A system and method for providing recommendations based on short and long media viewing profiles.

Abstract

To provide a system and method for providing recommendations based on a short-media viewing profile and a long-media viewing profile.SOLUTION: A short-media viewing profile may be maintained for a user. The short-media viewing profile may be based on user's behavior while watching short-length media content. A long-media viewing profile may be maintained for the user. The long-media viewing profile may be based on user's behavior while watching long-length media content. In response to determining that the user is currently engaged in viewing short-length media content, a recommendation is provided to the user based on the short-media viewing profile. In response to determining that the user is currently engaged in viewing long-length media content, a recommendation is provided to the user based on the long-media viewing profile.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Background Art

[0001] A typical television system can provide recommendations or advertisements to a user based on a maintained user profile. Typically, only a single user profile is maintained for each user. At most, multiple profiles can be maintained based on the user's location. However, such profiles cannot take into account the user's current viewing behavior. In particular, a user currently watching long-form media content (e.g., a feature film) usually has very different types of recommendations or advertisements at that time than a user who is engaged in watching short-form media content (e.g., a video clip, a short video created by the user such as a YOUTUBE (registered trademark) video, or a news video). As a result, current systems often provide inefficient recommendations or advertisements that do not match the user's current preferences.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0002] For this purpose and other purposes, in some embodiments, the media guide application may track the user's behavior separately during periods when the user consumes short-form media and during periods when the user consumes long-form media. Specifically, two different user profiles (a short-form media viewing profile and a long-form media viewing profile) are maintained, and each profile tracks the user's behavior during its respective period. Later, when the user consumes media content, the length of the content is compared to a threshold. If the media content is sufficiently long, the long-form media viewing profile is activated. Otherwise, the short-form media viewing profile is activated. As a result, recommendations or advertisements may be provided to the user based on the currently active profile. Since users often have different preferences when viewing media content of different lengths, such use of two profiles improves the quality and relevance of recommendations and advertisements. In particular, the operation of the media guide application is improved because the recommendations and advertisements provided are better suited to the user's current viewing activity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] A media guide application may provide recommendations to a user according to some embodiments of this disclosure. In some embodiments, a media guide application may maintain a short media viewing profile for a user. For example, a media guide application may remember the user's behavior while the user is viewing short media content (e.g., YouTube® videos, movie clips, news articles, etc.). Remembered user behavior may include requesting other content (e.g., media content or web pages), interacting with advertisements, making phone calls, sending text messages, any other requests, or any combination thereof.

[0004] In some embodiments, a media guide application may maintain a long-term media viewing profile for a user. For example, a media guide application may remember the user's behavior while the user is watching long-form media content (e.g., a feature film, a long television series episode, etc.). Remembered user behavior may include requesting other content (e.g., media content or web pages), interacting with advertisements, making phone calls, sending text messages, any other requests, or any combination thereof.

[0005] In some embodiments, the media guide application may provide recommendations to the user based on a short media viewing profile in response to determining that the user is currently engaged in viewing short media. For example, if the user is engaged in viewing short media content (e.g., YouTube® videos, movie clips, news articles, etc.), the media guide application may identify recommendations that match the information stored in the short media viewing profile. In some embodiments, if the short media viewing profile includes data indicating that the user previously reacted positively to a pizza advertisement when viewing short media, the media guide application may offer the user pizza. In some embodiments, the media guide application may provide recommendations to view a second short media content.

[0006] In some embodiments, the media guide application may provide recommendations to the user based on a long media viewing profile in response to determining that the user is currently engaged in viewing long media. For example, if the user is engaged in viewing long media content (e.g., a feature film or an entire television series episode), the media guide application may identify recommendations that match the information stored in the long media viewing profile. For example, if the long media viewing profile includes data indicating that the user previously reacted positively to car advertisements when viewing long media, the media guide application may present the user with a car lease offer. In some embodiments, the media guide application may provide recommendations to view a second long media content.

[0007] A media guide application may provide recommendations to a user according to some embodiments of this disclosure. In some embodiments, a media guide application may track the user's behavior while the user is engaged in viewing short media content. For example, a media guide application may track the user's behavior during the time the user is viewing short media content (e.g., YouTube® videos, movie clips, news articles). For example, tracked user behavior may include one or more of the following: requests for content or data made by the user, the user's interaction with any advertisements, any phone calls made by the user, and any websites visited by the user.

[0008] In some embodiments, the media guide application may generate a short media viewing profile based on the user's behavior tracked while the user was engaged in viewing short media content. In some embodiments, the short media viewing profile may comprise multiple recommendation metadata. For example, the media guide application may generate or update the short media viewing profile to store recommendation metadata related to actions performed by the user. In some embodiments, if the user requests any type of content while viewing short media content, the metadata associated with that content may be stored by the media guide application as recommendation metadata. For example, if the user requests a video, the media guide application may store at least one of the title, genre, and actor's name as recommendation metadata. In another example, if the user clicks on a provided advertisement, the media guide application may store the metadata associated with that advertisement as recommendation metadata. For example, at least one of the company name, product name, and advertisement title may be stored by the media guide application as recommendation metadata. In yet another example, if the user visits a website, the media guide application may store at least one of the website URL and keywords associated with that website as recommendation metadata.

[0009] In some embodiments, a media guide application may track a user's behavior while they are engaged in viewing long-form media content. For example, a media guide application may track a user's behavior during the time they are viewing long-form media content (e.g., a feature film or an entire television episode). For example, tracked user behavior may include one or more of the following: requests for content or data made by the user, the user's interaction with any advertisements, any phone calls made by the user, and any websites visited by the user.

[0010] In some embodiments, the media guide application may generate a long media viewing profile based on the user's behavior tracked while the user was engaged in viewing long media content. In some embodiments, the long media viewing profile may comprise multiple recommendation metadata. For example, the media guide application may generate or update the long media viewing profile to store recommendation metadata related to actions performed by the user. In some embodiments, if the user requests any type of content while viewing long media content, the metadata associated with that content may be stored by the media guide application as recommendation metadata. For example, if the user requests a video, the media guide application may store at least one of the title, genre, and actor's name as recommendation metadata. In another example, if the user clicks on a provided advertisement, the media guide application may store the metadata associated with that advertisement as recommendation metadata. For example, at least one of the company name, product name, and advertisement title may be stored by the media guide application as recommendation metadata. In yet another example, if the user visits a website, the media guide application may store at least one of the website URL and keywords associated with that website as recommendation metadata.

[0011] In some embodiments, the media guide application may provide media content to the user. In some embodiments, the media content may be provided to the user's device. For example, the media guide application may provide a movie or television program for display on the user's television or computer screen. In another example, the media guide application may provide media content to any type of media content playback device.

[0012] In some embodiments, the media guide application may then compare the length of the media content to a length threshold. For example, the length threshold may be set to 15 minutes. That is, any media content shorter than 15 minutes may be considered short media content, while any media content equal to or longer than 15 minutes may be considered long media content. In some embodiments, any other time value may be used as the length threshold. In some embodiments, the length threshold may be dynamically adjusted by the media guide application.

[0013] In some embodiments, the media guide application may then activate a long media viewing profile in response to determining that the length of the media content corresponds to (e.g., exceeds) a length threshold. In some embodiments, the activated profile may be used for any action that requires data from the user profile. In some embodiments, only the currently active profile is updated based on further user behavior. In some embodiments, the activated profile may be used to provide recommendations to the user. In some embodiments, the media guide application may select a recommendation item, the metadata of which match at least one recommendation metadata from the long media viewing profile (i.e., the currently active profile).

[0014] In some embodiments, the media guide application may have access to a database of available recommended items. Each recommended item may be associated with recommended content and may include metadata associated with the recommended content. In some embodiments, a recommended item may be associated with an advertisement and may include metadata associated with that advertisement. For example, if a recommended item is associated with a Ford car commercial, the recommended item may include metadata such as the title of the advertisement (e.g., "Ford Car Commercial No. 78"), the general ad space (e.g., "Car Commercial"), keywords (e.g., "Car", "Automobile", "Ford"), or any other metadata. In some embodiments, a recommended item may be associated with media content and may include metadata associated with that media content. For example, if a recommended item is associated with the movie "Good Will Hunting", the recommended item may include metadata such as the title (e.g., "Good Will Hunting"), genre (e.g., "Drama" or "Comedy"), actor (e.g., "Matt Damon"), length (e.g., 126 minutes).

[0015] In some embodiments, the media guide application may compare the metadata contained in a recommended item with the recommended metadata contained in a longer media viewing profile (i.e., the currently active profile). If the comparison shows a sufficient match between the metadata, the media guide application may select that recommended item for presentation to the user. In some embodiments, the media guide application may then provide the recommended item to the user's device. For example, the recommended item may be provided to the same device used to deliver media content. In some embodiments, the recommended item may be provided to a different device belonging to the user (e.g., the user's phone or computer).

[0016] In some embodiments, the media guide application may activate a short media viewing profile in response to determining that the length of media content does not meet (e.g., exceeds) a length threshold. In some embodiments, the activated profile may be used to provide recommendations to the user. In some embodiments, the media guide application may select a recommendation item whose metadata matches at least one recommendation metadata from the short media viewing profile (i.e., the currently active profile).

[0017] In some embodiments, the media guide application may have access to a database of available recommended items. Each recommended item may be associated with recommended content and may include metadata associated with the recommended content. In some embodiments, the media guide application may compare the metadata contained in a recommended item with the recommended metadata contained in a short media viewing profile (i.e., the currently active profile). For example, if a recommended item is associated with a Domino's Pizza commercial, the recommended item may include metadata such as the title of the ad (e.g., "Domino's Pizza Commercial #78"), the general ad space (e.g., "Pizza Commercial"), keywords (e.g., "Pizza", "Takeout", "Domino's"), or any other metadata. In some embodiments, a recommended item may be associated with media content and may include metadata associated with that media content. For example, if a recommended item is associated with the music video "Thriller", the recommended item may include metadata such as the title (e.g., "Thriller"), genre (e.g., "Music Video"), performers (e.g., "Michael Jackson"), and length (e.g., 14 minutes).

[0018] If the comparison shows a sufficient match between metadata, the media guide application may select its recommended items for presentation to the user. In some embodiments, the media guide application may then provide the recommended items to the user's device. For example, the recommended items may be provided to the same device used to deliver media content. In some embodiments, the recommended items may be provided to different devices belonging to the user (e.g., the user's phone or computer).

[0019] In some embodiments, a media guide application may generate a short media viewing profile using the following set of steps. In some embodiments, the media guide application may determine that a user is viewing short media content. For example, the media guide application may determine that the length of the currently offered media content does not exceed a length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes). The media guide application may then monitor user requests for content during or immediately after (e.g., within 1 minute) the short media content is being played. For example, the media guide application may monitor the user's device and any other devices associated with the user with respect to content requests. In some embodiments, a content request may be a request for other media content, a request for a web page, a request for data from a mobile application, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the media guide application may then store metadata associated with the user request. For example, if a user requests a video during or immediately after the short media content is being played, the media guide application may store any metadata associated with that video within the short media viewing profile.

[0020] In some embodiments, a media guide application may generate a short media viewing profile using the following series of steps. In some embodiments, the media guide application may determine that the user is watching short media content. For example, the media guide application may determine that the length of the media content currently being offered does not exceed a length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes). The media guide application may then deliver advertisements to the user's device during or immediately after the short media content is being played. For example, the media guide application may deliver advertisements on the same device used to deliver the media content or on any other device associated with the user. For example, the media guide application may deliver advertisements to the user's television, telephone, or any other user device.

[0021] In some embodiments, the media guide application may then monitor the user's response to an advertisement. For example, the media guide application may monitor whether the user has interacted with the advertisement in any way. In some embodiments, any detected user interaction with an advertisement (e.g., a click) may be interpreted as a favorable response. In some embodiments, the media guide application may store metadata associated with the advertisement in response to determining that the user's response was favorable. For example, if a user clicks on an advertisement for pizza delivery, the media guide application may store the keyword "pizza" in a short media viewing profile.

[0022] In some embodiments, a media guide application may generate a long media viewing profile using the following series of steps. In some embodiments, the media guide application may determine that a user is viewing long media content. For example, the media guide application may determine that the length of the currently offered media content exceeds a length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes). The media guide application may then monitor user requests for content during or immediately after (e.g., within 1 minute) the long media content is being played. For example, the media guide application may monitor the user's device and any other devices associated with the user with respect to content requests. In some embodiments, a content request may be a request for other media content, a request for a web page, a request for data from a mobile application, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the media guide application may then store metadata associated with the user request. For example, if a user requests a video during or immediately after long media content is being played, the media guide application may store any metadata associated with that video (e.g., title or genre) within the long media viewing profile. For example, if a user requests a "New York Giants" video clip, the media guide application may remember the keywords "Giants" and "sports" within the long media viewing profile.

[0023] In some embodiments, a media guide application may generate a long media viewing profile using the following series of steps. In some embodiments, a media guide application may determine that a user is watching long media content. For example, a media guide application may determine that the length of the media content currently being offered exceeds a length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes). A media guide application may then deliver advertisements to the user's device during or immediately after the long media content is being played. For example, a media guide application may deliver advertisements on the same device used to deliver the media content or on any other device associated with the user. For example, a media guide application may deliver advertisements to the user's television, telephone, or any other user device.

[0024] In some embodiments, the media guide application may then monitor the user's response to an advertisement. For example, the media guide application may monitor whether the user has interacted with the advertisement in any way. In some embodiments, any detected user interaction with an advertisement (e.g., a click) may be interpreted as a favorable response. In some embodiments, the media guide application may store metadata associated with the advertisement in response to determining that the user's response was favorable.

[0025] In some embodiments, the media guide application may activate one of the user profiles even when the user is not currently consuming any media content. In some embodiments, the media guide application may analyze at least one of the following: time, user location, and search input received from the user, to determine whether the user is in the mood to watch long-form or short-form media content. For example, the media guide application may have data indicating that the user is in the mood to watch long-form media content on a weekend evening. In this example, if the current time is after 6 p.m. on a Saturday or Sunday, the media guide application may determine that the user is in the mood to watch long-form media content. In another example, the media guide application may have data indicating that the user is in the mood to watch short-form media content when the user is at work (e.g., on a lunch break). In this example, if the current user location is the user's workplace, the media guide application may determine that the user is in the mood to watch short-form media content.

[0026] In some embodiments, the media guide application may activate a long media viewing profile in response to the user determining that they are in the mood to watch long media content. For example, if the media guide application determines, based on time information, that the user is in the mood to watch long media content, the media guide application may activate a long media viewing profile even before the user requests any type of media content for viewing.

[0027] In some embodiments, the media guide application may activate a short media viewing profile in response to determining that the user is in a mood to view short media content. For example, if the media guide application determines, based on the user's location, that the user is in a mood to view short media content, the media guide application may activate the short media viewing profile even before the user requests any kind of media content for viewing.

[0028] In some embodiments, the media guide application may provide recommended items to a user device using the following series of steps. In some embodiments, the media guide application may determine whether a short media viewing profile is active. If so, the media guide application may select short recommended items associated with a second short media content. That is, when selecting recommended items, the media guide application may only consider recommended items that would recommend media content having a short length. In some embodiments, the media guide application may then provide the short recommended items to the user device. That is, when the short media viewing profile is active, in some embodiments, the media guide application may provide recommendations only with respect to other short content.

