Lean private copy of media content within network-based digital video recordings

A system comprising:

• a memory module operable to store a request from a client machine for a designated media content item, the request identifying a designated one of a plurality of content management accounts within a media streaming system, the media streaming system storing in a deduplication repository a plurality of media content items including the designated media content item, the designated media content item being stored as a plurality of media segments each encoding a respective time period of the designated media content item, each media segment being associated with a respective segment identifier;
• a processor operable to select for transmission to the client machine one of a plurality of lean private copies of the designated media content item, each lean private copy being specific to a respective content management account and including a plurality of account-specific file references, each account-specific file reference including one of the segment identifiers;
• and
• a communication interface operable to transmit one or more of the data segments to the client machine upon receipt of the corresponding segment identifier.

One or more non-transitory computer readable media having instructions stored thereon for performing a method, the method comprising:

• receiving from a client machine a request for a designated media content item, the request identifying a designated one of a plurality of content management accounts within a media streaming system, the media streaming system storing in a deduplication repository a plurality of media content items including the designated media content item, the designated media content item being stored as a plurality of media segments each encoding a respective time period of the designated media content item, each media segment being associated with a respective segment identifier;
• transmitting to the client machine a selected one of a plurality of lean private copies of the designated media content item, each lean private copy being specific to a respective content management account and including a plurality of account-specific file references, each account-specific file reference including one of the segment identifiers;
• and
• transmitting one or more of the data segments to the client machine upon receipt of the corresponding segment identifier.