A method for delivering streaming media content from a streaming media server to at least two client devices (410, 420) through a common gateway so that the streaming media content is presented simultaneously by the client devices (410, 420), comprising: (i) determining that a request received by the common gateway from a first client device is a request to receive from a streaming media server the streaming media content that is to be synchronized with a presentation of the streaming media content by a second client device that receives the streaming media content through the common gateway, the first and second client devices (410, 420) being of a common type that process streaming media in a common manner, wherein the streaming media content is live content streamed in accordance with HTTP Live Streaming, HLS; (ii) sending the request from the gateway to the streaming media server; (iii) responsive to the request from the gateway, receiving at the gateway an initial manifest associated with the streaming media content, the initial manifest including a sequence of media segment URLs indicating an ordering of the media segments that create a representation of a portion of the streaming media content; (iv) sending one or more additional requests from the gateway to the streaming media server to receive an updated version of the initial manifest, the one or more additional requests being sent at time intervals that are less than a duration of the media segments in the initial manifest; (v) forwarding the updated version of the initial manifest and not the initial manifest itself to the first client device immediately upon receiving the updated manifest version at the gateway; (vi) receiving a request from the first client device to receive a selected media segment specified in the updated manifest version; (vii) forwarding the request for the selected media segment to the server and receiving the selected media segment in response; (viii) forwarding the selected media segment to the first client device at a transmission rate greater than a rate at which the media segment plays out in real-time and less than a transmission rate available over a slower of a first or second transmission link, the first transmission link being between the gateway and the first client device and the second transmission link being between the gateway and the second client device; and (ix) repeating steps (i) - (viii) for the second client device, wherein forwarding the selected media segment to the second client device in step (viii) further includes pacing it out a predetermined rate to ensure that the transmission time required to receive the selected media segment is the same for both the first and second client devices (410, 420). (i) determining that a request received by the common gateway from a first client device is a request to receive from a streaming media server the streaming media content that is to be synchronized with a presentation of the streaming media content by a second client device that receives the streaming media content through the common gateway, the first and second client devices (410, 420) being of a common type that process streaming media in a common manner, wherein the streaming media content is live content streamed in accordance with HTTP Live Streaming, HLS; (ii) sending the request from the gateway to the streaming media server; (iii) responsive to the request from the gateway, receiving at the gateway an initial manifest associated with the streaming media content, the initial manifest including a sequence of media segment URLs indicating an ordering of the media segments that create a representation of a portion of the streaming media content; (iv) sending one or more additional requests from the gateway to the streaming media server to receive an updated version of the initial manifest, the one or more additional requests being sent at time intervals that are less than a duration of the media segments in the initial manifest; (v) forwarding the updated version of the initial manifest and not the initial manifest itself to the first client device immediately upon receiving the updated manifest version at the gateway; (vi) receiving a request from the first client device to receive a selected media segment specified in the updated manifest version; (vii) forwarding the request for the selected media segment to the server and receiving the selected media segment in response; (viii) forwarding the selected media segment to the first client device at a transmission rate greater than a rate at which the media segment plays out in real-time and less than a transmission rate available over a slower of a first or second transmission link, the first transmission link being between the gateway and the first client device and the second transmission link being between the gateway and the second client device; and (ix) repeating steps (i) - (viii) for the second client device, wherein forwarding the selected media segment to the second client device in step (viii) further includes pacing it out a predetermined rate to ensure that the transmission time required to receive the selected media segment is the same for both the first and second client devices (410, 420).