System and method for dynamically scheduling quasi on-demand programming in a broadcast television network

• US 7,707,609 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2004
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dulac, Stephen P., O'Donnell, Laura J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton; Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ekpo; Nnenna N
• Application Number:
  US10/827,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20050235330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,198 Days
• Field of Search: 725/39, 725/46, 725/86, 725/87
• US Class Current: 725/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

Quasi on-demand programming is dynamically scheduled in a broadcast television network to improve customer service, enhance programming flexibility and increase the value proposition of the service provider. A Program Offer including a “delivery window” for each program and an initial Playlist for broadcasting regular, PPV and offered programming are created. Customer demand for individual programs in the offering is surveyed. This information is used to reoptimize the Playlist prior to broadcast and to update a “rolling” Program Offer to better manage network capacity and improve custom satisfaction.

Claims

1. A method of broadcasting television programs, comprising:

determining a current Program Offer for a specified time period, said Program Offer including a listing of a plurality of programs each having an associated delivery window of guaranteed broadcast from customer selection of the program;

determining an initial Playlist for broadcasting said programs at specified time slots of day and time that satisfies the delivery window;

delivering the current Program Offer to a plurality of customers via a broadcast television network;

displaying the current Program Offer including each said program and its delivery window to the customers for customer selection of said programs with knowledge of the guaranteed delivery windows and without knowledge of the specified time slots of day and time;

receiving selection information for programs in the current Program Offer by the plurality of customers;

determining an updated Playlist including updated time slots for the current Program Offer based on the initial Playlist and the selection information; and

broadcasting the programs via the broadcast television network at the day and time according to the specified time slots in the updated Playlist.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the updated Playlist comprises moving at least one of the time slots forward to reduce a time-to-broadcast for the associated program.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated Playlist broadcasts at least some of the more frequently selected programs sooner and/or more often than the initial Playlist.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information on the selection of the programs in the current Program Offer by the plurality of customers; and

determining a new Program Offer based on the current Program Offer and the received information; and

delivering the new Program Offer to the plurality of customers.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the new Program Offer is determined by changing the delivery windows for the programs in the current Program Offer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the current Program Offer and the initial Playlist are determined iteratively until the initial Playlist can satisfy the delivery windows for the current Program Offer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivery windows and initial Playlist are determined based on each of carriage contracts, bandwidth, program popularity and actual demand from customer selection of programs in previous Program Offers.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the programs is given a score based on an optimization of the constraints that determines the delivery window.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising delivering a Program Guide that includes a listing of other programs outside the current Program Offer and their respective fixed time slots and then broadcasting the other programs at their fixed time slots, said initial Playlist accommodating the fixed time slots occupied by the other programs and the delivery windows specified by the current Program Offer.

10. A method of broadcasting television programs, comprising:

determining a program guide for a specified time period, said program guide including a listing of a plurality of first regular scheduled programs each having a fixed broadcast time;

determining a current Program Offer for the specified time period, said Program Offer including a list of a plurality of second quasi on-demand programs each having an associated delivery window of guaranteed broadcast from customer selection of the program;

determining an initial Playlist for broadcasting said first regularly scheduled programs and said second quasi on-demand programs at specified time slots that satisfies both the fixed broadcast times and the delivery windows;

delivering the program guide and the current Program Offer to a plurality of customers via a broadcast television network for display and selection of programs, said customer selection of programs from the Program Offer with knowledge of the guaranteed delivery window and without knowledge of the specified time slots for broadcast and from the program guide with knowledge of the specified time slots for broadcast;

receiving selection information for programs in the current Program Offer by the plurality of customers;

determining an updated Playlist including updated time slots based on the initial Playlist and the selection information as customers are making selections from the current Program Offer; and

broadcasting said first and second programs via the broadcast television network in accordance with the updated Playlist.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the updated Playlist broadcasts at least some of the more frequently selected programs sooner and/or more often than the initial Playlist.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the current Program Offer and the initial Playlist are determined iteratively until the initial Playlist can satisfy the delivery windows for the current Program Offer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the delivery windows and initial Playlist are determined based on each of carriage contracts, bandwidth, program popularity and actual demand from customer selection of programs in previous Program Offers.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a new Program Offer based on the current Program Offer and the selection information; and

delivering the new Program Offer to the plurality of customers.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the new Program Offer is determined by updating the delivery windows for the programs in the current Program Offer.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining a new initial Playlist that satisfies the updated delivery windows in the new Program Offer.

