A method of delivering content from a source to a destination in a content delivery network, said destination being one of a plurality of destinations, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a request for an item of content; determining a demand profile for the content, the demand profile being determined in accordance with a measure of the number of requests for the content in a time period preceding said request, and optionally a prediction of the number of expected requests for the content in a subsequent time period; electing to deliver the content using an unicast stream and multiple time-staggered multicast streams based on the demand profile; establishing a first multicast stream comprising a first copy of the content; establishing at least a second multicast stream comprising a second copy of the content, the second copy of the content being time-shifted by a first time delay, M, from corresponding portions of the first copy of the content; following said request for said content, concurrently delivering to said destination a first section of the content using said first multicast stream and a second section of the content using said second multicast stream; establishing to supplement said first section and said second section of said content with a beginning section of said content using said unicast stream; buffering at said destination said first section, said second section, and said beginning section; wherein the first time delay, M, is determined in accordance with one or more capability of each destination of said plurality of destinations, and wherein a capability of each destination comprises the buffer capacity of a destination and/or the number of multicast streams which may be simultaneously received by a destination. receiving a request for an item of content; determining a demand profile for the content, the demand profile being determined in accordance with a measure of the number of requests for the content in a time period preceding said request, and optionally a prediction of the number of expected requests for the content in a subsequent time period; electing to deliver the content using an unicast stream and multiple time-staggered multicast streams based on the demand profile; establishing a first multicast stream comprising a first copy of the content; establishing at least a second multicast stream comprising a second copy of the content, the second copy of the content being time-shifted by a first time delay, M, from corresponding portions of the first copy of the content; following said request for said content, concurrently delivering to said destination a first section of the content using said first multicast stream and a second section of the content using said second multicast stream; establishing to supplement said first section and said second section of said content with a beginning section of said content using said unicast stream; buffering at said destination said first section, said second section, and said beginning section; wherein the first time delay, M, is determined in accordance with one or more capability of each destination of said plurality of destinations, and wherein a capability of each destination comprises the buffer capacity of a destination and/or the number of multicast streams which may be simultaneously received by a destination. <EOS>