WO2010071957A1

WO2010071957A1 - Method and system for delivering interactivity to viewers of television programs

Info

Publication number: WO2010071957A1
Application number: PCT/CA2008/002242
Authority: WO
Inventors: Maarten Boudewijn Heilbron; Peter Werner Ratsch; Jeff Clarke
Original assignee: Bce Inc.
Priority date: 2008-12-22
Filing date: 2008-12-22
Publication date: 2010-07-01

Abstract

Method for delivering interactivity to viewers of television programs, apparatus and computer-readable storage medium implementing the method. The method comprises receiving a request for interactivity from a viewer of a television program; obtaining descriptive information associated with the television program; retrieving online content on a basis of the descriptive information; and formatting the online content for delivery to the viewer.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DELIVERING INTERACTIVITY TO VIEWERS OF TELEVISION PROGRAMS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to interactive television and, in particular, to a method and system for delivering interactivity to viewers of television programs.

BACKGROUND

The technology around television has changed greatly since inception of this medium. The original paradigm of broadcasting an analog signal over a radio frequency carrier has evolved into the reality of today, where signals are digitally encoded and distributed over myriad platforms, including radio frequency, cable, satellite and the Internet. While early advances introduced the world to color screens and remote control, more recent developments have brought viewers in touch with high definition broadcasts, plasma displays, electronic program guides and video-on- demand.

Yet, the basic process for watching television has not changed in decades. Viewers still tend to turn on the television, select a channel, and watch the television program available on that channel. Recognizing that this basic process is unlikely to change, efforts have turned to enhancing the resulting viewing experience, making it more "interactive" for viewers within the domain of a service provider. In particular, the creator of a particular television program, or the service provider itself, can design additional content to be rendered available to viewers at certain key moments in the television program. The additional content accompanies the particular television program delivered from the service provider, and is made available to multiple viewers of the same channel who have accepted an invitation to receive the additional content.

It will be noted that because the same additional content is shared amongst multiple viewers, the additional content needs to be pre-configured so as to appeal to a relatively wide viewer base, in order for the interactive service to remain profitable for the service provider. As a result, service providers tend to limit their design of additional content so as to achieve a high likelihood of such content being watched by viewers. Ultimately, however, this has the effect of exposing viewers to a stale environment with dubious claims to interactivity.

It is thus apparent that a need exists to improve the viewing experience offered by an interactive environment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect, the present invention seeks to provide a method for delivering interactivity to viewers of television programs, comprising: receiving a request for interactivity from a viewer of a television program; obtaining descriptive information associated with the television program; retrieving online content on a basis of the descriptive information; and formatting the online content for delivery to the viewer.

According to a second aspect, the present invention seeks to provide an apparatus for delivering interactivity to viewers of television programs, comprising: an interface configured to receive a request for interactivity from a viewer of a television program; an interactivity manager configured to obtain descriptive information associated with the television program and to retrieve online content on a basis of the descriptive information; and a formatting entity configured to format the online content for delivery to the viewer.

According to a third aspect, the present invention seeks to provide a computer- readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions for execution by a computing device, wherein execution of the set of instructions by the computing device causes the computing device to execute a method for delivering interactivity to viewers of television programs, the method including: receiving, over a communication channel, a request for interactivity from a viewer of a television program; obtaining descriptive information associated with the television program; retrieving online content on a basis of the descriptive information; and formatting the interactive content for delivery to the viewer over the communication channel. These and other aspects and features of the present invention will now become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. IA is a block diagram of an architecture for delivering interactive services, in accordance with a first non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. IB is a block diagram of an architecture for delivering interactive services, in accordance with a second non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating specific non-limiting steps in an interactivity process and a formatting process performed in the course of delivering interactive services in the architectures of Figs. IA and IB; and Figs. 3A-3D show some non-limiting possibilities for the layout of a viewer's screen that includes an interactive viewing area for the delivery of interactive services.

It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustration of certain embodiments of the invention and are an aid for understanding. They are not intended to be a definition of the limits of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference is made to Fig. IA, which shows an architecture for delivery of interactive television services, in accordance with a first non-limiting embodiment of the present invention. A television set 10 at an end user premise 12 (which can be fixed or mobile) is connected to an interface 14 that receives multi-channel television programming 84 from one or more sources of programming 18 over a television distribution system 16. In the first non-limiting embodiment being described here, the television distribution system 16 can take on various forms, including a radio frequency distribution system (i.e., conventional airwaves), a cable distribution system, a satellite distribution system or an Internet distribution system. (Other possibilities exist, some of which will be described later on with reference to Fig. IB.) The interface 14 may also take on various forms, and generally can comprise transmit and/or receive circuitry as well as equipment such as a modulator/demodulator (modem) and/or an encoder/decoder (codec). In some cases, the interface 14 can be integrated with end user equipment such as a cable modem or a set top box supplied by a cable or satellite company. Alternatively, the interface 14 may be integrated with the television set 10. Alternatively still, the interface 14 may be incorporated into a video capable device at the end user premise 12, such as a Blu-Ray player, game console, etc. The television set 10 includes at least one output device 24, at least one input device 26 and a control entity 28. The at least one input device 26 allows a viewer 30 to select a program for viewing. This selection is detected and interpreted by the control entity 28 which, in response, controls conveyance of an audio visual signal over the at least one output device 24, which can include a display and a loudspeaker. The control entity 28 can in some cases implement a personal video recording (PVR) function, allowing received television programs to be recorded and played back at a later time via the at least one output device 24. The at least one input device 26 can include a console. Alternatively or in addition, a remote control (not shown) can be used by the viewer 30 to control operation of the television set 10 and/or the interface 14. In still other cases, the television set 10 is implemented as a computer and thus the at least one input device 26 can include one or more of a keyboard, a mouse, a touch-sensitive screen, microphone, game controller, etc.

One feature of the control entity 28 is the ability to detect an expression of interest in obtaining interactive content, as supplied by the viewer 30 via the at least one input device 26 (e.g., the console, remote control, keyboard, mouse, touch- sensitive screen, microphone, game controller, etc.). More specifically, the viewer's interest in obtaining interactive content can be expressed during viewing of a particular television program by hitting a dedicated button on a remote control, by pressing a predetermined sequence of keys on a remote control or keyboard, by clicking a dedicated area on a graphical user interface using a mouse or by touching the dedicated area directly on-screen, etc. It is also envisaged that the viewer 30 may speak a command (e.g., "please give me interactive content") into a microphone. The control entity 28 is operative to convert the detected expression of interest into a request for interactivity. The request for interactivity, as well as potentially other data resulting from viewer-provided inputs, is conveyed via the interface 14 to an interactivity server 20 over a communication channel hereinafter referred to as an interactive channel 22. The interactive channel 22 can take on many forms. One possibility is for the interactive channel 22 to be established over a telephony line that connects the end user premise 12 to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). In this case, the interactivity server 20 could be coupled to a modem that is reachable over the PSTN at a specific telephone number that can be dialed by the interface 14. Another possibility is for the interactive channel 22 to be established over an upstream (reverse) channel of a cable distribution system. In this case, the interactivity server 20 could be connected to a cable head end that is reachable over the upstream channel. Yet another possibility is for the interactive channel 22 to be established over a connection that traverses the Internet, access to which is provided by an Internet service provider (ISP). In this case, the interactivity server 20 could be implemented as a website that is reachable over the Internet at a specific address. It should be noted that Internet access could be provided wirelessly using WiMax, WiFi, etc.

