Method and apparatus for collecting and providing viewer feedback to a broadcast

摘要

The present invention provides an improved method and apparatus to collect and provide viewer feedback to broadcasts. According to one aspect of the present invention, a rating is generated for a broadcast by a server system. The rating is based at least in part on viewer feedback to the broadcast, and the rating indicates a likelihood of interest in the broadcast for potential subsequent viewers. According to another aspect of the present invention, the rating is provided from the server system to an entertainment system, and the broadcast can be selected for viewing at an entertainment system. In one embodiment, the viewer feedback is received at the entertainment system in response to a feedback questionnaire.

主权项

1. A viewer entertainment system, comprising:
a storage medium to store a viewer characteristics file associated with a viewer and a survey that is presented to the viewer on a display, the display being communicatively coupled to the viewer entertainment system; control circuitry to provide the survey to the viewer, the control circuitry retrieving the survey from the storage medium in response to a request from the viewer and displaying the survey to the viewer on the display; a viewer interface to identify the viewer and to receive viewer feedback based on the survey; and a communications interface to provide the viewer characteristics file associated with the viewer and the viewer feedback to a server system and to receive a ranked programming guide from the server system in response to the viewer characteristics file and the viewer feedback, the received ranked programming guide selected based in part on the viewer feedback and a likelihood of interest in available broadcasts for based on a plurality of viewer characteristics files associated with a plurality of viewers identified as being viewers who are currently viewing the same entertainment system together, wherein the viewers who are currently viewing the same entertainment system together comprise viewer characteristic categories in common and the ranked programming guide is further based on a weighted average of the viewers who are currently viewing the same entertainment system together.