Patent Publication Number: US-2011078019-A1

Title: Systems and methods for receiving vendor-sponsored access to media content

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Today&#39;s consumers may obtain access to a wide variety of media content (including video, audio, print and other content). In some systems, consumers typically access this content by paying a provider directly for the content (e.g., by paying a monthly bill for a fixed television cable service package or paying a per item fee for DVD rentals or movie downloads). Media content providers increase revenues (and may decrease the cost of content for consumers) by allowing vendors to advertise their goods and services alongside the media content (e.g., as a banner advertisement on a popular webpage). Some such media content providers may selectively “match” or target particular consumers to advertisements based on information about the consumer, such as past media content access and/or identification information such as age, gender or income. For example, an interactive slot machine may advertise a loan offer provided by a bank to a consumer who has run up a debt on the machine. 
     These existing approaches fail to satisfy the needs of many of the involved participants, including consumers, vendors and media providers. Consumers are often subject to advertisements for products and services that do not interest them and thus tend to ignore or avoid such advertisements. Vendors pay for these wasted advertisements, which do not result in successful transactions. Media providers have few mechanisms to encourage consumers to access additional media content. Additionally, new media access technologies such as DVR have allowed consumers to largely bypass traditional advertisements, which has reduced the amount a media provider may charge vendors for such advertisements. As a result, media providers have limited ability to promote their service as an advertising medium. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Described herein are systems and methods for providing consumers with vendor-sponsored access to media content. In these systems and methods, a consumer&#39;s access to media content may be sponsored by vendors with whom the consumer has engaged in a transaction. 
     For example, described herein is an electronic system for managing vendor-sponsored access to media content which may include three participants: a media provider, a vendor and a consumer. The media provider may provide the consumer with access to media content. The cost of a portion of this media content access may be paid for by the vendor, in response to a transaction between the consumer and the vendor. For example, a consumer may purchase a good or service from a vendor (e.g., an item of athletic equipment from a sporting goods store), and in response, the vendor may pay a media provider for an item of media content for the consumer (e.g., an on-demand video or an audiobook download), or may pay for some or all of a periodic service charge assessed to the consumer (e.g., the consumer&#39;s monthly cable television bill). 
     Transactions between vendors and consumers may occur “within” the system (i.e., via an electronic communications pathway including the media provider). For example, the consumer may place an order for food delivery from a local restaurant through an interactive application provided by the consumer&#39;s cable television system. In response to this transaction, the local restaurant may sponsor the consumer&#39;s access to a premium service, such as a week&#39;s worth of membership in an online gaming site. Additionally, the system may allow a consumer to establish preferences for the form and content of transaction opportunities he or she would like to receive through the media provider. For example, one consumer may prefer to view traditional commercial advertisements, while another consumer may prefer to receive notification of special offers. The system may also include additional participants, such as a buyer and an owner, which may provide additional functionality to the system. 
     The systems and methods described herein address the drawbacks of existing systems as described above, and provide a number of additional beneficial features. Consumers are readily able to access the goods and services provided by vendors when they are interested in engaging in a transaction, and may be presented with transaction opportunities according to their preferences. Consumers are also able to obtain the additional media they desire by engaging in transactions through the system. Vendors are able to more selectively target transaction opportunities to consumers and only pay for transaction opportunities that result in completed transactions. Media providers enjoy the benefits of increased consumer demand for media content and increased revenues from vendors who are attracted by the system. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a simplified diagram of an illustrative vendor-sponsored media delivery system; 
         FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of illustrative steps for configuring a consumer module; 
         FIG. 3  depicts an illustrative consumer information preferences configuration screen; 
         FIG. 4  is a flow diagram of illustrative steps for configuring a vendor module; 
         FIG. 5  is a flow diagram of illustrative steps for configuring a media provider module; 
         FIG. 6  is a flow diagram of illustrative steps for configuring an auxiliary module; 
         FIG. 7  is a flow diagram of illustrative steps for providing a transaction opportunity; 
         FIG. 8  depicts an illustrative media access request screen; 
         FIG. 9  depicts an illustrative comparison shopping information screen; 
         FIG. 10  is a flow diagram of illustrative steps for providing vendor-sponsored media access; 
         FIG. 11  is a simplified diagram of an illustrative user equipment device which may be included in a consumer module; 
         FIG. 12  is a simplified diagram of an illustrative media delivery system; 
         FIG. 13  depicts an illustrative display screen that may be used to provide media guidance; 
         FIG. 14  is a simplified diagram of an illustrative vendor-sponsored media delivery system including an owner module; 
         FIG. 15  is a simplified diagram of an illustrative vendor-sponsored media delivery system including a buyer module; and 
         FIG. 16  is a simplified diagram of an illustrative vendor-sponsored media delivery system including a number of subsystems. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     As described above, consumers may enjoy many types of media content including conventional television programming (provided via traditional broadcast, cable, satellite, Internet, or other means), as well as pay-per-view programs, on-demand programs (as in video-on-demand (VOD) systems), Internet content (e.g., streaming media, downloadable media, Webcasts, etc.), print content (e.g., books, magazines and newspapers), music and audio content (e.g., podcasts, records, CDs, etc.) and other types of media content. Multimedia content is also popular; as used herein, the term multimedia is defined as media and content that utilizes at least two different content forms, such as text, audio, still images, animation, video, and interactivity content forms. Multimedia content may be recorded, played, displayed or accessed by information content processing devices, such as computerized and electronic devices, but can also be part of a live performance. It will be understood that the invention embodiments that may be discussed herein in relation to media content are applicable to many types of content, such as video, audio and/or multimedia. 
