A switched digital video (SDV) system includes an SDV manager for coordinating SDV sessions requested by subscriber terminals associated with at least one service group. The SDV system also includes an input for receiving content to be delivered during the SDV sessions and at least one edge device for receiving transport streams that include an SDV program provided by the input and for transmitting each transport stream over an access network to at least one of the subscriber terminals on one of a plurality of SDV channels. In response to receipt of a message from a subscriber terminal in a first service group indicating that an EAS event is occurring, the SDV manager is configured to suspend reclamation of network resources allocated to the first service group which otherwise occurs when subscriber terminals tune off an SDV channel.