YouTube has announced that it will reduce streaming quality for users around the world, according to The Economic Times Of India. All videos on the global platform will be played in the default standard definition template for all users across latitudes and geographies.

The decision came in after YouTube announced that they are reducing streaming quality for European users to help lessen broadband strain as more people  are staying home to  curb the spread of coronavirus.

By default, videos will start playing in standard definition (480p) quality, and this stays in effect until April 14, according to Bloomberg. People who want to watch videos in high definition can still do so, but they must manually select that option.

“We continue to work closely with governments and network operators around the globe to do our part to minimize stress on the system during this unprecedented situation,” the company said in a statement to Bloomberg.

Apart from YoutTube, Apple has taken similar steps and Amazon is also dropping its average bitrates in Europe but is continuing to monitor the situation in the US and other countries around the world. Netflix’s chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, also hinted that the streaming platform could do the same thing around the world depending on local authority requests.