The interactive channel 22 between the interactivity server 20 and the end user premise 12 is established for a particular "customer" who subscribes to interactive services that are provided by the interactivity server 20. The particular customer may have a business relationship with an operator of the interactivity server 20, whereby payment may be made to the operator on a monthly, per-use or other basis for the privilege of enjoying the interactive services provided by the interactivity server 20. To this end, equipment at the end user premise 12 (e.g., a set top box or cable modem to which the interface 14 may be integrated) may also be controlled by the operator of the interactivity server 20.

In one embodiment, the operator of the interactivity server 20 also controls and/or operates the television distribution system 16. In an alternative embodiment, a completely separate business relationship may be established (with a different commercial entity) for the purposes of connecting the end user premise 12 to the television distribution system 16. hi another alternative embodiment, access to the television distribution system 16 may be free of charge (e.g., in the case of a radio frequency distribution system), requiring no special relationship between the end user premise 12 and the television distribution system 16.

It should be appreciated that decoupling of the television distribution system 16 from the interactive channel 22 leads to a certain flexibility in the establishment of the interactive channel 22 itself. Specifically, the manner in which the multi-channel television programming 84 is received from the sources of programming 18 does not constrain the manner in which the interactivity server 20 is reached for the purposes of establishing the interactive channel 22. To illustrate, let it be assumed that the end user premise 12 has access to the Internet and let it further be assumed that the interactivity server 20 is a website that is reachable over the Internet at a specific address. In this case, the interface 14 can be initialized to reach the interactivity server 20 at its specific address without regard to the manner in which the multichannel television programming 84 is received from the sources of programming 18. It should be appreciated that initialization can take place by way of a software download received by the interface 14 on a specific channel over the television distribution system 16. Alternatively, initialization can take place during manufacturing of the interface 14 (or of the television set 10, if the interface 14 is integrated therewith). Alternatively still, initialization can take place through interaction with an end user after the interface 14 is shipped. It should also be appreciated that the particular customer is but one of many other customers who may subscribe to interactive services that are provided by the interactivity server 20. As customers are basically entities created for the purposes of accounting, each may include such identifying information as a name, address and account number in order to assist the operator of the interactivity server 20 to discriminate among them. Additional information may also be associated with each customer and be held in various customer-centric databases, as will now be described.

In one example, the particular customer may subscribe to certain interactive television applications that may be offered by various suppliers. Accordingly, the architecture in Fig. IA is shown to include an subscription database 40, which stores the particular customer's identifying information together with identifying information regarding the interactive application(s) to which the particular customer subscribes. The interactivity server 20 has access to the subscription database 40 along a communication link 42, which may be a logical or physical communication link.

Another example of a customer-centric database is a demography database 44, which stores the particular customer's identifying information in addition to demographic information regarding the particular customer. Examples of demographic information can include age, gender, race, income, number of children, nationality and location (e.g., street address, postal code or latitude/longitude), to name a few non-limiting possibilities. The interactivity server 20 has access to the demography database 44 along a communication link 46, which may be a logical or physical communication link.

Yet another example of a customer-centric database is a marketing database 48, which can be a subset of the demography database 44. The marketing database 48 stores the particular customer's identifying information in addition to marketing information pertaining to the particular customer. Examples of marketing information include brands purchased by the particular customer, commercial establishments (either brick-and-mortar or online) visited by the particular customer, targeted marketing information collected by various marketing agencies, and so on. The interactivity server 20 has access to the marketing database 48 along a communication link 50, which may be a logical or physical communication link. Still other customer-centric databases may be provided in the architecture of

Fig. IA for the purpose of storing additional information pertaining to the particular customer. It should also be understood that although the databases 40, 44, 48 are shown in Fig. IA as being separate entities, any two or more of the databases may be combined into a single structure. The interactivity server 20 comprises an interface 52 of its own, as well as an interactivity manager 54 and a formatting entity 56. The interface 52 regulates the flow of data along the interactive channel 22. That is, upstream data (such as a request for interactivity) arriving from the interface 14 over the interactive channel 22 is directed by the interface 52 towards the interactivity manager 54, whereas formatted interactive content 82 received from the formatting entity 56 is placed by the interface 52 onto the interactive channel 22 and released towards the interface 14. The interactivity manager 54 executes an interactivity process in response to a request for interactivity received from the interface 14. To this end, the interactivity manager 54 can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, control logic or any combination thereof, hi particular, the interactivity manager 54 may comprise a processor and a memory, where the memory stores computer-readable instructions that are executable by the processor and which, when read by the processor, cause the interactivity process to be executed. In order to execute the interactivity process, which will be described in further detail later on, the interactivity manager 54 consults and has access to one or more of the aforementioned customer-centric databases including, in particular, the subscription database 40. In addition, the interactivity manager 54 may consult and have access to other databases which can include, in some cases, a scheduling database 58 and an auxiliary database 60.

The interactivity manager 54 has access to the scheduling database 58 along a communication link 62, which may be a logical or physical communication link. The scheduling database 58, if used, stores scheduling information and descriptive information associated with various television programs that may be transmitted by the sources of programming 18. Descriptive information associated with a particular television program can be regarded as information that characterizes the particular television program. To this end, the scheduling database 58 stores a broadcast program grid, which includes a plurality of entries having coordinates along two scheduling information axes. One of the scheduling information axes includes a time line and the other scheduling information axis includes a set of channels. The entry associated with a particular time interval (i.e., a range of points along the time line) and a particular channel comprises descriptive information associated with the television program being broadcast on the particular channel during the particular time interval, hi a non-limiting example embodiment, the descriptive information may take the form of metadata.

The entries in the scheduling database 58 may be coarsely or finely granular with respect to the time intervals they represent, and this can have an influence on the descriptive information that the entries can store. Consider first the case of coarsely granular scheduling database entries that represent time intervals lasting several minutes or more. In an example where the television program being broadcast on the particular channel is a serial television show, the descriptive information may include a title of the television show, an episode number (if applicable) and the identity (including the Internet address) of a particular one of the sources of programming 18 associated with the particular channel (e.g., the name of a media network, such as ABC, CNN, CTV, Fox, etc.). In an example where the television program being broadcast on the particular channel is a sporting event, the descriptive information may include an indication of the sport (e.g., hockey, football, women's tennis, etc.), a level of the event (e.g., regular season game, playoff, final, etc.) and the identity (including the Internet address) of a particular one of the sources of programming 18 associated with the particular channel (e.g., the name of a media network, such as CBS, TSN, CTV, etc.).

Consider now the case of finely granular scheduling database entries that represent time intervals lasting only a few seconds each. Such short intervals can be used to provide, from a broadcaster's traffic system, statistical data during a sporting event or other detailed scheduling data. For example, where the television program being broadcast on the particular channel is a television show, the descriptive information stored in the scheduling database 58 may include, in addition to the information referred to above, the identity of a particular actor or product placement (e.g., a Ford vehicle) appearing on screen at the current time. In an example where the television program broadcast aired on the particular channel is an advertisement for a product or service, the descriptive information may include the name of the product or service being advertised and the name of the company whose product or service is being promoted. For sporting events, the descriptive information may include statistical data that is valid at the current time.

