The Netflix series Squid Game, which has gained popularity since its release, angered South Korean internet service provider SK Broadband. While the company claims that Netflix increases Internet traffic with the new series, but does not pay for network usage, Netflix finds this payment unnecessary.
South Korea’s internet service provider SK Broadband has sued Netflix to pay for maintenance work caused by increased internet traffic due to the TV series Squid Game. Company data shows that data processed per second reached 1.2 trillion bits in the second half of September.
Netflix says they will try to find a middle ground
Netflix, which has been using SK Broadband’s network to provide more and high-definition video content over servers in Japan and Hong Kong for viewers in the country since 2018, announced that they will investigate the South Korean company’s complaint and try to find a middle ground.
According to SK Broadband’s statement, YouTube and Netflix are among those that increase data traffic, but both platforms do not pay network usage fees. The opposite is true for other content providers such as Amazon, Apple and Facebook. Some lawmakers in the country also criticize content providers that increase Internet traffic excessively but do not pay for network use.
Netflix had previously taken the case to court itself.
According to Sputnik, Netflix took the matter to court before SK Broadband took it to court last year, and wanted to find out if it had to pay the company for network use. According to court records, Netflix does not consider it indebted, as its ‘job is to produce content and make that content accessible to the viewer’.
Seoul Central District Court, on the other hand, ruled in June that SK Broadband offers services for a certain amount, therefore it is ‘reasonable’ for Netflix to pay for this service, while the official documents again show that Netflix has given the company 27.2 2 for network use only for 2020. billion won, i.e. $22.9 million. Netflix intends to appeal this decision.
Netflix, which creates 16 thousand jobs in South Korea, has an economic return of approximately 5.6 trillion won to the country with its investments worth 770 billion won.