Preprogrammed over-the-air marketing research system

• US 4,630,108 A
• Filed: 03/26/1984
• Issued: 12/16/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Media Research, Inc. (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: A. C. Nielsen Company, LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Gomersall, Earl R.
• Primary Examiner(s): George, Keith E.
• Application Number:
  US06/593,596
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 179/2 AS, 358/84, 358/86, 455/2, 455/3, 455/4, 455/5, 455/6
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/106 Receiver-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/32 Arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations, e.g. malfunction or breakdown of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/43 for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/002 Special television systems not provided for by H04N7/007 - H04N7/18 still pictures via a television channel H04N1/00098
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A preprogrammed over-the-air marketing research system includes transmission facilities for delivering a regularly scheduled television signal and a low power, microwave transmitter or satellite transponder for delivering a special over-the-air television signal, including substitute programming, to cooperating households. Each household has an antenna for receiving the special television signal, a down converter and a television control unit that includes a small household stored program computer. The computer receives in advance and stores a substitute programming schedule and other instructions for a broadcast period from a command and control computer, records the "on-off" condition of the television receiver and the channel being watched, and controls the condition of a three-way switch that enables members of a particular household to view the normal television signal or substitute programming from the special television signal or text or music from the household computer in accordance with the stored schedule. In this manner, the command and control computer establishes test panels consisting of one or more cooperating households in advance by instructions transmitted to each household computer by the command and control computer. Responses of cooperating households to marketing research tests may be obtained from automatic household purchasing response apparatus installed in each cooperating household or from cooperating retail stores and are transmitted to the command and control computer for analysis.

Claims

1. A marketing research system comprising

a plurality of cooperating households in a test area,

each of said households including a television receiver and normal television signal receiving means for delivering normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming to each household,

special television signal transmission means for providing a special television signal including substitute programming to said households, said special television signal transmission means comprising a satellite, and

means for controlling said television receiver in each of said households to display either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming, at least one of said households having a special television signal receiving means for receiving said special television signal over-the-air from said satellite.

2. A marketing research system as recited in claim 1 wherein said controlling means comprises a household computer in each of said households and switch means controlled by said household computer for automatically directing, in a first switch condition, said regularly scheduled programming to said television receiver or for automatically directing, in a second switch condition, said substitute programming to said television receiver.

3. A marketing research system as recited in claim 1 wherein each of said households further includes a special television signal receiving means for receiving said special television signal over-the-air from said satellite.

4. A marketing research system as recited in claim 1 wherein said test area comprises an entire country.

5. A marketing research system as recited in claim 1 wherein said special television signal is transmitted from said satellite at a signal frequency in the range of from 10.90 through 36.00 gigahertz.

6. A marketing research system as recited in claim 5 wherein said signal frequency is in the range of from 15.35 through 17.25 gigahertz.

7. A marketing research system comprising

first computer means for controlling the operation of said system in a test area, said first computer means containing the identifications of individual cooperating households in said test area and a schedule of substitution events that are to occur during a broadcast period,

each of said households including a television receiver and a normal television signal receiving means for delivering normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming to each household,

special television signal transmission means for delivering a special television signal including substitute programming to said households, said special television signal transmission means comprising a satellite that transmits said special television signal over-the-air,

each of said households having both special television signal receiving means for receiving said special television signal and a second computer means capable of being periodically interconnected with said first computer means for receiving and storing an individually organized schedule of substitution events for controlling the display on said television receiver in said household of either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming, a substitution event constituting the display of said substitute programming on said television receiver in place of said regularly scheduled programming, at least one of said households having a special television signal receiving means for receiving said special television signal over-the-air from said satellite.

8. A marketing research system as recited in claim 7 further comprising response monitoring means for determining the response of at least one of said households to said substitute programming.

9. A marketing research system as recited in claim 8 wherein said response monitoring means comprises means disposed in at least one of said households for recording the retail purchases made by one or more members of said household.