The scheduling database 58 may also comprise individual program timelines for non-broadcast television programs, such as playback of a movie from a digital library or playback of a previously recorded program (such as a TV series or sporting event, which may have been broadcast at the time of recording, but is no longer being broadcast at the time of playback). The individual program timeline for a particular non-broadcast television program includes a plurality of entries corresponding to time intervals relative to a start time of the television program. The time intervals can be as coarsely or as finely granular as desired. The entry associated with a particular time interval comprises descriptive information associated with the television program. When the television program is being played back, time will elapse from the start time, and thus a "relative time of occurrence" within the television program will keep advancing. When a requestor (e.g., the interactivity manager 54) supplies the identity of a particular television program (e.g., the name of a movie or sporting event) and the relative time of occurrence within the particular television program (i.e., how much time has elapsed since the beginning of the movie or sporting event), the scheduling database 58 is operative to identify the entry associated with the appropriate time interval of the appropriate individual program timeline, and will return the descriptive information contained therein to the requestor.

It should also be appreciated that descriptive information associated with a particular television program can also be obtained by consulting the auxiliary database 60. The interactivity manager 54 has access to the auxiliary database 60 along a communication link 64, which may be a logical or physical communication link. The auxiliary database 60, if used, stores descriptive information that is associated with input criteria identifying various television programs. (In some embodiments, the input criteria may be a subset of descriptive information that was obtained from the scheduling database 58, in which case the descriptive information stored in the auxiliary database 60 can be regarded as "enhanced" descriptive information.)

In an example where the input criteria identify a particular television show, the descriptive information stored in the auxiliary database 60 may include additional information known to be associated with the show. This may include, inter alia, the names of actors, producers, directors or other participants having a role in the show, a list of other shows that those participants may have participated in, the type of show

(e.g., comedy, drama, movie, etc.), a list of awards that the show may have won or for which the show may have been nominated, a description of the show, a list of key words associated with the show, a list of topics that are scheduled to be discussed in the show (such as during a news segment or a talk show), a collection of other electronic program guide (EPG) data pertaining to the show (e.g., ratings (e.g., "G",

"R", "18+", etc.), qualifiers (such as HD, closed captioned, Dolby stereo, etc.), etc.), an indication of the location of the currently viewed scene (e.g., Disney World, etc.), the Internet address of a sanctioned website of the show, etc. It should be understood that there is no particular demarcation between the range of descriptive information that may be stored in the scheduling database 58 and the range of descriptive information that may be stored in the auxiliary database.

In an example where input criteria identify a particular sporting event, the descriptive information stored in association therewith may include, for example, the names of teams, athletes, coaches or other participants having a role in the sporting event, the season or career statistical data pertaining to these participants (e.g., goals, assists, penalty minutes, goals-against average, earned-run average, home runs, wins, losses, corner kicks resulting in goals, aces on first serve in matches played in May at an altitude above 2000m, etc.), team statistical data, league statistical data, etc. It should be apparent to those of skill in the art that other types of information may fall under the rubric of "descriptive information associated with a television program", and that the descriptive information can be linked, arranged and searchable within the scheduling database 58 and the auxiliary database 60 in a variety of ways.

Also as part of the interactivity process executed by the interactivity manager 54, the interactivity manager 54 causes retrieval of the data to be ultimately released towards the end user premise 12 over the interactive channel 22. This is achieved by retrieving online content 68 from the Internet 66 and directing the retrieved online content 68 towards the formatting entity 56. Accordingly, the interactivity manager 54 is assumed to have access to the Internet 66 over a communication link 76. It is noted that where the interactive channel 22 itself traverses the Internet 66, the interactivity server 20 need not require a second connection to the Internet 66. The interactivity manager 54 may also have access to an interactive application warehouse 70 that supports one or more interactive applications 72 for consumption by a variety of customers including the particular customer. The interactivity manager 54 further has the capability to trigger one or more of the interactive applications 72, resulting in the generation of "managed content 74". By "managed content" is meant content over which the operator of the interactivity server 20 has control. The interactivity manager 54 also has the capability to direct the managed content 74 towards the formatting entity 56, for eventual delivery to the end user premise 12 over the interactive channel 22.

The formatting entity 56 executes a formatting process on (i) the managed content 74, if any, received from the interactive application warehouse 70 via the interactivity manager 54 and (ii) the online content 68 received from the Internet 66 via the interactivity manager 54. To this end, the formatting entity 66 can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, control logic or any combination thereof. In particular, the formatting entity 66 may comprise a processor and a memory, where the memory stores computer-readable instructions that are executable by the processor and which, when read by the processor, cause the formatting process to be executed. The formatting process involves a filtering sub-process and a presentation sub-process, which will be described in further detail later on. The output of the formatting entity 56 is the formatted interactive content 82 that is provided to the interface 52. In order to execute the formatting process, the formatting entity 56 consults and has access to various ones of the aforementioned databases, including the demography database 44 and the marketing database 48. The formatting entity 56 also consults and has access to one or more other databases which can include, in some cases, a heuristics database 78 and a viewability database 96.

The heuristics database 78, if used, stores information regarding certain habits, preferences, opinions, etc., of the viewer 30 individually as well as within the larger context of a viewing community. For example, the heuristics database 78 may store peer ratings collected from online blogs regarding a television show. The heuristics database 78 may also store feedback received from viewers (including the viewer 30) that have been previously presented with certain portions of the online content 68, thus indicating a spectrum of viewer reactions which can be combined with demographic and marketing information to influence the manner in which information is formatted for the viewer 30. The formatting entity 56 has access to the heuristics database 78 along a communication link 80, which may be a logical or physical communication link.

The viewability database 96, if used, stores information regarding a plurality of online addresses (e.g., web sites, web pages, etc.) and a degree to which the content made available online by those online addresses is suited for presentation in an interactive viewing area at the end user premise 12. This information may be collected as a background operation, either directly by the service provider or by a third part on behalf of the service party. The formatting entity 56 has access to the viewability database 96 along a communication link 98, which may be a logical or physical communication link.

Although Fig. IA shows the databases 40, 44, 48, 58, 60, 78 as discrete components to which the interactivity server 20 has access, it should be appreciated that one or more of the aforementioned databases can be combined into a single database. It should also be appreciated that one or more of the aforementioned databases may be integrated with the interactivity manager 54 and/or the formatting entity 56 and/or other components of the interactivity server 20.

The formatted interactive content 82 reaches the interface 14 along the interactive channel 22. Meanwhile, as will be recalled, the multi-channel television programming 84 is available to the interface 14 via the television distribution system

16. On the basis of selections made by the viewer 30 via the at least one input device

26, the interface 14 allows one or more selected channels of television programming to reach the television set 10 for conveyance to the viewer 30. In addition, a blending function in the interface 14 and/or the control entity 28 blends the selected channel(s) with the formatted interactive content 82 to create a composite television signal for presentation to the viewer 30 over the at least one output device 24.

With reference now to Figs. 3A-3D, the composite television signal, when displayed on a screen 300 (which is an example of the at least one output device 24), will be perceived by the viewer 30 to include a TV viewing area 310 graphically conveying the selected channel(s) and an interactive viewing area 320 graphically conveying the formatted interactive content 82. Further details regarding the size, shape and configuration of the TV viewing area 310 and the interactive viewing area 320 will be provided later on in this description. Reference is now made to Fig. IB, which shows an architecture for delivery of interactive television services in accordance with a second non-limiting embodiment of the present invention. The architecture in Fig. IB is similar to the architecture in Fig. IA and includes many very similar or identical elements, such as the end user premise 12, the television set 10, the databases 40, 44, 48, 58, 60, 78, the Internet 66, the interactive application warehouse 70 and the sources of programming 18. However, certain elements are different. Most notably, in the architecture in Fig. IB, it will be observed that a bidirectional communication channel 100 exists between an interface 14B at the end user premise 12 and a head end server 2OB. The communication channel 100 is used to deliver both television programming and interactive services to the end user premise 12. Other communication channels are similarly used to deliver television programming and interactive services to other end user premises.