[0029] In some embodiments, the media guide application may provide recommended items to a user device using the following series of steps. In some embodiments, the media guide application may determine whether a long media viewing profile is active. If so, the media guide application may select long recommended items associated with a second long media content. That is, when selecting recommended items, the media guide application may consider only recommended items that would recommend media content having a long length. In some embodiments, the media guide application may then provide the long recommended items to the user device. That is, when a long media viewing profile is active, in some embodiments, the media guide application may provide recommendations only with respect to long content. The present invention further provides, for example, the following. (Item 1) A method of providing recommendations to a user, the method comprising: maintaining a short media viewing profile for the user; maintaining a long media viewing profile for the user; providing recommendations to the user based on the short media viewing profile in response to determining that the user is currently engaged in viewing short media content; providing recommendations to the user based on the long media viewing profile in response to determining that the user is currently engaged in viewing long media content. A method comprising. (Item 2) A method of providing recommendations to a user, the method comprising: tracking the behavior of the user while the user is engaged in viewing short media content; The method involves generating a short media viewing profile based on the user's behavior tracked when the user was engaged in viewing short media content, wherein the short media viewing profile includes multiple recommendation metadata. Tracking the user's behavior while the user is engaged in viewing long-form media content, The method involves generating a long media viewing profile based on the user's behavior tracked when the user was engaged in viewing long media content, wherein the long media viewing profile includes multiple recommendation metadata. Providing media content to user devices, The length of the aforementioned media content is compared with a length threshold, In response to determining that the length of the media content corresponds to the length threshold, Activating the aforementioned long media viewing profile, Selecting a recommended item, wherein the metadata of the recommended item matches at least one recommended metadata of the long media viewing profile, Providing the aforementioned recommended items to the user device, In response to determining that the length of the media content does not correspond to the length threshold, Activating the aforementioned short media viewing profile, Selecting a recommended item, wherein the metadata of the recommended item matches at least one recommended metadata of the short media viewing profile, To provide the aforementioned recommended items to the user device Methods that include... (Item 3) The aforementioned long-form media content comprises at least one feature film or full-length television episode, The method according to item 2, wherein the short media content comprises at least one of user-created short videos, video clips, music videos, and news videos. (Item 4) Generating a short media viewing profile is The determination that the user is watching short media content, In response to determining that the user is watching short media content, Monitoring user requests regarding the content during or immediately after the playback of the aforementioned short media content, To store metadata associated with the user request The method described in item 2, including the method described in item 2. (Item 5) Generating a short media viewing profile is The determination that the user is watching short media content, In response to determining that the user is watching short media content, Providing advertisements to the user device during or immediately after the playback of the short media content, Monitoring the user's response to the advertisement, In response to determining that the user's response was favorable, the metadata associated with the advertisement is stored. The method described in item 2, including the method described in item 2. (Item 6) Generating a long media viewing profile is The determination that the user is watching long-form media content, In response to determining that the user is watching long-form media content, Monitoring user requests regarding the content during or immediately after the playback of the aforementioned long-form media content, To store metadata associated with the user request The method described in item 2, including the method described in item 2. (Item 7) Generating a long media viewing profile is The determination that the user is watching long-form media content, In response to determining that the user is watching long-form media content, Providing advertisements to the user device during or immediately after the playback of the aforementioned long-form media content, Monitoring the user's response to the advertisement, In response to determining that the user's response was favorable, the metadata associated with the advertisement is stored. The method described in item 2, including the method described in item 2. (Item 8) The system analyzes the time, the user's location, and at least one of the search inputs received from the user to determine whether the user is in the mood to watch long-form media content or short-form media content. In response to the user deciding that they are in the mood to watch long-form media content, the long-form media viewing profile is activated. In response to the user deciding that they are in the mood to watch short media content, the short media viewing profile is activated. The method described in item 2, further including the method described in item 2. (Item 9) Providing the aforementioned recommended items to the user device means In response to determining that the aforementioned short media viewing profile is active, Select a short-form recommendation item associated with the second short-form media content, To provide the aforementioned short recommended items to the user device. The method described in item 2, including the method described in item 2. (Item 10) Providing the aforementioned recommended items to the user device means In response to determining that the aforementioned long media viewing profile is active, Select a long-form recommended item associated with the second long-form media content, To provide the aforementioned long recommended items to the user device. The method described in item 2, including the method described in item 2. (Item 11) The method according to item 2, wherein the recommended item is an advertisement having metadata that matches at least one recommended metadata of the activated viewing profile. (Item 12) A system for providing recommendations to a user, the system comprising a control circuit, the control circuit comprising, Tracking the user's behavior while the user is engaged in viewing short media content, The method involves generating a short media viewing profile based on the user's behavior tracked when the user was engaged in viewing short media content, wherein the short media viewing profile includes multiple recommendation metadata. Tracking the user's behavior while the user is engaged in viewing long-form media content, The method involves generating a long media viewing profile based on the user's behavior tracked when the user was engaged in viewing long media content, wherein the long media viewing profile includes multiple recommendation metadata. Providing media content to user devices, The length of the aforementioned media content is compared with a length threshold, In response to determining that the length of the media content corresponds to the length threshold, Activating the aforementioned long media viewing profile, Selecting a recommended item, wherein the metadata of the recommended item matches at least one recommended metadata of the long media viewing profile, Providing the aforementioned recommended items to the user device, In response to determining that the length of the media content does not correspond to the length threshold, Activating the aforementioned short media viewing profile, Selecting a recommended item, wherein the metadata of the recommended item matches at least one recommended metadata of the short media viewing profile, To provide the aforementioned recommended items to the user device A system configured to perform the following actions. (Item 13) The aforementioned long-form media content comprises at least one feature film or full-length television episode, The system according to item 12, wherein the short media content comprises at least one of user-created short videos, video clips, music videos, and news videos. (Item 14) The aforementioned control circuit is The determination that the user is watching short media content, In response to determining that the user is watching short media content, Monitoring user requests regarding the content during or immediately after the playback of the aforementioned short media content, To store metadata associated with the user request The system described in item 12 is configured to generate short media viewing profiles. (Item 15) The aforementioned control circuit is The determination that the user is watching short media content, In response to determining that the user is watching short media content, Providing advertisements to the user device during or immediately after the playback of the short media content, Monitoring the user's response to the advertisement, In response to determining that the user's response was favorable, the metadata associated with the advertisement is stored. The system described in item 12 is configured to generate short media viewing profiles. (Item 16) The aforementioned control circuit is The determination that the user is watching long-form media content, In response to determining that the user is watching long-form media content, Monitoring user requests regarding the content during or immediately after the playback of the aforementioned long-form media content, To store metadata associated with the user request The system described in item 12 is configured to generate long media viewing profiles. (Item 17) The aforementioned control circuit is The determination that the user is watching long-form media content, In response to determining that the user is watching long-form media content, Providing advertisements to the user device during or immediately after the playback of the aforementioned long-form media content, Monitoring the user's response to the advertisement, In response to determining that the user's response was favorable, the metadata associated with the advertisement is stored. The system described in item 12 is configured to generate long media viewing profiles. (Item 18) The aforementioned control circuit is The system analyzes the time, the user's location, and at least one of the search inputs received from the user to determine whether the user is in the mood to watch long-form media content or short-form media content. In response to the user deciding that they are in the mood to watch long-form media content, the long-form media viewing profile is activated. In response to the user deciding that they are in the mood to watch short media content, the short media viewing profile is activated. The system described in item 12 is further configured to perform the following actions. (Item 19) The aforementioned control circuit is In response to determining that the aforementioned short media viewing profile is active, Select a short-form recommendation item associated with the second short-form media content, To provide the aforementioned short recommended items to the user device. The system according to item 12, configured to provide the recommended items to the user device. (Item 20) The aforementioned control circuit is In response to determining that the aforementioned long media viewing profile is active, Select a long-form recommended item associated with the second long-form media content, To provide the aforementioned long recommended items to the user device. The system according to item 12, configured to provide the recommended items to the user device. (Item 21) The system according to item 12, wherein the recommended item is an advertisement having metadata that matches at least one recommended metadata of the activated viewing profile. (Item 22) A device for providing recommendations to a user, wherein the method is Means for tracking the user's behavior while the user is engaged in viewing short media content, A means for generating a short media viewing profile based on the user's behavior tracked when the user was engaged in viewing short media content, wherein the short media viewing profile comprises a plurality of recommendation metadata. Means for tracking the user's behavior while the user is engaged in viewing long-form media content, A means for generating a long media viewing profile based on the user's behavior tracked when the user was engaged in viewing long media content, wherein the long media viewing profile comprises a plurality of recommendation metadata. Means for providing media content to a user device, A means for comparing the length of the media content with a length threshold, In response to determining that the length of the media content corresponds to the length threshold, A means for activating the aforementioned long media viewing profile, A means for selecting a recommended item, wherein the metadata of the recommended item matches at least one recommended metadata of the long media viewing profile, Means for providing the aforementioned recommended items to the user device, In response to determining that the length of the media content does not correspond to the length threshold, A means for activating the aforementioned short media viewing profile, A means for selecting a recommended item, wherein the metadata of the recommended item matches at least one recommended metadata of the short media viewing profile, means for providing the aforementioned recommended items to the user device A device equipped with the following features. (Item 23) The aforementioned long-form media content comprises at least one feature film or full-length television episode, The apparatus according to item 22, wherein the short media content comprises at least one of user-created short videos, video clips, music videos, and news videos. (Item 24) A means of generating a short media viewing profile is, Means for determining that the user is watching short media content, In response to determining that the user is watching short media content, Means for monitoring user requests regarding the content during or immediately after the time the short media content is being played, means for storing metadata associated with the user request The apparatus described in item 22, which is equipped with the following: (Item 25) A means of generating a short media viewing profile is, Means for determining that the user is watching short media content, In response to determining that the user is watching short media content, Means for providing advertisements to the user device during or immediately after the playback of the short media content, Means for monitoring the user's response to the advertisement, In response to determining that the user's response was favorable, means for storing metadata associated with the advertisement and The apparatus described in item 22, which is equipped with the following: (Item 26) A means of generating a long media viewing profile is, Means for determining that the user is watching long-form media content, In response to determining that the user is watching long-form media content, Means for monitoring user requests regarding the content during or immediately after the time the aforementioned long-form media content is being played, means for storing metadata associated with the user request The apparatus described in item 22, which is equipped with the following: (Item 27) A means of generating a long media viewing profile is, Means for determining that the user is watching long-form media content, In response to determining that the user is watching long-form media content, Means for providing advertisements to the user device during or immediately after the playback of the aforementioned long-form media content, Means for monitoring the user's response to the advertisement, In response to determining that the user's response was favorable, means for storing metadata associated with the advertisement and The apparatus described in item 22, which is equipped with the following: (Item 28) A means for analyzing the time, the user's location, and at least one of the search inputs received from the user to determine whether the user is in the mood to watch long-form media content or short-form media content, In response to the user deciding that they are in the mood to watch long media content, means for activating the long media viewing profile, In response to the user deciding that they are in the mood to watch short media content, means for activating the short media viewing profile, The apparatus described in item 22, further comprising the above. (Item 29) Providing the aforementioned recommended items to the user device means In response to determining that the aforementioned short media viewing profile is active, A means for selecting short recommended items associated with a second short media content, means for providing the short recommended item to the user device The apparatus described in item 22, which is equipped with the following: (Item 30) The means of providing the aforementioned recommended items to the user device is: In response to determining that the aforementioned long media viewing profile is active, A means for selecting long-form recommended items associated with second-form media content, means for providing the long recommended item to the user device The apparatus described in item 22, which is equipped with the following: (Item 31) The apparatus according to item 22, wherein the recommended item is an advertisement having metadata that matches at least one recommended metadata of the activated viewing profile. (Item 32) A non-transient computer-readable medium encoded with non-transient computer-readable instructions for providing recommendations to a user, wherein the non-transient computer-readable instructions are: Commands for tracking the user's behavior while the user is engaged in viewing short media content, An instruction for generating a short media viewing profile based on the user's behavior tracked when the user was engaged in viewing short media content, wherein the short media viewing profile comprises a plurality of recommendation metadata. Commands for tracking the user's behavior while the user is engaged in viewing long-form media content, An instruction for generating a long media viewing profile based on the user's behavior tracked when the user was engaged in viewing long media content, wherein the long media viewing profile comprises a plurality of recommendation metadata. Instructions for providing media content to the user device, A command for comparing the length of the media content with a length threshold, In response to determining that the length of the media content corresponds to the length threshold, Activating the aforementioned long media viewing profile, Selecting a recommended item, wherein the metadata of the recommended item matches at least one recommended metadata of the long media viewing profile, To provide the aforementioned recommended items to the user device Commands to carry out, In response to determining that the length of the media content does not correspond to the length threshold, Activating the aforementioned short media viewing profile, Selecting a recommended item, wherein the metadata of the recommended item matches at least one recommended metadata of the short media viewing profile, To provide the aforementioned recommended items to the user device Commands to carry out A non-transient, computer-readable medium that has the following features. (Item 33) The aforementioned long-form media content comprises at least one feature film or full-length television episode, The short-form media content comprises at least one of user-created short videos, video clips, music videos, and news videos, in a non-transient, computer-readable medium as described in item 32. (Item 34) The instruction for generating a short media viewing profile is: A command for determining that the user is watching short media content, In response to determining that the user is watching short media content, Monitoring user requests regarding the content during or immediately after the playback of the aforementioned short media content, To store metadata associated with the user request Commands to carry out A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in item 32, which includes the following features. (Item 35) The instruction for generating a short media viewing profile is: A command for determining that the user is watching short media content, In response to determining that the user is watching short media content, Providing advertisements to the user device during or immediately after the playback of the short media content, Monitoring the user's response to the advertisement, In response to determining that the user's response was favorable, the metadata associated with the advertisement is stored. Commands to carry out A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in item 32, which includes the following features. (Item 36) The instruction for generating a long media viewing profile is: A command for determining that the user is watching long-form media content, In response to determining that the user is watching long-form media content, Monitoring user requests regarding the content during or immediately after the playback of the aforementioned long-form media content. To store metadata associated with the user request Commands to carry out A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in item 32, which includes the following features. (Item 37) The instruction for generating a long media viewing profile is: A command for determining that the user is watching long-form media content, In response to determining that the user is watching long-form media content, Providing advertisements to the user device during or immediately after the playback of the aforementioned long-form media content, Monitoring the user's response to the advertisement, In response to determining that the user's response was favorable, the metadata associated with the advertisement is stored. Commands to carry out A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in item 32, which includes the following features. (Item 38) An instruction for determining whether the user is in the mood to watch long-form media content or short-form media content, by analyzing at least one of the time, the user's location, and a search input received from the user. In response to the user deciding that they are in the mood to watch long media content, a command to activate the long media viewing profile, In response to the user deciding that they are in the mood to watch short media content, a command is given to activate the short media viewing profile. A non-transient, computer-readable medium as described in item 32, further comprising the features described in item 39. The instruction for providing the recommended items to the user device is: In response to determining that the aforementioned short media viewing profile is active, Select a short-form recommendation item associated with the second short-form media content, To provide the aforementioned short recommended items to the user device. Command to perform A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in item 32, which includes the following features. (Item 40) The instruction for providing the recommended items to the user device is: In response to determining that the aforementioned long media viewing profile is active, Select a long-form recommended item associated with the second long-form media content. , To provide the aforementioned long recommended items to the user device. Command to perform A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in item 32, which includes the following features. (Item 41) The recommended item is an advertisement having metadata that matches at least one recommended metadata of the activated viewing profile, in a non-transient, computer-readable medium as described in item 32. (Item 42) A method for providing recommendations to a user, wherein the method is Tracking the user's behavior while the user is engaged in viewing short media content, The method involves generating a short media viewing profile based on the user's behavior tracked when the user was engaged in viewing short media content, wherein the short media viewing profile includes multiple recommendation metadata. Tracking the user's behavior while the user is engaged in viewing long-form media content, The method involves generating a long media viewing profile based on the user's behavior tracked when the user was engaged in viewing long media content, wherein the long media viewing profile includes multiple recommendation metadata. Providing media content to user devices, The length of the aforementioned media content is compared with a length threshold, In response to determining that the length of the media content corresponds to the length threshold, Activating the aforementioned long media viewing profile, Selecting a recommended item, wherein the metadata of the recommended item matches at least one recommended metadata of the long media viewing profile, Providing the aforementioned recommended items to the user device, In response to determining that the length of the media content does not correspond to the length threshold, Activating the aforementioned short media viewing profile, Selecting a recommended item, wherein the metadata of the recommended item matches at least one recommended metadata of the short media viewing profile, To provide the aforementioned recommended items to the user device Methods that include... (Item 43) The aforementioned long-form media content comprises at least one feature film or full-length television episode, The method according to item 42, wherein the short media content comprises at least one of user-created short videos, video clips, music videos, and news videos. (Item 44) Generating a short media viewing profile is The determination that the user is watching short media content, In response to determining that the user is watching short media content, Monitoring user requests regarding the content during or immediately after the playback of the aforementioned short media content, To store metadata associated with the user request The method described in any one of items 42-43, including the method described in item 42-43. (Item 45) Generating a short media viewing profile is The determination that the user is watching short media content, In response to determining that the user is watching short media content, Providing advertisements to the user device during or immediately after the playback of the short media content, Monitoring the user's response to the advertisement, In response to determining that the user's response was favorable, the metadata associated with the advertisement is stored. The method described in any one of items 42-44, including the method described in item 42-44. (Item 46) Generating a long media viewing profile is The determination that the user is watching long-form media content, In response to determining that the user is watching long-form media content, Monitoring user requests regarding the content during or immediately after the playback of the aforementioned long-form media content, To store metadata associated with the user request The method described in any one of items 42-45, including the method described in item 42-45. (Item 47) Generating a long media viewing profile is The determination that the user is watching long-form media content, In response to determining that the user is watching long-form media content, Providing advertisements to the user device during or immediately after the playback of the aforementioned long-form media content, Monitoring the user's response to the advertisement, In response to determining that the user's response was favorable, the metadata associated with the advertisement is stored. The method described in any one of items 42-46, including the method described in item 42-46. (Item 48) The system analyzes the time, the user's location, and at least one of the search inputs received from the user to determine whether the user is in the mood to watch long-form media content or short-form media content. In response to the user deciding that they are in the mood to watch long-form media content, the long-form media viewing profile is activated. In response to the user deciding that they are in the mood to watch short media content, the short media viewing profile is activated. The method described in any one of items 42-47, further including the method described in any one of items 42-47 (Item 49) Providing the aforementioned recommended items to the user device means In response to determining that the aforementioned short media viewing profile is active, Select a short-form recommendation item associated with the second short-form media content, To provide the aforementioned short recommended items to the user device. The method described in any one of items 42-48, including the method described in item 42-48. (Item 50) Providing the aforementioned recommended items to the user device means In response to determining that the aforementioned long media viewing profile is active, Select a long-form recommended item associated with the second long-form media content, To provide the aforementioned long recommended items to the user device. The method described in any one of items 42-49, including the method described in item 42-49. (Item 51) The method according to any one of items 42-50, wherein the recommended item is an advertisement having metadata that matches at least one recommended metadata of the activated viewing profile. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0030] The above and other purposes and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following consideration of embodiments for carrying out the invention, which will be considered in conjunction with the attached drawings, in which similar reference letters refer to similar parts throughout.

