diff --git a/common/djangoapps/status/status.py b/common/djangoapps/status/status.py
index b3ffd6a84c..4e57930108 100644
--- a/common/djangoapps/status/status.py
+++ b/common/djangoapps/status/status.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ A tiny app that checks for a status message.
 """
 
 from django.conf import settings
+from django.core.cache import cache
 import json
 import logging
 import os
@@ -25,6 +26,11 @@ def get_site_status_msg(course_id):
     not allowed to break the entire site).
     """
     try:
+        # first check for msg in cache
+        msg = cache.get('site_status_msg')
+        if msg is not None:
+            return msg
+
         if os.path.isfile(settings.STATUS_MESSAGE_PATH):
             with open(settings.STATUS_MESSAGE_PATH) as f:
                 content = f.read()
@@ -37,6 +43,8 @@ def get_site_status_msg(course_id):
             msg = msg + "<br>" if msg else ''
             msg += status_dict[course_id]
 
+        # set msg to cache, with expiry 5 mins
+        cache.set('site_status_msg', msg, 60 * 5)
         return msg
     except:
         log.exception("Error while getting a status message.")
diff --git a/common/djangoapps/status/tests.py b/common/djangoapps/status/tests.py
index 20787e1ed6..8e2e45b7ff 100644
--- a/common/djangoapps/status/tests.py
+++ b/common/djangoapps/status/tests.py
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 from django.conf import settings
+from django.core.cache import cache
 from django.test import TestCase
 import os
 from django.test.utils import override_settings
 from tempfile import NamedTemporaryFile
+import ddt
 
 from .status import get_site_status_msg
 
@@ -13,6 +15,7 @@ TMP_NAME = TMP_FILE.name
 TMP_FILE.close()
 
 
+@ddt.ddt
 @override_settings(STATUS_MESSAGE_PATH=TMP_NAME)
 class TestStatus(TestCase):
     """Test that the get_site_status_msg function does the right thing"""
@@ -64,6 +67,13 @@ class TestStatus(TestCase):
         with open(settings.STATUS_MESSAGE_PATH, 'w') as f:
             f.write(contents)
 
+    def clear_status_cache(self):
+        """
+        Remove the cached status message, if found
+        """
+        if cache.get('site_status_msg') is not None:
+            cache.delete('site_status_msg')
+
     def remove_status_file(self):
         """Delete the status file if it exists"""
         if os.path.exists(settings.STATUS_MESSAGE_PATH):
@@ -72,18 +82,19 @@ class TestStatus(TestCase):
     def tearDown(self):
         self.remove_status_file()
 
-    def test_get_site_status_msg(self):
+    @ddt.data(*checks)
+    @ddt.unpack
+    def test_get_site_status_msg(self, json_str, exp_none, exp_toy, exp_full):
         """run the tests"""
-        for (json_str, exp_none, exp_toy, exp_full) in self.checks:
 
-            self.remove_status_file()
-            if json_str:
-                self.create_status_file(json_str)
+        self.remove_status_file()
+        if json_str:
+            self.create_status_file(json_str)
 
-            print "checking results for {0}".format(json_str)
-            print "course=None:"
-            self.assertEqual(get_site_status_msg(None), exp_none)
-            print "course=toy:"
-            self.assertEqual(get_site_status_msg(self.toy_id), exp_toy)
-            print "course=full:"
-            self.assertEqual(get_site_status_msg(self.full_id), exp_full)
+        for course_id, expected_msg in [(None, exp_none), (self.toy_id, exp_toy), (self.full_id, exp_full)]:
+            self.assertEqual(get_site_status_msg(course_id), expected_msg)
+            self.assertEqual(cache.get('site_status_msg'), expected_msg)
+            # check that `get_site_status_msg` works as expected when the cache
+            # is warmed, too
+            self.assertEqual(get_site_status_msg(course_id), expected_msg)
+            self.clear_status_cache()
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/video_module/video_module.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/video_module/video_module.py
index f12347fd4f..46272814a6 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/video_module/video_module.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/video_module/video_module.py
@@ -235,12 +235,15 @@ class VideoModule(VideoFields, VideoTranscriptsMixin, VideoStudentViewHandlers,
 