The arrangement of Fig. IB is possible and convenient when both the television programming and the interactive services are controlled or operated by the same commercial entity or "service provider". In this case, a relationship is established between the service provider (offering both television programming and interactive services) and a particular "customer" (which is an abstraction of an entity that presumably owns or operates the end user premise 12) so as to allow the viewer 30 to enjoy the privilege of being able to (i) view television programs distributed by the service provider (which may originate from third party content providers) and (ii) participate in interactive services offered by the service provider. It will be appreciated that payment for this privilege may be made to the service provider on a monthly, per-use or any other agreed upon basis.

The arrangement of Fig. IB may tend to arise in an IPTV environment, where the communication channel 100 traverses a service-provider-controlled packet- switched network that enables IP connections. Some of these IP connections may be dedicated to television streaming, while others may carry selections (e.g., channel changes) from the viewer 30 to the head end server 2OB. Within the communication channel 100, various unidirectional or bidirectional sub-channels may be created for the conveyance of specific information such as television data streams, channel changes, requests for interactivity and formatted interactive content, to name a few non-limiting possibilities. A similar description could apply to a mobility environment, where the communication channel 100 traverses a service-provider- controlled wireless network (such as a mobile telephony network) that enables wireless data connections. Still other instances where the arrangement of Fig. IB may tend to arise will be apparent to those of skill in the art. One such instance is a cable distribution environment, where the communication channel 100 could traverse a cable-company-controlled packet-switched network that enables IP connections.

The interface 14B present at the end user premise 12 is virtually identical to the interface 14, except that it is adapted to support the above communication channel 100. In an IPTV (or cable) environment, the interface 14B can be integrated with a set top box (or cable modem) supplied by an IPTV (or cable) service provider, whereas in a mobility environment, the interface 14B can be integrated with a mobile device that implements the television set 10. The head end server 2OB is one part of a larger service provider infrastructure, which may include one or more of the aforementioned databases 40, 44, 48, 58, 60, 78, the interactive application warehouse 70 and possibly even the sources of programming 18 to the extent that the service provider acts as an aggregator of television programs from different sources. The head end server 2OB comprises an interface 52B, the interactivity manager 54 and the formatting entity 56. The interactivity manager 54 and the formatting entity 56 operate as previously described. That is, the interactivity manager 54 executes the aforementioned interactivity process in response to a request for interactivity received from the interface 14B, while the formatting entity 56 executes the aforementioned formatting process on the managed content 74 (if any) and the online content 68.

In addition, the head end server 2OB may include a selector 102 that supplies a selected television data stream 104 to the interface 52B. The selector 102 receives multi-channel programming 84 from the sources of programming 18, either directly or over a television distribution system 16B. For the particular customer, the selector 102 can select one or more of the television channels to be released to the interface 52B in the form of the selected television data stream 104. As television channel selection is affected by viewer input (specifically, channel changes made by the viewer 30), the selector 102 operates under the influence of upstream data received by the interface 52B along the communication channel 100. In general, the interface 52B regulates the flow of data (including both television programming and interactive data) along the communication channel 100. In particular, certain upstream data (such as channel changes) arriving from the interface 14B over the communication channel 100 is directed by the interface 52B towards the selector 102 for control thereof. To this end, the interface 52B is connected to the selector 102 by a link 94. Other upstream data (such as requests for interactivity) is directed by the interface 52B towards the interactivity manager 54. In the downstream direction, the interface 52B places the aforementioned formatted interactive content 82 received from the formatting entity 56 onto the communication channel 100. Also in the downstream direction, the interface 52B places the selected television data stream 104 onto the communication channel 100.

In the arrangement of Fig. IB, a blending function 106 is implemented by the interface 52B. The blending function 106 blends the selected television data stream 104 with the formatted interactive content 82 to create a composite television signal 108 that is encoded and sent to the end user premise 12 over the communication channel 100. The interface 14B and the control entity 28 then cooperate to present the composite television signal 108 to the viewer 30 over the at least one output device 24. With reference to Figs. 3A-3D, when the composite television signal 108 is displayed on the aforementioned screen 300, the viewer 30 will perceive the aforementioned TV viewing area 310 graphically conveying the selected television data stream 104 and the aforementioned interactive viewing area 320 graphically conveying the formatted interactive content 82.

In a variant of the arrangement of Fig. IB, the selected television data stream 104 and the formatted interactive content 82 are conveyed to the end user premise 12 over the communication channel 100. In this case, a blending function in the interface

14B and/or the control entity 28 blends the selected television data stream 104 with the formatted interactive content 82 to create a composite television signal for presentation to the viewer 30 over the at least one output device 24. The composite television signal is displayed on the screen 300 in much the same way as was previously described.

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating various steps in the interactivity process executed by the interactivity manager 54 and in the formatting process executed by the formatting entity 56. To begin with, it is assumed that a request for interactivity 202 has been sent from the end user premise 12 in response to detection by the control entity 28 of an expression of interest by the viewer 30 in obtaining interactive content while viewing a particular television program on a particular channel. As explained previously, the viewer 30 can express such interest by hitting a dedicated button on a remote control, by pressing a predetermined sequence of keys on a remote control or keyboard, by clicking a dedicated area on a graphical user interface using a mouse or by touching the dedicated area directly on-screen, etc. It is also envisaged that the viewer 30 may speak a command (e.g., "please give me interactive content") into a microphone. The request for interactivity 202 travels along the interactive channel 22 (in the case of Fig. IA) or the communication channel 100 (in the case of Fig. IB) and is subsequently received at the interface 52 (or 52B) and recognized as being associated with the particular customer. The request for interactivity 202 is forwarded to the interactivity manager 54, which then begins execution of the interactivity process, now described with reference to steps 210-214.

At step 210 of the interactivity process, the interactivity manager 54 obtains descriptive information associated with the particular television program being viewed by the viewer 30. The descriptive information associated with the particular television program maybe obtained in one or more of the following ways.

(i) A portion of the descriptive information associated with the particular television program may be obtained directly from the request for interactivity 202 by decoding or other processing techniques. For example, the request for interactivity 202 can include the identity of the television program or other information obtained from the end user premise 12.

(ii) A portion of the descriptive information associated with the particular television program may be obtained from the scheduling database 58.

In an example, consider the scenario wherein the request for interactivity 202 includes a current time and an identity of the particular channel. The interactivity manager 54 then accesses the scheduling database 58 over the communication link 62 by providing the current time and the identity of the particular channel. In return, the interactivity manager 54 receives the descriptive information stored in the corresponding entry in the program grid. It is recalled that the descriptive information stored in the corresponding entry in the program grid depends on the nature of the television program and on the granularity (e.g., coarseness or fineness) of the entry.

In another example, consider the scenario wherein, at the current time, the viewer 30 is viewing playback of a previously recorded television program (e.g., using the PVR functionality of the control entity 28).

Consider, however, that at the current time, playback has reached a certain "relative time of occurrence" within the television program, which is indicative of how much time has elapsed since the beginning of the television program. In this case, the request for interactivity 202 can include not only the identity of the television program but also the relative time of occurrence. The interactivity manager 54 then accesses the scheduling database 58 over the communication link 62 by providing the identity of the television program and the relative time of occurrence. The scheduling database 58 consults the individual program timelines to determine which entries to consult, and then returns the corresponding descriptive information to the interactivity manager 54.

