Methods and apparatus for business-based network resource allocation

A method of operating a content delivery network having a plurality of client devices associated therewith, said method comprising:

• receiving from first ones of said plurality of client devices a plurality of requests for delivery of a first content element;
• receiving from second ones of said plurality of client devices a plurality of requests for delivery of a second content element;
• evaluating a profitability associated with servicing said plurality of requests for said first content in either of a first format or a second format, and a profitability associated with servicing said plurality of requests for said second content in either of said first format or said second format, said first format comprising a standard definition (SD) format, and said second format comprising a high definition (HD) format;
• assembling at least one transport using said first content in one of said first or second formats, and said second content in one of said first or second formats, based at least in part on said act of evaluating;
• determining that at least one of said first ones of said plurality of client devices or said second ones of said plurality of client devices comprises an SD upconversion capability;
• and
• based at least in part on said determination, delivering said requested first or second content to said ones of said plurality of client devices comprising said upconversion capability in said SD format.

A method of operating a content delivery network according to a resource allocation model when available resources of said content delivery network are constrained due to existing requests for service, the method comprising:

• receiving a request for digitally rendered content;
• identifying first data relating to one or more network costs for delivery of said requested digitally rendered content;
• identifying second data relating to one or more network benefits for delivery of said requested digitally rendered content;
• accessing historical content usage data for a geographic region of request origination, said historical content usage data for said geographic region of request origination comprising data indicative of a historically low usage of high definition (HD) content relative to a prescribed HD usage standard;
• evaluating one or more requested content revenue conditions, said one or more requested content revenue conditions comprising at least a revenue condition related to said geographic region of request origination;
• deriving a cost/benefit metric based at least on said first data relating to one or more network costs, said second data relating to one or more network benefits, and said evaluated one or more requested content revenue conditions;
• and
• delivering said requested content based at least on a higher ranking of said cost/benefit metric relative to one or more other cost/benefit metrics for each of one or more other requests for digitally rendered content.

A method of operating a content delivery network having a plurality of client devices associated therewith, said method comprising:

• receiving a first computerized request for delivery of on-demand digitally rendered content from one of said plurality of client devices via said network, the request generated substantially in response to a user input provided via a computerized user interface associated with said one of said plurality of client devices;
• determining, responsive to said received first computerized request, that there is insufficient network bandwidth to deliver said on-demand content to at least said one client devices concurrent with servicing a plurality of existing requests from others of said plurality of client devices via said network, said first computerized request being a request which produces a higher revenue than said plurality of existing requests;
• based at least on said determining, evaluating at least two possible delivery options for servicing said first computerized request, said act of evaluating being performed based at least in part on at least one profit consideration relating to delivery of said digitally rendered content via a first of said delivery options versus delivery of said digitally rendered content via a second of said delivery options;
• and
• based at least in part on said act of evaluating, selecting and performing one of said first and second delivery options in order to service said first computerized request,
• wherein said performing one of said first and second delivery options in order to service said first computerized request comprises reconfiguring at least a portion of said network so as to enable servicing said first computerized request via said selected delivery option;
• wherein said reconfiguring of said at least portion of said network comprises cancelling of at least one of said plurality of existing computerized requests in order to accommodate said enabling of servicing said first computerized request via said selected delivery option;
• and
• wherein said reconfiguring of said at least portion of said network further comprises migration of one or more of said existing computerized requests in order to reserve network bandwidth for servicing of one or more future computerized requests via one or more of said at least two possible delivery options, said one or more future computerized request producing a higher revenue than said existing computerized requests.