French study examines carbon footprint of online video streaming

A study published in 2024 by Arcom and Arcep, in collaboration with ADEME, highlights the environmental impact of online video consumption in France. Video content accounts for an estimated 60% to 80% of global data traffic.

In 2022, audiovisual usage represented approximately 5.6 million tonnes of CO2e, which constitutes about 0.9% of France's total carbon footprint. This figure includes the energy used by televisions, networks, and data centers.

Factors such as screen size, duration of use, network type, and video quality significantly influence this impact. To reduce environmental footprints, users can adjust video quality by disabling 4K when unnecessary, using Wi-Fi instead of mobile 4G or 5G networks, and disabling autoplay features. Additionally, downloading content via Wi-Fi for repeated viewing can be more efficient than continuous streaming.