[0031] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an illustrative media guide interface that may provide users with recommendations according to several embodiments of this disclosure.

[0032] [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows another illustrative media guide interface that may dynamically include or exclude video according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows yet another illustrative media guide interface that may dynamically include or exclude video according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0034] [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an illustrative user device according to several embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0035] [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating an illustrative media system according to several embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] [Figure 6] Figure 6 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of the process of providing recommendations to a user according to several embodiments of this disclosure.

[0037] [Figure 7] Figure 7 illustrates another illustrative flowchart of the process of providing users with recommendations according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0038] [Figure 8]Figure 8 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of the process for generating a short media viewing profile according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0039] [Figure 9] Figure 9 illustrates another illustrative flowchart of the process for generating short media viewing profiles according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0040] [Figure 10] Figure 10 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of the process for generating long media viewing profiles according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0041] [Figure 11] Figure 11 illustrates another illustrative flowchart of the process for generating long media viewing profiles according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0042] [Figure 12] Figure 12 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of the process for activating either a long media viewing profile or a short media viewing profile according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0043] [Figure 13] Figure 13 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of the process of providing recommended items to a user device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0044] [Figure 14] Figure 14 illustrates another illustrative flowchart of the process of providing recommendations to a user device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0045] [Figure 15] Figure 15 illustrates yet another illustrative flowchart of the process of providing recommendations to a user device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0046] Systems and methods relating to improved methods for providing recommendations to a user are disclosed herein. In particular, a media guide application may track a user's behavior while the user is viewing long or short media content. The media guide application may maintain two distinct user profiles, one for the user's preferences when viewing long media and one for the user's preferences when viewing short media. Once the profiles are established, the media guide application may use the two profiles to provide the user with improved recommendations (e.g., content suggestions or advertisements). For example, the media guide application may use the short media viewing profile to make recommendations while the user is viewing short videos, and use the long media viewing profile to make recommendations while the user is viewing long videos. As a result, such techniques improve the operation of the media guide application by enabling it to make recommendations that are relevant to the user's current behavior.

[0047] As used herein, the term “long-form media content” refers to any type of media content (e.g., video, audio, or multimedia content) that exceeds a certain length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes). For example, both a 128-minute feature film and a 60-minute television episode may be considered “long-form media content.”

[0048] As used herein, the term “short media content” refers to any type of media content (e.g., video, audio, or multimedia content) that does not exceed a certain length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes). For example, both a 5-minute news clip and an 8-minute music video may be considered “short media content.”

[0049] As used herein, the phrase “short media viewing profile” refers to any profile, data structure, or database that stores data indicating a user’s behavior or preferences during a period in which the user consumes short media content. In some embodiments, a short media viewing profile may store a set of recommendation metadata corresponding to content the user might like during such a period.

[0050] As used herein, the phrase “long media viewing profile” refers to any profile, data structure, or database that stores data indicating a user’s behavior or preferences over a period of time during which the user consumes long media content. In some embodiments, a long media viewing profile may store a set of recommendation metadata corresponding to content the user might like during such a period.

[0051] As used herein, the term “recommended item” refers to any media asset, text, multimedia, or data structure intended to provide a recommendation message to a user. In some embodiments, a recommended item may be associated with media content to be recommended or advertisements to be offered. In some embodiments, a recommended item may include metadata associated with the content to be recommended or advertisements to be offered.

[0052] In any given content distribution system, the amount of content available to users can be enormous. As a result, many users desire a form of media guide through an interface that allows them to efficiently navigate content selection and easily identify the content they desire. Applications that provide such a guide are referred to herein as interactive media guide applications, although they may sometimes be referred to as media guide applications or guide applications.

[0053] Interactive media guide applications can take various forms depending on the content they guide. One typical type of media guide application is an interactive television program guide. Interactive television program guides (sometimes referred to as electronic program guides) are, among other things, well-known guide applications that enable users to navigate between and find many types of content or media assets. Interactive media guide applications can generate graphical user interface screens that enable users to navigate between content, find it, and select it. As used herein, the terms “media asset” and “content” should be understood to mean electronically consumable user assets such as television programs, as well as pay programs, on-demand programs (such as in video-on-demand (VOD) systems), internet content (e.g., streaming content, downloadable content, webcasts, etc.), video clips, audio, content information, photographs, rotated images, documents, playlists, websites, articles, books, ebooks, blogs, chat sessions, social media, applications, games, and / or any other media or multimedia, and / or combinations thereof. Guide applications also enable users to navigate between content and find it. As used herein, the term “multimedia” should be understood to mean content that utilizes at least two different content forms described above, such as text, audio, images, video, or interactive content forms. Content may be recorded, played back, displayed, or accessed by user equipment devices, but may also be part of a live performance.

[0054] Media guide applications and / or any instructions for carrying out any of the embodiments discussed herein may be encoded on a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium includes any medium capable of storing data. A computer-readable medium may be transient, including the propagation of electrical or electromagnetic signals, or non-transient, including, but not limited to, volatile and non-volatile computer memory or storage devices such as hard disks, floppy disks, USB drives, DVDs, CDs, media cards, register memory, processor caches, and random access memory ("RAM").

[0055] With the advent of the internet, mobile computing, and high-speed wireless networks, users are now accessing media on user devices they didn't previously use. As used herein, the terms “user equipment device,” “user equipment,” “user device,” “electronic device,” “electronic equipment,” “media equipment device,” or “media device” should be understood to mean any device for accessing the content described above, such as televisions, smart TVs, set-top boxes, integrated receiver decoders (IRDs) for satellite television, digital storage devices, digital media receivers (DMRs), digital media adapters (DMAs), streaming media devices, DVD players, DVD recorders, connected DVDs, local media servers, Blu-ray® players, Blu-ray® recorders, personal computers (PCs), laptop computers, tablet computers, webTV boxes, personal computer televisions (PC / TVs), PC media servers, PC media centers, handheld computers, landline telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, portable video players, portable music players, portable game consoles, smartphones, or any other television equipment, computing equipment, or wireless devices, and / or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the user equipment device may have a front screen and a rear screen, multiple front screens, or multiple angled screens. In some embodiments, the user device may have a front camera and / or a rear camera. On these user devices, the user may be able to navigate and find the same content available through the television. As a result, a media guide may also be available on these devices. The guide provided may be for content available only through the television, content available only through one or more of the other types of user devices, or content available through both the television and one or more of the other types of user devices.The media guide application may be provided on the user's device as an online application (i.e., provided on a website), or as a standalone application or client. Various devices and platforms on which the media guide application can be implemented are described in more detail below.

[0056] One of the functions of the media guide application is to provide media guide data to the user. As used herein, the terms “media guide data” or “guide data” should be understood to mean any data related to content or data used in operating the guide application. For example, guide data may include program information, guide application settings, user preferences, user profile information, media list items, media-related information (e.g., broadcast time, broadcast channel, title, content, rating information (e.g., parental control ratings, critic ratings, etc.), genre or category information, actor information, logo data of broadcaster or provider logos, etc.), media format (e.g., standard definition, high definition, 3D, etc.), on-demand information, blogs, websites, and any other type of guide data that helps the user navigate between and find their desired content selections.

[0057] Figure 1 shows an illustrative media guide interface on a display screen that can provide the user with recommendations according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Display 100 shows a media guide interface for video presentation, user interface presentation, and optional timeline presentation. In some embodiments, Display 100 may display media content provided by a media guide application. For example, Display 100 may display image 102, which may be part of the media content provided by the media guide application.

[0058] In some embodiments, the display 100 may optionally include a timeline 110 showing media content to be provided to the user. In some embodiments, the timeline 110 may include a period 112 during which full-length media content 104 (e.g., the full-length film "Titanic") is provided by the media guide application. In some embodiments, the timeline 110 may include a period 114 during which short-length media content 106 (e.g., the music video "Thriller") and short-length media content 108 (e.g., the music video "Beat It") are provided by the media guide application.

[0059] In some embodiments, the media guide application may maintain two different user profiles: a short media viewing profile and a long media viewing profile. In some embodiments, the short media viewing profile may be generated or updated during period 112 or other periods during which other long media content is provided by the media guide application. In some embodiments, the short media viewing profile may be generated or updated during period 114 or other periods during which other short media content is provided by the media guide application.

[0060] In some embodiments, profiles may be generated or updated based on monitored user behavior. For example, if a user requests certain content or data during (or immediately after) period 112, the media guide application may store the metadata associated with the requested content or data in a long media viewing profile. Similarly, if a user requests certain content during (or immediately after) period 114, the media guide application may store the metadata associated with the requested content or data in a short media viewing profile.

[0061] In some embodiments, if a user interacts with an advertisement (e.g., by clicking it) during (or immediately after) period 112, the media guide application may store the metadata associated with that advertisement in a long media viewing profile. In some embodiments, if a user interacts with an advertisement (e.g., by clicking it) during (or immediately after) period 114, the media guide application may store the metadata associated with that advertisement in a short media viewing profile.

[0062] In some embodiments, the media guide application may activate one of its profiles based on the media content currently being offered. For example, if long-form media content is being offered (e.g., during period 112), the media guide application may activate the long-form media viewing profile. In another example, if short-form media content is being offered (e.g., during period 114), the media guide application may activate the short-form media viewing profile.

[0063] In some embodiments, the media guide application may provide recommendations to the user based on the activated profile. For example, the media guide application may provide recommendations for display based on a long media viewing profile during period 112, and recommendations for display based on a short media viewing profile during period 114.

[0064] In some embodiments, the media guide application may provide recommendations 116 for display. In some embodiments, the media guide application may base the content of recommendations 116 on which profile is active. In some embodiments, the media guide application may provide recommendations 116 on display 100. In some embodiments, the media guide application may generate recommendations for display on any other device such as the user's mobile device, the user's computer, or the user's audio equipment.

[0065] In some embodiments, recommendation 116 may include text recommending other media content for consumption. For example, if a long media viewing profile is active, recommendation 116 may include the text "Would you like to watch Titanic?" or "Would you like to add Titanic to your playlist?". In this example, the media guide application may choose to recommend the movie Titanic (length: 195 minutes) because it is a feature film and the user is currently watching long media.

[0066] In some embodiments, if a short media viewing profile is active, recommendation 116 may include the text "Do you want to watch the music video for 'Thriller'?" or "Do you want to add the music video for 'Thriller' to your playlist?". In this example, the media guide application may choose to recommend the music video for 'Thriller' (length: 14 minutes) because it is a short music video and the user is currently watching short media.

[0067] In some embodiments, recommendation 116 may be a filtered list of several content items, with higher-recommended items listed near the top. For example, recommendations for long-form media content may appear near the top of the list during period 112, while recommendations for short-form media content may appear near the top of the list during period 114.

[0068] In some embodiments, Recommendation 116 may be an advertisement for a product or service. In some embodiments, the media guide application may select advertisements based on the active profile. In some embodiments, the media guide application may select advertisements that are most likely to elicit a positive interaction. For example, if a user responded positively to a pizza advertisement when a short media profile was active (e.g., during period 114) but did not respond when a long media profile was active (e.g., during period 112), the media guide application may provide the pizza advertisement only when the short media profile is active. For example, Recommendation 116 may include the text "Call 180-555-PIZZA and tell them code "ABC" to get 30% off pizza."

