BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the disclosure relate generally to electronic media entertainment systems. More specifically, embodiments of the disclosure relate to electronic media entertainment systems for redirecting portions of content to alternate communication channels.

SUMMARY

Contemporary electronic content delivery systems are capable of overlaying two different types of content for simultaneous display to viewers. Typical examples include the broadcast of a business-related show along with a stock ticker displayed as a banner below the show, and a sports channel displaying a sporting match along with overlaid scores of that match or a different one. A further example is a breaking news headline banner displayed over current programming when important events occur.

The ability to overlay content increases the amount of information delivered to the viewer, and sometimes delivers relevant and timely information. However, this content overlay also suffers from certain drawbacks. In particular, content overlay can be distracting to the viewer when he or she is not interested in the overlaid content or is primarily interested in uninterrupted display of the program currently being played. Such unwanted distractions can detract from a user's viewing experience.

Accordingly, to overcome the problems and limitations of electronic content overlay, systems and methods are described herein for a computer-based process that prevents content from being overlaid on another program, and instead transmits it as a message to a separate electronic communication channel that may be personalized to the viewer. As one example, electronic banner news intended for overlay on a viewer's television may instead be converted to a message that is sent to the viewer's most commonly used social media account. In this manner, viewers are subjected to fewer distractions when viewing programs of interest, while also receiving banner information in a format that allows them to peruse it at their convenience.

To carry out this process, a content direction device is placed between end user content consumption devices and content sources. Content is streamed or otherwise transmitted to the content direction device, which removes any banner text from the content and forwards the content to the end user's display device. The content direction device converts the banner text into a message that is sent to the user via another communication channel, such as a social media account of the user.

In particular, the content direction device may receive a content stream containing both primary content, or the content to be displayed, and secondary content, such as a news banner, stock ticker, or the like. As above, the secondary content is originally intended for concurrent display alongside the primary content. Instead, the content direction device determines whether the user is likely to be interested in the subject matter of the secondary content and, if so, sends the secondary content to a different communication channel of the user. More specifically, the content direction device determines the subject matter of the secondary content and compares it to preferences found in a user profile. If the secondary content matches the preferences of the user profile, then it is likely that the subject matter of the secondary content is something the user will be interested in. The secondary content is thus transmitted to a communication channel associated with the user while the primary content is, or continues to be, transmitted to the user's display device.

The text or other information of the secondary content can be encapsulated in a message and sent to any communication channel of the user. That is, the communication channels of the user may be any electronic communication channels. For example, the communication channel may be any social media account of the user through which he or she can receive messages. As another example, the communication channel may be a short message service (SMS) channel, electronic mail, or the like.

Furthermore, the communication channel can be chosen from among several different communication channels of the content viewer. As one example, the viewer's user profile may list the communication channels that the viewer has used, as well as associated information such as the frequency with which the viewer uses each channel. The appropriate communication channel may then be selected from among these listed channels. For instance, the channel that the viewer accesses with greatest frequency, or the channel that the viewer has designated as a preferred channel, may be selected.

User interest in the subject matter of the secondary content can be estimated in a number of ways. Parameters characterizing the subject matter of the secondary content may be determined by, for example, retrieving such parameters from metadata of the secondary content. These parameters may then be compared to corresponding preference parameters listed in a user profile. Such parameters can include, for example, categories such as content genre, producer name, the names of actors or other people appearing in the content, content title, and content provider(s). Any such categories, or any other parameters, may be used.

Any number of such parameters may also be used when carrying out the comparison to a user profile. A match may be determined by comparing only a single parameter to the preferences listed in the user profile. Alternatively, multiple parameters may be determined and compared. These multiple parameters may each be compared to various preferences of a user profile. A match may then be determined in any manner, such as by a predetermined threshold match with user profile parameters. This threshold may be any manner of threshold, such as a specified minimum number of matches, matches with at least a predetermined subset of parameters, or the like.

Once a match is determined, the various parameters of the secondary content may also be saved to the user profile to update the profile's preferences. In this manner, the viewer profiles may be continuously updated to reflect viewers' latest content preferences. Similarly, once a communication channel is selected for transmitting the secondary content to the user, the identity of this communication channel may also be stored in the user profile. In this manner, the system may keep more accurate track of which communication channels are most commonly or frequently used.

It is noted that the communication channel may be a channel executed by any computer-based application. As such, the channel may relay messages to any device used by the viewer. In this manner, secondary content can be sent to a different device than that on which the viewer is watching the primary content. Thus, for example, the content direction device may transmit the primary content, such as a television program, to the viewer's television, while transmitting the secondary content as a social media message to the viewer's cellular phone or tablet.