     Media content may be provided to consumers by a media content provider. In the systems and methods described herein, a consumer&#39;s access to media content may be sponsored by one or more vendors as a result of transactions between the consumer and the vendors.  FIG. 1  is a simplified diagram of an illustrative vendor-sponsored media delivery system  100  depicting three modules: consumer module  110 , vendor module  120  and media provider module  130 . These modules may be associated with a consumer, a vendor and a media provider, respectively. 
     In an embodiment, media provider module  130  may be in electronic communication with consumer module  110  and vendor module  120 . Media provider module  130  may be configured to provide consumer module  110  with access to media content. Media provider module  130  may also be configured to receive an electronic communication from vendor module  120 . This electronic communication may indicate the consumer associated with consumer module  110  and may be representative of the vendor&#39;s sponsorship of a portion of the cost of the electronic media content access provided to the consumer (via consumer module  110 ). For example, sponsorship by a vendor may include a payment towards a periodic service cost of the media content access provided to consumer module  110 . Sponsorship by a vendor may include a payment for one or more items of media content provided to consumer module  110 . In an embodiment, an electronic communication may be transmitted in response to a transaction between a vendor and a consumer. In an embodiment, a transaction between a vendor and a consumer may be the result of a transaction opportunity presented to the consumer by the media provider on behalf of the vendor. 
     In an embodiment, consumer module  110 , vendor module  120  and media provider module  130  may be suitable hardware devices capable of performing the functions described herein (e.g., the devices discussed below with reference to  FIGS. 11 and 12 ). These modules may be communicatively coupled and configured to provide the functionality described herein. Illustrative embodiments of the initial configuration of modules such as consumer module  110 , vendor module  120  and media provider module  130  will now be discussed with reference to  FIGS. 2 ,  4  and  5 . It will be understood that the steps described with reference to each of these figures may be performed in any suitable order, and that any one or more steps may be omitted or combined as suitable. Illustrative embodiments of the components used to implement the various modules described herein are discussed in additional detail below with reference to  FIGS. 11 and 12 . Any of the embodiments described herein may utilize secure data entry techniques, which may include both automated and manual techniques, to preserve the integrity and privacy of participants in the system, such as consumers, vendors and media providers. 
       FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of illustrative steps for configuring a consumer module (such as consumer module  110 ) within a vendor-sponsored media delivery system such as system  100  of  FIG. 1 . At step  210 , contact information for a consumer may be provided. This information may include a consumer&#39;s physical location, which may determine the types of media content the consumer and/or the consumer module may be able to access. For example, a consumer&#39;s home address may be serviced by one or more cable television providers. Contact information may also include one or more ways of contacting the consumer (e.g., mobile device numbers, e-mail addresses, etc.). Such contact information may be used, for example, to alert a consumer to the presence of additional content or transaction opportunities, to deliver a billing statement, or to resolve technical issues with the consumer&#39;s access to media content. 
     At step  220 , a consumer&#39;s payment preferences may be provided. In an embodiment, payment preferences may include whether or not a consumer would like to have the option to pay for media access if he or she has not obtained sufficient sponsorship via the transaction opportunities offered by the system (discussed in additional detail below). Step  220  may include providing billing information (such as credit card or bank account numbers) in the event that the consumer makes a payment to cover the cost of media access. In an embodiment, payment preferences may include a consumer preference for being automatically enrolled in one or more transaction opportunities to cover the cost of media access if he or she has not obtained sufficient sponsorship. For example, a consumer may opt to “turn on” commercial advertisements from a vendor or group of vendors (e.g., in a media guidance application running on one or more user devices) to cover the cost of media access. The term “credits” may be used herein to refer to a level of sponsorship of media access, which may be obtained by the consumer, for example, by engaging in transactions with one or more vendors, making payments, or being involved in any of a number of transaction opportunities as described herein. The term “credits” may refer to a monetary unit which may be exchanged for access to media items and/or services; a list of media items and/or services that have been sponsored for a consumer by one or more vendors; or a combination thereof. 
