Late loading rich media

Methods for delivering rich media content to a user within an email system via a dedicated media channel. An email system receives an email message associated with rich media content from a registered sender for delivery to a recipient. To improve the recipient's viewing experience, the email system ensures that the rich media content is loaded in a rich media database before delivering the email message to the recipient. When the recipient reads the email message, the email system delivers the rich media content to the recipient from the rich media database via a dedicated media channel efficiently and at a low cost.