A study of internet trends conducted by Sandvine has revealed that North American web users have become increasingly interested in on-demand applications like Netflix, and this enthusiasm for real-time entertainment categories will likely continue to grow.

Sandvine is a provider of intelligent broadband network solutions for fixed and mobile operators. It releases a Global Internet Phenomena Report annually, and has done so since 2002. These reports analyze internet phenomena and traffic on the web in North America, Latin America and Europe. 

In the Global Internet Phenomena Report: Spring 2011, Sandvine found that Netflix is now 29.7 percent of peak downstream traffic in North America, and has become "the largest source of internet traffic overall."

In 2009, real-time entertainment applications consumed 29.5 percent of peak aggregate traffic, and today, that number has increased to 49.2 percent. According to Sandvine's predictions, this category will account for 55 to 60 percent of peak aggregate traffic by the end of this year.

In Europe, real-time entertainment has steadily increased to 33.2 percent of peak aggregate traffic from 31.9 percent in fall 2010, and BitTorrent (peer-to-peer file sharing protocol) is the largest source of upstream internet traffic at 59.7 percent and also downstream internet traffic at 21.6 percent. The study reported that European subscribers consume twice the amount of data as North Americans.

In Latin America, real-time entertainment accounts for 27.5 percent of peak aggregate traffic. The report also found that social networking accounts for 14 percent of network traffic, which is more traffic than YouTube. 

"The information and trends in Sandvine's Spring 2011 Global Internet Phenomena Report emphasize the need for innovative solutions to keep up with rapidly evolving consumer demands for content and connectivity," said Dave Caputo, President and CEO of Sandvine. "The dramatic growth of Netflix and its impending global expansion are prime examples of a growing appetite for real-time entertainment. It is also important for fixed and mobile broadband providers to have real-time policy control capability, made possible by insightful business intelligence, in order to put sound strategic decisions into action."

The Spring 2011 Global Internet Phenomena Report is based on anonymous and voluntary data collected from mobile and fixed service provider networks in North America, Europe and Latin America, and over 220 service provider customers in over 85 countries.