Patent ID: 8839284

Claim:
A content delivery method, the method comprising: receiving content, at a network headend, via a communications link; replicating received content at the network headend for delivery to a plurality of local distribution centers, said network headend using at least one of i) different ports or ii) different IP addresses for distribution of content to different local distribution centers; communicating separate individual copies of the received content to different local distribution centers using: i) different ports at the network headend or ii) different port and IP address combinations; processing, at said network headend, a command received from a remote location to determine if distribution of a program included in said received content is to be blocked from delivery to a region; and when the received command indicates that a program included in said received content is to be blocked from delivery to a region, blocking, at said network headend, said program from being output using a port and an IP address used to deliver content to a local distribution center corresponding to the region from which the program is to be blocked while proceeding with outputting of said replicated copies of said content using a port and IP address used to deliver content to a different local distribution center.