Netflix sued by South Korean ISP for increase in Squid Game network • The Register



[ad_1]

Netflix is ​​expected to cover the bandwidth and maintenance costs of an increase in our network traffic, said South Korean internet service provider SK Broadband, which filed a lawsuit after subscribers flocked to watch the broadcast. latest Korean-language TV show from streaming giant Squid Game.

SK Broadband is unhappy that the stream of packets through its systems is repeatedly increasing as more and more people in South Korea launch Netflix. We’re talking about 1.2 Tbps of Netflix-only traffic through the ISP in September, an SK claim reported by Reuters.

“We will look into the complaint filed by SK Broadband against us,” said a spokesperson for Netflix. The register Friday. “In the meantime, we continue to seek an open dialogue and explore ways to work with SK Broadband to ensure a seamless streaming experience for our mutual customers.”

This is not the first time that the two companies have clashed. SK Broadband urged the Korea Communications Commission in November 2019 to force web video giants like Google’s Netflix and YouTube to pay for network usage. Netflix sued SK Broadband in response to get the courts to decide whether it was obligated to compensate ISPs.

In June, Seoul judges ruled in favor of the Korean broadband service and agreed that Netflix should pay SK Broadband a reasonable sum to handle the streaming titan’s traffic, according to The Korea Herald. SK said Netflix, which accounted for 5% of South Korea’s traffic in the fourth quarter of 2020, owed $ 23 million in network usage fees for that year alone. Netflix has appealed the decision and court proceedings are expected to begin in December.

SK Broadband’s latest lawsuit against Netflix appears to have been motivated by its biggest increase in traffic to date, and it appears the ISP either wants Netflix to pay some of its bandwidth bills or pay for an increase in capacity. network, or both.

Netflix released Squid Game last Friday, a dystopian thriller in which tough characters desperately compete in a deadly competition for a jackpot. Tens of millions of viewers have logged in to watch the TV series, and it is fast becoming Netflix’s most popular show to date.

The register asked SK Broadband for further comments. ®

[ad_2]

Source link