P2P traffic drops as streaming video grows in popularity
(ArsTechnica, September 2, 2008)
For the first time since the birth of peer-to-peer file transfers, such internet traffic seems to be declining. In it’s place, it appears that streaming content from online providers like Hulu, YouTube, and the BBC iPlayer is growing rapidly as a major source of internet traffic. Presumably, people who would otherwise download television shows and movies from peer-to-peer sources are choosing these newer streaming video sites.
The upside of this for content providers is that such streaming video is often commercially sponsored and directly controlled by the copyright holders. For users, streaming video has the benefit of quicker start times, availability from any computer, and perhaps most importantly, being legal. The downside, of course, is that streaming videos can be taken down from a website at any time.
Regardless of the transmission method, internet service providers still need to contend with the rapid grown in internet traffic.
Relevant Lecture: 27. Multimedia IR
Buzzwords: Web 2.0, Tag