Netflix and YouTube have made similar decisions in the last 24 hours. Thierry Breton, the commissioner for the EU's internal market, spoke with Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, about the issue on Wednesday. The streaming giant then announced its decision to reduce streaming bitrates yesterday. "Following the discussions between Commissioner Thierry Breton and Reed Hastings -- and given the extraordinary challenges raised by the coronavirus -- Netflix has decided to begin reducing bit rates across all our streams in Europe for 30 days," the company said in a statement.

YouTube, meanwhile, has vowed to make standard definition the default in Europe. Presumably, though, it will still be possible for viewers to select a higher resolution. It's unclear, though, if Netflix and Prime Video users will have such an option when they stream their favorite shows and movies.