Multi-Tenant Over-The-Top Multicast

A method comprising:

• downloading segments of a particular media stream at a first time position from a first multicast address;
• detecting input moving playback of the particular media stream from said first time position to a second time position, wherein said second time position is at least one second behind said first time position;
• comparing said second time position to (i) a third time position at which the particular media stream is accessible from a different second multicast address and (ii) a fourth time position at which the particular media stream is accessible from a different third multicast address, wherein the second time position is different than the third time position and the fourth time position;
• and
• resuming playback of the particular media stream at the fourth time position in response to said detecting of said input and said comparing, wherein the fourth time position is closer to the second time position than the first or third time positions, and wherein resuming playback comprises ceasing requesting segments of the particular media stream from the first multicast address and commencing requesting segments of the particular media stream from the third multicast address.

A method for distributing a primary media stream to a large number of client devices with customized secondary media streams presented during breaks within the primary media stream, the method comprising:

• providing a first portion of the primary media stream to a plurality of client devices using a first multicast address, wherein the first portion precedes a first break in the primary media stream;
• segmenting the plurality of client devices to a first set of client devices satisfying first criteria for said first break and a second set of client devices satisfying different second criteria for said first break;
• and
• customizing streams presented at the first break by switching the first set of client devices from the first multicast address to a different second multicast address based on said segmenting and said satisfying the first criteria, and by switching the second set of client devices from the first multicast address to a different third multicast address based on said segmenting and said satisfying the second criteria, wherein a first secondary media stream streams from said second multicast address during the first break and a different second secondary media stream streams from said third multicast address during the first break.