 80 countries and found that real-time entertainment apps take up 60% of peak downstream traffic, up from 50% last year. Netflix has more than half of that share. Sandvine considers the hours between 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. to be peak times. Like others, Sandvine has also noticed a shift away from PCs to access such content. The company found 55% of traffic volume in North America is consumed on game consoles, set-top boxes, smart TVs and mobile devices. Only 45% is being accessed by laptops or PCs. Video makes up 32.6% of peak downstream mobile traffic, of which YouTube is the largest contributor. The report comes as Netflix recently lost 800,000 paid subscribers in its most-recent quarter. The company's stock is now trading at less than a third of the amount it was in July. See the original article on Mashable.com . © 2013 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.