10. A method of performing marketing research in a test area comprising the steps of

selecting a plurality of cooperating households having television receivers in the test area for participation in said marketing research, each cooperating household having means for receiving normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming available in said test area,

transmitting a special television signal including substitute programming from a satellite over-the-air to said plurality of cooperating households,

equipping each of said plurality of cooperating households with an antenna for receiving said special television signal over-the-air from said satellite,

monitoring, time stamping and storing with first computer means in each cooperating household any changes both in the on-off condition of the television receiver in said cooperating household and in the channel to which said television receiver is selectively tuned by a member of said cooperating household,

utilizing second computer means remotely located from each cooperating household to individually program each first computer means in each cooperating household in advance with instructions for a broadcast period for controlling the display of either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming on said television receiver in said cooperating household and

monitoring with said first computer means when substitute programming is displayed on the television receiver in each cooperating household and storing such monitored information in said first computer means for subsequent transmittal to said second computer.

11. A method of performing marketing research as recited in claim 10 wherein said test area comprises an entire country.

12. A method of performing marketing research as recited in claim 10 wherein said transmitting step comprises the step of transmitting said special television signal over-the-air from said satellite at a signal frequency in the range of from 10.90 through 36.00 gigahertz.

13. A method of performing marketing research in a test area comprisng the steps of

selecting a plurality of cooperating households having television receivers in the test area for participation in said marketing research, each cooperating household having means for receiving normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming available in said test area,

transmitting a special television signal including substitute programming over-the-air from a satellite in order to deliver said special television signal to each cooperating household in the test area,

equipping each cooperating household with means for receiving said special television signal, at least one of said cooperating households being equipped with means for receiving said special television signal over-the-air from said satellite, and

automatically enabling the display of either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming on the television receiver in each cooperating household.

14. A method of performing marketing research as recited in claim 13 wherein said transmitting step comprises the step of transmitting said special television signal from said satellite at a signal frequency in the range of from 10.90 through 36.00 gigahertz.

15. A system for performing marketing research in a test area comprising

normal television signal receiving means for delivering normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming to each of a plurality of cooperating households in said test area, each of said households having a television receiver,

special television signal transmission means for delivering to each of said households a special television signal that may include substitute programming, said special television signal transmission means including a satellite,

at least one of said households including means for receiving said special television signal over-the-air from said satellite,

first computer means in each of said households both for controlling the television receiver in said household to display either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming and for monitoring the programming actually displayed by said television receiver,

second computer means remotely disposed from said households for addressing each of said first computer means in each of said households to enable the display of either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming on said television receiver in each of said households.

16. A method of performing marketing research in a test area comprising the steps of

selecting a plurality of cooperating households having television receivers in the test area for participation in said marketing research, each cooperating household having means for receiving normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming available in said test area,

transmitting a special television signal including substitute programming from a satellite in order to deliver said special television signal to each cooperating household in the test area, each cooperating household having means for receiving said special television signal, at least one of said households having means for receiving said special television signal over-the-air from said satellite,

automatically selectively enabling the display of either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming on a television receiver in each cooperating household,

equipping each cooperating household with first computer means capable of monitoring and storing information indicative of the programming actually displayed on the television receiver in said cooperating household and

transmitting such monitored information from said first computer means in each cooperating household to a second computer means for processing said monitored information.

17. A method of performing marketing research comprising the steps of

selecting a plurality of cooperating households having television receivers for participation in said marketing research, each cooperating household having means for receiving regularly scheduled programming,

transmitting a television signal from a satellite in order to make substitute programming available to each cooperating household, each cooperating household having means for receiving said substitute programming, at least one of said households having means for receiving said television signal over-the-air from said satellite,

automatically selectively enabling the display of either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming on a television receiver in each cooperating household and

automatically monitoring and storing information indicative of the programming actually displayed on said television receiver in each cooperating household.

18. A method of performing marketing research as recited in claim 17 wherein said selecting step comprises the step of selecting a plurality of cooperating households in a test area for participation in said marketing research, said test area being an entire country.

19. A method of performing marketing research as recited in claim 17 wherein said transmitting step comprises the step of transmitting said television signal at a signal frequency in the range of from 10.90 through 36.00 gigahertz.

20. A method of performing marketing research as recited in claim 19 wherein said transmitting step comprises the step of transmitting said television signal at a signal frequency in the range of from 15.35 through 17.25 gigahertz.

21. A marketing research system comprising

a plurality of cooperating households in a test area,

each of said households including a television receiver and normal television signal receiving means for delivering normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming to each household,

special television signal transmission means for delivering a special television signal including substitute programming over-the-air to said households, said special television signal transmission means comprising a low power microwave transmitter that transmits said special television signal in the frequency range of from approximately 2.500 to approximately 2.686 gigahertz, at least one of said households having a special television signal receiving means for receiving said special television signal over-the-air said low power microwave transmitter, and

control means for automatically controlling said television receiver in each of said households to enable the display of either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming.

