Selective pre-caching of media streams

One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

• analyzing a set of traffic data that comprises a loq of URL requests and is associated with streaming of a plurality of media items in a first time period;
• selecting, based on the set of traffic data, a first media item for storage in a cache during a second time period;
• identifying a first section and a second section of the first media item for storage in the cache during the second time period, wherein the first section and the second section of the first media item are identified by determining, based on an analysis of URL construction of the log of URL requests in the set of traffic data, that the first section and the second section of the first media item are each more likely to be requested for playback relative to at least one other section of the first media item, wherein the first section and the second section comprise non-contiguous sections of the first media item;
• and
• storing in the cache, prior to receiving a request for the first media item in the second time period:
• at least a portion of a first media stream of a plurality of media streams associated with the first media item, wherein at least the portion of the first media stream is associated with the first section and the second section of the first media item, and
• at least a portion of a second media stream of the plurality of media streams,
• wherein each media stream in the plurality of media streams is encoded with different characteristics.

A computing system that selectively caches digital content for streaming, the computing system comprising:

• a memory that stores a pre-caching application;
• and
• a processor that is coupled to the memory and executes the pre-caching application to:
• analyze a set of traffic data that comprises a log of URL requests and is associated with streaming of a plurality of media items in a first time period;
• select, based on the set of traffic data, a first media item for storage in a cache during a second time period;
• identify a first section and a second section of the first media item for storage in the cache during the second time period, wherein the first section and the second section of the first media item are identified by determining, based on an analysis of URL construction of the log of URL requests in the set of traffic data, that the first section and the second section of the first media item are each more likely to be requested for playback relative to at least one other section of the first media item, wherein the first section and the second section comprise non-contiguous sections of the first media item;
• and
• store in the cache, prior to receiving a request for the first media item in the second time period:
• at least a portion of a first media stream of a plurality of media streams associated with the first media item, wherein at least the portion of the first media stream is associated with the first section and the second section of the first media item, and
• at least a portion of a second media stream of the plurality of media streams,
• wherein each media stream in the plurality of media streams is encoded with different characteristics.