Demand based selection for cellular broadcast streaming media

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, determining available media content items and identifying a first number of wireless broadcast channels of a wireless network having a limited channel capacity and adapted to broadcast media content items within a coverage area. A demand for a group of media content items is identified, and media content items are selected according to the demand, wherein broadcasting of the selected media content items within the coverage area does not exceed the limited channel capacity. The selected media content items are assigned to a group of broadcast channels of the first number of wireless broadcast channels to obtain a broadcast channel assignment for the coverage area. The wireless network is configured to broadcast the selected media content items within the coverage area via wireless broadcast channels according to the broadcast channel assignment. Other embodiments are disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A device, comprising:
 a processing system including a processor; and   a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:   responsive to obtaining information regarding a plurality of subscriber equipment devices entering or exiting a coverage area within which a mobile cellular network is adapted to broadcast streaming media, soliciting a plurality of votes, the plurality of votes comprising a respective vote from each of the plurality of subscriber equipment devices, each vote including a respective rank ordering of a plurality of available streaming media programs, resulting in a plurality of rank orderings;   determining a consumer demand for a group of streaming media programs of the plurality of available streaming media programs according to the plurality of rank orderings;   selecting streaming media programs of the group of streaming media programs to obtain selected streaming media programs according to the consumer demand, wherein a broadcasting of the selected streaming media programs within the coverage area does not exceed a limited channel capacity of a number of wireless broadcast channels of the mobile cellular network; and   based on the selecting, causing the mobile cellular network to broadcast the selected streaming media programs within the coverage area via wireless broadcast channels of the number of wireless broadcast channels.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the soliciting the plurality of votes comprises:
 implementing a voting event.   
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the soliciting the plurality of votes further comprises:
 obtaining voting results responsive to the implementing the voting event.   
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 3 , wherein the soliciting the plurality of votes further comprises:
 analyzing the voting results, resulting in analyzed results, wherein the determining the consumer demand is based on the analyzed results.   
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the broadcasting of the selected streaming media programs distributes the selected streaming media programs to a plurality of mobile consumer devices within the coverage area. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 5 , wherein broadcasting of a particular selected streaming media program of the selected streaming media programs comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) multicast of the particular selected streaming media program. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the soliciting the plurality of votes comprises a wide cast vote applied to multiple cells of the mobile cellular network or multiple sectors of the mobile cellular network. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the soliciting the plurality of votes is performed via a social media application. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the determining the consumer demand comprises determining a current demand based on current media content consumption of streaming media programs of the plurality of available streaming media programs. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the determining the consumer demand comprises determining a trend according to media content consumption of the plurality of available streaming media programs. 
     
     
         11 . A method, comprising:
 requesting, by a processing system including a processor, and responsive to identifying movement of a plurality of subscriber equipment devices into or out of a coverage area within which a mobile network is adapted to broadcast streaming media items, a plurality of votes, the plurality of votes comprising a respective vote from each of the plurality of subscriber equipment devices, each vote of the plurality of votes including a respective rank ordering of a plurality of available streaming media items, resulting in a plurality of rank orderings;   determining, by the processing system, a user demand for a group of streaming media items of the plurality of available streaming media items according to the plurality of rank orderings;   selecting, by the processing system, streaming media items of the group of streaming media items to obtain selected streaming media items according to the user demand, wherein a broadcasting of the selected streaming media items within the coverage area does not exceed a limited channel capacity of a number of wireless broadcast channels of the mobile network; and   based on the selecting, causing, by the processing system, the mobile network to broadcast the selected streaming media items within the coverage area via wireless broadcast channels of the number of wireless broadcast channels.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the requesting the plurality of votes comprises:
 initiating, by the processing system, a voting event;   obtaining, by the processing system, voting results responsive to the initiating the voting event; and   analyzing, by the processing system, the voting results, wherein the user demand is based on the voting results.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the broadcast is performed via Internet Protocol (IP) multicast. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the determining the user demand comprises determining a trend according to media content consumption of the plurality of available streaming media items. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the broadcasting of the selected streaming media items within the coverage area via the wireless broadcast channels of the number of wireless broadcast channels distributes the selected streaming media items to a plurality of mobile consumer devices within the coverage area. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the requesting the plurality of votes comprises a wide cast vote applied to multiple cells of the mobile network or multiple sectors of the mobile network. 
     
     
         17 . A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
 detecting mobility of a plurality of subscriber equipment devices with respect to a coverage area within which a wireless network is adapted to broadcast media content items, the detecting resulting in detected mobility;   soliciting, responsive to the detected mobility, a plurality of votes, the plurality of votes comprising a respective vote from each of the plurality of subscriber equipment devices, each vote of the plurality of votes including a respective rank ordering of a plurality of available media content items, each respective rank ordering together forming a plurality of rank orderings;   determining a demand for a group of media content items of the plurality of available media content items according to the plurality of rank orderings;   selecting media content items of the group of media content items to obtain selected media content items according to the demand, wherein a broadcasting of the selected media content items within the coverage area does not exceed a limited channel capacity of a number of wireless broadcast channels of the wireless network; and   assigning the selected media content items to a group of broadcast channels of the number of wireless broadcast channels to obtain a broadcast channel assignment for the coverage area, wherein the wireless network is configured to broadcast the selected media content items within the coverage area via wireless broadcast channels of the number of wireless broadcast channels according to the broadcast channel assignment.   
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein the soliciting the plurality of votes comprises:
 initiating a voting event;   obtaining voting results responsive to the initiating the voting event; and   analyzing the voting results, wherein the demand is based on the voting results.   
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 18 , wherein the analyzing the voting results comprises:
 ranking the group of media content items to obtain a ranked order of the group of media content items based on the voting results, wherein the selecting the media content items of the group of media content items is further based on the ranked order of the group of media content items.   
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein the determining the demand comprises determining a trend according to media content consumption of the plurality of available media content items.