Maintaining channels lists

A method is provided for maintaining a list of content channels that a user of a multi-channel content service subscribes to or has followed, and a client device for operation by the user to receive the content. If a list on the user's device has been modified, the device (e.g., an applet provided by the service) informs a synchronization server by uploading the list. The server synchronizes it with a master list and downloads a copy to the device. A channels list includes an entry for each channel the user follows (and possibly channels he has deleted), which includes an index or ordinal position of the channel among all the user's channels, an identifier of the channel (e.g., a URL), identifiers of sub-lists the channel has been assigned to, and a timestamp identifying the last time the entry changed (e.g., when the channel was added, removed, assigned to a sub-list).