22. A marketing research system as recited in claim 21 wherein each of said households further includes a special television signal receiving means for receiving said special television signal over-the-air from said low power microwave transmitter, said special television signal receiving means comprising a high frequency, high gain microwave antenna.

23. A system for performing marketing research in a test area comprising

normal television signal receiving means for delivering normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming to each of a plurality of cooperating households in said test area, each of said households having a television receiver,

a low power microwave transmitter for transmitting a special television signal that may include substitute programming over-the-air to make said special television signal available to each of said households, the broadcast power of said low power microwave transmitter being under 100 watts,

at least one of said households having means for receiving said special television signal over-the-air from said low power microwave transmitter,

means for automatically enabling the television receiver in each of said households to display either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming and

means for automatically monitoring and for storing data indicative of the programming actually displayed on said television receiver in each said households.

24. A system for performing marketing research as recited in claim 23 wherein said special television signal comprises a signal transmitted by said low power microwave transmitter at a signal frequency in the range of from 2.500 through 2.686 gigahertz.

25. A system as recited in claim 23 further comprising control means remotely disposed from said households for determining on an individual basis the display of either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming on said television receiver in each of said households.

26. A system as recited in claim 25 wherein said special television signal includes the telephone number of said remotely disposed control means.

27. A system as recited in claim 26 wherein said special television signal is transmitted continuously over-the-air and includes digital data representative of the time of day.

28. A method of performing marketing research in a test area comprising the steps of

selecting a plurality of cooperating households having television receivers in the test area for participation in said marketing research, each cooperating household having means for receiving normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming available in said test area,

transmitting a special television signal including substitute programming via a low power microwave transmitter over-the-air at a signal frequency in the range of from 2.500 through 2.686 gigahertz to make said special television signal available to each cooperating household in the test area, each cooperating household having means for receiving said special television signal, at least one of said cooperating households having means for receiving said special television signal over-the-air from said low power microwave transmitter,

equipping each cooperating household with a household computer capable of monitoring and storing any changes both in the on-off condition of the television receiver in said cooperating household and in the channel to which said television receiver is selectively tuned by a member of said cooperating household and

monitoring with said household computer when substitute programming is displayed on the television receiver in each cooperating household and storing such monitored information for subsequent marketing analysis.

29. A method of performing marketing research as recited in claim 28 wherein said transmitting step comprises the step of transmitting said special television signal from said low power microwave transmitter at a signal frequency in the range of from 2.500 through 2.686 gigahertz with a signal bandwidth of approximately six megahertz.

30. A method of performing marketing research as recited in claim 28 further comprising the step of monitoring the response of at least one of said cooperating households to said marketing research.

31. A marketing research system comprising

a plurality of cooperating households in a test area,

each of said households including a television receiver and normal television signal receiving means for delivering normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming to each household,

special television signal transmission means for delivering a special television signal including substitute programming to said households and

control means for automatically enabling said television receiver in each of said households to display either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming,

each of at least some of said households further including muting means for reducing the volume of the sound from said television receiver in said household when said muting means is placed in an "on" condition, said muting means in an "off" condition having substantially no effect upon the volume of the sound from said television receiver, and muting monitoring means for monitoring the "on" condition or the "off" condition of said muting means and

means for storing for subsequent marketing research analysis the condition of said muting means in said households monitored by said muting monitoring means.

32. A marketing research system as recited in claim 31 wherein said storing means comprises a household computer having memory means for receiving from said muting monitoring means and for storing the changes throughout a broadcast period and the times of changes in the condition of said muting means.

33. A method of performing marketing research in a test area comprising the steps of

selecting a plurality of cooperating households in the test area having television receivers and means for receiving normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming available in said test area for participation in said marketing research, at least some of said households having muting means for reducing the volume of the sound from said television receiver in said households when placed in an "on" condition, said muting means in an "off" condition having substantially no effect upon the volume of the sound from said television receiver,

transmitting a special television signal including substitute programming to each cooperating household in the test area, each cooperating household having means for receiving said special television signal,

automatically enabling the display of either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming on said television receivers in said plurality of cooperating households and

automatically monitoring and storing the condition of said muting means in said some of said households for subsequent marketing research analysis.

