GUIDE BASED CONTENT SERVICES
Systems are described for a guide of audio, video, multimedia transmission, receiving and playback with advertising and bi-directional fulfillment of goods and services over the Internet. A method of streaming content distribution includes creating data on streaming content; creating data on network locations of streaming content; creating data on access characteristics; locating a source of streaming content with a with a streaming content guide; and starting playback of streaming content from the source of streaming content. A streaming content distribution system includes a streaming content guide through which a user locates a source of streaming content and starts playback of streaming content; data on streaming content; data on network locations of streaming content; and data on access characteristics.
1 . A streaming content distribution system configured to interact with content players to support transmission and playback of multimedia content, the system comprising:
a guide module configured to accept user input from a first user and to receive, through user input by the first user being made via a first content player, user selection of a first content stream from a set of selectable content streams, wherein individual ones of the selectable content streams are provided by individual ones of a set of content providers, wherein individual ones of the selectable content streams include one or more content items of multimedia content;
a first stream module configured to create a first playlist for the first user, wherein the first playlist includes one or more content items of the first content stream and one or more ad slots for advertisement, wherein the first playlist is to be delivered and played back by the first content player to the first user;
a second stream module configured to receive one or more ad streams, wherein individual ad streams include one or more ads, wherein individual ads are provided by individual ones of a set of advertisers, wherein individual commercial relationships exist between individual ones of the set of advertisers and individual ones of the set of content providers, and wherein individual ads generate an individual amount of advertising revenue for the streaming content distribution system upon delivery to the first user; and
an ad marketplace configured to select an individual ad based on the individual amount of advertising revenue such that, responsive to the individual ad being selected, the individual ad from an individual advertiser is inserted into an individual ad slot included in the first playlist.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein selection of an individual ad is based on the individual ad generating a greater amount of advertising revenue for the streaming content distribution system than other individual ads.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first user has one or more user attributes including one or more of age, sex, location, and/or income range, and wherein the one or more ads are targeted to the first user based on one or more of the user attributes of the first user.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first content stream includes a radio broadcast stream.
5 . A streaming content distribution system configured to interact with content players to support transmission and playback of multimedia content, the system comprising:
a guide module configured to accept user input from a first user and to receive, through user input by the first user being made via a first content player, user selection of a first content stream from a set of selectable content streams and user selection of a first ad stream from a set of selectable ad streams, wherein individual ones of the selectable content streams are provided by individual ones of a set of content providers, wherein individual ones of the selectable content streams include one or more content items of multimedia content, wherein individual ones of the selectable ad streams include one or more ads, and wherein individual ads are provided by individual ones of a set of advertisers;
a first stream module configured to create a first playlist for the first user, wherein the first playlist includes one or more content items of the first content stream and one or more ad slots for advertisement, wherein the first playlist is to be delivered and played back by the first content player to the first user; and
a second stream module configured to receive ads from advertisers, wherein the second stream module is further configured to insert, responsive to user selection of the first ad stream from the set of selectable ad streams, an individual ad from the first ad stream into an individual ad slot included in the first playlist.
6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the first user has one or more user attributes including one or more of age, sex, location, and/or income range, and wherein the individual ad from the first ad stream is targeted to the first user based on one or more of the user attributes of the first user.
7 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the first content stream includes a radio broadcast stream.
8 . A streaming content distribution system configured to interact with content players to support transmission and playback of multimedia content, the system comprising:
a guide module configured to accept user input from a first user and to receive, through user input by the first user being made via a first content player, user selection of a first content stream from a set of selectable content streams, wherein individual ones of the selectable content streams are provided by individual ones of a set of content providers, wherein individual ones of the selectable content streams include one or more content items of multimedia content;
a first stream module configured to create a first playlist for the first user, wherein the first playlist includes one or more content items of the first content stream and one or more ad slots for advertisement, wherein the first playlist is to be delivered and played back by the first content player to the first user;
a second stream module configured to receive one or more ad streams, wherein individual ad streams include one or more ads, wherein individual ads are provided by individual ones of a set of advertisers, wherein individual commercial relationships exist between the streaming content distribution system and individual ones of the set of advertisers; and
an ad marketplace configured to select an individual ad such that, responsive to the individual ad being selected, the individual ad from an individual advertiser is inserted into an individual ad slot included in the first playlist.
