Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for determining use cases for a content selection interface that provides user selectable indications of content available from a content provider according to the use cases. The indications of available content are selectable by a user to have the content provided to the user by the content provider. The method comprises, using a computing system: accessing, from at least one computer readable data store, historical data representing previous user actions of a plurality of users using a content selection interface; identifying, using the computing system, one or more attributes associated with the user actions from the historical data; and using the identified attributes to configure one or more use cases for providing indications of available content on the content selection interface.

Abstract: A method and system for providing, to a user device configured for providing content to a user, one or more personalized content item recommendations. The method comprising: retrieving a seed content item identifier from user data stored in a user profile; using the seed content item identifier to generate a plurality of initial content item recommendations; sorting the plurality of initial content item recommendations based on the user profile; and providing one or more of the sorted content item recommendations as personalized content item recommendations to the user device.

Abstract: A content selection interface configuration system for configuring a content selection interface allowing user selection of content presented for viewing, the content selection interface configuration system configured to: provide one or more groups of content, each group of content including a plurality of content items; obtain data indicating at least one property of the content items of each group of content; obtain user activity including interactions by the user with content on a content selection interface; and determine a score each group of content of the plurality of groups of content based at least in part on the user activity of that user and the data indicating the at least one property of some or all of the content, wherein the score is indicative of a likely interest of the content in that group of content to one or more users of the content selection interface.

Abstract: There is provided method of processing searches input into a content recommendation engine (CRE). The CRE is adapted to receive searches and provide one or more content recommendations based on the received searches for a user of a content distribution system having a plurality of users. The method comprises determining a time between consecutive searches of a plurality of searches; grouping one or more of the plurality of searches into a search session based on the determined time; grouping searches in the search session into a sub-session; and determining an intended search of the sub-session. In another embodiment, the method comprises determining a similarity of each search of a plurality of searches; and mapping each search of the plurality of searches to an intended search based on the determined similarity.

Abstract: A method of managing feature distribution in content of a content catalog for a content distribution system having a plurality of users is provided. The method comprises taking corrective action responsive to determining that a number of content items in a content catalog tagged with a feature exceeds a threshold.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for determining use cases for a content selection interface that provides user selectable indications of content available from a content provider according to the use cases. The indications of available content are selectable by a user to have the content provided to the user by the content provider. The method comprises, using a computing system: accessing, from at least one computer readable data store, historical data representing previous user actions of a plurality of users using a content selection interface; identifying, using the computing system, one or more attributes associated with the user actions from the historical data; and using the identified attributes to configure one or more use cases for providing indications of available content on the content selection interface.

Abstract: A method of managing search requests to a content recommendation engine (CRE) is provided. The CRE is adapted to receive search requests and provide one or more content recommendations based on the received search requests for a user of a content distribution system having a plurality of users. The method comprises receiving an inputted search term; setting one or more search parameters based on the search term; and generating a search request based on the inputted search term and the search parameters.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of providing one or more content item recommendations for a user of a content distribution system, the method comprising: obtaining metadata concerning items of content, the metadata representing at least some properties of the items of content; providing at least one subject related to the metadata to be available to the user for selection; using a selected subject selected by the user and metadata concerning content available from one or more content sources to generate at least one content item recommendation for the user, and providing the at least one content item recommendation to the user.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for obtaining one or more recommendation candidates for items of content available via a content distribution system, the method comprising: obtaining user data for a selected user, wherein the user data comprise or represent content metadata associated with user activity; performing a content recommendation process using the user data and content information for the available content to generate one or more initial content recommendation candidates for the user; generating or otherwise obtaining relationship information for the available content items and/or metadata associated with the available content items; generating one or more 10 further content recommendation candidates from the initial content recommendation candidates using the relationship information.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of configuring a content selection interface and associated system, the method comprising: identifying groups of content; obtaining user activity, wherein the user activity comprises interactions by the user with groups of content on a content selection interface; and ordering groups of content for presentation to the user on the content selection interface based at least in part on the user activity of that user.