34. A system for monitoring the television programming displayed in households comprising

a plurality of cooperating households, each cooperating household having a television receiver for displaying television programming,

each of at least some of said households having muting means for reducing the volume of the sound from said television receiver in said household when said muting means is placed in a "on" condition, said muting means in an "off" condition having substantially no effect upon the volume of sound from said television receiver, and muting monitoring means for monitoring the "on" condition or the "off" condition of said muting means and

means for storing for subsequent analysis the condition of said muting means as monitored by said muting monitoring means.

35. A system as recited in claim 34 wherein said storing means comprises a computer having memory means for receiving from said muting monitoring means and for storing the changes throughout a broadcast period and the time of changes in the condition of said muting means.

36. A marketing research system comprising

a plurality of cooperating households in a test area,

each of said households including a television receiver and normal television signal receiving means for delivering normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming to each household,

means for delivering a special television signal including substitute programming to said households,

control means in each of said households for automatically enabling said television receiver in each of said households to display either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming and

means remotely disposed from said households for enabling each control means in each of said households to automatically enable the display on said television receiver in each of said households of either said regularly scheduled programming or, at one or more selected times during a broadcast period, said substitute programming, said remotely disposed enabling means having a telephone number associated therewith,

each of said households further including means for establishing a telephonic connection between said control means and said remotely disposed enabling means,

said special television signal including said telephone number of said remotely disposed enabling means to enable said control means after a power failure to contact said remotely disposed enabling means.

37. A marketing research system as recited in claim 36 wherein said special television signal is transmitted continuously.

38. A method of performing marketing research in a test area comprising the steps of

selecting a plurality of cooperating households having television receivers in the test area for participation in said marketing research, each cooperating household having means for receiving normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming available in said test area,

transmitting a special television signal including substitute programming to each cooperating household in the test area, each cooperating household having means for receiving said special television signal, and

utilizing a computer remotely located from said households to communicate with each cooperating household over a telephone link concerning the display of either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming on the television receiver in said cooperating household,

including a telephone number associated with said computer in said special television signal to enable each household to contact said computer after a power failure.

39. A method of performing marketing research as recited in claim 38 wherein said telephone number is included in a digital data portion of said special television signal.

40. A method of performing marketing research as recited in claim 39 wherein said special television signal is transmitted continuously.

41. A marketing research system comprising

a plurality of cooperating households in a test area,

each of said households including a television receiver and normal television signal receiving means for delivering normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming to each household,

means for delivering a special television signal including substitute programming to said households, said special television signal including a time of day signal,

computer means in each of said households for automatically enabling said television receiver in each of said households to display either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming and

means for enabling said time of day signal to be available to said computer means in each of said households for use by said computer means in the event of a power failure.

42. A marketing research system as recited in claim 41 wherein said special television signal is transmitted continuously.

43. A marketing research system as recited in claim 41 wherein said time of day signal is included in a digital data portion of said special television signal.

44. A method of performing marketing research in a test area comprising the steps of

selecting a plurality of cooperating households having television receivers in the test area for participation in said marketing research, each cooperating household having means for receiving normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming available in said test area,

transmitting a special television signal including substitute programming to each cooperating household in the test area, said special television signal including a time of day signal, each cooperating household having means for receiving said special television signal,

utilizing a computer in each cooperating household to enable the display of either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming on the television receiver in said cooperating household and

providing said time of day signal to said computer in each cooperating household for use by said computer in the event of a power failure.

45. A marketing research system comprising

a plurality of cooperating households, each of said households including a television receiver and a normal television signal receiving means for delivering normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming to each household,

special television signal transmission means for delivering a special television signal to said households, said special television signal including digitally encoded text and sound,

each of said households having means for receiving said special television signal and

means for automatically enabling the broadcast by said television receiver in at least one of said households of at least one of said text and sound in place of said regularly scheduled programming,

means for storing information indicative of the material actually broadcast by said television receiver in each of said households for subsequent marketing research analysis.

46. A marketing research system comprising

a plurality of cooperating households, each of said households including a television receiver and a normal television signal receiving means for delivering normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming to each household,

special television signal transmission means for delivering a special television signal to said households, said special television signal including an audio subcarrier having digitally encoded text,

each of said households having means for receiving said special television signal and means for automatically enabling the broadcast by said television receiver in at least one of said households of said text in place of said regularly scheduled programming, and

means for storing information indicative of the material actually broadcast by said television receiver in each of said households for subsequent marketing research analysis.

