Doesn't Netflix use Akamai? If so, there's almost no traffic (when measured on Comcast's scale) from Comcast <-> Netflix, as each movie just needs to be downloaded once, and is then cached on a server living inside Comcast's network.
Also, I'm not sure that Akamai is serving everything from inside other ISPs; I know that was their original model, but things may have changed in 15 years.
Do you have a source? I'm interested in knowing what "best one" means. If it means "cheapest for Netflix", it wouldn't surprise me if this all combines to mean that Netflix have moved the bulk of their traffic to Level 3, who don't pay anything to Comcast; away from Akamai & Limelight, who do (and are therefore more expensive).
Well, I could point you to the presentations at http://www.slideshare.net/netflix, but the first thing you'd find is my presentation, since I work there. :)
None of this is really secret insider information -- you can get it all by Wiresharking your connection, if you have Netflix.
Price has nothing to do with it actually. The client downloads a small file from all the CDNs, and then picks the one with the best response. If the quality of the connection degrades during playback, it repeats the process. So "best" is actually the one with the fastest performance at that time.
That's a great link, though a little confusing to me. Here's what I understand, with fake dollar amounts:
CDN services need to be priced at $2.
Netflix used to use Akamai; Netflix paid Akamai $3, Akamai paid Comcast $1, and everyone was happy.
Netflix now moved to Level 3, who they pay $1, and Level 3 demand $1 from Comcast (because L3 makes a loss if they don't charge $2). Netflix saved $2, so is happy. Comcast is unhappy, because they're out that same $2.
So now Comcast is crying foul and looking at ways to recoup that $2. Netflix is engaging in a PR battle, but really caused all this by switching from Akamai to Level 3.
The voxel article says it, but the GigaOM article it links to spells it out: "Akamai and Limelight pay Comcast to deliver their traffic to their end users. Level 3, on the other hand, is paid by Comcast, ostensibly for transit, but now, seemingly, to deliver traffic that Level 3 has already been paid for — by Netflix."
I feel that Netflix is trying to rally the net-neutrality army to come to its aid, but may not be an entirely neutral player here.
Maybe it was free until Level 3 said "hey Comcast, why don't we expand our peering by 500 Gbps so that it can handle Netflix" and Comcast replied "that's gonna cost you".
