Getting a clearer picture on Netflix-Comcast deal

[Commentary] Now that Netflix has relented to Comcast, the largest US broadband service, similar deals are more likely to be reached with other Internet providers such as Verizon, AT&T and Charter. Here's a closer look at what this shift means for subscribers to Netflix and high-speed Internet services:

Netflix subscribers relying on Comcast should already be seeing fewer interruptions as video streams over the network. The quality of the picture should be better, too. The improvements started to appear Feb 20 when Comcast and Netflix began working together, though their collaboration wasn't revealed until Feb 23. Some analysts believe the alliance might set the stage for Comcast to eventually include an application for Netflix's service on its cable-TV boxes, making it even more accessible. If the claims of better performance are true, it would reverse how Netflix's video had been performing on Comcast's Internet service -- the average speed during prime-time viewing hours fell 25 percent from January 2013 to this January, based on Netflix's own measurements.