The synergy between computing and information systems promises to hera
ld a new epoch in which users have access to an entirely new variety o
f entertainment services that are customized to suit their individual
needs. In this paper, we explore the architectural considerations that
underlie the efficient realization of personalized video-on-demand en
tertainment services over metropolitan area broadband networks. To del
iver video programmes to users' homes at attractive costs, we present
intelligent caching strategies that judiciously store media informatio
n at strategic locations in the network. For information caching in a
metropolitan area network, we devise a simple, yet effective caching s
trategy that uses a Greedy heuristic to determine when, where and for
how long programs must be cached, so as to minimize the cumulative sto
rage and network costs borne by users. Preliminary simulations demonst
rate that the Greedy caching strategy performs exceptionally, in most
cases providing near-optimal solutions.