Abstract: A content delivery method which distributes content from a server to a plurality of customers according to their desired delivery schedules. The server receives delivery schedule information from each user terminal which specifies a desired delivery time. The server then stores the received delivery schedule information into its local storage device. Comparing the present time with each desired delivery time stored in the storage device, the server determines whether any scheduled delivery time is reached. The server delivers specified content to every requesting user terminal when their desired delivery time is reached.

Abstract: A resource-utilization-information management unit manages shared-resource information about both available network resources and available media-distribution-system resources. A shared-resource management unit distributes or redistributes the shared resources based on a resource-utilization request from each content distributor. A distribution management unit performs both the reservation management and distribution management of media distribution for each content server within the scope of a resource-utilization right distributed or re-distributed by the shared-resource management unit.