(iii) A portion of the descriptive information associated with the particular television program may be obtained from the auxiliary database 60. Specifically, the interactivity manager 54 supplies to the auxiliary database over the communication link 64 a portion (i.e., some or all) of the descriptive information that was included in the request for interactivity 202 or obtained from the scheduling database 58. In return, the interactivity manager 54 receives additional descriptive information that the auxiliary database 60 holds as being associated with the portion of the descriptive information supplied thereto. Still other ways of obtaining the descriptive information associated with the particular television program may become apparent to those of skill in the art.

At step 212 of the interactivity process, which is optional and can be entirely dispensed with, the interactivity manager 54 retrieves the aforementioned managed content 74. This can begin with a search for an interactive application associated with the particular television program that was being viewed by the viewer 30 when he/she expressed an interest in obtaining interactive content. To this end, the interactivity manager 54 can access the interactive application warehouse 70 to search for one of the interactive applications 72 that may be associated with the particular television program. Assuming that a particular interactive application has been identified, the interactivity manager 54 also accesses the subscription database 40 via the communication link 42 in order to determine whether the particular customer does indeed subscribe to the particular interactive application. Assuming that it has been determined that the particular customer does subscribe to the particular interactive application, the interactivity manager 54 may instantiate the particular interactive application, which causes the release of the managed content 74. In one embodiment, the managed content 74 may comprise specialized content that is associated with the particular television program. For example, in the case of a live hockey game, the specialized content may include statistical data of the players and teams currently involve din the game, a selection of camera angles to choose from, live action from other hockey games, etc. Alternatively or in addition, the managed content 74 may comprise computer-readable instructions which, when downloaded to and executed by the control entity 28 at the end user premise 12, permits further interaction with the viewer 30 through a local application such as a game or a voting application, for example.

At step 214 of the interactivity process, which follows step 210 or step 212 depending on whether step 212 is implemented, the interactivity manager 54 retrieves the aforementioned online content 68 based on the descriptive information associated with the particular television program. As has already been mentioned, the descriptive information associated with the particular television program can vary widely, and may include descriptive information included with the request for interactivity and/or obtained from the scheduling database 58 and/or obtained from the auxiliary database 60. To name a few non-limiting examples that have already been mentioned, the descriptive information associated with the particular television program may comprise:

(i) For a serial television show: a title of the television show, an episode number (if applicable), the identity (including the Internet address) of a particular one of the sources of programming 18, the names of actors, producers, directors or other participants having a role in the show, a list of other shows that those participants may have participated in, the type of show, a list of awards that the show may have won or for which the show may have been nominated, a description of the show, a list of key words associated with the show, a list of topics that are scheduled to be discussed in the show, a collection of other EPG data pertaining to the show, an indication of the location of the currently viewed scene, the Internet address of a sanctioned website of the show, etc.; (ii) For an advertisement: the name of the product or service being advertised and the name of the company whose product or service is being promoted, etc.;

(ii) For a sporting event: an indication of the sport, a level of the event, the identity (including the Internet address) of a particular one of the sources of programming 18 associated with the particular channel, the names of teams, athletes, coaches or other participants having a role in the sporting event, the season or career statistical data pertaining to these participants, team statistical data, league statistical data, etc. Still other possibilities for the descriptive information pertaining to the above types of television programs will be apparent to those of skill in the art. Also, it should be appreciated that the above examples are merely for illustrative purposes and that the particular television program is of course not limited to being a serial television show or a sporting event. The online content 68 that is retrieved based on the descriptive information associated with the particular television program may comprise content that is obtained from one or more sources 90 connected to the Internet 66, including possibly one or more of:

- A sanctioned website of the particular television program, in which case the online content 68 can comprise information regarding actors, past episodes, upcoming episodes, sponsors, fan reviews, etc. The address of the sanctioned website can be known a priori based on the descriptive information associated with the particular television program, or it can be obtained by providing a portion of the descriptive information to a search engine (e.g., Google, Yahoo, etc.);

- A sanctioned website of the television channel that airs the particular television program, in which case the online content 68 can comprise information regarding other television programs airing on the television channel, etc. The address of the sanctioned website can be known a priori based on the descriptive information associated with the particular television program, or it can be obtained by providing a portion of the descriptive information to a search engine; - An information server that maintains a moment-by-moment content guide pertaining to the particular television program, in which case the online content 68 may include actor names, product placements and the like. The address of the information server can be known a priori based on the descriptive information associated with the particular television program, or it can be obtained by providing a portion of the descriptive information to a search engine.

In one example, where the particular television program is a sporting event, the information server may be a statistics server, in which case the online content 68 may include updated statistical data pertaining to teams, athletes and/or coaches involved in the sporting event;

In another example, where the particular television program is a drama, movie or sporting event, the information server may be a blog server, in which case the online content 68 may include moment-by-moment postings by bloggers who are simultaneously watching the drama, movie or sporting event;

- A set of advertisement servers or an advertisement broker, in which case the online content 68 can comprise advertisements targeted to viewers of the particular television program. An auction system could be implemented whereby advertisers submitting the highest bids would be entitled to have their advertisements conveyed to the viewers of the particular television program. The addresses of the advertisement servers and/or the advertisement broker can be known a priori based on the descriptive information associated with the particular television program, or they can be obtained by providing a portion of the descriptive information to a search engine;

- A third party commercial website, such as websites enabling the viewer 30 to effect an e-commerce transaction, in which case the online content 68 can comprise content targeted by the e-commerce website to viewers of the particular television program. For example, a national chain of restaurants may wish to make a special promotional offering to viewers at the start (or during an intermission) of a broadcast of a specific sporting event (e.g., the Super Bowl). In another example, a shoe store may wish to offer promotions for its products to viewers of the show Sex and the City. This would enable viewers to purchase a product currently shown or advertised in current programming as it is aired. The address of the third party commercial website can be known a priori based on the descriptive information associated with the particular television program, or it can be obtained by providing a portion of the descriptive information to a search engine; - A user-generated content (UGC) information server, in which case the online content 68 can comprise UGC such as blogs, reviews, shrines and the like pertaining to the particular television program or participants having a role in the particular television program. The address of the UGC website can be known a priori based on the descriptive information associated with the particular television program, or it can be obtained by providing a portion of the descriptive information to a search engine;

- A social networking website with which the viewer has an account, and whose address can be known a priori based on information about the viewer. The viewer is assumed to have developed, through his or her account with the social networking website, a personal social network, and may have joined a certain number of common interest groups. Under such circumstances:

In a first example, the online content 68 can comprise a listing of those members of the viewer's personal social network who are currently watching the same television program as the viewer (or who are currently watching a television program featuring one of the actors, players or teams, etc., that is featured in the television program currently being watched by the viewer, etc.). Identifying the members of the viewer's personal social network could be gained by the interactivity manager 54 supplying the viewer's account credentials (e.g., obtained from the viewer 30, from the particular customer or via a credentials database) to the social networking website, while knowledge of what those individuals are presently watching is available by accessing their respective accounts with the service provider (assuming they are properly identifiable);

In a second example, the online content 68 can comprise content that is available exclusively to account holders who declare themselves to be members of a common interest group devoted to, for example, the particular television program, a particular actor, player or team, etc., featured in the particular television program, and so on; - In a third example, the online content 68 can comprise a listing of those members of the viewer's personal social network who are currently online and have a declared interest in the television program being watched by the viewer (or who have a declared interested in one of the actors, players or teams, etc., that is featured in the television program currently being watched by the viewer, etc.). Identifying the appropriate online members of the viewer's personal social network (as well as their declared interests) could be gained by the interactivity manager 54 supplying the viewer's account credentials (e.g., obtained from the viewer 30, from the particular customer or via a credentials database) to the social networking website. This could then be a first step in setting up an eventual instant messaging, chat or SMS session between contacts/friends; etc. It will be understood that the online content 68 may be made up of any one or more of text, video, graphics, etc. It should be appreciated that since there is a wide variety of online content for potential presentation to the viewer 30, it may be desirable, in an initial phase, for the online content 68 to be limited, e.g., to the address (and possibly a short descriptor) of the content purveyed by various ones of the above information servers or websites. Moreover, certain online content 68 may be undesirable or inappropriate and requires filtering. Both the task of filtering the online content 68 and organizing it in a suitable manner within the interactive viewing area 320 are functions of the formatting entity 56, which executes the formatting process that is now described in greater detail with reference to steps 220-222 of Fig. 2.

