Patent ID: 8595373

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of facilitating access to streaming content, the method being implemented in a computer system that includes one or more physical processors, the method comprising: receiving a request from a user device for access to user selected content, where the user device includes a central processor unit and a physical display; invoking a streaming content guide that indicates where content streams are available to the user device over a network, the streaming content guide including: data on content available in the content streams; and data on the content streams, such data including an individual content stream network location and one or more stream parameters; locating in the streaming content guide a plurality of content streams available to the user device, wherein the plurality of content streams includes the user selected content; identifying one of the plurality of content streams that includes the user selected content for access by the user device based on at least one of the one or more stream parameters included in the streaming content guide, wherein the at least one stream parameter on which the identification of the identified content stream is based includes one or more of a metric related to historical playback reliability or a commercial business relationship; and facilitating access to the identified content stream for the user device by providing a content stream network location indicated in the streaming content guide for the identified content stream to the user device.