Method and apparatus for managing provision of media programs directly from content providers

1. A method of providing a media program of a plurality of media programs to a user device directly from a selected content provider of a plurality of content providers via a content provider playback application executed by the user device, the content provider playback application provided and maintained by the content provider of the media program, comprising:

receiving a registration request having registration information from a user device in a subscription management service, the registration request to subscribe the user to the selected content provider providing the media program;

brokering between the user device and the content provider to subscribe the user to the selected content provider providing the media program, comprising:

determining if the user is subscribed to the selected content provider;

if the user is not subscribed to the selected content provider, subscribing the user to the selected content provider; and

transmitting payment for the subscription of the user from the subscription management service to the selected content provider and billing the user for the subscription to the selected content provider;

transmitting program guide information of the plurality of media programs including the media program from the subscription management service to the user device for presentation by the user device;

receiving a playback request from a program guide presented by the user device using the program guide information, the playback request comprising a user selection of the media program from the selected content provider for presentation exclusively by the content provider playback application executed by the user device, the content provider playback application provided to the user device and maintained by the selected content provider of the media program; and

enabling presentation of the media program from the selected content provider by the content provider playback application executed by the user device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user is subscribed to the selected content provider using the registration information.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

irretrievably passing control of the user device to the content provider playback application of the selected one of the content providers to receive and play back the media program from the selected content provider.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the user device comprises a subscription navigation application;

the registration request is received from the user device executing the subscription navigation application; and

the program guide information is presented by the subscription navigation application.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein:

each of the plurality of content providers provides and maintains an associated content provider playback application for playing back the one or more of a plurality of media programs provided by the respective content provider;

the subscription navigation application comprises a content provider application manager for:

determining if the user device includes a content provider playback application capable of playing the selected media program; and

if the user device does not include a content provider playback application capable of playing the selected media program, retrieving the content provider playback application capable of playing the selected media program from the content provider and installing the content provider playback application capable of playing the selected media program on the user device.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the subscription navigation application further:

accepts user favorite information from the user, the user favorite information describing a plurality of media programs of interest to the user;

determines which of the plurality of content provider playback applications are required for playback of each of the plurality of media programs of interest by the user device; and

provides, in a single user interface, a visual representation associated with each of the determined plurality of content provider playback applications for display, the visual representation indicating whether each such content provider playback application is installed or is not installed on the user device.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the subscription navigation application further:

accepts, using the visual representation, user input selecting content provider playback applications not installed on the user device and required for playback of an associated media program of interest; and

installs each of the user selected content provider playback applications not installed on the user device as a group automatically.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of enabling presentation of the media program from the selected content provider by the content provider playback application executed by the user device comprises:

receiving a request comprising the registration information from the content provider;

determining, at least in part from the registration information, if the user is a subscriber to the selected content; and

transmitting a confirmation to the content provider only if the user is a subscriber to the selected content.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of enabling presentation of the selected media program from the content provider by the content provider playback application executed by the user device comprises:

receiving a request from the content provider for the registration information;

determining if the user is a subscriber to the selected content; and

if the user is a subscriber to the selected content, transmitting the registration information to the content provider.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more media programs are unavailable from the selected content provider without subscription.

11. A system for providing a media program of a plurality of media programs to a user device directly from a selected content provider of a plurality of content providers via a content provider playback application executed by the user device, the content provider playback application provided and maintained by the content provider of the media program, comprising:

a processor;

a memory, the memory communicatively coupled to the processor and storing processor instructions for performing steps comprising the steps of:

receiving a registration request having registration information from a user device in a subscription management service, the registration request to subscribe the user to the selected content provider providing the media program;

brokering between the user device and the content provider to subscribe the user to the selected content provider providing the media program;

transmitting program guide information of the plurality of media programs including the media program from the subscription management service to the user device for presentation by the user device;

receiving a playback request from a program guide presented by the user device using the program guide information, the playback request comprising a user selection of the media program from the selected content provider for presentation exclusively by the content provider playback application executed by the user device, the content provider playback application provided to the user device and maintained by the selected content provider of the media program; and

enabling presentation of the media program from the selected content provider by the content provider playback application executed by the user device,

wherein the processor instructions for brokering between the user device and the content provider to subscribe the user to the selected content provider providing the media program comprise instructions for:

determining if the user is subscribed to the selected content provider;

subscribing the user to the selected content provider if the user is not subscribed to the selected content provider; and

transmitting payment for the subscription of the user from the subscription management service to the selected content provider and billing the user for the subscription to the selected content provider.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the user is subscribed to the selected content provider using the registration information.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for:

irretrievably passing control of the user device to the content provider playback application of the selected one of the content providers to receive and play back the media program from the selected content provider.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein:

the user device comprises a subscription navigation application;

the registration request is received from the user device executing the subscription navigation application; and

