Over the years it seems Netflix has become more than just a magical entertainment streaming service. One unexpected benefit to the massive amounts of data Netflix collects every day is they've got the down-low on which Internet Service Providers (ISP) have the best speeds, all over the world. Streaming movies at literally every moment of every day will do that, and now Netflix is making that data public on a new "Netflix ISP Speed Index" tool on their home website.
That's right gamers, you and all your Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and Wii U streaming are providing the world with valuable ISP shopping data. And right now you're telling the U.S. that, at 3.35 Mbps, Google Fiber is the top dog. Too bad it's not really availible all over.
In other news, Sweden, Denmark and Finland each have a higher average Mbps than the U.S., but they are totally cheating. Their population and total land mass are so much smaller than ours. That's cheating, right? The tool's front page gives a little insight on the data they're using:
"More than 33 million global members view over 1 billion hours of TV shows and movies streaming from Netflix per month. We use the data associated with the streaming experience to compare ISPs and give you monthly insight into which ISPs deliver the best Netflix experience."
In 2011 Netflix posted on its blog a basic ISP speed chart, and it seems the internet's collective response to the data may have motivated Netflix to release this constantly updated index. Thanks internet!