A method for identifying insertion points for inserting live content into a continuous content stream is disclosed. The method includes identifying a live content item to include in a continuous content stream, and identifying an interesting portion of the live content stream, the interesting portion corresponding to a time duration. The method further includes computing an estimated end time of a first content item included in the continuous content stream, and scheduling the live content item to be included in the continuous content stream as a next content item to be presented after the first content item in response to a determination that the estimated end time of the first content item occurs within the time duration.

The present disclosure discusses systems and methods to mitigate traffic spikes in retrieving secondary content items for display in concurrently streamed content streams. The system can pre-fetch secondary content items for the upcoming secondary content slots. To retrieve an appropriate content item, the system can predict the length of the secondary content slot. The system can use the predicted length of the secondary content slot to distribute the traffic spike over a larger span of time to mitigate the spike.

A method for identifying insertion points for inserting live content into a continuous content stream is disclosed. The method includes identifying a first particular live content item included in a continuous content stream. The method determines a first live content item for presentation based on one or more interesting portions of the first live content item, wherein the one or more interesting portions are identified based one or more selection criteria, and wherein a first interesting portion comprises a start time. The method further causes the first live content item to be presented by the client device at the start time of the first interesting portion during playback of the first particular item.

A computer implemented method for inserting advertisement content into a program content stream includes receiving, by a headend content server, the program content stream. The program content stream includes an advertisement insertion cue. The method further includes detecting the advertisement insertion cue in the program content stream, and the advertisement insertion cue indicates an insertion point in the program content stream for inserting an advertisement. The method further includes modifying the advertisement insertion cue to indicate an expiration date and time for playout of a first advertisement content to be inserted into the program content stream, and inserting the first advertisement content into the program content stream.

A method for playing out a media program including primary programming. The method includes forming a first set of content for play-out during a break in the primary programming; storing multiple content items; in advance of the break occurring, signaling duration of the break to a first server and performing, using the first server, a search for a second set of content, which includes a set of stored content items that meet predetermined criteria, which indicates that the combined duration of the set matches the duration of the break, determining whether the search was successful, and; if so, transmitting, by a first mechanism, a base program including the primary programming and subsequently, during the break, the first set of content; and transmitting, by a second mechanism, the primary programming and subsequently, during the break, the second set of content, and otherwise, transmitting during the break by the second mechanism the base program.

The provision of additional network resources (e.g., in the form of a dedicated super slice), can be requested on demand a per needed basis when higher capacity or performance is requested to facilitate the delivery of a service, when the delivery of the service cannot be met by a network slice associated with the service. A request for using a super slice can be sent to a management gateway device (mGW). The mGW can send the request for authorization to access the additional resources to a management device that manages the additional resources. Authorization can be granted for the additional resources to be used to facilitate or enable tasks that allow for continued delivery of that service.

The provision of additional network resources (e.g., in the form of a dedicated super slice), can be requested on demand a per needed basis when higher capacity or performance is requested to facilitate the delivery of a service, when the delivery of the service cannot be met by a network slice associated with the service. A request for using a super slice can be sent to a management gateway device (mGW). The mGW can send the request for authorization to access the additional resources to a management device that manages the additional resources. Authorization can be granted for the additional resources to be used to facilitate or enable tasks that allow for continued delivery of that service.

In one aspect, a method includes determining a content-transmission delay between a content-distribution system and a content-presentation device. The method also includes using at least the determined content-transmission delay as a basis to select, from among a plurality of reference fingerprint data sets, a reference fingerprint data set that corresponds with the determined content-transmission delay. The method also includes transmitting to the content-presentation device, the selected reference fingerprint data set that corresponds with the determined content-transmission delay to facilitate the content-presentation device detecting a match between query fingerprint data representing content received by the content-presentation device and at least a portion of reference fingerprint data in the transmitted reference fingerprint data set.

Systems and methods for optimizing offsite content delivery are provided. A content request is received from a content exchange and multiple candidate content delivery campaigns are identified in response to the content request. A computerized method includes, for each candidate content delivery campaign, determining a resource usage per conversion on a particular content platform, determining a conversion rate on one or more third-party content platforms, and determining a conversion rate on the one or more third-party content platforms. The resource usage per impression is computed based on the resource usage per conversion, the resource usage per selection, and the conversation rate. A particular candidate content delivery campaign is selected from among multiple candidate content delivery campaigns based on the resource usage per impression and the particular candidate content delivery campaign is caused to be transmitted over a computer network to the content exchange.

Systems and methods are described to address shortcomings in the conventional network storage systems via novel techniques to store offsets of a recorded program in a network digital video recorder (DVR). Storing offsets of a recorded program may be beneficial to users that would like to record media content that is broadcast either prior to a start time of a program, or media content that is broadcast after an end time of a program. This feature may be useful when start times and end times of a program are variable (e.g., in the case of sporting events, or other real-time events). This feature may also be useful for recording content of interest that is scheduled for broadcast prior to a start time of or after an end time of the program.