BROADCAST TELEVISION REWARD PROGRAM AND METHOD OF USE FOR ISSUING, AGGREGATING AND REDEEMING SPONSOR'S REWARD POINTS
A loyalty program operated in association with a television broadcast network, wherein reward content is provided along with television content (programming and/or advertising) to generate a television broadcast signal that is transmitted to a plurality of viewers. Each viewer may view or hear the reward content via their television receiver (or set top box, personal computer, etc.) along with the associated programming or advertisements, and as a result provide a reward response which may be a visit to a local merchant, a mail-in or call-in response, entered to a web site via the Internet, etc. Reward points, as well as prizes and product discounts may be provided as the reward to the viewer that provides the appropriate reward response. This program can be configured and adapted to provides incentives to viewers to visit certain merchants and sponsors, purchase certain products, view certain programs, and the like, based on the reward parameters employed.
1 - 37 . (canceled)
38 . A method of operating a loyalty program in association with a television broadcasting entity comprising:
a. providing first and second television content;
b. providing first and second reward content;
c. generating a first television broadcast signal comprised of said first reward content and said first television content;
d. generating a second television broadcast signal comprised of said second reward content and said second television content;
e. broadcasting over a broadcast communications medium said first and second television broadcast signals to a plurality of viewers;
f. at least one of said plurality of viewers receiving said first and second television broadcast signals via a receiving device operative with the broadcast communications medium;
g. outputting said first reward content obtained from said first television broadcast signal to said viewer via said receiving device;
h. outputting said second reward content obtained from said second television broadcast signal to said viewer via said receiving device;
i. said viewer providing a reward response based on said first reward content and said second reward content; and
j. crediting, in accordance with the reward response from the viewer, reward points to a reward point account stored on behalf of said viewer at a reward server computer.
39 . The method of claim 38 wherein the reward response comprises two separate responses.
40 . The method of claim 38 wherein said first reward content comprises a reference to said second television content.
41 . The method of claim 38 wherein said first television content is of a first type, and said second television content is of a second type that is substantially different than said first type.
42 . The method of claim 38 wherein at least either of said first and second reward content is provided to said viewer by scrolling said reward content so that part of said reward content is visible at a given time and part of said reward content is not visible at said given time, whereby said visible reward content will vary over a certain time period.
43 . The method of claim 38 wherein at least either of said first and second reward content is provided to said viewer via a pop-up window.
44 . The method of claim 38 wherein said viewer providing a reward response comprises:
(i) the viewer presenting a loyalty token to a merchant, the loyalty token linked to the reward point account;
(ii) the viewer providing the reward response to the merchant;
(iii) the merchant communicating with said reward server to provide a reward request to said reward server, said reward request comprising an instruction to add reward points to the reward point account associated with the viewer.
45 . A method of broadcasting reward-based television programming comprising:
a. broadcasting, over a broadcast communications medium to a plurality of viewers:
i. a first television broadcast signal comprised of first reward content and first television content, and
ii. a second television broadcast signal comprised of second reward content and second television content; and
b. crediting, in accordance with a reward response provided by a viewer, reward points to a reward point account stored on behalf of said viewer at a reward server computer, said reward response based on said first reward content and said second reward content.
46 . The method of claim 45 wherein the reward response comprises two separate responses.
47 . The method of claim 45 wherein said first reward content comprises a reference to said second television content.
48 . The method of claim 45 wherein said first television content is of a first type, and said second television content is of a second type that is substantially different than said first type.
49 . The method of claim 45 wherein at least either of said first and second reward content is provided to said viewer by scrolling said reward content so that part of said reward content is visible at a given time and part of said reward content is not visible at said given time, whereby said visible reward content will vary over a certain time period.
50 . The method of claim 45 wherein at least either of said first and second reward content is provided to said viewer via a pop-up window.
51 . The method of claim 45 wherein the reward response is provided by a viewer by:
(i) the viewer presenting a loyalty token to a merchant, the loyalty token linked to the reward point account;
(ii) the viewer providing the reward response to the merchant;
(iii) the merchant communicating with said reward server to provide a reward request to said reward server, said reward request comprising an instruction to add reward points to the reward point account associated with the viewer.
52 . A reward-based television programming broadcast system comprising:
a. broadcast equipment adapted to broadcast, over a broadcast communications medium to a plurality of viewers:
i. a first television broadcast signal comprised of first reward content and first television content, and
ii. a second television broadcast signal comprised of second reward content and second television content; and
b. a computer system adapted to credit, in accordance with a reward response provided by a viewer, reward points to a reward point account stored on behalf of said viewer at a reward server computer, said reward response based on said first reward content and said second reward content.
53 . The system of claim 52 wherein said first reward content comprises a reference to said second television content.
54 . The system of claim 52 wherein said first television content is of a first type, and said second television content is of a second type that is substantially different than said first type.
55 . The system of claim 52 wherein at least either of said first and second reward content is provided to said viewer by scrolling said reward content so that part of said reward content is visible at a given time and part of said reward content is not visible at said given time, whereby said visible reward content will vary over a certain time period.
56 . The system of claim 52 wherein at least either of said first and second reward content is provided to said viewer via a pop-up window.
57 . The system of claim 52 wherein the viewer provides a reward response by:
(i) the viewer presenting a loyalty token to a merchant, the loyalty token linked to the reward point account;
(ii) the viewer providing the reward response to the merchant;
(iii) the merchant communicating with said reward server to provide a reward request to said reward server, said reward request comprising an instruction to add reward points to the reward point account associated with the viewer.