     At step  230 , a consumer&#39;s media access request may be provided. A media access request may include many types of requests for media content; for example, a request for access to a package of cable television channels, a request for an Internet connection of a particular bandwidth, a request for audio or video files, a request for a subscription to a print publication, a request for an on-demand program, or a request for an audio or video media item to be mailed or picked-up at a local distribution point. 
     In an embodiment, media provider module  130  may provide vendor information content to consumer module  110 . In such an embodiment, at step  240 , a consumer&#39;s information preferences for vendor information may be provided. Information preferences may describe a consumer&#39;s preferences for different types of vendor information and the manner in which such information may be presented. In an embodiment, consumer information preferences may include a preference for the style and format with which advertisements are presented. For example, consumer information preferences may include a preference for at least one of traditional commercial advertisements, comparative purchase information, infomercial advertisements, and interactive advertisements. In an embodiment, consumer information preferences may include a preference for a transaction opportunity for at least one of a type of good and a type of service. 
       FIG. 3  depicts an illustrative consumer information preferences configuration screen  300 . Such a configuration screen may be presented to a consumer by consumer module  110 , or by a display communicatively coupled to consumer module  110 . Illustrative screen  300  includes account categories region  310 , format preferences region  320 , communication preferences region  330  and timing preferences region  340 . Account categories region  310  allows a consumer to select different categories of account information, such as contact information (via region  312 ) and profile information (via region  314 ). A screen displaying a category of account information may include information regarding the selected account category and may provide options which a consumer may configure within the selected account category. In illustrative screen  300 , account category “Info Prefs”  316  may be highlighted to indicate that this is the account category which may be configured in screen  300 . 
     Format preferences region  320  may include a consumer&#39;s preferences for the manner in which vendor information is to be provided to the consumer. For example, format preferences region  320  may include advertisements region  322  and shopping region  324 , each of which allow a consumer to select one or more options for delivery of vendor information. In an embodiment, a consumer may rank such options, or may provide a qualitative indicator of preference such as “often” or “never”. For example, a consumer may indicate a primary preference for magazine articles discussing the item, and a secondary preference for information about the item&#39;s technical specifications. Format preferences region  320  may also include information about the average number of credits a consumer may earn by being presented with and/or engaging in transaction opportunities presented in different formats. In an embodiment, format preferences region  320  may include any type of information regarding the credit associated with one or more information formats, such as a typical range of credits, a maximum credit, and an option to view more detailed information regarding credits associated with an information format. 
     Communication preferences region  330  may allow a consumer to specify how vendor information and/or transaction opportunities may be communicated to him/her. Such modes of communication may include any type of suitable communication medium (e.g., e-mail messages, on-screen notifications, text messages, announcements in an audio stream, video advertisements in a video stream, etc). In an embodiment, selecting one or more communication preferences may allow a consumer to specify the details of such communication (e.g., a preferred e-mail address when “e-mail” is selected). As described above with reference to format preferences region  320 , the options presented in communication preferences region  330  may also be ranked or indicated in a qualitative manner. 
     Illustrative screen  300  may also include timing preferences region  340 , in which a consumer may specify preferences for the timing of transaction opportunities and/or vendor information. In an embodiment, a user may specify preferences for one or more of days of the week, times of day, and seasons (e.g., winter, college football season, sweeps weeks, etc.). 
     Returning to the flow diagram of  FIG. 2 , at step  250 , a consumer&#39;s profile information may be provided. Profile information may include information about a consumer that may be used in the provision of transaction opportunities to the consumer from one or more vendors. At step  250 , a consumer may specify additional information supplemental to the information provided at steps  210 - 240 . For example, a consumer may specify one or more hobbies or leisure activities, a group to which the consumer belongs (e.g., a political party, a service organization, an athletic club), or a goal of the consumer (e.g., to purchase a home, take a vacation, or retire at a certain age). In an embodiment, consumer information may be provided to vendors by other means (e.g., based upon information provided at other steps in the flow diagram of  FIG. 2 ). In an embodiment, profile information may be generated by the consumer module or a device in communication with the consumer module, based upon the consumer&#39;s access to media content, previous transactions, vendor information requests, or a combination thereof. In an embodiment, profile information provided in one or more steps of the flow diagram of  FIG. 2  may be used by a buyer module as discussed in detail below. 
