Abstract: Described are methods and apparatus for enhancing a television advertisement simultaneously displayed on a number of remote receivers. In one embodiment, one or more advertisement templates are stored in memory on each of the remote receivers. The templates include formatting information and data fields into which can be inserted predefined types of information. For example, a selected template may be adapted to receive and display an advertiser's name, product, and a hyperlink to the advertiser's web site. A content creator, (e.g., a program producer, broadcaster, affiliate, cable company or satellite provider), embeds an advertisement summary in a data service channel of a broadcast signal. The advertisement summary includes a resource identifier unique to a selected one of the advertisement templates.

Abstract: Information from an information resource may be displayed with television video in a synchronized fashion. A trigger, broadcast along with the television video, identifies the resource and indicates how information from the resource should display. When a trigger is received, the receiver unit determines whether a rule stored in the receiver unit applies to the trigger. For example, if the rule applies, the receiver unit may take a predetermined action, or if the rule does not apply, the rule may have no effect and the receiver unit may act upon the trigger in a normal or default fashion. Based on one or more rules, the receiver unit may ignore certain triggers, but not others. Rules can be automatically loaded into the receiver unit on power-up by one-way broadcast communication, from a permanent storage device, or by downloading from the Internet. The rules can be updated periodically.