Distributed scheduling of media channel playout

A system, comprising:

• processor;
• memory;
• and
• scheduling event messaging middleware configured for:
• receiving a plurality of scheduling events and their associated time-stamps from a plurality of scheduling producers, wherein the plurality of scheduling producers are separate devices connected to the scheduling event messaging middleware over a network and the scheduling event messaging middleware is configured to receive scheduling events from any number of different scheduling producers over the network;
• dynamically prioritizing the scheduling events in a prioritized order as they are received, wherein the priority is based on the context of the scheduling event;
• sending the plurality of scheduling events and their associated time-stamps in the prioritized order, that were received from the plurality of scheduling producers to a plurality of scheduling consumers, wherein the scheduling event messaging middleware is further configured to send scheduling events and their associated time-stamps to any number of different scheduling consumers;
• wherein each of the plurality of scheduling consumers includes a state machine that turns the plurality of scheduling events into playouts for each channel in a plurality of channels, wherein each time-stamps identifies a time for a specific channel, from the plurality of channels, at which the specific channel is to play one or more of the plurality of scheduling events.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions for executing a method, the method comprising:

• receiving, at a scheduling event messaging middleware, a plurality of scheduling events and their associated time-stamps from a plurality of scheduling producers, wherein the plurality of scheduling producers are separate devices connected to the scheduling event messaging middleware over a network and the scheduling event messaging middleware is configured to receive scheduling events from any number of different scheduling producers over the network;
• dynamically prioritizing the scheduling events in a prioritized order as they are received at the scheduling event messaging middleware, wherein the priority is based on the context of the scheduling event;
• sending, from the scheduling event messaging middleware, the plurality of scheduling events and their associated time-stamps in the prioritized order, that were received from the plurality of scheduling producers to a plurality of scheduling consumers, wherein the scheduling event messaging middleware is further configured to send scheduling events and their associated time-stamps to any number of different scheduling consumers;
• wherein each of the plurality of scheduling consumers includes a state machine that turns the plurality of scheduling events into playouts for each channel in a plurality of channels, wherein each time-stamp identifies a time for a specific channel, from the plurality of channels, at which the specific channel is to play one or more of the plurality of scheduling events.