Netflix is leading the transition to the AV1 video codec to deliver higher video quality at lower bandwidth with fewer buffering interruptions. The company has now provided a detailed status update.
Since entering the streaming market in 2007, Netflix has primarily relied on the H.264/AVC format. However, it quickly recognized that a modern, open codec would benefit not just Netflix, but the entire multimedia industry.
While Netflix initially adopted HEVC as the successor to MPEG4 AVC, its focus has since shifted to AV1, which has reached an important milestone as we approach the end of 2025.
Today, AV1 accounts for roughly 30% of all Netflix streaming, making it the company’s second most-used codec, and it is on track to become number one soon. According to Netflix, the payoff from this transition has been substantial.
Better video quality with less buffering
On TVs, Netflix’s AV1 video streams outperform both MPEG4 AVC and HEVC in quality evaluations, while using on average one-third less bandwidth. At the same time, AV1 streams experience 45% fewer buffering interruptions.
AV1 also makes it easier to deliver cinematic film grain in movies and series by using a technique called Film Grain Synthesis (FGS). This method strips out the grain during video encoding and then recreates it during decoding, which saves bandwidth while enhancing perceived video quality.
An example from Netflix shows the same cropped frame from the source, a regular AV1 stream encoded at 8274 kbps, and an AV1 FGS stream encoded at 2804 kbps. The AV1 FGS version reduces the bitrate by about 66% while delivering clearly better visual quality.
Netflix’s AV1 rollout
Netflix is one of two major streaming platforms that have fully embraced AV1, the other being YouTube. Netflix’s AV1 rollout began in February 2020.
Support for AV1 on TV devices started to appear in late 2021 (initially only for SDR), and web browser support was added in 2022. Netflix also noted that Apple introduced AV1 hardware-accelerated decoding in 2023 with the M3 and A17 Pro chips. In March 2025, Netflix finally began using AV1 for HDR streaming, specifically HDR10+ on Samsung TVs, which do not support Dolby Vision.
AV1 support in TV devices
Most modern Smart TVs now support AV1 in hardware. Newer handheld devices have added support as well, but game consoles, media players, and PCs are lagging behind.
Over the past five years (2021–2025), 88% of large-screen devices submitted for Netflix certification—including TVs, set-top boxes, and streaming sticks—have supported AV1, with the vast majority capable of full 4K at 60 frames per second. Since 2023, almost every device sent to Netflix for certification has been AV1-capable.
The recently launched Google TV Streamer supports AV1, and the next Apple TV 4K is expected to support AV1 if it ships with an A17 Pro chip or newer. There are currently no credible reports about an updated Nvidia Shield with AV1 support.
AV1 for live sports and gaming
Netflix is actively evaluating AV1 for live streaming, including sports such as football, tennis, and boxing, in order to reduce buffering and improve quality under varying network conditions.
The company also confirms concrete plans to use AV1 for cloud gaming, or game streaming, to enable a high-quality, low-latency gaming experience across a wide range of devices. This could allow users to play games comparable to titles like Grand Theft Auto without needing a dedicated console.
For the remaining 70% of Netflix streams that are not yet using AV1, some of the obstacles involve hardware compatibility—many older devices will never support AV1—and the complexities of HDR10 and Dolby Vision streaming.
Netflix’s stance on AV2
With AV1 already improving streaming quality for hundreds of millions of users worldwide, Netflix describes AV2 as being poised to set a new benchmark for internet video.
Netflix has strongly hinted that it plans to adopt AV2, but has not yet offered a specific timeline or technical details. The company’s current position is that while AV2 represents the future of streaming, AV1 is very much the present. Netflix does not appear to have any plans to use VVC, the official successor to HEVC.
AV2 is scheduled for release later this year, but no TVs or media players with AV2 support have been announced so far.
Key advantages of AV1 for Netflix
Netflix describes several core benefits that AV1 brings to its streaming platform.
Improved streaming quality across devices
Large-screen TVs and similar devices require higher bitrates to deliver sharp 4K and high frame rate (HFR) experiences. AV1’s superior compression efficiency allows Netflix to offer these experiences while using less data, making high-quality streaming more accessible and reliable.
On average, AV1 streaming sessions achieve VMAF scores that are 4.3 points higher than AVC sessions and 0.9 points higher than HEVC sessions. At the same time, AV1 sessions consume about one-third less bandwidth than both AVC and HEVC, resulting in 45% fewer buffering interruptions. Netflix’s varied content catalog benefits across the board, with improvements observed for all types of content.
Greater network efficiency worldwide
Netflix streams are delivered via the company’s own content delivery network, Open Connect, in partnership with local internet service providers around the globe. With more than 300 million members, Netflix accounts for a significant portion of global internet traffic.
Because AV1 is more efficient, its streams are smaller while delivering even better visual quality. By shifting a large share of its traffic to AV1, Netflix reduces overall internet bandwidth consumption and eases the load on both its own infrastructure and that of its network partners.
Progress on HDR10+ with AV1
The combination of AV1 and HDR10+ allows Netflix to deliver images with more detailed highlights and shadows, more vibrant colors, and a stronger sense of immersion for viewers.
Currently, 85% of Netflix’s HDR catalog, measured in viewing hours, is covered by AV1 with HDR10+. This coverage is expected to reach 100% within the next few months.
Cinematic film grain with Film Grain Synthesis
Film grain is an important part of the cinematic look, often used to enhance depth, texture, and realism. However, because film grain is inherently random, preserving it accurately in digital video requires a large amount of data.
This creates a particular challenge for streaming: limiting bitrate can make grain appear unnatural or distorted, while increasing bitrate to preserve grain can raise the risk of buffering. AV1 addresses this with Film Grain Synthesis, which removes grain before encoding and then reconstructs it at the decoder using parameters included in the bitstream. This approach preserves a realistic cinematic grain effect without the usual data cost.
Implementing FGS required a substantial effort from Netflix’s engineering teams, who optimized the media processing pipeline to ensure robust performance at scale. In July 2025, Netflix successfully launched AV1 FGS in production. The company reports that AV1 with FGS can deliver cinematic film grain at a bitrate comfortably within the limits of typical household internet connections, while traditional non-FGS AV1 encodes may fail to reach comparable quality even at much higher bitrates.
According to Netflix, these developments confirm that AV1 is already transforming the streaming experience today and laying the groundwork for future codecs such as AV2.
