CONTROLLED ACCESS TO MEDIA CONTENT

1 . A method of providing selective access to media content, comprising:

for at least one user, receiving an access certificate that authorizes the user to access the media content based on the user's presence in a particular zone at a particular time;

determining whether the user is authorized to access the media content; and

providing to the user access to the media content when the user is authorized to access the media content.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

declining to the user access to the media content when the user is not authorized to access the media content.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the access certificate that authorizes the user to access the media content comprises receiving an access certificate that is further based on the user's participation in a particular event.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the access certificate that authorizes the user to access the media content comprises receiving an access certificate that indicates a particular level of access to the media content that is granted to the user.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

monitoring the user's presence within the zone; and

authorizing the user to receive the media content only if the user visits the zone at a minimum frequency.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

monitoring the user's presence within the zone; and

authorizing the user to receive the media content only if the user visits the zone for a minimum amount of time.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying the user's presence in the zone with a positioning system.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying the user's presence in the zone based on an access point with which the communication device has established a communication link.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising automatically communicating the access certificate to the communication device.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising communicating the access certificate to the communication device in response to receiving a user request from the communication device.

11 . A method of providing selective access to media content, comprising:

identifying at least one communication device within a particular zone; and

communicating an access certificate to the communication device, the access certificate indicating the particular zone and providing an authorization to access the media content.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein communicating the access certificate comprises communicating an access certificate that indicates a user's presence in the zone.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein communicating the access certificate comprises communicating an access certificate that indicates a user's presence in the zone at a particular time.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein communicating the access certificate comprises communicating an access certificate that indicates a user's participation in a particular event.

15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein communicating the access certificate comprises communicating an access certificate that indicates a particular level of access to the media content that is granted to the user.

16 . A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for providing selective access to media content, said method steps comprising:

for at least a user, receiving an access certificate that authorizes the user to access the media content based on the user's presence in a particular zone at a particular time;

determining whether the user is authorized to access the media content; and

providing to the user access to the media content when the user is authorized to access the media content.

17 . The program storage device of claim 16 , said method steps further comprising:

declining to the user access to the media content when the user is not authorized to access the media content.

18 . The program storage device of claim 16 , said method steps further comprising:

monitoring the user's presence within the zone; and

authorizing the user to receive the media content only if the user visits the zone at a minimum frequency.

19 . The program storage device of claim 16 , wherein receiving the access certificate that authorizes the user to access the media content comprises receiving an access certificate that is further based on the user's participation in a particular event.

20 . The program storage device of claim 16 , said method steps further comprising:

monitoring the user's presence within the zone; and

authorizing the user to receive the media content only if the user visits the zone for a minimum amount of time.