A system and method for delivering content over the Internet from a content source to a destination is disclosed which includes the use of an overlay network, built on an underlying IP network. Additionally, error correction capability is added to the overlay network to allow the destination to reconstitute packets lost during the transmission over the Internet. In one embodiment, an overlay network is created using a plurality of overlay nodes, which may be geographically distributed, either throughout the country or throughout the world. Each respective content source or destination is also a part of the overlay network. Overhead, capable of providing error correction capability, is added to the content flow as it enters the overlay network. As the content flow leaves the overlay network, this overhead is removed from the content flow. In the case of transmission errors across the overlay network, the overhead information is used to reconstitute lost or corrupted packets.