[0069] In some embodiments, the media guide application may provide recommendations 116 for display during or immediately after the presentation of the current media content. For example, after or immediately after the presentation of the current media content has finished, the media guide application may display recommendations 116 on display 100. In some embodiments, recommendations 116 include a list of suggested media content. The list may be generated and sorted according to the active viewing profile. For example, if a short media profile is active, the list may include only short media content, or may be sorted to display short media before long media content. In some embodiments, if a long media profile is active, the list may include only long media content, or may be sorted to display long media before long media content. In some embodiments, the media guide application may provide the next media content for display based on the user's selection from the list.

[0070] In some embodiments, the media guide application may automatically play the next media content from the list without user input. In some embodiments, the media guide application may keep the list hidden from the user and not display it to the user. Instead, the next media content may be provided to the user according to the list without requiring user input.

[0071] In some embodiments, the media guide application may also provide a recommendation user interface (UI) 118 for display. In some embodiments, the recommendation UI 118 may be part of a recommendation 116. For example, if recommendation 116 includes recommendations for media content, the recommendation UI 118 may include interface options (e.g., buttons) that allow the user to either purchase the media content and immediately begin watching it, or set a reminder to watch the media content in the future.

[0072] In some embodiments, if recommendation 116 includes an advertisement, recommendation UI 118 may include interface options (e.g., buttons) that allow the user to interact with the advertisement. For example, if the advertisement includes a URL, recommendation UI 118 may include a hyperlink that allows the user to request the website associated with that URL. In another example, if the advertisement includes a phone number, recommendation UI 118 may include a link to an application that can automatically dial that phone number.

[0073] Figure 2-3 shows illustrative display screens that may be used to provide media guide data. The display screens shown in Figure 2-3 may be implemented on any suitable user equipment device or platform. Although the displays in Figure 2-3 are illustrated as full-screen displays, they may also be fully or partially overlaid on the displayed content. Users may indicate their desire to access content information by selecting selectable options provided on the display screen (e.g., menu options, list item options, icons, hyperlinks, etc.) or by pressing a dedicated button on a remote control or other user input interface or device (e.g., a “Guide” button). In response to user instructions, the media guide application may provide the display screen with media guide data organized in one of several ways, such as by time and channel in a grid, by time, by channel, by source, by content type, by category (e.g., movies, sports, news, children's programs, or other programming categories), or by other predetermined, user-defined, or other organizing criteria.

[0074] Figure 2 shows an illustrative grid of a program list item display 200 arranged by time and channel, which also allows access to different types of content within a single display. Display 200 may include: (1) a grid 202 with a column of channel / content type identifiers 204, where each channel / content type identifier (cell in the column) identifies a different channel or type of content available; and (2) a row of time identifiers 206, where each time identifier (cell in the row) identifies the time slot of the program. Grid 202 also includes cells of program list items, such as program list item 208, where each list item provides the title of the program provided above the channel and time associated with the list item. Using a user input device, the user can select a program list item by moving a highlight area 210. Information about the program list item selected by the highlight area 210 may be provided in a program information area 212. Area 212 may include, for example, the program title, program content, the time the program is offered (if applicable), the channel on which the program is broadcast (if applicable), the program rating, and other desired information.

[0075] In addition to providing access to linear programming (e.g., content scheduled to be transmitted to multiple user devices at a given time and delivered according to that schedule), the Media Guide application also provides access to non-linear programming (e.g., content that is accessible to user devices at any time and is not delivered according to a schedule). Non-linear programming may include content from different content sources, including on-demand content (e.g., VOD), internet content (e.g., streaming media, downloadable media, etc.), locally stored content (e.g., content stored on any user device or other storage device as described above), or other content without time constraints. On-demand content may include movies or content from specific content providers (e.g., HBO On Demand, which provides "The Sopranos" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm"). HBO ON DEMAND may include movies or any other content provided by Demand. HBO ON DEMAND is a service mark owned by Time Warner Company LP et al., and THE SOPRANOS and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM are trademarks owned by Home Box Office, Inc. Internet content may include web events such as chat sessions or webcasts, or content available on demand as streaming or downloadable content through internet websites or other internet access (e.g., FTP).

[0076] Grid 202 may provide media guide data for non-linear programming, including on-demand list items 214, recorded content list items 216, and internet content list items 218. A display that combines media guide data for content from different types of content sources is sometimes referred to as a “mixed media” display. Various permutations of media guide data types that may be displayed differently from display 200 may be based on user selection or guide application definition (e.g., displaying only recorded and broadcast list items, displaying only on-demand and broadcast list items, etc.). As illustrated, list items 214, 216, and 218 are shown as spanning the entire time period displayed within grid 202, indicating that a selection of these list items may provide access to a display dedicated to on-demand list items, recorded list items, or internet list items, respectively. In some embodiments, list items of these content types may be directly included in grid 202. Additional media guide data may be displayed in response to a user selecting one of the navigation icons 220 (pressing arrow keys on a user input device may affect the display as well as selecting a navigation icon 220).

[0077] Display 200 may also include a video area 222 and an optional area 226. The video area 222 may allow the user to view and / or preview programs that are currently available to the user, will be available in the future, or have been available. The content of the video area 222 may correspond to or be independent of one of the list items displayed in grid 202. A grid display that includes a video area is sometimes referred to as a Picture-in-Guide (PIG) ​​display. PIG displays and their functionality are described in U.S. Patent No. 6,564,378 of Satterfield et al., issued May 13, 2003, and Yuen, issued May 29, 2001. This is described in more detail in U.S. Patent No. 6,239,794 by et al. (which is incorporated herein by reference as a whole). PIG displays may be included in other media guide application display screens of the embodiments described herein.

[0078] The options area 226 may allow the user to access different types of content, media guide application displays, and / or media guide application features. The options area 226 may be part of display 200 (and other display screens described herein) or may be invoked by the user by selecting an option on the screen or by pressing a dedicated or assignable button on a user input device. Selectable options within the options area 226 may relate to features related to program list items in grid 202 or include options available from the main menu display. Features related to program list items may include searching for other broadcast times or ways to receive programs, recording programs, enabling continuous recording of programs, setting programs and / or channels as favorites, purchasing programs, or other features. Options available from the main menu display may include search options, VOD options, parental control options, internet options, cloud-based options, device synchronization options, second screen device options, options to access various types of media guide data displays, options to subscribe to premium services, options to edit the user profile, options to access browser overlays, or other options.

[0079] The Media Guide application can be personalized based on user preferences. A personalized Media Guide application allows users to customize its display and features to generate a personalized “experience” using the Media Guide application. This personalized experience can be generated by allowing users to input these customizations and / or by the Media Guide application monitoring user activity to determine various user preferences. Users can access these personalized Guide applications by logging in or otherwise identifying themselves to the Guide application. Customizations of the Media Guide application can be created according to the user profile. Customizations may include changing the presentation method (e.g., display color scheme, text font size, etc.), aspects of the displayed content list items (e.g., HDTV programs only or 3D programs only, user-specified broadcast channels based on favorite channel selection, sorting of channel displays, recommended content, etc.), desired recording features (e.g., recording or continuous recording for a specific user, recording quality, etc.), parental control settings, customized presentation of internet content (e.g., presentation of social media content, emails, electronically distributed articles, etc.), and other desired customizations.

[0080] The Media Guide application may allow users to provide user profile information or may automatically compile user profile information. The Media Guide application may monitor, for example, the content users access and / or other interactions users may have with the guide application. In addition, the Media Guide application may obtain all or part of other user profiles related to a particular user (e.g., from other websites on the internet accessed by the user, such as www.Tivo.com, from other Media Guide applications accessed by the user, from other interactive applications accessed by the user, from other user devices of the user, etc.), and / or obtain information about the user from other sources that the Media Guide application may access. As a result, users can be provided with a unified guide application experience across their different user devices. This type of user experience is described in more detail below in relation to Figure 5. Additional personalized media guide application features are described in more detail in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005 / 0251827 of Ellis et al., filed July 11, 2005; U.S. Patent No. 7,165,098 of Boyer et al., issued January 16, 2007; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002 / 0174430 of Ellis et al., filed February 21, 2002 (which are incorporated herein by reference to them as a whole).

[0081] Another display array for providing a media guide is shown in Figure 3. The video mosaic display 300 includes selectable options 302 for content information organized based on content type, genre, and / or other organizing criteria. In display 300, the TV list item option 304 is selected and therefore provides list items 306, 308, 310, and 312 as broadcast program list items. In display 300, list items may provide graphic images containing cover art, still images from content, video clip previews, live video from content, or other types of content that show the user the content described by the media guide data in the list item. Each graphic list item may also be accompanied by text to provide further information about the content associated with the list item. For example, list item 308 may contain two or more parts, including a media section 314 and a text section 316. The media section 314 and / or text section 316 may be selectable to view the content in full screen or to browse information related to the content displayed in the media section 314 (for example, to browse a list item of the channel on which the video is displayed).

[0082] The list items within display 300 are of different sizes (i.e., list item 306 is larger than list items 308, 310, and 312), but all list items may be the same size, if desired. List items may be of different sizes or graphically highlighted to indicate the degree of user interest or to highlight certain content, as desired by the content provider or based on user preferences. Various systems and methods for graphically highlighting content list items are discussed, for example, in Yates' U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0153885, filed November 12, 2009 (which is incorporated herein by reference in whole).

[0083] A user may access the content and media guide application (as well as its display screen, as described above and below) from one or more of their user equipment devices. Figure 4 shows a general embodiment of an illustrative user equipment device 400. More specific implementations of the user equipment device are discussed below in relation to Figure 5. The user equipment device 400 may receive content and data via an input / output (hereinafter "I / O") path 402. The I / O path 402 may provide content (e.g., broadcast programs, on-demand programs, Internet content, content available over a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN), and / or other content) and data to a control circuit 404, which includes a processing circuit 406 and a storage device 408. The control circuit 404 may use the I / O path 402 to send and receive commands, requests, and other suitable data. The I / O path 402 may connect the control circuit 404 (specifically, the processing circuit 406) to one or more communication paths (described below). I / O functionality can be provided by one or more of these communication paths, but to avoid making the diagram too complex, it is shown as a single path in Figure 4.

[0084] The control circuit 404 may be based on any suitable processing circuit, such as the processing circuit 406. As used herein, the processing circuit is understood to mean a circuit based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc., and may include multicore processors (e.g., dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number of cores) or supercomputers. In some embodiments, the processing circuit may be distributed across multiple separate processors or processing units, for example, multiple processing units of the same type (e.g., two Intel Core i7 processors) or multiple different processors (e.g., an Intel Core i5 processor and an Intel Core i7 processor). In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 executes instructions for a media guide application stored in memory (i.e., storage device 408). Specifically, the control circuit 404 may be instructed by the media guide application to perform the functions discussed above and below. For example, the media guide application may provide the control circuit 404 with instructions for generating a media guide display. In some implementations, any action performed by the control circuit 404 may be based on instructions received from the media guide application.

[0085] In a client-server-based embodiment, the control circuit 404 may include a suitable communication circuit for communicating with a guide application server or other network or server. Instructions for performing the functionality described above may be stored on the guide application server. The communication circuit may include a cable modem, an Integrated Digital Network (ISDN) modem, a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) modem, a telephone modem, an Ethernet® card, a wireless modem for communication with other devices, or any other suitable communication circuit. Such communication may involve the Internet or any other suitable communication network or path (described in more detail in relation to Figure 5). In addition, the communication circuit may include a circuit that enables peer-to-peer communication between user equipment devices or communication between user equipment devices located in distant locations (described in more detail below).

[0086] Memory may be an electronic storage device provided as a storage device 408, which is part of the control circuit 404. As used herein, the terms “electronic storage device” or “storage device” should be understood to mean any device for storing electronic data, computer software, or firmware, such as random access memory, read-only memory, hard drives, optical drives, digital video disc (DVD) recorders, compact disc (CD) recorders, Blu-ray® disc (BD) recorders, Blu-ray® 3D disc recorders, digital video recorders (DVRs, or sometimes referred to as personal video recorders or PVRs), solid-state devices, quantum memory devices, game consoles, game media, or any other suitable fixed or removable storage devices, and / or any combination thereof. Storage device 408 may be used to store various types of content as described herein, and media guide data as described above. Non-volatile memory may also be used (for example, to start boot-up routines and other instructions). The cloud-based storage device described in relation to Figure 5 may be used to complement or replace the storage device 408.

[0087] The control circuit 404 may include video generation and tuning circuits, such as one or more analog tuners, one or more MPEG-2 decoders, or other digital decoding circuits, high-resolution tuners, or any other suitable tuning or video circuits, or combinations of such circuits. Encoding circuits (for example, for converting radio, analog, or digital signals to MPEG signals for storage) may also be provided. The control circuit 404 may also include scaling circuits for converting content up and down to a preferred output format of the user device 400. The circuit 404 may also include digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion circuits for converting between digital and analog signals. The tuning and encoding circuits may be used by the user device to receive and display, play back, or record content. The tuning and encoding circuits may also be used to receive guide data. For example, the circuits described herein, including tuning, video generation, encoding, decoding, encryption, decryption, scaling, and analog / digital circuits, may be implemented using software running on one or more general-purpose or specialized processors. Multiple tuners may be provided to handle simultaneous tuning functions (e.g., viewing and recording functions, picture-in-picture (PIP) functions, multiple tuner recording functions, etc.). If the storage device 408 is provided as a separate device from the user device 400, the tuning and encoding circuits (including multiple tuners) may be associated with the storage device 408.

[0088] The user may send commands to the control circuit 404 using the user input interface 410. The user input interface 410 may be any suitable user interface such as a remote control, mouse, trackball, keypad, keyboard, touchscreen, touchpad, stylus input, joystick, voice recognition interface, or other user input interface. The display 412 may be provided as a standalone device or integrated with other elements of the user equipment device 400. For example, the display 412 may be a touchscreen or a touch-sensitive display. In such a scenario, the user input interface 410 may be integrated with or combined with the display 412. The display 412 may be one or more of the following: monitors, televisions, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) for mobile devices, amorphous silicon displays, low-temperature polysilicon displays, electronic ink displays, electrophoretic displays, active matrix displays, electrowetting displays, electrofluidic displays, cathode ray tube displays, light-emitting diode displays, electroluminescent displays, plasma display panels, high-performance addressing displays, thin-film transistor displays, organic light-emitting diode displays, surface conduction electron emission displays (SEDs), laser televisions, carbon nanotubes, quantum dot displays, interference modulator displays, or any other suitable devices for displaying visual images. In some embodiments, the display 412 may be HDTV compatible. In some embodiments, the display 412 may be a 3D display, and interactive media guide applications and any suitable content may be displayed in 3D. A video card or graphics card may generate output to the display 412. The video card may provide various functions such as accelerating the rendering of 3D scenes and 2D graphics, MPEG-2 / MPEG-4 decoding, TV output, or the ability to connect multiple monitors. The video card may be any processing circuit described above in relation to the control circuit 404.The video card may be integrated with the control circuit 404. The speaker 414 may be provided as an integrated component with other elements of the user equipment device 400, or it may be a standalone unit. The audio components of video and other content displayed on the display 412 may be played through the speaker 414. In some embodiments, the audio may be distributed to a receiver (not shown) that processes and outputs the sound via the speaker 414.