Specifically, at step 220 of the formatting process, a filtering sub-process is performed on the managed content 74 and/or the online content 68. This may result in selecting at least some of the online content 68 and/or at least some of the managed content 74. In specific non-limiting examples, the filtering sub-process may include one or more of the following (which are mentioned in the context of the online content 68 but could be applied equally in the context of the managed content 74): - Excluding portions of the online content 68 containing obscene, illegal or other objectionable material (as measured by some standard, and possibly depending on parameters such as on ratings information about the television program);

- Determining how the online content 68 has been evaluated by a viewing community (e.g., by consulting the heuristics database 78) and choosing to retain portions of the online content 68 that are above (or below) a certain approval level within the viewing community;

- Comparing the online content 68 relative to online content previously viewed by the viewer 30 (e.g., by consulting the heuristics database 78) and choosing to retain portions of the online content 68 that are consistent with previously viewed online content for which the viewer 30 has expressed interest;

- Comparing the online content 68 relative to online content previously viewed by other viewers in the viewing community (e.g., by consulting the heuristics database 78) and choosing to retain portions of the online content 68 that are consistent with previously viewed online content for which the viewing community has expressed interest;

- Ranking the online content 68 for viewability within the interactive viewing area 320 (e.g., by consulting the viewability database 96) and choosing to retain portions of the online content 68 that have ranked highly in terms of viewability; - Estimating a potential interest of the online content to the viewer 30 (e.g., by consulting the demography database 44) and choosing to retain portions of the online content 68 that are estimated to be of greatest potential interest to the viewer 30; - Assessing a commercial relevance of the online content 68 to the particular customer (e.g., by consulting the marketing database 48) and choosing to retain portions of the online content that are assessed to be of greatest potential relevance to the particular customer;

- Where the television program was previously recorded and is being played back at the current time and has reached a certain relative time of occurrence, excluding portions of the online content that are associated with relative times of occurrence that is after the certain relative time of occurrence. This can be done particularly conveniently for blogs and statistics which carry dates and times that can be referenced to the relative time of occurrence. Thus, the viewer's enjoyment of a previously recorded event is not spoiled by provision of interactive information that may include details of the outcome of a sporting event, the conclusion of a movie, etc.

At step 222 of the formatting process, a presentation sub-process is performed on the portions of the managed content 74 and the online content 68 that have survived the filtering sub-process, hereinafter referred to as filtered managed content

74A and filtered online content 68A. The presentation sub-process then configures the interactive viewing area 320 that appears on the screen 300 so as to convey the filtered managed content 74 A and the filtered online content 68 A in an organized fashion. Specifically, configuring the interactive viewing area 320 can include (i) determining the shape and size of the interactive viewing area relative to the TV viewing area 310 and (ii) internally dividing the interactive viewing area 320 into one or more segments.

The shape, size and internal layout of the interactive viewing area 320 can depend on the capabilities (e.g., dimensions, resolution, etc.) of the viewer's display and on the type and volume of interactive content to be presented. It may thus be helpful in some embodiments to classify the filtered managed content 74A and the filtered online content 68 A into a plurality of categories, such as "text", "web pages", "video", etc. Then, as an example, the formatting entity 56 can choose to place "text" in a lower (or upper, etc.) portion of the screen as a scrolling overlay; web pages combining text and images may be presented side-by-side or in a "squeezeback" presentation format; and video content may play in full screen mode or in reduced mode, depending on the quality and resolution of the video content and on the capabilities of the viewer's screen. The capabilities of the viewer's screen can be obtained by interrogating the end user premise 12 or by observing data emitted by the television set. Of course, the above is only an example, and other categorizations and arrangements are possible, as will be apparent to those of skill in the art.

The outcome of the presentation sub-process is release of the aforementioned formatted interactive content 82, which may include formatted versions of the filtered online content 68A and the filtered managed content 74A such that when this content is displayed on the viewer's screen, it will occupy the interactive viewing area 320 having a desired shape, size and internal layout. To this end, it may be beneficial for the formatting entity 56 to encode the desired shape, size and internal layout (and possibly other configuration parameters) of the interactive viewing area 320 for use by a downstream entity. The interactive viewing area configuration parameters can be sent to the downstream entity as part of the formatted interactive content 82 or as a separate stream altogether.

For example, in the arrangement of Fig. IA, the formatted interactive content 82 and the interactive viewing area configuration parameters are sent along the interactive channel 22 to the interface 14. The formatted interactive content 82 and the interactive viewing area configuration parameters arrive at the interface 14, where the formatted interactive content 82 undergoes blending with one or more selected channel(s) from the multi-channel television programming 84 to create the aforementioned composite television signal for presentation to the viewer 30 over the at least one output device 24. Such blending takes into consideration the interactive viewing area configuration parameters in order to ensure that the interactive viewing area 320 will have the desired size, shape and internal layout. Accordingly, the interface may apply known processing techniques such as picture-in-picture, squeezeback, overlay, side-by-side, etc. In the arrangement of Fig. IB, the formatted interactive content 82 and the interactive viewing area configuration parameters are processed by the blending function 106 of the interface 52B, which also receives the selected television data stream 104 from the television distribution system 16B. The interactive viewing area configuration parameters advise the blending function 106 as to the desired size, shape and internal layout of the interactive viewing area 320. The blending function 106 then performs a blending step 230, which results in the creation of the composite television signal 108 that is encoded by the interface 52B and sent downstream to the end user premise 12 over the communication channel 100. In yet another arrangement (not shown), the viewer 30 utilizes a primary device (such as a television equipped with a set top box or cable modem, or a computer) to view television programs from the television distribution system 16B and also utilizes a secondary device (such as a mobile phone or a computer) to receive interactive content. A first communication channel for conveying the request for interactivity 202 can be established between the primary device and the interactivity server 20. A second communication channel for receiving the formatted interactive content 82 (and sending navigation commands - see later) can be established between the secondary device and the interactivity server 20. Specifically, the formatted interactive content 82 and the interactive viewing area configuration parameters are sent by the interactivity server 20 over the second communication channel and are processed by an interface (not shown) of the secondary device used by the viewer 30. The interactive viewing area configuration parameters advise the interface of the secondary device as to the desired size, shape and internal layout of the interactive viewing area 320. It should also be appreciated that the secondary device may access the formatted interactive content 82 on a deferred basis, particularly if the formatted interactive content 82 is sent in the form of an email message to an email account associated with the viewer. In such an embodiment, a single device (e.g., a computer) could act as both the primary device and the secondary device.

