Netflix reports Sandy-related streaming spurt

Hurricane Sandy was a true disaster for millions of people in the Northeast. At its worst, deadly; at its best, inconveniencing. But despite the huge number of power outages, Netflix apparently saw a huge spike in the demand for their streaming content from Sunday on. The LA Times reports that increase was 20% over the normal usage levels. The hypothesis is that since so many people were housebound, there were many more eyeballs needing entertainment. Streaming from New York City, Boston, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Boston reportedly all contributed to the increase.  “We’re glad we can provide people some great entertainment while they’re hunkered down for the storm,” said a Netflix spokesman. No word if Amazon Instant Video or any other streaming service saw a bump in usage as well.