the program guide information is presented by the subscription navigation application.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein:

each of the plurality of content providers provides and maintains an associated content provider playback application for playing back the one or more of a plurality of media programs provided by the respective content provider;

the subscription navigation application comprises a content provider application manager for:

determining if the user device includes a content provider playback application capable of playing the selected media program; and

if the user device does not include a content provider playback application capable of playing the selected media program, retrieving the content provider playback application capable of playing the selected media program from the content provider and installing the content provider playback application capable of playing the selected media program on the user device.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the subscription navigation application further:

accepts user favorite information from the user, the user favorite information describing a plurality of media programs of interest to the user;

determines which of the plurality of content provider playback applications are required for playback of each of the plurality of media programs of interest by the user device; and

provides, in a single user interface, a visual representation associated with each of the determined plurality of content provider playback applications for display, the visual representation indicating whether each such content provider playback application is installed or is not installed on the user device.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the subscription navigation application further:

accepts, using the visual representation, user input selecting content provider playback applications not installed on the user device and required for playback of an associated media program of interest; and

installs each of the user selected content provider playback applications not installed on the user device as a group automatically.

18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the instructions for enabling presentation of the media program from the selected content provider by the content provider playback application executed by the user device comprises instructions for:

receiving a request comprising the registration information from the content provider;

determining, at least in part from the registration information, if the user is a subscriber to the selected content; and

transmitting a confirmation to the content provider only if the user is a subscriber to the selected content.

19. The system of claim 11 , wherein the instructions for enabling presentation of the selected media program from the content provider by the content provider playback application executed by the user device comprise instructions for:

receiving a request from the content provider for the registration information;

determining if the user is a subscriber to the selected content; and

if the user is a subscriber to the selected content, transmitting the registration information to the content provider.

20. The system of claim 11 , wherein one or more media programs are unavailable from the selected content provider without subscription.

21. A system for providing a media program of a plurality of media programs to a user device directly from a selected content provider of a plurality of content providers via a content provider playback application executed by the user device, the content provider playback application provided and maintained by the content provider of the media program, comprising:

means for receiving a registration request having registration information from a user device in a subscription management service, the registration request to subscribe the user to the selected content provider providing the media program;

means for brokering between the user device and the content provider to subscribe the user to the selected content provider providing the media program;

means for transmitting program guide information of the plurality of media programs including the media program from the subscription management service to the user device for presentation by the user device;

means for receiving a playback request from a program guide presented by the user device using the program guide information, the playback request comprising a user selection of the media program from the selected content provider for presentation exclusively by the content provider playback application executed by the user device, the content provider playback application provided to the user device and maintained by the selected content provider of the media program; and

means for enabling presentation of the media program from the selected content provider by the content provider playback application executed by the user device, comprising:

means for receiving a request comprising the registration information from the content provider;

means for determining, at least in part from the registration information, if the user is a subscriber to the selected content; and

means for transmitting a confirmation to the content provider only if the user is a subscriber to the selected content.

22. The system of claim 21 , wherein the means for brokering between the user device and the content provider to subscribe the user to the selected content provider providing the media program comprises:

means for determining if the user is subscribed to the selected content provider;

means for subscribing the user to the selected content provider if the user is not subscribed to the selected content provider; and

means for transmitting payment for the subscription of the user from the subscription management service to the selected content provider and billing the user for the subscription to the selected content provider.

23. A system for providing a media program of a plurality of media programs to a user device directly from a selected content provider of a plurality of content providers via a content provider playback application executed by the user device, the content provider playback application provided and maintained by the content provider of the media program, comprising:

means for receiving a registration request having registration information from a user device in a subscription management service, the registration request to subscribe the user to the selected content provider providing the media program;

means for brokering between the user device and the content provider to subscribe the user to the selected content provider providing the media program;

means for transmitting program guide information of the plurality of media programs including the media program from the subscription management service to the user device for presentation by the user device;

means for receiving a playback request from a program guide presented by the user device using the program guide information, the playback request comprising a user selection of the media program from the selected content provider for presentation exclusively by the content provider playback application executed by the user device, the content provider playback application provided to the user device and maintained by the selected content provider of the media program; and

means for enabling presentation of the media program from the selected content provider by the content provider playback application executed by the user device, comprising:

means for receiving a request from the content provider for the registration information;

means for determining if the user is a subscriber to the selected content; and

means for transmitting the registration information to the content provider if the user is a subscriber to the selected content.

24. The system of claim 23 , wherein the means for brokering between the user device and the content provider to subscribe the user to the selected content provider providing the media program comprises:

means for determining if the user is subscribed to the selected content provider;

means for subscribing the user to the selected content provider if the user is not subscribed to the selected content provider; and

means for transmitting payment for the subscription of the user from the subscription management service to the selected content provider and billing the user for the subscription to the selected content provider.