Method and apparatus for content replacement in live production

A system for seamlessly inserting an alternative content segment in an open time slot within a plurality of media audio and video content segments to be distributed non-linearly across a network of Internet websites, the system comprising:

• a database configured to store a plurality of alternative content segments that each have a respective duration time;
• a media content encoder configured to encode a plurality of media content segments into a non-linear transmission encoded format, such that the plurality of encoded media content segments are configured to be distributed non-linearly in an Internet data stream across a network of Internet websites;
• an alternative content segment encoder configured to encode at least one of the plurality of alternative content segments into the non-linear transmission encoded format, such that the at least one alternative content segment is configured to be non-linearly transmitted over the network of Internet websites;
• an alternative content insertion controller configured to identify an open time slot within the Internet data stream between a respective pair of the plurality of encoded media content segments, and to seamlessly insert the encoded at least one alternative content segment in the Internet data stream at the identified open time slot without replacing a portion of the plurality of encoded media content segments in the Internet data stream, such that both the plurality of encoded media content segments and the inserted and encoded alternative content segment are configured to be non-linearly distributed in the Internet data stream across the network of Internet websites;
• and
• a content distribution server configured to transmit the Internet data stream that includes both the plurality of encoded media content segments and the inserted and encoded alternative content segment across the network of Internet websites to at least one content consuming device to display the Internet data stream thereon with no perceivable space between the alternative content segment and the plurality of encoded media content segments.

A system for seamlessly inserting an alternative content segment in an open time slot within a plurality of media content segments to be distributed non-linearly across a network of Internet websites, the system comprising:

• a content encoding configuration manager configured to encode a plurality of media content segments, which are encoded in a transmission encoded format not capable of being distributed across a network of Internet websites, into a non-linear transmission encoded format to configure the plurality of media content segments to be distributed in an Internet data stream non-linearly across a network of Internet websites;
• an open time slot identifier configured to identify an open time slot within the Internet data stream between a pair of the plurality of media content segments;
• and
• a seamless alternative content segment inserter configured to seamlessly insert an encoded alternative content segment in the Internet data stream at the identified open time slot within the encoded plurality of media content segments, such that the Internet data stream is configured to be non-linearly distributed across the network of Internet websites.

A system for inserting a content segment in an open time slot of a plurality of content segments to be distributed across a network of Internet websites, the system comprising:

• a content encoding configuration manager configured to encode a linear content segment into a non-linear transmission format so as to re-configure the content segment to be distributed in an Internet data stream non-linearly across a network of Internet websites;
• an open time slot identifier configured to identify the open time slot in the Internet data stream between a pair of media content segments;
• and
• a content segment inserter configured to insert the encoded content segment in the Internet data stream at an open time slot of the Internet data stream such that the Internet data stream with the inserted and encoded content segment is configured to be non-linearly distributed across the network of Internet websites.

A system for inserting a content segment in an open time slot of a plurality of content segments to be distributed across a network of Internet websites, the system comprising:

• means for encoding a linear content segment into a non-linear transmission format so as to re-configure the content segment to be distributed in an Internet data stream non-linearly across a network of Internet websites;
• means for identifying the open time slot in the Internet data stream between a pair of media content segments;
• and
• means for inserting the encoded content segment in the Internet data stream at an open time slot of the Internet data stream such that the Internet data stream with the inserted and encoded content segment is configured to be non-linearly distributed across the network of Internet websites.