Abstract: A method of managing feature distribution in content of a content catalog for a content distribution system having a plurality of users is provided. The method comprises taking corrective action responsive to determining that a number of content items in a content catalog tagged with a feature exceeds a threshold.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of providing one or more content item recommendations for a user of a content distribution system, comprising: determining if a user search using a title of content finds the title of content in one or more content sources available to the user; identifying, in response to the title of content not being found in the one or more content sources, content in a content library by determining if the title of content is in the content library, wherein the content library contains metadata concerning items of content in the content library, the metadata representing at least some properties of the items of content; using, in response to the title of content being determined to be in the content library, the metadata of the identified content in the content library and metadata concerning content available from the one or more content sources available to the user to generate at least one content item recommendation for the user, wherein the at least one content item recommendation is fo

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for obtaining one or more recommendation candidates for items of content available via a content distribution system, the method comprising: obtaining user data for a selected user, wherein the user data comprise or represent user activity and/or content metadata associated with user activity; generating or otherwise obtaining relationship information for at least some content metadata associated with the available content; generating further user data from the user data using the relationship information so that the further user data comprises or represents alternative content metadata that are distinct or at most overlap with the content metadata associated with the user activity; performing a content recommendation process using at least the further user data and content information for the available content to generate one or more content recommendation candidates for the user.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for generating one or more content recommendation, the method comprising: opening a content recommendation session for a selected user, wherein, as part of the session, a content recommendation procedure for generating one or more recommendation candidates based on a seed content item or seed content item identifier is available; receiving a request representing one or more desired content attributes; performing the content recommendation procedure thereby to generate one or more content recommendation candidates for the desired content attributes.

Abstract: A method of managing storage of user data of a content recommendation system is provided. The content recommendation system comprises a user learning module for receiving data indicative of user actions, determining one or more learn actions based on the received data and storing the learn actions on a storage resource. The method comprises determining a parameter associated with aging out a learn action stored on a storage resource of a content recommendation system. The learn action determined based on data indicative of a user action. The method further comprises aging out the learn action stored on the storage resource based on the parameter.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for providing content recommendations for a user of a content distribution system, the method comprising: opening a content recommendation session for a selected user, wherein a plurality of data processing procedures, or operations, are available for use during the content recommendation session, the plurality of data processing procedures comprising at least one type of content recommendation procedure for generating one or more content recommendation candidates based on user data and/or content metadata and/or other content information; wherein the method further comprises performing a combining process using one or more of the plurality of procedures to generate one or more content recommendation candidates, wherein the combining process comprises at least: receiving at least one content recommendation request for the selected user; processing said at least one request using at least a first procedure selected from the plurality of procedures to generate at least one or more

Abstract: A method of managing feature distribution in content of a content catalog for a content distribution system having a plurality of users is provided. The method comprises taking corrective action responsive to determining that a number of content items in a content catalog tagged with a feature exceeds a threshold.

Abstract: A method and system for providing, to a user device configured for providing content to a user, one or more personalized content item recommendations. The method comprising: retrieving a seed content item identifier from user data stored in a user profile; using the seed content item identifier to generate a plurality of initial content item recommendations; sorting the plurality of initial content item recommendations based on the user profile; and providing one or more of the sorted content item recommendations as personalized content item recommendations to the user device.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for determining desirable content for a content distribution system is disclosed. The method comprises: for each of a plurality of user devices, monitoring user activity including identifying content that the user of the user device has interacted with; obtaining metadata concerning the identified items of content, the metadata representing at least some properties of the identified items of content; aggregating the metadata for a plurality of users; using the aggregated metadata to identify one or more items or combinations of metadata popular with the plurality of users; and using the identified metadata to determine desirable content.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of determining affinity profiles, comprises: for each of a plurality of user devices, monitoring user activity including identifying content selected for viewing by the user of the user device; obtaining metadata concerning the selected items of content, the metadata representing at least some properties of the selected items of content; generating or updating a user record for the user, the user record comprising or representing the user activity and/or the associated content metadata; processing the user record to generate an affinity profile for the user based on the user record, the affinity profile comprising at least one selected affinity category or affinity category score, wherein the affinity categories are selected from a stored set of affinity categories, each representing a user's affinity for a respective subject area.