Netflix now holds 35 percent of all downstream Internet traffic in North America during peak hours, according to a study by research firm Sandvine.
It has been a habit of Americans after coming from work to watch a movie or some episodes of a TV show they might have missed out while at work on Netflix.
Christian Science Monitor reports that every month, between Netflix, YouTube and Facebook, users are downloading an average of 20 gigabytes of data.
From June until November, Netflix video streaming grabbed a third of downstream Internet traffic during the evening. The report also adds that people are also using more data using their home broadband networks.
Downstream traffic refers data that is received by a computer or network. This includes receiving e-mail messages, downloading files, or simply visiting Web pages. Online games also generate downstream traffic, according to tech FAQ web site PC Net.
On the number 2 spot is YouTube, making 14 percnt of traffic on home networks. Other web sites that follow include Facebok. iTunes, BitTorrent, Hulu and Amazon.
Aside from that, during peak hours, Netflix contributes to 9.5 percent of all upstream traffic, or the data that is sent from a computer or network. This includes all types of outgoing data, such as sending an e-mail message or uploading a file. It may also include data sent over the Internet while playing an online multiplayer game.
Meanwhile, smartphone and tablet users reportedly visit Facebook and YouTube more often, as the two make up 19 percent and 20 percent traffic, respectively.
Sandvine reports that a typical mobile user consumes 118 megabytes of data every month, up from 102 megabytes same time last year.
Facebook experienced a jump on traffic from both fixed and mobile devices since the start of the holiday season in September after it added a feature to automatically start playing videos in users' News Feeds.
