Abstract: Methods, systems, and products evaluate performance of a viewer watching programming. A prompt is displayed, and the viewer enters a response to the prompt. The performance of the viewer is based at least partly on a time of the response.

Abstract: An interactive media delivery system enables interactive media programming to a multimedia device and also tracks a subscriber's use of the multimedia device. For example, the device tracks events, such as a change in programming, a change in channel selection, and/or the subscriber's interaction with a particular interactive services application. Each event may be stored as an event record in a database, and one or more of the event records may be merged with content data to form event timelines of programming or other activity to the multimedia device over a selected time period. Further, timelines may be analyzed to generate ratings and other information about programming and may also be correlated with demographics data for marketing analysis.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for evaluating the performance of a viewer watching media programming. The media programming is received and includes at least one of a live media program and a recorded media program. Display is caused of the media programming and a cue. The cue prompts the viewer during presentation of the media programming to provide a response to the cue within a time period. Upon receiving the response to the cue within the time period, then the response is detected and a response time of the response is measured. The response time is a time between occurrence of the cue and receipt of the response. The viewer's performance is evaluated by comparing the response time to a reference response time.

Abstract: A user interface is presented on a monitor of a media device for providing information about available programs. The user interface includes an array having three columns (channel, current show, and next show) with commonly aligned rows. Each row of the channel column includes an indicator. Each row of the current show column includes a title naming a program currently available on a channel of the media device corresponding to the indicator in a commonly aligned row of the channel column. Each row of the next show column includes a title naming a show available after the current program on the same channel. The currently available program may be displayed on the monitor in response to a viewer selected row, indicator, and/or title in the array.

Abstract: A user interface is presented on a monitor of a media device for providing information about available programs. The user interface includes an array having three columns (channel, current show, and next show) with commonly aligned rows. Each row of the channel column includes an indicator. Each row of the current show column includes a title naming a program currently available on a channel of the media device corresponding to the indicator in a commonly aligned row of the channel column. Each row of the next show column includes a title naming a show available after the current program on the same channel. The currently available program may be displayed on the monitor in response to a viewer selected row, indicator, and/or title in the array.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products tailor content to users. Clickstream data is merged with a user attribute and content information. A merged record is compared to advertising attributes of advertisements. When the merged record matches an advertising attribute, an advertisement associated with the advertising attribute is retrieved and sent to the user.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products target advertisements to users. Clickstream data is received and compared to a purchase history. When a common attribute is determined, an advertisement associated with the attribute is retrieved and targeted to a user.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for developing tailored content. A selection of content is received. Content information is received that describes the selected content. Clickstream data is received that describes at least one subscriber's action while receiving the selected content. A category is assigned to the selected content information. The content information is merged with the clickstream data to create content-choice information, and the content-choice information is stored in a database. The database is queried to obtain the content-choice information matching a search query.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for targeting advertisements. Clickstream data is received that describes at least subscriber actions. Content information is received that describes what content is available. A criterion is also received for determining which subscribers should receive a targeted advertisement. The clickstream data is merged with the content information to generate data describing at least one event timeline. When the data describing the at least one event timeline matches the at least one criterion, then at least one subscriber is targeted to receive the advertisement.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products target content based on profiles. A content tag associated with a content item is received and compared to a profile tag. When no match occurs, and the user profile contains no more profile tags, then another content tag is retrieved and successively compared to the profile tags until a match occurs. A score is incremented when the match occurs, and the score is compared to a threshold value. When the score satisfies the threshold value, then the content item is appropriate for presentation.

Abstract: A method and system for providing targeted advertisements over a networked media delivery system, especially interactive television networks, the system comprising tracking and storing viewer selections, analyzing the selections, and delivering targeted advertisements that appeal to the particular subscriber making the selections, the system including a merge processor, a file server, a profile processor, and a broadcast server contained in a head end in communication with a plurality of set-top boxes through a distribution network. Based on a subscriber's viewing habits and account information, the present invention delivers different, customized advertisements to different viewers watching the same program or channel. The present invention delivers the advertisements as either still frame bit maps or as video streams advertisement insertion in a playlist or a broadcast media program.

Abstract: A system and method for determining the resources available or used in a remote device is disclosed. The system can be used to determine whether the remote device is using expected resources as originally configured or to determine whether resources are available to support new or extended services. The method can be used to configure or reconfigure the remote device for its intended use or as reconfigure a remote device for new, different or extended purposes.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products modify and/or block content. A program is received, along with a default rating of the program and dynamic ratings of portions of the program. A preference is received from memory to at least one of block and modify the program. When a dynamic rating is missing for a portion of the program, then revert to the default rating and block the portion of the program from presentation.

Abstract: A method for targeting content to a user based on a user profile and content tags. All content is delivered to the user's computer system. Each unit of content has a tag uniquely identifying a classification of the content. The receiving computer recognizes and evaluates the tags to match the content with a local user profile. The matching content is selected from all the content and displayed. The user profile is a set of data describing the classifications of content that are most appropriate for the user. The profile can be developed based on usage history or demographic information. The user computer system has a tag dictionary that may be updated to correspond to a set of tags utilized by content delivery systems.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for presenting content. Programming content is received having a program and program control data. The program control data may has a default setting followed by a data record comprising a rating value and a content attribute value. Program presentation preferences of a viewer are received that block or modify the program. When, however, the rating value and the content attribute value are missing from the data record, and when the default setting equals or exceeds the program presentation preferences, then modification of the program is not allowed. An instruction to modify the program is, instead, interpreted as another instruction to block the program from presentation.

Abstract: A method for advertising management is disclosed in which a new pricing methodology is employed whereby advertising and content categorized may be overridden by an advertiser desiring to pay a premium. The method involves an advertiser, desiring to override a scheduled advertisement, contacting a network provider and replacing the scheduled advertisement if a series of checkpoints are satisfied. The method further includes making replacement decisions based upon marketing tools such as programming ratings collection and analysis systems. A system for replacing a scheduled advertisement using an interactive server operable for managing advertisements, receiving and responding to requests, storing data, and inserting advertisements into a schedule based on the new pricing methodology is also disclosed.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products classify subscribers based on viewing habits. An event record is stored that associates a command entered by a subscriber to a time. The event record is merged with data describing media programming to form event timeline data describing the at least one command and the media programming selected by the subscriber over a period of time. Credit card purchasing data is retrieved that describes the subscriber's credit card purchases. The event timeline data is compared to the credit card purchasing data. The subscriber is classified in a category associated with a product or service when the event timeline data indicates that the subscriber viewed an advertisement and afterwards purchased the product or service.

Abstract: A system and method for determining the resources available or used in a remote device is disclosed. The system can be used to determine whether the remote device is using expected resources as originally configured or to determine whether resources are available to support new or extended services. The method can be used to configure or reconfigure the remote device for its intended use or as reconfigure a remote device for new, different or extended purposes.

Abstract: A method and system for targeting incentives. Incentives are selectively sent to user terminals based on a user classification. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a system defines matches between a user classification and an incentive. User data is collected from a plurality of sources. A system according to the present invention classifies a user and sends the incentive to the user if a match has been defined between the user classification and the incentive.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for reporting a subscriber's content access selections to marketers. One such method stores when content is provided to a subscriber and when that content is displayed by the subscriber. The method then reports when the content is provided and when the content is viewed, thus describing the subscriber's content selections.