Technology

Facebook will downgrade video streaming quality on its platform and on Instagram in Europe, the latest U.S. tech giant to respond to an EU call to stave off internet gridlock as thousands work from home due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Netflix Inc said it will cut traffic by 25% on networks across Europe in a relief measure for internet service providers (ISPs) experiencing a surge in usage due to government "shelter in place" orders aimed at slowing the coronavirus outbreak.

Amazon.com Inc said on Saturday it is raising overtime pay for associates working in its U.S. warehouses as the world's largest online retailer tries to meet the rapidly growing demand for online shopping from consumers stuck at home during the coronavirus outbreak.

The launch of Walt Disney's streaming services in France will be delayed by two weeks at the request of the French government, the company said in a statement on Saturday.

Amazon.com will stop shipping non-essential products to consumers in Italy and France, the company said on Saturday, representing an escalation in the e-commerce giant's response in regions hard hit by the coronavirus outbreak.

Amazon.com Inc said on Saturday it is raising overtime pay for associates working in its U.S. warehouses, as the world's largest online retailer tries to meet the rapidly growing demand for online shopping from consumers stuck at home during the coronavirus outbreak.

Alphabet Inc's Google said on Saturday it launched a United States-focused website with information about coronavirus guidance and testing, as the country works on slowing the spread of the highly contagious virus.

Uber Technologies has suspended the option to book regular taxi services through its app in Saudi Arabia until further notice, a company statement said on Friday.

Four Democratic U.S. senators on Friday expressed concern in a letter to Amazon.com Inc Chief Executive Jeff Bezos that the world's largest online retailer has not given enough support to warehouse staff during the coronavirus outbreak, according to a copy of the message seen by Reuters.

Lyft Inc on Friday told drivers they could sign up for work driving deliveries under a new service as ride-hailing demand plummets during the rapid spread of coronavirus in the United States.

After closing their stores earlier this week to limit the spread of the coronavirus, several retailers are dangling site-wide discounts and free shipping to entice people stuck at home to shop.

Alphabet Inc's Google on Friday canceled its annual developer conference, two weeks after calling off the in-person portion of the event due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Netflix Inc has established a $100 million fund to assist workers on film and television productions that have been shut down due to the global coronavirus outbreak, the company said on Friday.

Kraft Heinz speaks daily with Amazon.com and Walmart Inc , hoping to speed up deliveries as customers worldwide stay home and shop online to protect themselves from the COVID-19 pandemic, Kraft Heinz's CEO said on Friday.

YouTube and Amazon Prime will sacrifice streaming quality in the EU to help avert internet gridlock as tens of millions of Europeans, confined by the coronavirus outbreak, switch to working from home.

The chief executive of telecoms operator Orange called on Friday for a delay to the launch of Walt Disney's streaming services in France to avoid overloading networks amid the country's lockdown following the coronavirus outbreak.

(This March 19 story corrects to say Amazon notified one shopper and not shoppers, adds Amazon statement)

Uber Taxi suspended its operations in Saudi Arabia until further notice due to measures announced by interior ministry, a company statement said on Friday.

YouTube will sacrifice streaming quality in the EU to help avert internet gridlock as tens of millions of Europeans, confined by the coronavirus outbreak, switch to working from home.

Netflix said on Thursday it would reduce its bit rates across all its streams in Europe, in effect cutting traffic on its European networks by 25% to preserve the smooth functioning of the internet during the coronavirus crisis.