         # CDN_VIDEO_URLS is only to be used here and will be deleted
         # TODO(ali@edx.org): Delete this after the CDN experiment has completed.
+        html_id = self.location.html_id()
         if getattr(settings, 'PERFORMANCE_GRAPHITE_URL', '') != '' and \
                 self.system.user_location == 'CN' and \
-                getattr(settings, 'ENABLE_VIDEO_BEACON', False) and \
-                self.edx_video_id in getattr(settings, 'CDN_VIDEO_URLS', {}).keys():
-            cdn_urls = getattr(settings, 'CDN_VIDEO_URLS', {})[self.edx_video_id]
-            cdn_exp_group, sources[0] = random.choice(zip(range(len(cdn_urls)), cdn_urls))
+                getattr(settings.FEATURES, 'ENABLE_VIDEO_BEACON', False) and \
+                html_id in getattr(settings, 'CDN_VIDEO_URLS', {}).keys():
+            cdn_urls = getattr(settings, 'CDN_VIDEO_URLS', {})[html_id]
+            cdn_exp_group, new_source = random.choice(zip(range(len(cdn_urls)), cdn_urls))
+            if cdn_exp_group > 0:
+                sources[0] = new_source
             cdn_eval = True
         else:
             cdn_eval = False
diff --git a/lms/envs/aws.py b/lms/envs/aws.py
index f38b46fa5a..db43cf3c56 100644
--- a/lms/envs/aws.py
+++ b/lms/envs/aws.py
@@ -554,3 +554,7 @@ FACEBOOK_APP_SECRET = AUTH_TOKENS.get("FACEBOOK_APP_SECRET")
 FACEBOOK_APP_ID = AUTH_TOKENS.get("FACEBOOK_APP_ID")
 
 XBLOCK_SETTINGS = ENV_TOKENS.get('XBLOCK_SETTINGS', {})
+
+##### CDN EXPERIMENT/MONITORING FLAGS #####
+PERFORMANCE_GRAPHITE_URL = ENV_TOKENS.get('PERFORMANCE_GRAPHITE_URL', PERFORMANCE_GRAPHITE_URL)
+CDN_VIDEO_URLS = ENV_TOKENS.get('CDN_VIDEO_URLS', CDN_VIDEO_URLS)
diff --git a/lms/envs/common.py b/lms/envs/common.py
index a16cd9f347..1fc10c2303 100644
--- a/lms/envs/common.py
+++ b/lms/envs/common.py
@@ -348,6 +348,9 @@ FEATURES = {
 
     # log all information from cybersource callbacks
     'LOG_POSTPAY_CALLBACKS': True,
+
+    # enable beacons for video timing statistics
+    'ENABLE_VIDEO_BEACON': False,
 }
 
 # Ignore static asset files on import which match this pattern
@@ -2066,6 +2069,10 @@ SEARCH_ENGINE = None
 # Use the LMS specific result processor
 SEARCH_RESULT_PROCESSOR = "lms.lib.courseware_search.lms_result_processor.LmsSearchResultProcessor"
 
+##### CDN EXPERIMENT/MONITORING FLAGS #####
+PERFORMANCE_GRAPHITE_URL = ''
+CDN_VIDEO_URLS = {}
+
 # The configuration visibility of account fields.
 ACCOUNT_VISIBILITY_CONFIGURATION = {
     # Default visibility level for accounts without a specified value
diff --git a/lms/templates/navigation-edx.html b/lms/templates/navigation-edx.html
index bc586f7664..8cfb9a242d 100644
--- a/lms/templates/navigation-edx.html
+++ b/lms/templates/navigation-edx.html
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ from status.status import get_site_status_msg
 ## Provide a hook for themes to inject branding on top.
 <%block name="navigation_top" />
 
-<%block cached="False">
+<%block>
 <%
 try:
     course_id = course.id.to_deprecated_string()
diff --git a/lms/templates/navigation.html b/lms/templates/navigation.html
index 6dbfc856cc..2e82e73362 100644
--- a/lms/templates/navigation.html
+++ b/lms/templates/navigation.html
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ from status.status import get_site_status_msg
 ## Provide a hook for themes to inject branding on top.
 <%block name="navigation_top" />
 
-<%block cached="False">
+<%block>
 <%
 try:
     course_id = course.id.to_deprecated_string()
diff --git a/lms/templates/video.html b/lms/templates/video.html
index 1d6f540e1e..1ad97ee6f0 100644
--- a/lms/templates/video.html
+++ b/lms/templates/video.html
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@
     $("#video_${id}").bind("html5:canplaythrough", null, function() {
       if (!beaconSent) {
         timeElapsed = Date.now() - cdnStartTime;
-        sendMetricToGraphite("loadtime_${cdn_exp_group}", timeElapsed);
+        sendMetricToGraphite("videocdnexp.${id}.${cdn_exp_group}.loadtime", timeElapsed);
       }
       beaconSent = true;
     });