A system and method of caching multimedia data employing probabilistic
predictive techniques is provided for facilitating local storage of a
subset of available viewing selections by assigning a value to a
selection and retaining selections in the cache depending on the value
and size of the selection. The value assigned to an item can represent
the time-dependent likelihood that a user (or group of users) will review
an item at some time in the future, current viewing habits as well as
habits over a particular time segment. A value assigned to a selection
dynamically changes according to a set of cache retention policies, where
the value can be time-dependent functions that decay based on the class
of the item, for example. A selections value may also change based on
changes in viewing habits, time segments or a user's modification of the
cache retention policies.