A method of providing access to a subscription service in a signal distribution system to a system user at a location remote from a home location of the user, the subscription service comprising a plurality of selectable channels available to the user at the home location, the home and remote locations being serviced by respective first and second head ends of the system, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining in the second head end content for at least a selected one of the plurality of channels of said subscription service available to the user at the home location; and inserting said content into a program stream utilizable for delivery of the content to an interface device at the remote location to thereby make the selected channel accessible to the user at the remote location; wherein at a given point in time the content for at most the selected one of the plurality of channels is transported from the first head end to the second head end responsive to a particular channel selection made by the user via the interface device at the remote location; wherein the selected channel is associated in the first head end with a multicast group reserved for the user; wherein responsive to a channel change command initiated by the user via the interface device at the remote location, the second head end determines if content for a newly-selected channel is already available in the second head end as a result of subscription services provided to any other roaming user serviced by the second head end; wherein if the content for the newly-selected channel is already available in the second head end, the second head end makes said content accessible to the user at the remote location while the channel change command is processed at the first head end and said content is made available on said multicast group reserved for the user; and wherein after said content is made available on said multicast group reserved for the user, a message is sent to the interface device directing a migration to said multicast group reserved for the user. obtaining in the second head end content for at least a selected one of the plurality of channels of said subscription service available to the user at the home location; and inserting said content into a program stream utilizable for delivery of the content to an interface device at the remote location to thereby make the selected channel accessible to the user at the remote location; wherein at a given point in time the content for at most the selected one of the plurality of channels is transported from the first head end to the second head end responsive to a particular channel selection made by the user via the interface device at the remote location; wherein the selected channel is associated in the first head end with a multicast group reserved for the user; wherein responsive to a channel change command initiated by the user via the interface device at the remote location, the second head end determines if content for a newly-selected channel is already available in the second head end as a result of subscription services provided to any other roaming user serviced by the second head end; wherein if the content for the newly-selected channel is already available in the second head end, the second head end makes said content accessible to the user at the remote location while the channel change command is processed at the first head end and said content is made available on said multicast group reserved for the user; and wherein after said content is made available on said multicast group reserved for the user, a message is sent to the interface device directing a migration to said multicast group reserved for the user.