[0089] The guide application can be implemented using any preferred architecture. For example, it may be a standalone application fully implemented on the user equipment device 400. In such an approach, the application's instructions are stored locally (e.g., in a storage device 408), and data for use by the application is downloaded periodically (e.g., from an out-of-band feed, from an internet resource, or using another preferred approach). The control circuit 404 may read the application's instructions from the storage device 408 and process the instructions to generate one of the displays discussed herein. Based on the processed instructions, the control circuit 404 may determine what action to take when input is received from the input interface 410. For example, moving the cursor up / down on the display may be indicated by the processed instructions when the input interface 410 indicates that the up / down button has been selected.

[0090] In some embodiments, the media guide application is a client-server based application. Data for use by a thick or thin client implemented on the user device 400 is retrieved on demand by issuing a request to a server located remotely from the user device 400. In one example of a client-server based guide application, the control circuit 404 launches a web browser that interprets a web page provided by the remote server. For example, the remote server may store instructions for the application in a storage device. The remote server may use the circuit (e.g., the control circuit 404) to process the stored instructions and generate the displays discussed above and below. The client device may receive the displays generated by the remote server and display the content of the displays locally on the device device 400. Thus, while the processing of instructions is performed remotely by the server, the resulting displays are provided locally on the device device 400. The device device 400 may receive input from the user via the input interface 410 and transmit those inputs to the remote server to process and generate the corresponding displays. For example, the device 400 may transmit a communication to a remote server indicating that the up / down button has been selected via the input interface 410. The remote server may process the command according to the input and generate an application display corresponding to the input (for example, a display to move the cursor up / down). The generated display is then transmitted to the device 400 for presentation to the user.

[0091] In some embodiments, the media guide application is downloaded, interpreted, or otherwise launched by an interpreter or virtual machine (launched by the control circuit 404). In some embodiments, the guide application may be encoded in ETV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF), received by the control circuit 404 as part of a preferred feed, and interpreted by a user agent launched on the control circuit 404. For example, the guide application may be an EBIF application. In some embodiments, the guide application may be defined by a set of Java®-based files received and launched by a local virtual machine or other preferred middleware executed by the control circuit 404. In some of such embodiments (e.g., those employing MPEG-2 or other digital media encoding schemes), the guide application The reference can be encoded and transmitted, for example, in an MPEG-2 object carousel using the program's MPEG audio and video packets.

[0092] The user equipment device 400 in Figure 4 can be implemented in the system 500 in Figure 5 as any other type of user equipment suitable for accessing content such as user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, wireless user communication device 506, or non-portable game consoles. For simplicity, these devices may be collectively referred to herein as user equipment or user equipment devices and may be substantially similar to the user equipment devices described above. User equipment devices on which media guide applications may be implemented may function as standalone devices or may be part of a network of devices. Various network configurations of devices may be implemented and will be discussed in more detail below.

[0093] User equipment devices that utilize at least some of the system features described above in relation to Figure 4 may not simply be classified as user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, or wireless user communication device 506. For example, user television equipment 502 may be internet-enabled, enabling access to internet content, like some user computer equipment 504, while user computer equipment 504 may include a tuner, enabling access to television programs, like some television equipment 502. The media guide application may have the same layout on various different types of user equipment, or it may be adapted to the display capabilities of the user equipment. For example, on user computer equipment 504, the guide application may be provided as a website accessed by a web browser. In another example, the guide application may be scaled down for wireless user communication device 506.

[0094] In System 500, typically there are two or more of each type of user equipment device, but to avoid making the diagram too complex, only one of each is shown in Figure 5. In addition, each user may utilize two or more types of user equipment devices, and may also utilize two or more of each type of user equipment device.

[0095] In some embodiments, user equipment devices (e.g., user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, wireless user communication device 506) may be referred to as “second screen devices.” For example, a second screen device may complement the content presented on the first user equipment device. The content presented on the second screen device may be any suitable content that complements the content presented on the first device. In some embodiments, the second screen device provides an interface for adjusting the settings and display preferences of the first device. In some embodiments, the second screen device is configured to interact with other second screen devices or with social networks. The second screen device may be located in the same room as the first device, in a different room but in the same house or building, or in a different building.

[0096] Users can also configure various settings to maintain consistent Media Guide application settings across home and remote devices. These settings include not only those described herein, but also favorite channels and programs, program preferences, display preferences, and other desired Guide settings that the Guide application uses to recommend programs. For example, if a user sets a channel as a favorite on their office personal computer, for instance, on the website www.Tivo.com, the same channel will appear as a favorite on the user's home devices (e.g., user television equipment and user computer equipment), and optionally on the user's mobile device. Therefore, changes made on one user device, whether identical or different types, can alter the Guide experience on another user device. In addition, changes made may be based not only on settings entered by the user, but also on user activity monitored by the Guide application.

[0097] User equipment devices may be coupled to the communication network 514. That is, user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, and wireless user communication device 506 are coupled to the communication network 514 via communication paths 508, 510, and 512, respectively. The communication network 514 may be one or more networks including the Internet, a mobile phone network, a mobile voice or data network (e.g., a 4G or LTE network), a cable network, a public switched telephone network, or other types of communication networks, or a combination of communication networks. Paths 508, 510, and 512 may, individually or together, include one or more communication paths such as a satellite path, a fiber optic path, a cable path, a path supporting Internet communications (e.g., IPTV), a free-space connection (e.g., for broadcast or other wireless signals), or any other suitable wired or wireless communication path, or a combination of such paths. In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 5, path 512 is drawn with a dashed line to indicate that it is a wireless path, and paths 508 and 510 are drawn with solid lines to indicate that they are wired paths (however, these paths may also be wireless paths, if desired). Communication with the user equipment device may be provided by one or more of these communication paths, but in Figure 5, they are shown as a single path to avoid making the drawing too complex.

[0098] Although communication paths are not depicted between user equipment devices, these devices may communicate directly with each other via other short-range point-to-point communication paths such as USB cables, IEEE 1394 cables, wireless paths (e.g., Bluetooth®, infrared, IEEE 802-11x, etc.), or other short-range communications via wired or wireless paths, as well as those described above in relation to paths 508, 510, and 512. BLUETOOTH® is a registered trademark of Bluetooth®. This is a certification mark owned by SIG, INC. User equipment devices can communicate directly with each other through an indirect path via the communication network 514.

[0099] System 500 includes a content source 516 and a media guide data source 518, respectively, connected to a communication network 514 via communication paths 520 and 522. Paths 520 and 522 may include any of the communication paths described above in relation to paths 508, 510, and 512. Communication with the content source 516 and the media guide data source 518 may occur via one or more communication paths, but in Figure 5, to avoid making the diagram too complex, it is shown as a single path. In addition, there may be two or more of each of the content source 516 and the media guide data source 518, but in Figure 5, to avoid making the diagram too complex, only one of each is shown. (Each of these different types of sources is discussed below). If desired, the content source 516 and the media guide data source 518 may be integrated as a single source device. Communication between sources 516 and 518 and user equipment devices 502, 504, and 506 is shown as occurring through the communication network 514, but in some embodiments, sources 516 and 518 may communicate directly with user equipment devices 502, 504, and 506 via communication paths (not shown) such as those described above in relation to paths 508, 510, and 512.

[0100] System 500 may also include an advertising source 524 connected to the communication network 514 via a communication path 526. Path 526 may include any of the communication paths described above in relation to paths 508, 510, and 512. The advertising source 524 may include advertising logic for determining which advertisements to transmit to a particular user and the circumstances under which they should be transmitted. For example, a cable operator may have the right to insert advertisements during specific time slots on a particular channel. Thus, the advertising source 524 may transmit advertisements to users during these time slots. As another example, the advertising source may target advertisements based on the demographics of users known to watch a particular program (e.g., teenagers watching reality shows). As yet another example, the advertising source may offer different advertisements depending on the location of the user's device viewing the media asset (e.g., East Coast or West Coast).

[0101] In some embodiments, the ad source 524 may be configured to maintain user information, including an ad suitability score associated with the user, in order to provide targeted advertisements. In addition, or alternatively, a server associated with the ad source 524 may be configured to store raw information that can be used to derive the ad suitability score. In some embodiments, the ad source 524 may transmit a request regarding the raw information to another device and calculate the ad suitability score. The ad source 524 may update the ad suitability score for a particular user (e.g., a first subset, a second subset, or a third subset of the user) and transmit advertisements for targeted products to the appropriate users.

[0102] Content source 516 may include one or more types of content distribution equipment, including television distribution facilities, cable system headends, satellite distribution facilities, program sources (e.g., television broadcasters such as NBC, ABC, and HBO), intermediate distribution facilities and / or servers, internet providers, on-demand media servers, and other content providers. NBC is a trademark owned by National Broadcasting Company, Inc., ABC is a trademark owned by American Broadcasting Company, Inc., and HBO is a trademark owned by Home Box Office, Inc. Content source 516 may be a source of content (e.g., a television broadcaster, a webcast provider, etc.) or not a source of content (e.g., an on-demand content provider, an internet provider of broadcast program content for download, etc.). Content source 516 may include cable sources, satellite providers, on-demand providers, internet providers, over-the-top content providers, or other content providers. Content source 516 may also include remote media servers used to store different types of content (including video content selected by the user) located remotely from any of the user equipment devices. Systems and methods for remote storage of content and for providing remotely stored content to user devices are discussed in more detail in relation to U.S. Patent No. 7,761,892 by Ellis et al., published July 20, 2010 (which is incorporated herein by reference to it as a whole).

[0103] The media guide data source 518 may provide media guide data, such as the media guide data described above. The media guide data may be provided to the user equipment device using any preferred approach. In some embodiments, the guide application may be a standalone interactive television program guide that receives program guide data via a data feed (e.g., a continuous feed or a trickle feed). Program schedule data and other guide data may be provided to the user equipment on the sidebands of television channels, using in-band digital signals, using out-of-band digital signals, or by any other preferred data transmission technique. Program schedule data and other media guide data may be provided to the user equipment on multiple analog or digital television channels.

[0104] In some embodiments, guide data from the media guide data source 518 may be provided to the user's device using a client-server approach. For example, the user's device may pull media guide data from the server, or the server may push media guide data to the user's device. In some embodiments, a guide application client residing on the user's device may initiate a session with source 518 and retrieve guide data as needed, for example, when the guide data is outdated or when the user's device receives a request from the user to receive the data. Media guides may be provided to the user's device at any preferred frequency (e.g., continuously, daily, at user-defined intervals, at system-defined intervals, in response to requests from the user's device, etc.). The media guide data source 518 may provide the user's device devices 502, 504, and 506 with the media guide application itself, or software updates for the media guide application.

[0105] In some embodiments, media guide data may include viewer data. For example, viewer data may include current and / or historical user activity information (e.g., content a user typically watches, the time a user watches content, whether a user interacts with social networks, the time a user interacts with social networks and posts information, the type of content a user typically watches (e.g., pay TV or free TV), mood, brain activity information, etc.). Media guide data may also include subscription data. For example, subscription data may identify sources or services a given user subscribes to and / or sources or services a given user previously subscribed to but later discontinued access to (e.g., whether a user subscribes to a premium channel, whether a user added a premium level service, whether a user accelerated their internet speed). In some embodiments, viewer data and / or subscription data may identify patterns of a given user over a period of more than one year. Media guide data may include models (e.g., survivor models) used to generate scores indicating the likelihood that a given user will discontinue access to a service / source. For example, a media guide application might process audience data along with subscription data using a model to generate a value or score indicating the likelihood that a given user will discontinue access to a particular service or source. In particular, a higher score may indicate a higher level of confidence that the user will discontinue access to a particular service or source. Based on the score, the media guide application might generate advertisements encouraging users to maintain access to a particular service or source indicated by the score as one that the user is likely to discontinue.

[0106] A media guide application can be, for example, a standalone application implemented on a user device. For example, a media guide application can be implemented as software or a set of executable instructions that can be stored in a storage device 408 and executed by a control circuit 404 of a user device 400. In some embodiments, a media guide application can be a client-server application, in which case only the client application resides on the user device, and the server application resides on a remote server. For example, a media guide application can be implemented partly as a client application on the control circuit 404 of the user device 400, and partly on a remote server as a server application (e.g., a media guide data source 518) that is launched on the control circuit of the remote server. When executed by the control circuit of the remote server (e.g., media guide data source 518), the media guide application can instruct the control circuit to generate a guide application display and transmit the generated display to the user device. The server application can instruct the control circuit of the media guide data source 518 to transmit data for storage on the user device. The client application may instruct the control circuit of the receiving user device to generate a guide application display.

[0107] The content and / or media guide data delivered to user equipment devices 502, 504, and 506 may be over-the-top (OTT) content. OTT content delivery enables Internet-enabled user devices, including any user equipment devices described above, to receive content transmitted over the Internet, including any content described above, in addition to content received over cable or satellite connections. OTT content is delivered over Internet connections provided by Internet service providers (ISPs), but third parties also distribute content. ISPs may not be responsible for viewing ability, copyright, or redistribution of content and may only transmit IP packets provided by OTT content providers. Examples of OTT content providers include YouTube®, Netflix, and Hulu, which deliver audio and video over IP packets. YouTube® is a trademark owned by Google Inc., Netflix is ​​a trademark owned by Netflix, Inc., and Hulu is a trademark owned by Hulu, LLC. OTT content providers may also, or alternatively, provide media guide data as described above. In addition to content and / or media guide data, OTT content providers may distribute media guide applications (e.g., web-based or cloud-based applications), or the content may be displayed by a media guide application stored on the user's device.

[0108] The media guide system 500 is intended to illustrate several approaches or network configurations so that user equipment devices and sources of content and guide data can communicate with each other for the purpose of accessing content and providing media guides. The embodiments described herein may be applied in any one or part of these approaches, or in systems employing other approaches for distributing content and providing media guides. The following four approaches provide specific illustrations of the general example shown in Figure 5.

[0109] In one approach, user equipment devices may communicate with each other within a home network. These user equipment devices may communicate directly with each other via short-range point-to-point communication methods as described above, via indirect paths through hubs or other similar devices provided on the home network, or via the communication network 514. Each of several individuals within a household may operate different user equipment devices on the home network. As a result, it may be desirable for various media guide information or settings to be communicated between different user equipment devices. For example, as described in more detail in U.S. Patent Publication 2005 / 0251827 of Ellis et al., filed July 11, 2005, it may be desirable for a user to maintain consistent media guide application settings on different user equipment devices within a home network. Different types of user equipment devices within a home network may also communicate with each other and transmit content. For example, a user may transmit content from a user computer device to a portable video player or portable music player.

[0110] In the second approach, a user may have multiple types of user devices, thereby accessing content and obtaining media guides. For example, some users may have a home network accessed by both in-home and mobile devices. Users may control their in-home devices via a media guide application implemented on a remote device. For example, a user may access an online media guide application on a website via their office personal computer or a mobile device such as a PDA or web-enabled mobile phone. Users may control their in-home devices by configuring various settings (e.g., recording, reminders, or other settings) on the online guide application. The online guide may control the user's devices directly or by communicating with the media guide application on the user's in-home devices. Various systems and methods for communication between user device devices located remotely from one another are discussed, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 8,046,801, issued October 25, 2011, by Ellis et al. (incorporated herein by reference to its entirety).

[0111] In the third approach, users of user devices inside and outside the home can communicate directly with the content source 516 and use its media guide application to access the content. Specifically, within the home, users of user television equipment 502 and user computer equipment 504 can access the media guide application to navigate between and find the desired content. Users can also use the wireless user communication device 506 to access the media guide application outside the home and navigate between and find the desired content.

