Patent ID: 8701149

Claim:
A method for reducing a number of data streams providing a program to viewers comprising: providing a first data stream of the program, the first data stream beginning at a first time interval where the program is displayed using the first data, stream, the first data stream having a break marker occurring at a break marker location time in the first data stream, the break marker corresponding to an advertisement within the first data stream having an advertisement time, where an earliest data stream location time based on the break marker location time and the advertisement time is determined; and providing a second data stream that begins at a second time interval later than the first time interval where the second data stream is at a location between the earliest stream location time and the break marker location time, the second data stream being buffered where the program is displayed using the second data stream at a program location corresponding to the break marker location time in the first data stream such that the program displayed using the second data stream is displayed at a same program location in the first data stream where the break marker occurred using the buffered the second data stream.