47. A marketing research system comprising

a plurality of cooperating households, each of said households including a television receiver and a normal television signal receiving means for delivering normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming to each household,

special television signal transmission means for delivering a special television signal to said households, said special television signal including an audio subcarrier having digitally encoded sound,

each of said households having means for receiving said special television signal and

means for automatically enabling the broadcast by said television receiver in at least one of said households of said sound in place of said regularly scheduled programming and

means for storing information indicative of the material actually broadcast by said television receiver in each of said households for subsequent marketing research analysis.

48. A marketing research system comprising

a plurality of cooperating households, each of said households including a television receiver and a normal television signal receiving means for delivering normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming to each household,

special television signal transmission means for delivering a special television signal to said households, said special television signal including an audio subcarrier having digitally encoded text and sound,

each of said households having means for receiving said special television signal and

means for automatically enabling the broadcast by said television receiver in at least one of said households of at least one of said text and sound in place of said regularly scheduled programming and

means for storing information indicative of the material actually broadcast by said television receiver in each of said households for subsequent marketing research analysis.

49. A system for performing marketing research in a test area comprising

normal television signal receiving means for delivering normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming to each of a plurality of cooperating households in said test area, each of said households having a television receiver,

special television signal transmission means for delivering over-the-air to each of said households a special television signal that may include substitute programming,

first control means in each of said households for automatically controlling the television receiver in said household to display either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming and

second control means remotely disposed from said households for individually addressing each of said first control means in each of said households and for programming on an individual basis each of said first control means in each of said households to display either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming on said television receiver in each of said households,

said first control means comprising a stored program household computer disposed in each of said households and said second control means comprising a test area stored program computer containing stored substitute programming instructions in the form of a substitution event schedule that identifies which one or more of said households are to participate in a substitution event during a broadcast period, a substitution event constituting the display of said substitute programming on said television receiver in one or more of said households,

said first control means including contacting means for interconnecting said household computer to said test area computer to enable programmed instructions to be transmitted from said test area computer to said household computer including a substitution event schedule individually organized for each household for programming said first control means for an entire broadcast period to participate in or abstain from substitution events during said broadcast period,

said household computer including video and sound generators to enable the display of alternate programming in the form of text and sound on said television receiver.

50. A system as recited in claim 49 wherein said switch may be placed in one of three switch conditions, said regularly scheduled programming being delivered to said television receiver through said switch in a first switch condition, said substitute programming being delivered to said television receiver through said switch in a second switch condition and said text and sound being delivered to said television receiver through said switch in a third switch condition.

51. A system for performing marketing research in a test area comprising

normal television signal receiving means for delivering normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming to each of a plurality of cooperating households in said test area, each of said households having a television receiver,

special television signal transmission means for delivering over-the-air to each of said households a special television signal that may include substitute programming,

first control means in each of said households for automatically controlling the television receiver in said household to display either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming and

second control means remotely disposed from said households for individually addressing each of said first control means in each of said households and for programming on an individual basis each of said first control means in each of said households to display either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming on said television receiver in each of said households,

said first control means comprising a stored program household computer disposed in each of said households and said second control means comprising a test area stored program computer containing stored substitute programming instructions in the form of a substitution event schedule that identifies which one or more of said households are to participate in a substitution event during a broadcast period, a substitution event constituting the display of said substitute programming on said television receiver in one or more of said households,

said first control means including contacting means for interconnecting said household computer to said test area computer to enable programmed instructions to be transmitted from said test area computer to said household computer including a substitution event schedule individually organized for each household for programming said first control means for an entire broadcast period to participate in or abstain from substitution events during said broadcast period,

said second control means including a telephone having a telephone number and wherein said special television signal is transmitted continuously over-the-air and includes the time of day and said telephone number.

