Instead of implementing per flow measurement at every interface of every IGMP Router or Snooping Proxy in the aggregation network, as in the prior art “per flow measurement” approaches, the present invention relates to a scheme where the IGMP Router or Snooping Proxy tracks the multicast subscription of each host (for IGMPv3) or subnet (for IGMPv1 and IGMPv2) and stores the information such as host id, the time the host joined a channel, the duration of the channel delivery, etc. in a database. This database (MIB) can then be pulled by a network management tool using SNMP or WSDM MUWS. According to the invention a mechanism for multicast host authorization is also provided.