17. A method of broadcasting television programs, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a Program Offer for a time period, said Program Offer including a listing of a plurality of quasi on-demand programs each having an associated delivery window for guaranteed broadcast from customer selection of the program;

(b) determining an initial Playlist for broadcasting said programs at specific time slots of day and time that satisfies the delivery windows for the Program Offer;

(c) delivering the Program Offer to a plurality of customers via a broadcast television network for display and selection of said programs with knowledge of the guaranteed delivery window and without knowledge of specific broadcast time slots;

(d) receiving selection information for programs in the Program Offer by the plurality of customers;

(e) determining an updated Playlist including updated time slots based on the initial Playlist and the selection information as customers are making selections from the Program Offer;

(f) updating the delivery windows in the Program Offer for a subsequent time period based on the current Program offer and the selection information;

(g) broadcasting said quasi on-demand programs via the broadcast television network in accordance with the updated Playlist; and

(h) repeating steps b through g to provide a dynamically updated Playlist for the Program Offer for the current time period and a rolling Program Offer for subsequent time periods.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the updated Program Offers are interleaved to skip at least one time period.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the delivery windows are determined based on each of carriage contracts, bandwidth, program popularity and actual demand from customer selection of programs in previous Program Offers.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the updated Playlist broadcasts at least some of the more frequently selected programs sooner and/or more often than the initial Playlist.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the Program Offer and the initial Playlist are determined iteratively until the initial Playlist can satisfy the delivery windows for the Program Offer.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising delivering a Program Guide that includes a listing of other programs outside the Program Offer and their respective fixed time slots and then broadcasting the other programs at their fixed time slots in the specified time period, said initial and updated Playlist accommodating the fixed time slots occupied by the other programs and the delivery windows specified by the Program Offer.

23. A television broadcast network, comprising:

a broadcast playout system that stores television programs for quasi on-demand programming;

an uplink system that inserts programs and metadata into a broadcast stream and uplinks it to a broadcast system;

a traffic and scheduling system that creates a Program Offer for a specified time period and an initial Playlist, said Program Offer including a plurality of programs and a delivery window of guaranteed broadcast from customer selection for each said program, said initial Playlist including said programs and a time slot for broadcast in the specified time period;

a program guide system that converts the Program Offer into metadata and forwards it to the uplink system for delivery to a plurality of customers for display and selection of the programs in the Program Offer with knowledge of the guaranteed delivery window and without knowledge of the broadcast time slot;

a dynamic scheduling system that receives customer selection information for the programs in the Program Offer and (a) determines an updated Playlist for the current Program Offer and (b) determines a new rolling Program Offer with updated delivery windows for broadcast of the programs within a subsequent specified time period, said new rolling Program Offer being converted to metadata and uplinked to the broadcast system; and

a broadcast control system that controls the broadcast playout system to deliver programs to the uplink system in accordance with the Playlist for the Program Offer.

24. The broadcast network of claim 23, wherein the updated Playlist broadcasts at least some of the more frequently selected programs sooner and/or more often than the initial Playlist for the current Program Offer.

25. The broadcast network of claim 23, wherein the delivery windows and initial Playlist are determined based on each of carriage contracts, bandwidth, program popularity and actual demand from customer selection of programs in previous Program Offers.

26. The broadcast network of claim 23, wherein other programs outside the current Program Offer are broadcast at fixed time slots, said initial Playlist accommodating the fixed time slots occupied by the other programs and the delivery windows specified by the current Program Offer.

27. The broadcast network of claim 23, wherein the updated Program Offers are interleaved to skip at least one time period.

28. The broadcast network of claim 23, wherein the broadcast system comprises at least one satellite.