Netflix Leads, But Traffic Share Shrinks
In 2024, American tech giants—led by Netflix—continued to dominate France’s internet traffic, accounting for nearly half of all data flows, according to a new report by France’s telecom regulator, Arcep. The agency’s annual report revealed that five companies—Netflix, Akamai, Facebook (Meta), Google, and Amazon—were responsible for approximately 47% of the total incoming traffic to France’s four main internet service providers.
Netflix alone contributed the largest share at 12.3%, although this marks a significant drop from its nearly 20% share at the end of 2022. Despite the decline, the platform remains the top traffic generator in the country. According to Thomas Volmer, Netflix’s Global Director of Content Delivery Policy, the reduction is largely due to improved data efficiency, made possible by technological advancements and smarter hardware. “Thanks to more powerful chips in modern TVs, we can compress video more efficiently and use less data,” Volmer told AFP.
Akamai, Amazon, Google, and Meta Round Out the Top Five
Akamai, the content delivery network (CDN) used by multiple platforms including Disney+, accounted for 12.2% of the traffic—remaining almost unchanged from the previous year. Amazon, which includes Twitch in its figures, followed with 9.9%. Google contributed 7.3%, while Meta (which includes Facebook) rounded out the top five with 5.4%.
Together, these five U.S.-based companies continue to dominate France’s digital ecosystem, leaving European telecom operators concerned about the burden on their networks. These providers have repeatedly urged regulators to require such high-bandwidth services to contribute financially to infrastructure development.
Internet Usage Keeps Climbing in France
Arcep also reported that overall internet traffic in France rose to 50.8 terabits per second by the end of 2024, marking a 9.2% increase year over year. This reflects the ongoing surge in demand for streaming, video-on-demand, and social media content.
The report also highlighted the rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and warned of its implications. Arcep noted that such systems are often opaque in their sources and algorithms, posing potential risks such as algorithmic bias, user isolation, and a loss of control over online choices due to so-called “filter bubbles.”
Netflix’s Efficiency Push in France
While Netflix remains the biggest individual traffic generator, it has taken active steps to reduce its bandwidth footprint. The company has developed its own internal CDN infrastructure, deploying 80 interconnection points across France in partnership with local ISPs. This localization helps bring content physically closer to users, improving delivery speed and efficiency.
Additionally, Netflix has invested heavily in video compression technology. Over the past five years, the company has cut average bitrates by half without compromising quality. Video streams are also tailored to device type: mobile streams now use eight times less data than those viewed on a TV.
Conclusion: U.S. Platforms Remain in Control
Despite efforts to optimize data usage, American platforms continue to dominate France’s internet traffic landscape. As digital consumption continues to grow, particularly in video streaming and AI applications, the pressure on telecom infrastructure will only increase—further fueling the debate over who should bear the cost of keeping the internet flowing.
