Reception apparatus, method, computer program, and information providing apparatus for providing an alert service

1. A reception apparatus, comprising:

a memory; and

circuitry configured to:

receive, without request from a user, a notification of availability to subscribe to an alert service;

provide the notification of availability to subscribe to the alert service for output on a display;

receive a request, from the user in response to the notification being output on the display, to subscribe to the alert service;

register a data source as a registered data source in the memory in response to receiving the request to subscribe to the alert service, the data source being a server or a broadcast signal that provides new content information for the alert service;

monitor the new content information from the registered data source;

determine whether new content, corresponding to the alert service, is available from the registered data source based on the new content information;

determine whether the new content is targeted to users of one or more groups;

determine, if the new content is determined to be targeted to the users of the one or more groups, whether the user is included in the users of the one or more groups based on profiles, demographics, and interests (PDI) information stored in the memory;

control, if the user is determined to be included in the users of the one or more groups, the display to present a pop-up alert based on the new content; and

control, if the new content is determined not to be targeted to the users of the one or more groups, the display to present the pop-up alert based on the new content.

2. The reception apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to:

receive an application that includes the notification of availability to subscribe to the alert service;

execute the application; and

present the notification of availability to subscribe to the alert service.

3. The reception apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the application identifies the data source of the new content information associated with the alert service.

4. The reception apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the circuitry is configured to:

access a website that offers a subscription to the alert service based on the website identified by the application;

acquire an identification of the data source from the website; and

receive the request from the user to subscribe to the alert service based on an interaction with the website.

5. The reception apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the new content is another application, and

the circuitry is configured to execute the other application to present the pop-up alert.

6. The reception apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the circuitry is configured to suspend a running application before the execution of the other application.

7. The reception apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the other application includes a scripted control object configured to tune to, or record, a channel associated with the new content.

8. The reception apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to:

receive content from a content provider; and

concurrently display the pop-up alert and the received content.

9. The reception apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to:

register a plurality of alert services of a plurality of different content providers in the memory; and

only process one or more of the plurality of alert services associated with the content providers.

10. The reception apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the circuitry is configured to:

receive the content via at least one of a satellite broadcast, a cable television transmission, a terrestrial television broadcast, and a network; and

receive the new content information associated with the alert service via the network.

11. A method of a reception apparatus for providing an alert service, the reception apparatus including a memory and circuitry, the method comprising:

receiving, without request from a user, a notification of availability to subscribe to the alert service;

providing the notification of availability to subscribe to the alert service for output on a display;

receiving a request, from the user in response to the notification being output on the display, to subscribe to the alert service;

registering, by the circuitry, a data source as a registered data source in the memory in response to receiving the request to subscribe to the alert service, the data source being a server or a broadcast signal that provides new content information for the alert service;

monitoring, by the circuitry, the new content information from the registered data source;

determining, by the circuitry, whether new content, corresponding to the alert service, is available from the registered data source based on the new content information;

determining whether the new content is targeted to users of one or more groups;

determining, if the new content is determined to be targeted to the users of the one or more groups, whether the user is included in the users of the one or more groups based on profiles, demographics, and interests (PDI) information stored in the memory;

controlling, if the user is determined to be included in the users of the one or more groups, the display to present a pop-up alert based on the new content; and

controlling, if the new content is determined not to be targeted to the users of the one or more groups, the display to present the pop-up alert based on the new content.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein

said receiving the notification of availability to subscribe to the alert service includes receiving an application that includes the notification of availability to subscribe to the alert service, and

said providing the notification of availability to subscribe to the alert service includes presenting the notification of availability to subscribe to the alert service when the received application is executed.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the application identifies the data source of the new content information associated with the alert service.

14. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:

accessing a website that offers a subscription to the alert service based on the website identified by the application; and

acquiring an identification of the data source from the website, wherein

said receiving the request includes receiving the request from the user to subscribe to the alert service based on an interaction with the website.

15. The method according to claim 11 , wherein

the new content is another application, and

said presenting the pop-up alert includes executing the other application.

16. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising:

suspending a running application before the execution of the other application.

17. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the other application includes a scripted control object configured to tune to, or record, a channel associated with the new content.

18. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:

receiving content from a content provider, wherein

said presenting the pop-up alert includes concurrently presenting the received content and the pop-up alert on the display.

19. The method according to claim 11 , wherein

the memory stores a plurality of alert services of a plurality of different content providers, and

said determining the availability of the new content includes determining the availability of the new content corresponding to one or more of the plurality of alert services.

20. The method according to claim 18 , wherein

said receiving the content includes receiving the content via at least one of a satellite broadcast, a cable television transmission, a terrestrial television broadcast, and a network.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embedded therein instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of providing an alert service, the method comprising:

receiving, without request from a user, a notification of availability to subscribe to the alert service;

providing the notification of availability to subscribe to the alert service for output on a display;

receiving a request, from the user in response to the notification being output on the display, to subscribe to the alert service;

registering a data source as a registered data source in response to receiving the request to subscribe to the alert service, the data source being a server or a broadcast signal that provides new content information for the alert service;

monitoring the new content information from the registered data source;

determining whether new content, corresponding to the alert service, is available from the registered data source based on the new content information;

determining whether the new content is targeted to users of one or more groups;

determining, if the new content is determined to be targeted to the users of the one or more groups, whether the user is included in the users of the one or more groups based on profiles, demographics, and interests (PDI) information; and

controlling, if the user is determined to be to be included in the users of the one or more groups, the display to present a pop-up alert based on the new content; and

controlling, if the new content is determined not to be targeted to the users of the one or more groups, the display to present the pop-up alert based on the new content.

22. An information providing apparatus, comprising:

a memory configured to store an application that includes a notification of availability to subscribe to an alert service, the application being associated with content to be received by a reception apparatus; and

circuitry configured to provide the application to the reception apparatus, wherein

the application identifies a data source, which is a server or broadcast signal, that provides new content information for the alert service, or a website that offers a subscription to the alert service and includes an identification of the data source that provides the new content information,

the identified data source is registered in a memory of the reception apparatus in response to a request to subscribe to the alert service from a user of the reception apparatus,

the new content information from the registered data source is monitored to determine whether new content corresponding to the alert service is available,

whether the new content is targeted to users of one or more groups is determined,

if the new content is determined to be targeted to the users of the one or more groups, whether the user of the reception apparatus is part of the one or more groups is determined based on profiles, demographics, and interests (PDI) information stored in the memory of the reception apparatus,

if the user of the reception apparatus is determined to be part of the one or more groups, a pop-up alert is presented on a display based on the new content, and

if the new content is determined not to be targeted to the users of the one or more groups, the pop-up alert is presented on the display based on the new content.

23. The reception apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the broadcast signal is a digital television broadcast signal,

the circuitry includes a receiver that is configured to receive the digital television broadcast signal, and

the notification of availability to subscribe to the alert service and an identification of the data source are provided by a broadcaster of the digital television broadcast signal.