Method and system to influence a viewer to select a feed

摘要

A method and apparatus for influencing a viewer to select a second feed. A shared medium is loaded beyond a loading threshold. One or more high viewership feeds being provided over the shared medium are designated preferred feeds, and one or more user devices providing low viewership feeds to viewers are designated candidate user devices. The candidate user devices are instructed to influence their respective viewers to select one of the high viewership feeds. The candidate user devices select a second feed from one or more preferred feeds, and provide information pertaining to the second feed to the viewer.

主权项

1. A method for influencing a viewer to select another feed comprising:
receiving, by a user device from a headend, a first feed provided over a shared medium, wherein the first feed comprises a first program and at least certain feeds provided over the shared medium are accessible by a plurality of different user devices each associated with a corresponding different subscriber; effecting display of first content from the first feed to the viewer; receiving instructions, by the user device from the headend, over the shared medium to influence the viewer to select a feed other than the first feed when a loading threshold of the shared medium is exceeded; receiving, from the headend, an identification of at least one second feed which the viewer is to be influenced to select; in response to receiving the instructions, effecting display of information pertaining to the at least one second feed to the viewer; in response to input from the viewer to select the at least one second feed, selecting the at least one second feed provided over the shared medium and effecting display of second content from the at least one second feed to the viewer; and communicating, from the user device to the headend, information indicating the viewer has selected the at least one second feed.