Methods and apparatus for providing access to content across a plurality of devices and environments. In one embodiment, a downloadable rights profile is utilized in order for a user device to determine whether to provide content to a subscriber. The user device is first registered to content delivery the network; the device then requests a rights profile indicating the rights of the subscriber associated with the device to access content. The rights profile is transmitted to the device. The rights profile may be configured to be valid only for a pre-determined time, thus enabling a subscriber's rights to be updated (including revoked). Security mechanisms may also be utilized to ensure access to content is limited only to authorized subscribers. In another embodiment, a user-based authentication procedure is utilized, thereby making the rights determination and content provision process completely agnostic to the underlying hardware.