[0112] In a fourth approach, user equipment devices may operate within a cloud computing environment and access cloud services. Within the cloud computing environment, various types of computing services for content sharing, storage, or distribution (e.g., video sharing sites or social networking sites) are provided by a collection of network-accessible computing and storage resources referred to as the “cloud.” For example, the cloud may include a collection of server computing devices that may be located centrally or in distributed locations, providing cloud-based services to various types of users and devices connected via a network such as the Internet via a communication network 514. These cloud resources may include one or more content sources 516 and one or more media guide data sources 518. In addition, or alternatively, remote computing sites may include other user equipment devices such as user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, and wireless user communication devices 506. For example, other user equipment devices may provide access to stored copies of video or streamed video. In such embodiments, user equipment devices may operate in a peer-to-peer manner without communicating with a central server.

[0113] The cloud provides users with access to any content described above, as well as access to services such as content storage, content sharing, or social networking services, among other examples. Services can be delivered within the cloud through cloud computing service providers or other providers of online services. For example, cloud-based services may include content storage services, content sharing sites, social networking sites, or other services through which user-supplied content is distributed for viewing by others on connected devices. These cloud-based services may enable users to store content in the cloud and receive content from the cloud, rather than storing and accessing content locally.

[0114] Users can record content using various content capture devices such as camcorders, digital cameras with video modes, audio recorders, mobile phones, and handheld computing devices. Users can upload content to a content storage service on the cloud either directly from, for example, user computer equipment 504 or from a wireless user communication device 506 with content capture capabilities. Alternatively, users can first transfer content to a user equipment device such as user computer equipment 504. The user equipment device storing the content uploads the content to the cloud using a data transmission service on the communication network 514. In some embodiments, the user equipment device itself is the cloud resource, and other user equipment devices can directly access the content from the user equipment device where the user has stored the content.

[0115] Cloud resources can be accessed by a user device using, for example, a web browser, a media guide application, a desktop application, a mobile application, and / or any combination thereof of access applications. A user device may be a cloud client that relies on cloud computing for application delivery, or it may have certain functionality without accessing cloud resources. For example, some applications launched on a user device may be cloud applications, i.e., applications delivered as a service over the internet, while other applications may be stored and launched on the user device. In some embodiments, a user device may receive content from multiple cloud resources simultaneously. For example, a user device may stream audio from one cloud resource while downloading content from a second cloud resource. Alternatively, a user device may download content from multiple cloud resources for more efficient downloading. In some embodiments, a user device may use cloud resources for processing operations, such as processing operations performed by processing circuits described in relation to Figure 4.

[0116] As used herein, the term "in response to" means "to be initiated as a result of." For example, a first action performed in response to a second action may include an intervening step between the first action and the second action. As used herein, the term "directly in response to" means "to be caused by." For example, a first action performed directly in response to a second action may not include an intervening step between the first action and the second action.

[0117] Figure 6 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process 600 for providing a user with recommendations according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 600 may be performed by control circuit 404 (for example, in a manner instructed to control circuit 404 by a media guide application). Control circuit 404 may be part of user equipment (e.g., user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, and / or wireless communication device 506) or a remote server located away from user equipment via a communication network 514. In some embodiments, any of steps 602-608 in Figure 6 may be optionally omitted. In some embodiments, any of steps 602-608 in Figure 6 may be performed in any order or simultaneously.

[0118] Process 600 begins with 602, and the control circuit 404 maintains a short media viewing profile for the user. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may store the short media viewing profile in a storage device 408. In some embodiments, the short media viewing profile may be stored in a media guide data source 518.

[0119] For example, the control circuit 404 may track the user's behavior during a period in which the user is consuming short media content (e.g., period 114). In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may then record the user's interactions in a short media viewing profile. For example, if the user requests other media content during these periods, the control circuit 404 may record metadata associated with the other media content in the short media viewing profile. The other media content may be requested by the user via any other user device, such as the user television device 502 or the user computer device 504. In another example, if the user interacts with an advertisement during these periods, the control circuit 404 may record metadata associated with that advertisement in the short media viewing profile. The advertisement may be presented on the user television device 502, on the display 100, or on any device of the user computer device 504. The user may interact with the advertisement via the user interface input 410, via the recommendation UI 118, or via input on any device of the user computer device 504.

[0120] Process 600 continues in 604, and the control circuit 404 maintains a long media viewing profile for the user. Steps 602 and 604 may be performed in any order or in parallel with each other. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may store the long media viewing profile in a storage device 408. In some embodiments, the long media viewing profile may be stored in a media guide data source 518.

[0121] For example, the control circuit 404 may track the user's behavior during periods in which the user is consuming long-form media content (e.g., period 112). In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may then record the user's interactions in a long-form media viewing profile. For example, if the user requests other media content during these periods, the control circuit 404 may record metadata associated with the other media content in the long-form media viewing profile. The other media content may be requested by the user via any other user device, such as the user television device 502 or the user computer device 504. In another example, if the user interacts with an advertisement during these periods, the control circuit 404 may record metadata associated with that advertisement in the long-form media viewing profile. The advertisement may be presented on the user television device 502, on the display 100, or on any device of the user computer device 504. The user may interact with the advertisement via the user interface input 410, via the recommendation UI 118, or via input on any device of the user computer device 504.

[0122] Process 600 continues in 606, where the control circuit 404 provides the user with recommendations (e.g., recommendation 116) based on the short media viewing profile. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may provide such recommendations in response to determining that the user is currently engaged in viewing short media content. For example, if the control circuit 404 determines that the user is currently engaged in viewing short media content (e.g., during period 114), the control circuit 404 may use the short media viewing profile to provide recommendations for display.

[0123] In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may select recommendations that have metadata matching the recommendation metadata stored in the short media viewing profile. For example, if the short media viewing profile includes the stored metadata keyword "pizza", the control circuit 404 may select recommendations (e.g., Domino's Pizza advertisements) that have metadata matching the stored metadata (e.g., metadata keyword "pizza"). The control circuit 404 may then provide the selected recommendations for display. In one example, the control circuit 404 may provide Domino's Pizza advertisements on the display 100, on the user television device 502, or on the user computer device 504.

[0124] Process 600 continues in 608, where the control circuit 404 provides the user with a recommendation (e.g., recommendation 116) based on the long media viewing profile. In some embodiments, steps 606 and 608 may be performed in any order. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may provide such a recommendation in response to determining that the user is currently engaged in viewing long media content. For example, if the control circuit 404 determines that the user is currently engaged in viewing long media content (e.g., during period 112), the control circuit 404 may use the long media viewing profile and provide a recommendation for display.

[0125] In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may select recommendations that have metadata matching recommendation metadata stored in a long media viewing profile. For example, if the long media viewing profile includes the stored metadata keyword "car", the control circuit 404 may select recommendations (e.g., advertisements for Ford cars) that have metadata matching the stored metadata (e.g., metadata keyword "car"). The control circuit 404 may then provide the selected recommendations for display. In one example, the control circuit 404 may provide advertisements for Ford cars on the display 100, on the user television equipment 502, or on the user computer equipment 504.

[0126] Figure 7 depicts another illustrative flowchart of process 700 for providing a user with recommendations according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 700 may be performed by control circuit 404 (for example, in a manner instructed to control circuit 404 by a media guide application). Control circuit 404 may be part of user equipment (e.g., user television equipment 502, user computer equipment 504, and / or wireless communication device 506) or a remote server located away from user equipment via a communication network 514. In some embodiments, any of steps 702-726 in Figure 7 may be optionally omitted. In some embodiments, any of steps 702-726 in Figure 7 may be performed in any order or simultaneously.

[0127] Process 700 begins with steps 702-704 and 706-708. In some embodiments, the sequence of steps 702, 704 and 706, 708 may be performed in any order or may be scattered from one another.

[0128] In 702, the control circuit 404 tracks the user's behavior while the user is engaged in viewing short media content (e.g., during period 114). For example, the control circuit 404 may track the user's behavior when the user is viewing media content shorter than a certain length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes). In some embodiments, any other length threshold may be used.

[0129] In 704, the control circuit 404 may generate a short media viewing profile based on the user's behavior tracked while the user was engaged in viewing short media content (e.g., during period 114). In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may track the user's requests for other media content (e.g., the user's requests for other videos via the user television device 502), or the user's requests for other data (e.g., the user's requests for web pages via the user computer device 504), or any of the user's interactions with content (e.g., requests for trick play modes via the user interface 410) or the user's interactions with advertisements provided (e.g., the user clicking on a pop-up advertisement). The tracked behavior may be used by the control circuit 404 to generate recommendation metadata, which is then stored in the short media viewing profile.

[0130] In 706, the control circuit 404 tracks the user's behavior while the user is engaged in viewing long-form media content (e.g., during period 112). For example, the control circuit 404 may track the user's behavior when the user is viewing media content that is equal to or longer than a certain length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes).

[0131] In 708, the control circuit 404 may generate a long media viewing profile based on the user's behavior tracked while the user was engaged in viewing long media content (e.g., during period 112). In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may track the user's requests for other media content (e.g., the user's requests for other videos via the user's television device 502), or the user's requests for other data (e.g., the user's requests for web pages via the user's computer device 504), or any of the user's interactions with content (e.g., requests for trick play modes via the user interface 410) or the user's interactions with advertisements provided (e.g., the user clicking on a pop-up advertisement). The tracked behavior may be used by the control circuit 404 to generate recommendation metadata, which is then stored in the long media viewing profile.

[0132] Process 700 continues in 710, and circuit 404 provides media content to the user device. For example, a media guide application launched on control circuit 404 may generate media content for display on the display 412 of the user television device 502. The media content may be generated for display as a result of the user device being powered on via an explicit user selection to play video, or by any other trigger event.

[0133] Process 700, following 712, involves the control circuit 404 comparing the length of the media content to a length threshold. For example, the length threshold may be preset to a certain time value (e.g., 15 minutes). The control circuit 404 may dynamically generate the length threshold based on factors including at least one of the following: user profile, metadata of the provided media content, popularity of the media content, and type of media content, or any combination thereof. For example, the control circuit 404 may set different length thresholds for news videos and for videos depicting fictional content. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may read the length of the media content from a media content data source 516 or a media guide data source 518.

[0134] In some embodiments, the length threshold may be set differently for different users. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may set the length threshold differently depending on the user's demographic information. For example, the control circuit 404 may set the length threshold lower (e.g., 5 minutes) for younger users (e.g., users under 10 years old) and higher (e.g., 15 minutes) for older users.

[0135] If, following step 714, the media content length corresponds to (e.g., equal to or greater than) a length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes), then process 700 may proceed to steps 716-720. Alternatively, if the media content length does not correspond to (e.g., is not equal to or greater than) a length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes), then process 700 may proceed to steps 722-726.

[0136] In 716, the control circuit 404 may activate a long media viewing profile. That is, while a long media viewing profile is active, the control circuit 404 may modify the viewing profile based on the user's tracked behavior. In some embodiments, the recommendations provided by the control circuit 404 will also be based on the activated long media viewing profile.

[0137] In 718, the control circuit 404 may select a recommended item. For example, the recommended item may be selected from the media guide data source 518 (for example, if the recommended item is associated with media content) or from the advertising source 524 (for example, if the recommended item is associated with an advertisement).

[0138] In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may select a recommended item such that its metadata matches at least one recommended metadata in the long media viewing profile. For example, the control circuit 404 may match keywords associated with a media content database stored in the media guide data source 518. In another example, the control circuit 404 may match keywords associated with an advertising database stored in the advertising source 524. If the metadata of a recommended item sufficiently matches at least some of the metadata stored in the long media viewing profile, the control circuit 404 may select that recommended item for presentation.

[0139] In 720, the control circuit 404 may provide recommended items to the user device. For example, recommended items may be displayed on display 100 as recommendation 116. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may provide recommended items to the user computer equipment 504.

[0140] In 722, the control circuit 404 may activate a short media viewing profile. That is, while a short media viewing profile is active, the control circuit 404 may modify the viewing profile based on the user's tracked behavior. In some embodiments, the recommendations provided by the control circuit 404 will also be based on the activated short media viewing profile.

[0141] In 724, the control circuit 404 may select a recommended item. For example, the recommended item may be selected from the media guide data source 518 (for example, if the recommended item is associated with media content) or from the advertising source 524 (for example, if the recommended item is associated with an advertisement).

[0142] In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may select a recommended item such that its metadata matches at least one recommended metadata in a short media viewing profile. For example, the control circuit 404 may match keywords associated with a media content database stored in the media guide data source 518. In another example, the control circuit 404 may match keywords associated with an advertising database stored in the advertising source 524. If the metadata of a recommended item sufficiently matches at least some of the metadata stored in a short media viewing profile, the control circuit 404 may select that recommended item for presentation.

[0143] In 726, the control circuit 404 may provide recommended items to the user device. For example, a recommended item may be displayed on display 100 as recommendation 116. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may provide recommended items to the user computer equipment 504.

[0144] Figure 8 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process 800 for generating a short media viewing profile according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 800 may be performed by the control circuit 404 in a manner instructed to the control circuit 404 by, for example, a media guide application. In some embodiments, process 800 may be performed as part of block 704. In some embodiments, any of steps 802-808 in Figure 8 may be optionally omitted. In some embodiments, any of steps 802-808 in Figure 8 may be performed in any order or simultaneously.

[0145] Process 800 begins at 802, and the control circuit 404 may determine that the user is viewing short media content. For example, the control circuit 404 may determine that the content currently being provided to the media device has a length that does not exceed a certain threshold (e.g., 15 minutes). In response to this determination, the control circuit 404 may proceed to block 804.

[0146] Process 800, following 804, allows the control circuit 404 to monitor user requests regarding content during or immediately after the time the short media content is being played. For example, the control circuit 404 may analyze any requests regarding web pages or any other data relating to media content generated by the user via either the user television device 502 or the user computer device 504.

[0147] Process 800, following 806, allows the control circuit 404 to store metadata associated with the user request. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may generate or modify a short media viewing profile to include multiple recommendation metadata. For example, recommendation metadata may be generated by copying the metadata of the content requested by the user. For example, if a user requests the music video "Thriller" while viewing short media content (e.g., during period 114), the control circuit 404 may store the metadata associated with that music video in the short media viewing profile as recommendation metadata. In this example, the control circuit 404 may store keywords such as "Thriller," "Michael Jackson," and "pop music" in the short media viewing profile as recommendation metadata. In another example, if a user requests the website www.toyota.com while viewing short media content (e.g., during period 114), the control circuit 404 may store the metadata associated with that website in the short media viewing profile as recommendation metadata. In this example, the control circuit 404 may store keywords such as "Toyota" or "car" as recommended metadata in a short media viewing profile.

[0148] Figure 9 depicts another illustrative flowchart of a process 900 for generating a short media viewing profile according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 900 may be performed by the control circuit 404 in a manner instructed to the control circuit 404 by, for example, a media guide application. In some embodiments, process 900 may be performed as part of block 704. In some embodiments, any of steps 902-908 in Figure 6 may be optionally omitted. In some embodiments, any of steps 902-908 in Figure 9 may be performed in any order or simultaneously.

[0149] Process 900 begins at 902, and the control circuit 404 may determine that the user is viewing short media content. For example, the control circuit 404 may determine that the content currently being provided to the media device has a length that does not exceed a certain threshold (e.g., 15 minutes). In response to this determination, the control circuit 404 may proceed to block 904.

