Location specific video content retrieval enabling regional blackouts to be maintained

1. A method for providing location control when delivering video content, the method comprising:

obtaining an original manifest file and generating a regional manifest file to provide content for each of a plurality of geo-location service area regions based on the original manifest file;

receiving a request for the content from a client device at a given network access element in a plurality of network access elements, each network access element being located in a different one of the geo-location service areas;

removing any geo-location specific information in content URLs received from the client device in the request to prevent the client device from manipulating the content URLs to bypass blackout restrictions that apply to the geo-location area;

appending metadata specific to the geo-location service area of the respective network access element to the request using the given network access element; and

providing the requested content with the blackout restrictions that apply to the geo-location area of the given network access element.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network access elements comprise at least one of: an edge cache, a streaming server, an Internet Protocol (IP) network element, a cable modem termination system (CMTS), and a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a content provider creates the geo-location specific manifest files that are stored on an origin server, and wherein the origin server provides the geo-location specific manifest files to individual ones of the network access elements, wherein one of the manifest files are served to the client device in response to the request.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the client devices comprise at least one of: an internet protocol (IP) set top box (STB), a STB and a mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the client device's request is an http request.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the restrictions comprise blackout restrictions or targeted content release to a specific region.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request for content comprises a request for a playlist or a request for a content file.

8. A network system providing location control of deliverable video content comprising:

network access elements, each network access element linked to a origin server to receive a regional manifest files to deliver video content to a given geo-specific region where it is located, each network access element further connected to receive requests for content from client devices within the given geo-specific region,

wherein the network access elements remove any geo-location specific information in content URLs received from the client devices in the requests for content to prevent the client devices from manipulating the content URLs to bypass blackout restrictions that apply to the geo-location regions;

wherein the network access elements append metadata to the requests for content received from the client devices in the respective geo-location region where they are located, the metadata identifying the respective geo-location region; and

wherein the network access elements provide the requested content to the client devices with the blackout restrictions that apply to the respective geo-location regions.

9. The network system of claim 8 , wherein the network access elements comprise at least one of: an edge cache, a streaming server, an Internet Protocol (IP) network element, a cable modem termination system (CMTS), and a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM).

10. The network system of claim 8 , wherein the restrictions comprise blackout restrictions or targeted content release to a specific region.

11. A network system providing location control of deliverable video content comprising:

a packager for creating an original manifest file;

a playlist rebuilder for extracting the original manifest file from the packager and generating a regional manifest file for each of a plurality of geo-specific service area regions;

an origin server for fetching the regional manifest files;

edge caches, each edge cache linked to the origin server to receive the regional manifest files for a given one of the geo-specific regions where it is located, each edge cache further connected to receive http requests for content from client devices within their given geo-specific region,

wherein the edge caches further remove any geo-location specific information in content URLs received from the client devices in requests for content to prevent the client devices from manipulating the content URLs to bypass the blackout restrictions,

wherein each edge cache appends metadata specific to the respective given geo-location region to an http content request received from client devices in the respective given geo-location region; and

wherein each edge cache provides the content requested with the blackout restrictions that apply to the respective given geo-location region.

12. The network system of claim 11 , wherein the edge caches pass the http requests for geo-specific content to the origin server when the content requests have not previously been requested and stored.

13. The network system of claim 11 , further comprising a blackout manager for controlling the playlist rebuilder to enable generation of the regional manifest files with desired content blacked out.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the playlist rebuilder modifies the regional manifest file when service is to be blacked out by replacing one or more of the content URLs to be blacked out with URLs for the content to be substituted.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein each of the regional manifest files are identical to the original manifest file until the playlist rebuilder modifies one of the regional manifest files to black out service.