AV1 Codec Dominates Streaming Landscape as 2026 Begins

The AV1 video codec has firmly established itself as the streaming industry's codec of choice heading into 2026.
 

Netflix confirmed late last year that AV1 accounts for approximately 30% of all viewing on their platform - making it their second most-used codec and now expected to claim the top position in 2026.

2025: The Year AV1 Went Mainstream

The past year marked a watershed moment for the royalty-free codec.

Major tech heavyweights including Google, Netflix, Amazon, and Microsoft - all founding members of the Alliance for Open Media - successfully transitioned AV1 from experimental trials into mainstream deployment across their platforms.

The momentum accelerated dramatically in March 2025 when Netflix expanded AV1 usage with HDR10+ support, delivering enhanced picture quality while reducing bandwidth demands.

By the end of 2025, Netflix reported that 85% of their HDR catalog had AV1-HDR10+ coverage, with full coverage now expected in early 2026.

According to Netflix's technical data, AV1 streaming sessions use one-third less bandwidth than both AVC and HEVC while achieving VMAF scores 4.3 points higher than AVC and 0.9 points higher than HEVC.

The practical result: 45% fewer buffering interruptions for viewers worldwide.

Device Support Now Near-Universal

Device adoption has reached critical mass. Netflix reports that 88% of large-screen devices submitted for certification between 2021-2025 support AV1, with virtually all devices since 2023 featuring native AV1 playback up to 4K at 60fps.

Apple's integration of hardware-accelerated AV1 decoding in M3 and A17 Pro chips in 2023 removed one of the last major barriers to widespread adoption.

For Windows users seeking optimal AV1 playback, the AV1 Video Extension enables system-wide decoding, while the dav1d decoder - built by VideoLAN - delivers optimized performance with up to 50% lower CPU usage compared to alternatives.

Content creators encoding for YouTube or streaming platforms can choose between the SVT-AV1 Encoder for speed or the official AOM AV1 Encoder for maximum compression efficiency.

Strategic Coexistence with HEVC Continues

Despite AV1's rapid growth, industry analysis confirms that the codec landscape remains defined by coexistence rather than replacement.

AV1 is deployed alongside HEVC rather than displacing it entirely, with platforms optimizing their workflows to select the best codec based on device capability, region, and content type.

Popular media players including VLC Media Player, MPC-HC, MPC-BE, and PotPlayer all support AV1 playback natively.

The K-Lite Codec Pack remains the go-to solution for comprehensive system-wide codec support, bundling both AV1 and HEVC decoding through LAV Filters.

AV1's growth continues to be driven by cost savings from its royalty-free licensing and measurable performance gains rather than forced migration from older formats.

Netflix has expanded AV1 into cloud gaming applications and is actively evaluating it for live streaming - including high-concurrency events that draw tens of millions of simultaneous viewers.

AV2 Development Accelerates

With AV1 adoption now secure, attention has shifted to AV2 - the next-generation codec announced by the Alliance for Open Media.

Development reached key milestones in late 2025, with the codec promising up to 30% better compression efficiency than AV1.

Netflix engineers have positioned their infrastructure for AV2 adoption, noting that "while AV2 represents the future of streaming, AV1 is very much the present."

Industry observers expect AV2 to enable seamless 8K streaming and enhanced support for AR/VR applications - markets where current codecs still face efficiency challenges.

Getting Started with AV1

For users wanting to experience AV1 content today, our guide on enabling AV1 decoding covers setup for VLC, PotPlayer, and MPC-HC. Mobile users can follow our AV1 codec for Android guide for smartphone playback optimization.

Understanding the differences between modern codecs? Check our comprehensive AV1 vs HEVC comparison and learn about the future of video codecs to make informed decisions about your media setup.