WILMINGTON, DE — The video industry is emerging as a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 4% of total emissions—double the 2% attributed to the aviation industry. This revelation comes from a report published by InterDigital, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDCC) and Futuresource, which examines the carbon footprint of the industry and explores sustainable solutions.
The report, titled “Spotlight on Sustainability: Towards a Greener TV and Video Value Chain,” highlights the environmental challenges created by the video sector, from production to delivery and consumption. Specifically, Scope 3 emissions—stemming from indirect activities like travel, accommodation, and post-production—present major hurdles for the industry.
InterDigital has identified Pixel Value Reduction (PVR) technology as a key tool in reducing the energy consumption of video devices while maintaining video quality. If applied to broadcasts of major events like the recent Paris Olympics, PVR could have saved 48 million kWh of electricity—the equivalent of powering 4,000 U.S. homes for a year.
“While everyone is aware of the contributions the airline industry makes to greenhouse gas emissions—accounting for 2% of all global emissions per year—what isn’t common knowledge is the impact the TV and video streaming industry has, which is in fact, double the emissions from the airline industry,” explained Lionel Oisel, InterDigital’s Head of Video Labs.
The report also forecasts promising trends; advancements in AI and brightness-adaptive technologies could reduce TV energy consumption by 15% by 2028. Overall energy use from video entertainment devices has already fallen by 17% since 2020, with further reductions expected as older devices are replaced by energy-efficient alternatives.
To mitigate the sector’s environmental impact, InterDigital advocates for broader adoption of innovations like PVR. “It is the responsibility of the entire industry to make changes that will improve the sustainability of the TV and video sector,” added Oisel. “While change is being made, more can and should be done. Technologies like PVR have the potential to make significant energy savings, even when applied to special events like the Olympics. If this was applied universally, the benefits could be huge, and a game changer for the industry.”
With video content representing an estimated 80% of global internet traffic and the proliferation of energy-intensive 4K TVs, InterDigital’s findings underscore the urgent need for sustainable strategies to advance the industry while reducing its carbon footprint.
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