[0150] Process 900, following 904, allows the control circuit 404 to deliver advertisements to the user device during or immediately after the short media content is being played. For example, the control circuit 404 may read advertisements from the advertisement source 524 and deliver them to the user television device 502 or the user computer device 504.

[0151] Process 900, following 906, allows the control circuit 404 to monitor the user's response to the advertisement. For example, the control circuit 404 may track whether the user clicked on the advertisement or otherwise interacted with it via the user input interface 410 or via the user computer device 504. The control circuit 404 may also track whether the user ignored or closed the advertisement. In some embodiments, if the control circuit 404 determines that the user has responded favorably to the advertisement (for example, if the advertisement was clicked), the control circuit 404 may proceed to block 908.

[0152] Process 900, following 908, allows the control circuit 404 to store metadata associated with the advertisement. For example, if a user responds favorably to an advertisement about Domino's Pizza, the control circuit 404 may store the keywords "pizza," "Domino's," or "takeout" as recommendation metadata within a short media viewing profile.

[0153] Figure 10 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process 1000 for generating a long media viewing profile according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1000 may be executed by the control circuit 404 in a manner instructed to the control circuit 404 by, for example, a media guide application. In some embodiments, process 800 may be carried out as part of block 704. In some embodiments, any of steps 1002-1006 in Figure 10 may be optionally omitted. In some embodiments, any of steps 1002-1008 in Figure 10 may be carried out in any order or simultaneously.

[0154] Process 1000 begins at 1002, and the control circuit 404 may determine that the user is viewing long media content. For example, the control circuit 404 may determine that the content currently being provided to the media device has a length exceeding a certain threshold (e.g., 15 minutes). In response to this determination, the control circuit 404 may proceed to block 1004.

[0155] Process 1000, following 1004, allows the control circuit 404 to monitor user requests regarding content during or immediately after the time when the long media content is being played. For example, the control circuit 404 may analyze any requests regarding media content, web pages, or any other data generated by the user via either the user television device 502 or the user computer device 504.

[0156] Process 1000, following 1006, allows the control circuit 404 to store metadata associated with the user request. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may generate or modify the long media viewing profile to include multiple recommendation metadata. For example, recommendation metadata may be generated by copying the metadata of the content requested by the user. For example, if a user requests the movie video "Titanic" while watching long media content (e.g., during period 112), the control circuit 404 may store the metadata associated with that movie in the long media viewing profile as recommendation metadata. In this example, the control circuit 404 may store keywords such as "Titanic," "Leonardo DiCaprio," and "romance movie" in the long media viewing profile as recommendation metadata. In another example, if a user requests the website www.subway.com while watching long media content (e.g., during period 112), the control circuit 404 may store the metadata associated with that website in the long media viewing profile as recommendation metadata. In this example, the control circuit 404 may store keywords such as "sandwich" or "sub" within the long media viewing profile as recommended metadata.

[0157] Figure 11 depicts another illustrative flowchart of process 1100 for generating a long media viewing profile according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1100 may be performed by control circuit 404 in a manner in which it is instructed to be performed by, for example, a media guide application. In some embodiments, process 1100 may be performed as part of block 708. In some embodiments, any of steps 1102-1108 in Figure 11 may be optionally omitted. In some embodiments, any of steps 1102-1108 in Figure 11 may be performed in any order or simultaneously.

[0158] Process 1100 begins at 1102, and the control circuit 404 may determine that the user is viewing long media content. For example, the control circuit 404 may determine that the content currently being provided to the media device is longer than a certain threshold (e.g., 15 minutes). In response to this determination, the control circuit 404 may proceed to block 1104.

[0159] Process 1100, following 1104, allows the control circuit 404 to deliver advertisements to the user device during or immediately after the playback of long-form media content. For example, the control circuit 404 may read advertisements from the advertisement source 524 and deliver them to the user's television device 502 or the user's computer device 504.

[0160] Process 1100, following 1106, allows the control circuit 404 to monitor the user's response to the advertisement. For example, the control circuit 404 may track whether the user clicked on the advertisement or otherwise interacted with it via the user input interface 410 or via the user computer device 504. The control circuit 404 may also track whether the user ignored or closed the advertisement. In some embodiments, if the control circuit 404 determines that the user has responded favorably to the advertisement (for example, if the advertisement was clicked), the control circuit 404 may proceed to block 1108.

[0161] Process 1100, following 1108, allows the control circuit 404 to store metadata associated with the advertisement. For example, if a user responds favorably to an advertisement about a Ford car, the control circuit 404 may store the keyword "Ford," or "car," or "sedan" as recommendation metadata within the long media viewing profile.

[0162] FIG. 12 depicts an illustrative flow diagram of a process 1200 for activating either a long media viewing profile or a short media viewing profile according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The process 1200 may be executed by the control circuit 404 in a manner commanded by, for example, a media guide application. In some embodiments, the process 1200 may be implemented as part of either block 716 or 722. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may activate either a short media viewing profile or a long media viewing profile without determining the length of the media content (e.g., at block 712). In some embodiments, any of steps 1202-1214 of FIG. 12 may optionally be omitted. In some embodiments, any of steps 1202-1214 of FIG. 12 may be performed in any order or simultaneously.

[0163] The process 1200 begins with blocks 1202, 1203, 1204, 1205, 1206, and 1207. In some embodiments, the process 1200 may perform any one or any combination of these blocks in any order or simultaneously.

[0164] <l [[ID=S]]At 1202, the control circuit 404 may analyze time data. For example, the control circuit 404 may determine the current time and the current date. For example, the control circuit 404 may read the time data from the user television device 502, the user computer device 504, or an internal clock.

[0165] In 1203, the control circuit 404 can analyze any type of data about the user and determine the activity the user is currently engaged in. For example, calendar data and reservation data can be used by the control circuit 404 to determine the activities scheduled by the user at that time. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 can determine whether the user is walking, jogging, or driving based on calendar data. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 can determine the user's activity based on location (e.g., GPS) data. For example, the user's speed can be used to determine whether the user is walking, jogging, or driving. In some embodiments, the user's current request can be used to determine the user's activity. For example, if the user opens a recipe web page and keeps it open for a period of time, the control circuit 404 can determine that the user is engaged in a cooking activity. In some embodiments, any other data can be used to determine any other user activity.

[0166] In 1204, the control circuit 404 can analyze the user's location. For example, the control circuit 404 can determine the user's location based on the IP address of the user computer device 504. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 can read GPS data from the user computer device 504 and determine the user's location.

[0167] <000,0908>In 1205, the control circuit 404 can monitor and analyze the user's viewing behavior. For example, the control circuit 404 can monitor the user's trick play mode request. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 can monitor whether the user frequently pauses the media content currently being viewed. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 can analyze whether the user suddenly stops viewing long media content.

[0168] In 1206, the control circuit 404 may analyze the user's search input. For example, the control circuit 404 may track recent search inputs received from the user computer device 504. For example, if the user is searching for "car dealerships," the control circuit 404 may analyze the content of that search.

[0169] In 1207, the control circuit 404 may receive an explicit profile selection input from the user, for example, via the user input interface 410. For example, the user may explicitly select the option "long mode" or the option "short mode" (for example, via radio button input).

[0170] Process 1200, following 1208, determines whether the user is in the mood to watch long-form or short-form media content based on the analysis of one or more of blocks 1202-1206. For example, control circuit 404 may have data (e.g., in storage device 408) indicating that the user is in the mood to watch long-form media content on a weekend evening. In this example, if it is determined (e.g., in block 1202) that the current time is 8:15 p.m. on a Saturday or Sunday, control circuit 404 may determine that the user is in the mood to watch long-form media content. In another example, control circuit 404 may have data indicating that the user is in the mood to watch short-form media content when the user is at work (e.g., on a lunch break). In this example, if it is determined (e.g., in block 1204) that the current location of the user is the user's workplace, control circuit 404 may determine that the user is in the mood to watch short-form media content. In another example, if the control circuit 404 (for example, in 1206) determines that a user is searching for long-form media, the control circuit 404 may determine that the user is in the mood to watch long-form media content.

[0171] In another example, the control circuit 404 may have data indicating the user's current activity, such as that detected in block 1203. In some embodiments, certain activities (e.g., taking a long walk, relaxing at home) may be associated with a mood to watch long-form media content. In some embodiments, certain activities (e.g., jogging, cooking) may be associated with a mood to watch short-form media content. As a result, the control circuit 404 may determine, based on the user's activity, that the user is in the mood to watch long or short-form media content.

[0172] In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may determine that the user is in the mood to watch long or short media content, based on the user's viewing behavior monitored in block 1205. For example, if the user frequently pauses and resumes playback of media content, the control circuit 404 may determine that the user is in the mood to watch short media content. In another example, if the user suddenly stops playback of long media content, the control circuit 404 may determine that the user is in the mood to watch short media content.

[0173] In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may determine, based on the input received in step 1207, that the user is in the mood to watch long or short media content. For example, if the user explicitly selects "long mode" via the user interface, the control circuit 404 may determine that the user is in the mood to watch long media content. In another example, if the user explicitly selects "short mode" via the user interface, the control circuit 404 may determine that the user is in the mood to watch short media content.

[0174] Process 1200 proceeds to 1210, and if the user is in the mood to watch long-form media content, the control circuit 404 may proceed to 1212. If the user is in the mood to watch short-form media content, the control circuit 404 may proceed to 1214.

[0175] In 1212, the control circuit 404 may activate a long media viewing profile. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may then perform steps 718 and 720 in Figure 7.

[0176] In 1214, the control circuit 404 may activate a short media viewing profile. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may then perform steps 724 and 726 of Figure 7.

[0177] Figure 13 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process 1300 for providing recommended items to a user device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1300 may be performed by the control circuit 404 in a manner instructed to the control circuit 404, for example, by a media guide application. In some embodiments, process 1300 may be performed as part of either block 718 or 724. In some embodiments, any of steps 1302–1312 in Figure 13 may be optionally omitted. In some embodiments, any of steps 1302–1312 in Figure 13 may be performed in any order or simultaneously. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may select a recommended item based on the length of the media item associated with that recommended item.

[0178] Process 1300 begins with the control circuit 404 determining the active profile 1302. For example, a status indicating the active profile may be maintained in the storage device 408.

[0179] Process 1300 continues at 1304, and the control circuit 404 proceeds to 1306 if a short media viewing profile is active, or to 1310 if a long media viewing profile is active.

[0180] In 1306, the control circuit 404 may select short recommendation items associated with the second short media content. In some embodiments, when a short media viewing profile is active, the control circuit 404 may select only recommendation items associated with short media content. That is, the control circuit 404 may provide recommendations only for media content shorter than a certain length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes).

[0181] In 1308, the control circuit 404 may provide the user device with a short recommended item. This may be done in the manner described in relation to block 720.

[0182] In 1310, the control circuit 404 may select long-form recommendation items associated with the second long-form media content. In some embodiments, when a long-form media viewing profile is active, the control circuit 404 may select only recommendation items associated with long-form media content. That is, the control circuit 404 may provide recommendations only for media content longer than a certain length threshold (e.g., 15 minutes).

[0183] In 1312, the control circuit 404 may provide the user device with a long recommended item. This may be done in the manner described in relation to block 726.

[0184] Figure 14 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of process 1400 for providing recommendations according to several embodiments of the present disclosure to a user device. Process 1400 may be executed by the control circuit 404 in a manner in which it is instructed, for example, by a media guide application. In some embodiments, process 1400 may be carried out as part of either block 720 or 726. In some embodiments, any of steps 1402–1420 in Figure 14 may be optionally omitted. In some embodiments, any of steps 1402–1420 in Figure 14 may be carried out in any order or simultaneously.

[0185] Process 1400 begins from 1402, in which the control circuit 404 maintains a list of recommended media content. For example, the list may contain two or more media content items (e.g., the music video for "Beat It" followed by the music video for "Thriller"). In some embodiments, the list may be ordered, i.e., each media content item in the list may be assigned a priority. For example, the music video for "Thriller" may be given a priority of "1", i.e., the music video for "Thriller" may be first on the list. In another example, the music video for "Beat It" may be given a priority of "2", i.e., the music video for "Beat It" may be second on the list. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may provide the media content to the user device in the order defined by the list. For example, if there are no different instructions, the control circuit 404 may first provide the user device with a first media content from the list (e.g., the music video "Thriller"), and when that media content is finished, provide the user device with a second media content from the list (e.g., the music video "Beat It"). In another embodiment, once media content is provided to the user device, it is removed from the playback list. In this case, the first item on the list is always provided to the user device.

[0186] Process 1400 continues at 1404, and control circuit 404 proceeds to 1406 if a short media viewing profile is active, or to 1414 if a long media viewing profile is active. This determination can be made in a manner similar to that described in connection with block 1302.

[0187] Process 1400 continues at 1406, and control circuit 404 may adjust a list of recommended media content based on the short media viewing profile. For example, control circuit 404 may add content items to a playback list based on recommended metadata included within the short media viewing profile. In some embodiments, control circuit 404 may add content to the list from media content source 516 or media guide data source 518. In some embodiments, control circuit 404 may add content to the list from a third-party media content source (e.g., a third-party website such as YOUTUBE™).

[0188] In some embodiments, in addition to matching recommended metadata within the short media viewing profile, control circuit 404 may add content to the list based on other factors. For example, when the short media viewing profile is active, control circuit 404 may check for other short media recently viewed or liked by the user's friends and add that short media to the list. In some embodiments, when the short media viewing profile is active, control circuit 404 may identify short media content of a type similar to the currently offered media content. For example, if the user is viewing a music video, control circuit 404 may identify music video short media content and add it to the list. In some embodiments, control circuit 404 may also add at least one long media content item to the list.

[0189] Process 1400 continues in 1408, and the control circuit 404 may sort the list of recommended media content based on short media viewing profiles. For example, the control circuit 404 may sort the list to present shorter media content with higher ratings on the list, while longer media content may be presented with lower ratings on the list. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may sort the list based on other factors, for example, based on the popularity of the media content.

[0190] Process 1400 continues in 1410, and the control circuit 404 may provide the user device with a list of recommended media content. For example, the list may be provided on display 100 as recommendation 116. In some embodiments, the list is provided while media content is still being provided. In some embodiments, the list is provided immediately after (or shortly after) the current media content has finished.

[0191] Process 1400 continues in 1412, and the control circuit 404 may provide the selected media content to the user device based on the user's selection from the list. For example, the user may select at least one media content item from the list using, for example, the user interface input 410. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may then provide the selected media content to the user device after the presentation of the current media content is complete.

[0192] Process 1400 may, alternatively, continue at 1414 after block 1404, where the control circuit 404 may adjust the list of recommended media content based on the long media viewing profile. For example, the control circuit 404 may add content items to the playlist based on the recommendation metadata contained within the long media viewing profile. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may add content to the list from a media content source 516 or a media guide data source 518. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may add content to the list from a third-party media content source (e.g., a third-party website such as YouTube®).

[0193] In some embodiments, in addition to matching recommended metadata within the long media viewing profile, the control circuit 404 may add content to the list based on other factors. For example, when the long media viewing profile is active, the control circuit 404 may check for other long media recently watched or liked by the user's friends and add that long media to the list. In some embodiments, when the long media viewing profile is active, the control circuit 404 may identify long media content of a similar type to the media content currently being offered. For example, if the user is watching a romance movie, the control circuit 404 may identify other long romance movie media content and add it to the list. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may also add at least one short media content to the list.

