Media content delivery

Abstract

A server can receive information identifying media content to be offered to users at a discount or at a particular time of release. The offer can also include information identifying a minimum number of acceptances by users needed for the offer to be valid. During a predetermined period, if the number of acceptances has reached or exceeded the minimum number needed, the server may transmit a media stream containing the media content to the users. Furthermore, the offer may include multiple tiers of discounts and/or times of release.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A content delivery method, comprising:
 receiving, by a server, information identifying an item of media content;   receiving information identifying a time of release for the item of media content and a corresponding minimum number of acceptances required for the time of release to be valid;   prior to the time of release, receiving acceptance messages from a plurality of users, the acceptance messages indicating that corresponding users desire access to the item of media content at the time of release for the item of media content; and   in response to determining that a number of the acceptance messages has met or exceeded the minimum number of acceptances required, making available for transmission one or more media streams containing the item of media content to the corresponding users.