- Research estimates that the global television and video stream industry represents 4% of the total world programs
- It is double the aviation industry, four times that of the data center industry
- Nearly 900 million 4K televisions, a large part of which are large panels, are installed worldwide
The global television and video streaming industry has become an important contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, going beyond aviation and data centers, according to a new report published by Interdigital in conjunction with the Study Company future market.
The report examines the carbon footprint of the consumption production industry and has found that the streaming industry is now issuing carbon emissions in the airline sector twice and four times that of the center of the center of data.
This impact is motivated by the growing demand for entertainment, video communication services and generalized adoption of devices such as 4K televisions and smartphones.
Impact of streaming events
TVs generated approximately 54 million tonnes of CO2 in 2024, which, according to the report, is comparable to annual emissions of 11.7 million cars. There are now 2.2 billion televisions worldwide, including 858 million 4K televisions (up 18% since 2022), which consume the energy of standard HD models 1.7 times. Total energy consumption between video devices, including televisions, decoders and smartphones, reached 357TWH in 2024, although this represents a drop of 7% compared to 2022. Smartphones have however experienced an increase in 27% of energy consumption since 2020.
Major events have a huge impact. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games had a media carbon footprint estimated at 602.8 million tonnes, with 1.25 TWh consumed for streaming through televisions, mobile devices and laptops.
The efforts to reduce emissions are progressing, with brightness adjustment technologies based on the projected AI to reduce television energy consumption by 15% by 2028. Remote production methods for content creation have Also been promising, reducing emissions up to six times compared to the traditional on site traditional production.
The report calls for a collaboration at the industry level to meet these challenges, in particular to treat the indirect emissions of supply chains and media production. While energy efficiency devices and the adoption of renewable energies offer tracks to reduce emissions, additional action is clearly necessary.
“While everyone is aware of the contributions that the air transport industry makes to greenhouse gas emissions – representing 2% of all global greenhouse emissions per year – which is not public notoriety, This is the impact of the television and video streaming industry. This is in fact, double the emissions from the air transport industry, “said Lionel Oisel, head of Interdigital Video Laboratories.
“It is the responsibility of the entire industry to make changes that will improve the sustainability of the television and video sector,” added Oisel. “While the change is made, more can be done and must be done. Technologies and PVR have the potential to save significant energy, even when applied to special events such as the Olympic Games. If This was universally applied, the advantages could be huge and a game changer for industry.
