A content caching system intercepts a request from a user device for delivery of an item of popular content stored in the cache, redirects the request to a gateway based on a determination that the requesting device may receive the item from the gateway which provides a multicast service for the item, wherein the redirecting occurs subsequent to the device being able to join a wireless multicast of the requested content after a period of delivery of a portion of the content from the cache to the device while the content is in the midst of being delivered to the device so that delivery from the cache is terminated and delivery continues such that a subsequent portion of the popular content is delivered to the device from the gateway as part of the wireless multicast.