A method of providing digital content for a channel change to a real-time video stream, the method characterized by: receiving a command at a head-end in response to a channel change at a customer-side, the channel change being a change from a given channel to a particular channel at the customer-side, wherein the command requests content from the particular channel and the particular channel includes a program that is in progress, and wherein changing to the particular channel at the customer-side includes changing to the program; determining, by the head-end, a predefined amount of delayed content for the program, corresponding to an amount for decreasing severity of jitter during playout of content in a content channel signal corresponding to content requested by the command; sending, from the head-end to the customer-side, and at a rate substantially greater than a streaming content playout rate, a first content stream on a first connection carrying the content channel signal corresponding to content requested by the command, the first connection being a point-to-point connection and the first content stream providing the predefined amount of delayed content for the program; and sending, from the head-end to the customer-side, a second content stream on a second connection carrying the content channel signal, wherein the second connection is one of multicast, broadcast, and asynchronous-transfer-mode point-multipoint, and the second content stream provides real-time content for the program and is received at the customer-side substantially at the playout rate, the second content stream being sent only after the head-end has sent to the customer-side the predefined amount of delayed content on the first content stream, wherein the real-time content begins at substantially a point in the program at which the predefined amount of delayed content ends. receiving a command at a head-end in response to a channel change at a customer-side, the channel change being a change from a given channel to a particular channel at the customer-side, wherein the command requests content from the particular channel and the particular channel includes a program that is in progress, and wherein changing to the particular channel at the customer-side includes changing to the program; determining, by the head-end, a predefined amount of delayed content for the program, corresponding to an amount for decreasing severity of jitter during playout of content in a content channel signal corresponding to content requested by the command; sending, from the head-end to the customer-side, and at a rate substantially greater than a streaming content playout rate, a first content stream on a first connection carrying the content channel signal corresponding to content requested by the command, the first connection being a point-to-point connection and the first content stream providing the predefined amount of delayed content for the program; and sending, from the head-end to the customer-side, a second content stream on a second connection carrying the content channel signal, wherein the second connection is one of multicast, broadcast, and asynchronous-transfer-mode point-multipoint, and the second content stream provides real-time content for the program and is received at the customer-side substantially at the playout rate, the second content stream being sent only after the head-end has sent to the customer-side the predefined amount of delayed content on the first content stream, wherein the real-time content begins at substantially a point in the program at which the predefined amount of delayed content ends.