52. A marketing research system comprising

a first stored program computer for controlling the operation of said system in a test area, said first computer including a household database containing the identifications of individual cooperating households in said test area and a second database comprising a schedule of substitution events that are to occur during a broadcast period,

each of said households including a television receiver and a normal television signal receiving means for delivering normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming to each household,

special television signal transmission means for delivering over-the-air a special television signal, including substitute programming, to said households,

each of said households having both special television signal receiving means for receiving said special television signal and a second stored program computer capable of being periodically interconnected with said first stored program computer to receive and store an individually organized schedule of substitution events for controlling the display on said television receiver in said household of either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming, a substitution event constituting the display of said substitute programming on said television receiver at a specific time,

each of said households further including switch means interconnected between said second computer and said television receiver, said switch means being capable of being switched by said second computer to deliver either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming to said television receiver,

said second computer including means for generating video and sound signals for delivery through said switch means to said television receiver as alternate programming, said switch means being capable of being switched by said second computer to deliver either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming or said alternate programming to said television receiver.

53. A system for performing marketing research in a test area comprising

normal television signal receiving means for delivering normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming to each of a plurality of cooperating households in said test area, each of said households having a television receiver,

special television signal transmission means for delivering over-the-air to each of said households a special television signal that may include substitute programming,

first control means in each of said households for automatically controlling the television receiver in said household to display either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming and

second control means remotely disposed from said households for individually addressing each of said first control means in each of said households and for programming on an individual basis each of said first control means in each of said households to display either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming on said television receiver in each of said households,

said first control means comprising a stored program household computer disposed in each of said households and said second control means comprising a test area stored program computer containing stored substitute programming instructions in the form of a substitution event schedule that identifies which one or more of said households are to participate in a substitution event during a broadcast period, a substitution event constituting the display of said substitute programming on said television receiver in one or more of said households,

said first control means including contacting means for interconnecting said household computer to said test area computer to enable programmed instructions to be transmitted from said test area computer to said household computer including a substitution event schedule individually organized for each household for programming said first control means for an entire broadcast period to participate in or abstain from substitution events during said broadcast period,

said special television signal including sound digitally encoded in a digital data portion of said special television signal.

54. A system as recited in claim 53 wherein said household computer includes means for storing said sound and also includes sound output means for enabling said sound to be broadcast by said television receiver, the broadcast of said sound by said television receiver being controlled by said first control means.

55. A system for performing marketing research in a test area comprising

normal television signal receiving means for delivering normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming to each of a plurality of cooperating households in said test area, each of said households having a television receiver,

special television signal transmission means for delivering over-the-air to each of said households a special television signal that may include substitute programming,

first control means in each of said households for automatically controlling the television receiver in said household to display either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming and

second control means remotely disposed from said households for individually addressing each of said first control means in each of said households and for programming on an individual basis each of said first control means in each of said households to display either said regularly scheduled programming or said substitute programming on said television receiver in each of said households,

said first control means comprising a stored program household computer disposed in each of said households and said second control means comprising a test area stored program computer containing stored substitute programming instructions in the form of a substitution event schedule that identifies which one or more of said households are to participate in a substitution event during a broadcast period, a substitution event constituting the display of said substitute programming on said television receiver in one or more of said households,

said first control means including contacting means for interconnecting said household computer to said test area computer to enable programmed instructions to be transmitted from said test area computer to said household computer including a substitution event schedule individually organized for each household for programming said first control means for an entire broadcast period to participate in or abstain from substitution events during said broadcast period,

said special television signal including text and sound digitally encoded in a digital data portion of said special television signal.

56. A system as recited in claim 55 wherein said household computer includes means for storing said text and sound and also includes video and sound output means for enabling said text to be displayed on said television receiver and said sound to be broadcast by said television receiver, the display of said text on said television receiver and the broadcast of said sound by said television receiver being controlled by said first control means.

57. A marketing research system comprising

first stored program computer means for controlling the operation of said system in a test area, said first computer means including a household database containing the identifications of individual cooperating households in said test area and a second database comprising a schedule of substitution events that are to occur during a broadcast period,

each of said households including a television receiver and a normal television signal receiving means for delivering normal television signals including regularly scheduled programming to each household,

special television signal transmission means for delivering a special television signal to said households, said special television signal including digital data in the form of digitally encoded text and sound,

each of said households having both means for receiving said special television signal and second stored program computer means capable of being periodically connected to said first stored program computer means for receiving and storing an individually organized schedule of substitution events for controlling the broadcast by said television receiver in said household of either said regularly scheduled programming or at least one of said text and sound, a substitution event constituting the broadcast of at least one of said text and sound by said television receiver at a specific time.