Figs. 3 A-3D show possible examples of screen layout whereby the interactive viewing area 320 is provided within the screen 300. These examples have been kept simple in order to illustrate certain aspects of certain embodiments of the invention. It is contemplated, however, that the screen layout may be different as well as more complex, and also a greater degree of sophistication may be used to control the way that the screen 300 is configured for the viewer 30. For example, a dialogue may be established between the interface 14 and the interface 52 (or between the interface 14B and the interface 52B) in order to negotiate an optimal layout for the TV viewing area 310 and the interactive viewing area 320. In yet other embodiments, the TV viewing area 310 and the interactive viewing area 320 may intersect, e.g., one may be partly overlaid onto the other in the portion of the screen 300, as is shown in Fig. 3D. In still other embodiments, the TV viewing area 310 can be omitted and the interactive viewing area 320 can take over the entirety of the screen 300.

It is also contemplated that the viewer 30 may be permitted to navigate through the interactive viewing area 320 using the at least one input device 26.

Specifically, with reference to Fig. IA, there is provided a navigation module 92, which can be located at the interactivity server 20 as, for example, a component subtending to the interactivity manager 54, but can also be distributed so as to include a portion at the end user premise 12. The navigation module 92 is operative to register commands issued by the viewer 30 when passing over a specific point or area within the screen 300. For example, in the case where the end user premise 12 includes a personal computer, movement of a mouse (which is an example of the at least one input device 26) can be tracked by the navigation module 92 based on the monitoring of upstream data that reaches the interactivity manager 54 after having travelled across the interactive channel 22. When the mouse is clicked, this is interpreted as a command which can influence operation of the interactivity manager

54 and the formatting entity 56, as is now described.

For example, consider the case where the formatted interactive content 82 displayed in the interactive viewing area 320 includes a list of actionable links to a set of websites. When the viewer 30 points the mouse to a particular link and clicks, the precise positioning of the mouse, as well as the act of clicking, can be registered by the navigation module 92. The navigation module 92 then causes the interactivity manager 54 to retrieve online content available at the address associated with the particular link that was clicked by the viewer 30. In addition, the navigation module 92 cooperates with the formatting entity 56 so as to cause the newly retrieved online content to appear within the interactive viewing area 320, for example in a new window or to replace an existing portion of the interactive viewing area 320. Other navigation commands can include altering the size, shape or configuration of the interactive viewing area 320 and/or the TV viewing area 310, as well as activation of various menus (e.g., by right clicking and left clicking), accessing features through the use of dedicated buttons or combinations of buttons, and so on. Of course, the above examples refer to a mouse but this is merely one example of the at least one input device 26, and it will be appreciated that other input devices (such as a remote control, touch surface, game controller, voice system, etc.) can be used to effect the requisite selections and convey the requisite viewer input.

It should also be appreciated that although the navigation module 92 was described with reference to the arrangement of Fig. IA, the same navigation module could be used in the arrangement of Fig. IB.

It should also be appreciated that certain portions of the interactivity server 20, in particular the interactivity manager 54 and/or the formatting entity 56, may be located at the end user premise 12 and integrated with the equipment thereat, such as a set top box, cable modem or computing device.

Certain adaptations and modifications of the described embodiments can be made. Therefore, the above discussed embodiments are considered to be illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method for delivering interactivity to viewers of television programs, comprising: - receiving a request for interactivity from a viewer of a television program;

- obtaining descriptive information associated with the television program;

- retrieving online content on a basis of the descriptive information; and

- formatting the online content for delivery to the viewer.

2. The method defined in claim 1, wherein obtaining the descriptive information comprises supplying scheduling information associated with the television program to a scheduling database and obtaining at least some of the descriptive information in return.

3. The method defined in claim 2, wherein the television program is being viewed at a current time and on a specific television channel, and wherein the scheduling information comprises the specific channel and an indication of the current time.

4. The method defined in claim 2, wherein the television program has been previously recorded and is being played back, and wherein the scheduling information comprises an identity of the television program.

5. The method defined in claim 2, wherein the television program has been previously recorded and is being played back, wherein at a time of viewing of the television program, playback of the television program has reached a time of occurrence relative to a start of the television program, and wherein the scheduling information comprises the relative time of occurrence.

6. The method defined in claim 2, wherein obtaining the descriptive information comprises accessing an auxiliary database based on information obtained from the scheduling database.

7. The method defined in claim 1, wherein obtaining the descriptive information comprises accessing an auxiliary database based on information contained in the request.

8. The method defined in claim 1, wherein obtaining the descriptive information comprises deriving the at least some of the descriptive information from the request.

9. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the descriptive information comprises metadata associated with the television program.

10. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the descriptive information comprises an identity of the television program.

11. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the television program is a television show, and wherein the descriptive information comprises at least one of: a title of the television show, an episode number, an identity of a content provider responsible for airing the show, a name of a participant having a role in the show, a list of other shows having common participants, a type of the show, a list of awards that won by the show, a list of awards for which the show was nominated, a description of the show, a list of key words associated with the show, a list of topics that are scheduled to be discussed in the show, an indication of a location of a scene in the show, and an Internet address of a sanctioned website of the show,

12. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the television program comprises an advertisement, and wherein the descriptive information comprises at least one of: a name of a company associated with the advertisement, a name of a product being advertised and a name of a service being advertised.

13. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the television program comprises a sporting event, and wherein the descriptive information comprises at least one of: an indication of the sport, a level of the event, an identity of a content provider responsible for airing the event, a name of at least one participating team, a name of at least one participating athlete, a name of at least one participating coach, season or career statistical data pertaining to at least one participant in the event, team statistical data, and league statistical data.

14. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the formatted online content is delivered to the viewer over a communication channel managed by a service provider, further comprising retrieving managed content on a basis of the descriptive information, wherein the managed content is managed by the service provider.

15. The method defined in claim 14, further comprising presenting the formatted online content in an interactive viewing area of a display, the method further comprising formatting the interactive viewing area to allow the viewer to access at least some of the managed content.

16. The method defined in claim 15, further comprising selecting the at least some of the managed content from the managed content.

17. The method defined in claim 15, wherein formatting the interactive viewing area comprises combining the managed content with the online content.

18. The method defined in claim 14, wherein the managed content comprises content supplied by an interactive application associated with the television program.

19. The method defined in claim 18, further comprising causing the interactive application to be instantiated for the viewer.

20. The method defined in claim 19, wherein the communication channel is established by the service provider for a specific customer, the method further comprising determining whether the customer subscribes to the interactive application and wherein said causing the interactive application to be instantiated for the viewer is performed only if it is determined that the customer subscribes to the interactive application.

21. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the online content is retrieved in response to supplying the descriptive information to an internet search engine.

22. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising identifying at least one information server accessible via the internet where content is hosted, wherein the online content is retrieved from the at least one information server.

23. The method defined in claim 22, wherein the descriptive information comprises an identity of the at least one information server.

24. The method defined in claim 22, wherein the at least one information server is identified in a response to a query submitted to an internet search engine, the query being formed from at least a portion of the descriptive information.

25. The method defined in claim 22, wherein the at least one information server includes a sanctioned website of the television program.

26. The method defined in claim 22, wherein the at least one information server is a sanctioned website of a channel on which the television program is being viewed.

27. The method defined in claim 22, wherein the at least one information server maintains a searchable moment-by-moment content guide pertaining to the television program.

28. The method defined in claim 27, wherein the at least one information server comprises a statistics server.

29. The method defined in claim 28, wherein the at least one information server comprises a blog server.

30. The method defined in claim 22, wherein the at least one information server includes an advertisement server.

31. The method defined in claim 22, wherein the at least one information server includes a third party commercial website.

