Multicast adaptive bitrate channel selection in access networks

A network element comprising:

• a memory storing computer-readable instructions and an ordered list of asset blocks having a head end and a tail end, each of the asset blocks indicating a number of clients in an access network currently streaming video content of a corresponding channel, the asset blocks being ordered according to the number of clients currently streaming the video content for each channel;
• and
• at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to
• determine whether a first number of clients currently streaming video content for a first channel within the access network is greater than or equal to a second number of clients currently streaming video content for a first multicast channel within an active set of multicast channels for the access network, the multicast channels in the active set of multicast channels corresponding to a set of the asset blocks in the ordered list of asset blocks,
• determine whether addition of the first channel will violate a resource condition for the access network, and
• add the first channel to the active set of multicast channels if the addition of the first channel will not violate the resource condition for the access network.

A network element comprising:

• a memory storing computer-readable instructions and an ordered list of asset blocks having a head end and a tail end, each of the asset blocks indicating a number of clients in an access network currently streaming video content of a corresponding channel, the asset blocks being ordered according to the number of clients currently streaming the video content for each channel;
• and
• at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to
• identify a request for a channel without a corresponding asset block in the ordered list of asset blocks,
• generate an asset block representing the requested channel in response to the request,
• initialize parameters for the generated asset block, and
• insert the generated asset block at the tail end of the ordered list.