Method and apparatus for providing incentives for viewers to watch commercial advertisements
View Patent ↗A user is prompted during television commercial breaks to depress one or more pushbuttons on a television remote control at certain times to confirm that the user is watching the advertisements. A set top box connected to the television receives and decodes the signal from the remote control. When the user responds properly to a prompt, the set top box increments a tally maintained in the set top box memory to accumulate points by which the user can earn rewards.
1. A method for providing an incentive for a viewer to watch commercial advertisements, comprising:
locally inserting an instruction by a set top box into broadcast programming to generate a prompt during commercial breaks that prompts the viewer to watch commercials;
receiving selections during the commercials to receive additional information concerning selected commercials;
receiving a log-off signal to stop the broadcast programming;
disconnecting a switch in a motion picture expert group decoder to disconnect the broadcast programming;
retrieving a screen from a database stored in local memory of the set top box;
displaying a list of sponsors in the screen that are associated with the selected commercials;
receiving a selection of a sponsor from the list of sponsors;
navigating products and services offered by the sponsor;
receiving a product selection offered by the sponsor;
retrieving a video from the local memory of the set top box associated with the product selection;
displaying the video; and
providing the incentive after the video is played.
2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising canceling the selections.
3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising providing a credit.
4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying a list of rewards for which the viewer may be eligible;
receiving a reward selection by the viewer; and
awarding a reward to the viewer.
5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising electronically transmitting a discount.
6. A media delivery device providing an incentive to a viewer to watch commercial advertisements, comprising:
a processor executing a program stored in memory that causes the processor to:
locally insert an instruction by the media delivery device into broadcast programming to generate a prompt during commercial breaks that prompts the viewer to watch commercials;
receive selections during the commercials to receive additional information concerning selected commercials;
receive a log-off signal to stop the broadcast programming;
disconnect a switch in a motion picture expert group decoder to disconnect the broadcast programming;
retrieve a screen from a database stored in local memory of the media delivery device;
display a list of sponsors in the screen associated with the selected commercials;
receive a selection of a sponsor from the list of sponsors;
navigate products and services offered by the sponsor;
receive a product selection offered by the sponsor;
retrieve a video from the local memory of the media delivery device associated with the product selection;
display the video; and
provide the incentive after the video is played.
7. The media delivery device according to claim 6 , wherein the program further causes the processor to cancel the selections.
8. The media delivery device according to claim 6 , wherein the program further causes the processor to display a list of rewards.
9. Memory storing a program that causes a processor to perform a method for providing an incentive for a viewer to watch commercial advertisements, the method comprising:
locally inserting an instruction by a set top box into broadcast programming to generate a prompt during commercial breaks that prompts the viewer to watch commercials;
receiving selections during the commercials to receive additional information concerning selected commercials;
receiving a log-off signal to stop the broadcast programming;
disconnecting a switch in a motion picture expert group decoder to disconnect the broadcast programming;
retrieving a screen from a database stored in local memory of the set top box;
displaying a list of sponsors in the screen associated with the selected commercials;
receiving a selection of a sponsor from the list of sponsors;
navigating products and services offered by the sponsor;
receiving a product selection offered by the sponsor;
retrieving a video from the local memory of the set top box associated with the product selection;
displaying the video; and
providing the incentive after the video is played.