32. The method defined in claim 22, wherein the at least one information server hosts user-generated content.

33. The method defined in claim 22, wherein the at least one information server is configured to provide content specifically adapted for presentation in an interactive television format.

34. The method defined in claim 22, wherein the at least one information server comprises a social networking website.

35. The method defined in claim 34, further comprising entering the social networking website using credentials and allowing the viewer to interact with the social networking website through the interactive viewing area.

36. The method defined in claim 34, wherein the online content comprises content available exclusively to account holders that are members of a common interest group associated with the television program.

37. The method defined in claim 34, wherein the online content comprises information regarding which members in a social network of the viewer are currently viewing the television program.

38. The method defined in claim 34, wherein the online content comprises information regarding which members in a social network of the viewer are currently online.

39. The method defined in claim 34, wherein the online content comprises information regarding which members in a social network of the viewer are currently online and share a common declared interest with the viewer.

40. The method defined in claim 39, wherein the common declared interest comprises an interest in the television program.

41. The method defined in claim 22, wherein the at least one information server enables the viewer to effect an e-commerce transaction through the interactive viewing area.

42. The method defined in claim 22, further comprising presenting the formatted online content in an interactive viewing area of a display, wherein the interactive viewing area comprises an actionable link to the at least one information server.

43. The method defined in claim 1, wherein formatting the online content comprises selecting at least some of the online content for presentation to the viewer.

44. The method defined in claim 43, wherein said selecting comprises excluding portions of the online content containing at least one of obscene material and illegal material.

45. The method defined in claim 43, wherein the descriptive information associated with the television program comprises a rating and wherein said selecting comprises excluding portions of the online content containing material that does not correspond to the rating of the television program.

46. The method defined in claim 43, wherein said selecting comprises determining how the online content has been evaluated by a viewing community and wherein the at least some of the online content is a portion of the online content having achieved a specific approval level within the viewing community.

47. The method defined in claim 43, wherein said selecting comprises comparing the online content relative to previous content viewed by the viewer, and wherein the at least some of the online content is a portion of the online content for which the comparing has revealed a consistency with previous content for which the viewer has expressed an interest.

48. The method defined in claim 43, wherein said selecting comprises comparing the online content relative to previous content viewed by a viewing community, and wherein the at least some of the online content is a portion of the online content for which the comparing has revealed a consistency with previous content for which the viewing community has expressed an interest.

49. The method defined in claim 43, wherein said selecting comprises ranking the online content for viewability within an interactive viewing area and wherein the at least some of the online content is a portion of the online content that has achieved a certain ranking of viewability.

50. The method defined in claim 43, wherein said selecting comprises estimating a potential interest of the online content to the viewer and wherein the at least some of the online content is a portion of the online content that is estimated to be of greatest potential interest to the viewer.

51. The method defined in claim 43, wherein the formatted online content is delivered to the viewer over a communication channel established by a service provider for a specific customer, the method further comprising assessing a commercial relevance of the online content to the specific customer, wherein said selecting comprises seeking out portions of the online content that are assessed to have the greatest commercial relevance to the specific customer.

52. The method defined in claim 51, wherein assessing the commercial relevance of the online content to the specific customer comprises accessing a marketing database that includes marketing information pertaining to the specific customer.

53. The method defined in claim 52, wherein the marketing information pertaining to the specific customer comprises an indication of a set of products of interest to the specific customer.

54. The method defined in claim 53, wherein the set of products of interest comprises products previously purchased by the specific customer.

55. The method defined in claim 43, wherein portions of the online content are associated with respective times of occurrence within the television program, wherein the television program has been previously recorded and is being played back, wherein at a time of viewing of the television program, playback has reached a certain time of occurrence within the television program, and wherein said selecting comprises excluding those portions of the online content associated with a respective time of occurrence that is after the certain time of occurrence within the television program.

56. The method defined in claim 43, wherein portions of the online content are associated with respective times of occurrence within the television program, wherein the television program has been previously recorded and is being played back, wherein at a time of viewing of the television program, playback has reached a certain time of occurrence within the television program, and wherein said selecting comprises admitting only those portions of the online content that are associated with a respective time of occurrence that is before the certain time of occurrence within the television program.

57. The method defined in claim 1 , further comprising presenting the formatted online content in an interactive viewing area of a display.

58. The method defined in claim 57, wherein formatting the online content comprises classifying the online content into a plurality of categories and presenting the online content in each of the different categories in a respective sub-portion of the interactive viewing area.

59. The method defined in claim 57, further comprising determining a capability of the display, the method further comprising adapting the interactive viewing area to the capability of the display.

60. The method defined in claim 57, further comprising determining configuration parameters for the interactive viewing area and forwarding the configuration parameters to the display.

61. The method defined in claim 60, wherein the configuration parameters comprise at least one of a shape, size and internal layout of the interactive viewing area.

62. The method defined in claim 57, wherein the interactive viewing area occupies a first portion of a display employed by the viewer, a remaining portion of the display being dedicated to viewing of the television program.

63. The method defined in claim 62, further comprising receiving a television signal carrying the television program from a source, the method further comprising formatting the television signal so that the television program is viewable in the second portion of the display.

64. The method defined in claim 57, wherein the interactive viewing area occupies an entirety of a display employed by the viewer, with no portion of the display being dedicated to viewing of the television program.

65. The method defined in claim 57, further comprising detecting a navigation command issued by the viewer and re-executing said retrieving and said formatting on a basis of said navigation command.

66. The method defined in claim 65, wherein said navigation command comprises selection of a portion of the interactive viewing area and wherein said re- executing said retrieving comprises retrieving additional online content associated with the formatted online content occupying said portion of the interactive viewing area.

67. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the television program reaches the viewer over one of a cable distribution system, a radio frequency distribution system and a satellite distribution system.

68. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the television program reaches the viewer over the Internet.

69. The method defined in claim 1 , wherein the television program reaches the viewer over the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

70. The method defined in claim 1 , wherein the formatted online content is delivered to the viewer over a communication channel established over a cable distribution system.

71. The method defined in claim 70, wherein the formatted online content is delivered to the viewer over an upstream channel of the cable distribution system.

72. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the formatted online content is delivered to the viewer over a communication channel established over the Internet.

73. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the television program reaches the viewer over a downstream channel of an IPTV distribution system and wherein the

37 RECTI FI ED SHEET ( RULE 91 . 1 ) formatted online content is delivered to the viewer over the downstream channel of the IPTV distribution system.

74. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the television program reaches the viewer over a downstream channel of an IPTV distribution system and wherein the request for interactivity is delivered to the viewer over an upstream channel of the

IPTV distribution system.

75. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the television program reaches the viewer over a mobility network and wherein the formatted online content is delivered to the viewer over the mobility network.

76. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the television program is being viewed on a first device, and wherein the formatted online content is delivered to a second device associated with the viewer and different from the first device.

77. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the formatted online content is delivered to an email account associated with the viewer.

78. Apparatus for delivering interactivity to viewers of television programs, comprising:

- an interface configured to receive a request for interactivity from a viewer of a television program; an interactivity manager configured to obtain descriptive information associated with the television program and to retrieve online content on a basis of the descriptive information; and

- a formatting entity configured to format the online content for delivery to the viewer.

79. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions for execution by a computing device, wherein execution of the set of instructions by the computing device causes the computing device to execute a method for delivering interactivity to viewers of television programs, the method including:

- receiving, over a communication channel, a request for interactivity from a viewer of a television program; - obtaining descriptive information associated with the television program; retrieving online content on a basis of the descriptive information; and formatting the interactive content for delivery to the viewer over the communication channel.