9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein individual ads generate an individual amount of advertising revenue for the streaming content distribution system upon delivery to the first user, and the ad marketplace is configured to select the individual ad based on the individual amount of advertising revenue.
10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the first user has one or more user attributes including one or more of age, sex, location, and/or income range, and wherein the individual ad is targeted to the first user based on one or more of the user attributes of the first user.
11 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the first content stream includes a radio broadcast stream.
12 . A streaming content distribution system configured to interact with content players to support transmission and playback of multimedia content, the system comprising:
a guide module configured to accept user input from a first user and to receive, through user input by the first user being made via a first content player, user selection of a first content stream from a set of selectable content streams, wherein individual ones of the selectable content streams are provided by individual ones of a set of content providers, wherein individual ones of the selectable content streams include one or more content items of multimedia content;
a first stream module configured to create a first playlist for the first user, wherein the first playlist includes one or more content items of the first content stream and one or more ad slots for advertisement, wherein the first playlist is to be delivered and played back by the first content player to the first user;
a second stream module configured to receive one or more ad streams, wherein individual ad streams include one or more ads, wherein individual ads are provided by individual ones of a set of advertisers; and
an ad marketplace configured to gather ad slot information for individual ad slots included in the first playlist, wherein ad slot information for an individual ad slot includes an asking price for bidding by advertisers, wherein the ad marketplace is further configured to monitor bids from advertisers for the individual ad slot, wherein the ad marketplace is further configured to accept bids from advertisers such that, responsive to an individual bid from an individual advertiser for the individual ad slot being accepted, an individual ad from the individual advertiser is inserted into the individual ad slot included in the first playlist.
13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the first user has one or more user attributes including one or more of age, sex, location, and/or income range, and wherein ad slot information includes one or more of the user attributes of the first user.
14 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the first content stream includes a radio broadcast stream.
15 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the first content stream includes a television broadcast stream.
16 . A streaming content distribution system configured to interact with content players to support transmission and playback of multimedia content, the system comprising:
a guide module configured to accept user input from a first user and to receive, through user input by the first user being made via a first content player, user selection of a first content stream from a set of selectable content streams, wherein individual ones of the selectable content streams are provided by individual ones of a set of content providers, wherein individual ones of the selectable content streams include one or more content items of multimedia content;
a first stream module configured to create a first playlist for the first user, wherein the first playlist includes one or more content items of the first content stream and one or more ad slots for advertisement, wherein the first playlist is to be delivered and played back by the first content player to the first user;
a second stream module configured to receive one or more ad streams, wherein individual ad streams include one or more ads, wherein individual ads are provided by individual ones of a set of advertisers, wherein individual commercial relationships exist between the streaming content distribution system and individual ones of the set of advertisers, wherein individual commercial relationships exist between individual ones of the set of advertisers and individual ones of the set of content providers, wherein individual ads generate an individual amount of advertising revenue for the streaming content distribution system upon delivery to the first user; and
an ad marketplace configured to select an individual ad based on the individual amount of advertising revenue generated for the streaming content distribution system such that, responsive to the individual ad being selected, the individual ad from an individual advertiser is inserted into an individual ad slot included in the first playlist.
17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the ad marketplace is further configured to gather ad slot information for individual ad slots included in the first playlist, wherein ad slot information for an individual ad slot includes an asking price for bidding by advertisers, wherein the ad marketplace is further configured to monitor bids from advertisers for the individual ad slot, wherein the ad marketplace is further configured to accept bids from advertisers such that, responsive to an individual bid from an individual advertiser for the individual ad slot being accepted, an individual ad from the individual advertiser is inserted into the individual ad slot included in the first playlist, wherein the individual ad generates an individual amount of advertising revenue for the streaming content distribution system upon delivery to the first user.