Netflix and BT to calculate streaming’s carbon footprint

Netflix and BT have joined the BBC, ITV and Sky in a major inittative to calculate the media industry’s digital carbon footprint.

The partners will use the University of Bristol’s DIMPACT tool, which has just completed a 12-month pilot phase.

DIMPACT has successfully created four modules covering digital video streaming, publishing, advertising services, and business intelligence, with gaming and music streaming modules next on the agenda.

“When we started in 2019, there was some uncertainty about whether it would even be possible to create a web tool for the digital media industry. Fast forward to today and not only do we have a working tool, but we also have an engaged group of companies and big plans for the future,” says Christian Toennesen, DIMPACT’s initiator and product manager.

DIMPACT has so far been used for reporting purposes, helping participants understand where the emissions hotspots are in their digital value chains. Following the award of a research commercialisation grant by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council the project will move on to model different scenarios, enabling technology teams to work with companies across the value chain to lower overall emissions. Broadband TV News