[0194] Process 1400 continues in 1416, and the control circuit 404 may sort the list of recommended media content based on the long media viewing profile. For example, the control circuit 404 may sort the list to present longer media content on the list, while shorter media content may be presented less frequently. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may sort the list based on other factors, such as recommendations or preferences of the user's friends.

[0195] Process 1400 continues in 1418, and the control circuit 404 may provide the user device with a list of recommended media content. For example, the list may be provided on display 100 as recommendation 116. In some embodiments, the list is provided while the current media content is still being provided. In some embodiments, the list is provided immediately after (or shortly after) the current media content has finished.

[0196] Process 1400 continues in 1420, and the control circuit 404 may provide the selected media content to the user device based on the user's selection from the list. For example, the user may select at least one media content item from the list, for example, using the recommendation UI 118. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may then provide the selected media content to the user device after the presentation of the current media content is complete.

[0197] Figure 15 illustrates an illustrative flowchart of a process 1500 for providing a recommended item to a user device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 1500 may be executed by the control circuit 404 in a manner instructed to the control circuit 404 by, for example, a media guide application. In some embodiments, process 1400 may be carried out as part of either block 720 or 726. In some embodiments, any of steps 1502–1506 in Figure 15 may be optionally omitted. In some embodiments, any of steps 1502–1506 in Figure 15 may be carried out in any order or simultaneously. In some embodiments, in relation to process 1500, the recommended item may comprise media content.

[0198] Process 1500 begins from 1502, and the control circuit 404 maintains the playlist. The playlist may comprise an ordered data structure of recommended items (e.g., recommended media content items). In some embodiments, the playlist may include multiple movies or other videos. For example, the playlist may include the movie "Titanic" and the music video "Thriller". For example, the movie "Titanic" may be given priority "1". In another example, the music video "Thriller" may be given priority "2". In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may provide media content to the user device in the order defined by the list. For example, if no different instructions are given, the control circuit 404 may automatically provide the first media content on the list (e.g., the movie "Titanic") to the user device, and upon completion of that media content, it may automatically provide the second media content on the list (e.g., the music video "Thriller") to the user device. In some embodiments, any number of media content items, both long and short, may be included in the playlist.

[0199] Process 1500 continues in 1504, and the control circuit 404 adjusts the playback list based on the activated viewing profile. In some embodiments, a long media viewing profile may be activated (for example, in block 716). In some embodiments, a short media viewing profile may be activated (for example, in block 722).

[0200] In some embodiments, when a short media viewing profile is active, the control circuit 404 may add one or more short media content items to the playlist. In some embodiments, in addition, or alternatively, the control circuit 404 may sort the playlist so that short media content items are assigned a higher priority than long media content items. For example, the playlist may be modified so that the music video "Thriller" (short media content) is given a higher priority on the playlist than the movie "Titanic" (long media content).

[0201] In some embodiments, when a long media viewing profile is active, the control circuit 404 may add one or more long media content items to the playlist. In some embodiments, in addition, or alternatively, the control circuit 404 may sort the playlist so that long media content items are assigned a higher priority than short media content items. For example, the playlist may be modified so that the movie "Titanic" (long media content) is given a higher priority on the playlist than the music video "Thriller" (short media content).

[0202] Process 1500 continues in 1506, and the control circuit 404 automatically provides the next media content to the user device based on the order defined in the playback list. In some embodiments, the playback list may be provided for display to the user, for example, as recommendation 116 on display 100. In some embodiments, the playback list may be visible to the user and maintained internally by the control circuit 404.

[0203] In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may automatically provide the user with the next media content item with the highest priority after the presentation of the current media content (e.g., the media content provided in step 710) is complete. In some embodiments, the control circuit 404 may automatically provide the next media content to the user device without receiving any user input of any kind. For example, once the presentation of the current media content is complete, the control circuit 404 may begin providing the user device with the movie "Titanic" (the first item in the playlist) without any user input or confirmation of any kind.

[0204] It should be noted that processes 600-1500 or any step thereof may be performed on or provided by any of the devices shown or described in relation to Figures 4-5. For example, either process 600 or process 700 may be performed by the control circuit 404 (Figure 4) as instructed by a media guide application implemented on user devices 502, 504, and / or 506 (Figure 5). In addition, one or more steps of processes 600 and 700 may be incorporated into or combined with one or more steps of any other process or embodiment.

[0205] Each step or description in Figure 6-15 is intended to be used in conjunction with any other embodiments of this disclosure. Some steps or descriptions in each of Figure 6-15 are optional and may be omitted in some embodiments. In addition, the steps and descriptions described in relation to Figure 6-15 may be performed in an alternative order or in parallel to facilitate the purposes of this disclosure. For example, each of these steps may be performed in any order, in parallel, or substantially simultaneously to reduce delays in the system or method or to increase speed. Furthermore, it should be noted that any of the devices or equipment discussed in relation to Figure 4-5 may be used to perform one or more of the steps in Figure 6-15.

[0206] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the methods relating to this disclosure may be embodied in computer program products including computer-usable and / or readable media. For example, such computer-usable media may consist of a read-only memory device such as a CD-ROM disk or a conventional ROM device, or a random-access memory such as a hard drive device or computer diskette having computer-readable program code stored thereon. It should also be understood that the methods, techniques, and processes relating to this disclosure may be performed using processing circuits. The processing circuits may be, for example, a general-purpose processor in user equipment 400, media content source 516, or media guide data source 518, a customized integrated circuit (e.g., ASIC), or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0207] The process discussed above in Figure 6-15 is intended to be illustrative, not restrictive. Those skilled in the art will understand that the steps of the process in Figure 6-15 discussed herein may be omitted, modified, combined, and / or rearranged without departing from the scope of this disclosure, and any additional steps may be performed. More generally, the above disclosure is illustrative and not restrictive. Only the subsequent claims are intended to set boundaries regarding what the invention encompasses. Furthermore, it should be noted that features and limitations described in any one embodiment may apply to any other embodiment herein, and that flowcharts or examples relating to one embodiment may be combined with any other embodiment in a preferred manner, may be performed in a different order, or may be performed in parallel. In addition, the systems and methods described herein may be performed in real time. It should also be noted that the systems and / or methods described above may apply to or be used in accordance with other systems and / or methods.

[0208] Some parts of this disclosure may refer to “conventions,” but any such reference is solely for the purpose of providing context to the inventions of this disclosure and does not constitute any endorsement with respect to the most advanced technology.

Claims

1. It is a method, Maintain a first data structure, wherein the first data structure includes popularity data collected based on user input data from multiple devices. Receiving multiple user inputs from devices associated with a user profile that request the consumption of multiple long-form content items, Based on the multiple user inputs received that request the consumption of multiple long-form content items, a second data structure is updated to store metadata specific to the user profile associated with the user profile. A command is transmitted to the device to cause the device to display multiple identifiers for multiple recommended long-form content items on the user interface, wherein the multiple recommended long-form content items are selected based on metadata specific to the user profile in the second data structure. Receiving user input from the device associated with the user profile requesting the consumption of at least one short content item, In response to receiving the user input requesting the consumption of at least one short content item, Playing at least one of the aforementioned short content items, Based on the determination that the device is playing a short content item, Displaying at least one identifier for at least one recommended short content item, wherein the at least one recommended short content item is selected for presentation based on the popularity data of the first data structure, To discontinue displaying the aforementioned multiple identifiers for the aforementioned multiple recommended long content items and To transmit a command to the device to adjust the display of the user interface to perform the following: A method that includes this.

2. The aforementioned method, Transmitting a command to the device to cause the device to display multiple identifiers for multiple recommended short content items on the user interface, wherein the multiple recommended short content items are selected based on the popularity data of the first data structure. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. The metadata specific to the user profile in the second data structure indicates user preferences associated with multiple long-form content items. The aforementioned method, The device is instructed to display the multiple identifiers for the multiple recommended long-form content items as a list on the user interface, Sort the list of identifiers based on the user preferences associated with the plurality of long content items. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of recommended long-form content items corresponds to a full-length TV sports content item, and the at least one recommended short-form content item corresponds to a video clip.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the metadata specific to the user profile further includes user metadata obtained from a third party.

6. The instruction for causing the device to display the plurality of identifiers for the plurality of recommended short content items on the user interface is: Instructions for displaying the plurality of identifiers for the plurality of recommended short content items above the plurality of identifiers for the plurality of recommended long content items The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

7. The aforementioned method, Receiving user input from the device associated with the user profile requesting the consumption of at least one long-form content item, In response to receiving the user input requesting the consumption of at least one long content item, Playing at least one of the aforementioned long-form content items, Based on the device determining that a long-form content item is being played, Displaying at least one identifier for at least one recommended long-form content item, wherein the at least one recommended long-form content item is selected for presentation based on metadata specific to the user profile in the second data structure, To discontinue displaying the aforementioned multiple identifiers for the aforementioned multiple recommended short content items and To transmit a command to the device to adjust the display of the user interface to perform the following: The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

8. The aforementioned method, The device is instructed to display the multiple identifiers for the multiple recommended short content items as a list on the user interface, Sort the list of the plurality of identifiers based on the popularity data of the first data structure. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

9. A system, wherein the system is A control circuit configured to maintain a first data structure, wherein the first data structure includes popularity data collected based on user input data from multiple devices, An input / output circuit configured to receive multiple user inputs from a device associated with a user profile, requesting the consumption of multiple long-form content items. Equipped with, The aforementioned control circuit is Based on the multiple user inputs received that request the consumption of multiple long-form content items, a second data structure is updated to store metadata specific to the user profile associated with the user profile. The method involves transmitting a command to the device to cause it to display multiple identifiers for multiple recommended long-form content items on the user interface, wherein the multiple recommended long-form content items are selected based on metadata specific to the user profile in the second data structure. It is further configured to do the following: The aforementioned input / output circuit is Receiving user input from the device associated with the user profile that requests the consumption of at least one short content item. It is further configured to do the following: The aforementioned control circuit is In response to receiving the user input requesting the consumption of at least one short content item, Playing at least one of the aforementioned short content items, Based on the determination that the device is playing a short content item, Displaying at least one identifier for at least one recommended short content item, wherein the at least one recommended short content item is selected for presentation based on the popularity data of the first data structure, To discontinue displaying the aforementioned multiple identifiers for the aforementioned multiple recommended long content items and To transmit a command to the device to adjust the display of the user interface to perform the following: A system further configured to perform the following actions.

10. The aforementioned control circuit is Transmitting a command to the device to cause the device to display multiple identifiers for multiple recommended short content items on the user interface, wherein the multiple recommended short content items are selected based on the popularity data of the first data structure. The system according to claim 9, further configured to perform the following:

11. The metadata specific to the user profile in the second data structure indicates user preferences associated with multiple long-form content items. The aforementioned control circuit is The device is instructed to display the multiple identifiers for the multiple recommended long-form content items as a list on the user interface, Sort the list of identifiers based on the user preferences associated with the plurality of long content items. The system according to claim 9, further configured to perform the following:

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of recommended long-form content items corresponds to a full-length TV sports content item, and the at least one recommended short-form content item corresponds to a video clip.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the metadata specific to the user profile further includes user metadata obtained from a third party.

14. The instruction for causing the device to display the plurality of identifiers for the plurality of recommended short content items on the user interface is: Instructions for displaying the plurality of identifiers for the plurality of recommended short content items above the plurality of identifiers for the plurality of recommended long content items The system according to claim 10, further comprising:

15. The aforementioned input / output circuit is Receiving user input from the device associated with the user profile that requests the consumption of at least one long-form content item. It is further configured to do the following: The aforementioned control circuit is In response to receiving the user input requesting the consumption of at least one long content item, Playing at least one of the aforementioned long-form content items, Based on the device determining that a long-form content item is being played, Displaying at least one identifier for at least one recommended long-form content item, wherein the at least one recommended long-form content item is selected for presentation based on metadata specific to the user profile in the second data structure, To discontinue displaying the aforementioned multiple identifiers for the aforementioned multiple recommended short content items and To transmit a command to the device to adjust the display of the user interface to perform the following: The system according to claim 10, further configured to perform the following:

16. The aforementioned control circuit is The device is instructed to display the multiple identifiers for the multiple recommended short content items as a list on the user interface, Sort the list of the plurality of identifiers based on the popularity data of the first data structure. The system according to claim 10, further configured to perform the following:

17. A non-transient computer recording medium, wherein the non-transient computer recording medium is An instruction, when executed by a control circuit, causes the control circuit to maintain a first data structure, the first data structure including popularity data collected based on user input data from multiple devices, When executed by the aforementioned control circuit, the command causes the input / output circuit to receive multiple user inputs from a device associated with the user profile, requesting the consumption of multiple long content items. Equipped with, The instruction executed by the control circuit is: Based on the multiple user inputs received that request the consumption of multiple long-form content items, a second data structure is updated to store metadata specific to the user profile associated with the user profile. The method involves transmitting a command to the device to cause it to display multiple identifiers for multiple recommended long-form content items on the user interface, wherein the multiple recommended long-form content items are selected based on metadata specific to the user profile in the second data structure. The control circuit is then made to perform the following: The instruction executed by the control circuit is: Receiving user input from the device associated with the user profile that requests the consumption of at least one short content item. The input / output circuit performs the following further: The instruction executed by the control circuit is: In response to receiving the user input requesting the consumption of at least one short content item, Playing at least one of the aforementioned short content items, Based on the determination that the device is playing a short content item, Displaying at least one identifier for at least one recommended short content item, wherein the at least one recommended short content item is selected for presentation based on the popularity data of the first data structure, To discontinue displaying the aforementioned multiple identifiers for the aforementioned multiple recommended long content items and To transmit a command to the device to adjust the display of the user interface to perform the following: A non-transient computer recording medium that further causes the control circuit to perform the above action.

18. The aforementioned non-transient computer recording medium is When executed by the aforementioned control circuit, Transmitting a command to the device to cause the device to display multiple identifiers for multiple recommended short content items on the user interface, wherein the multiple recommended short content items are selected based on the popularity data of the first data structure. The non-transient computer recording medium according to claim 17, further comprising an instruction to cause the control circuit to perform the above.

19. The instruction for causing the device to display the plurality of identifiers for the plurality of recommended short content items on the user interface is: Instructions for displaying the plurality of identifiers for the plurality of recommended short content items above the plurality of identifiers for the plurality of recommended long content items A non-transient computer recording medium according to claim 18, further comprising:

20. The aforementioned non-transient computer recording medium is When executed by the aforementioned control circuit, Receiving user input from the device associated with the user profile that requests the consumption of at least one long-form content item. A command to cause the input / output circuit to perform the above, When executed by the aforementioned control circuit, In response to receiving the user input requesting the consumption of at least one long content item, Playing at least one of the aforementioned long-form content items, Based on the device determining that a long-form content item is being played, Displaying at least one identifier for at least one recommended long-form content item, wherein the at least one recommended long-form content item is selected for presentation based on metadata specific to the user profile in the second data structure, To discontinue displaying the aforementioned multiple identifiers for the aforementioned multiple recommended short content items and To transmit a command to the device to adjust the display of the user interface to perform the following: A command to cause the control circuit to perform the following, A non-transient computer recording medium according to claim 18, further comprising the above.

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