       FIG. 4  is a flow diagram of illustrative steps for configuring a vendor module within a vendor-sponsored media delivery system. At step  410 , contact information for a vendor may be provided. This information may include the vendor&#39;s physical location, which may determine a geographical extent to which the vendor&#39;s goods and/or services may be provided. For example, the location of a vendor&#39;s distribution facility may determine the cost of shipping goods to a consumer&#39;s location. Contact information may also include one or more ways of contacting the vendor (by a consumer and/or an administrator of the system), for example, a customer service or accounts department. Contact information for a vendor may also include tax information, protocols for handling vendor information content (discussed in detail below), and terms of agreement between participants within the system. 
     At step  420 , a description of a vendor&#39;s available goods and/or services may be provided. In an embodiment, such a description is provided by vendor module  120 , which may be communicably coupled to one or more additional modules as described herein. In an embodiment, vendor module  120  may provide information content to media provider module  130 . In an embodiment, vendor module  120  may provide information content to an owner module, as described in detail below with reference to  FIG. 14 . In an embodiment, a description may be provided at step  420  manually by a vendor representative or may be provided in batch form (e.g., via a data file). The description may include any one or more of: a list of available goods and/or services, a cost to the consumer for each good and/or service, detailed information regarding each good and/or service, delivery constraints for each good and/or service, and a targeted consumer type for each good and/or service. For example, a snow removal service offered by a vendor of landscape services may be indicated as targeted towards consumers in colder climates, while a tree planting service may be indicated as targeted towards consumers interested in purchasing a new home. 
     At step  430 , sponsorship values associated with each available good and/or service may be provided. These sponsorship values indicate the media content access which a consumer will earn by agreeing to purchase the available good and/or service. In an embodiment, a sponsorship value may be a number of credits which a user may apply toward one or more types of media access (e.g., as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , described above). In an embodiment, a sponsorship value may be a specific item of media content or type of media content access, such as a coupon for two DVD rentals or a month of membership in a music club. In an embodiment, sponsorship values of one or more of the available goods and/or services may be linked. For example, a consumer may receive two free VOD downloads for watching one of a vendor&#39;s infomercials, but may receive five free VOD downloads for watching two of a vendor&#39;s infomercials. In an embodiment, sponsorship values may indicate one or more media providers capable of providing sponsored media. For example, in exchange for purchasing a membership at a fitness club, a consumer may receive a download of a mobile device application focused on nutritious eating or access to a television channel which provides exercise programs. 
     At step  440 , a vendor&#39;s information preferences may be provided. As described above with reference to consumer information preferences at step  240  of  FIG. 2 , such preferences may include a vendor&#39;s preferences for the manner in which information regarding the vendor&#39;s available goods and/or services may be presented (e.g., as a transaction opportunity). In an embodiment, a vendor may indicate a preference for different types and items of media content to associate with the vendor&#39;s available goods and/or services. For example, a Porsche dealer may specify that Porsche transaction opportunities be presented alongside movies which feature Porsche automobiles, or when a user is watching a channel dedicated to automobile programming. In an embodiment, a vendor may indicate a preference for a season, day or time for presenting transaction opportunities. 
     At step  450 , vendor media content may be provided. Vendor media content may include any media content used to advertise a vendor&#39;s goods and/or services, or provide or describe a transaction opportunity. For example, a skateboard vendor may provide video clips of famous skateboarders performing tricks on the skateboards sold by the vendor. In another example, an electronics vendor may provide technical specifications of a microprocessor offered for sale, or provide articles describing how to use the microprocessor in different circuit applications. In another example, a vendor may provide an advertising jingle or slogan that may be included in a media guidance application presented on a consumer module (e.g., consumer module  110  of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 5  is a flow diagram of illustrative steps for configuring a media provider module within a vendor-sponsored media delivery system. At step  510 , contact information for a media provider may be provided. This information may include the media provider&#39;s physical location, which may determine a geographical extent to which the media provider may provide media access. For example, a cellular telephone content distributor may only be able to provide content to users within a particular geographic area centered on one or more cellular base stations. Contact information may also include one or more ways of contacting the media provider (by a consumer and/or an administrator of the system), for example, a customer service or accounts department. Contact information for a media provider may also include tax information, protocols for handling vendor-provided content, and terms of agreement between participants within the system. 
     At step  520 , a description of a media provider&#39;s available media content may be provided. In an embodiment, such a description is provided to a media provider module, which may be communicably coupled to one or more additional modules as described herein. In an embodiment, a description may be provided at step  520  manually by a media provider representative or may be provided in batch form (e.g., via a data file). The description may include: a list of available media items and/or services, detailed information regarding each good and/or service, or a combination thereof. 
     In an embodiment, a media provider may provide media content according to a schedule. Such content may be referred to as “linear” content; examples include a broadcast television channel, a satellite radio station, and a weekly print journal. In addition or alternatively to providing access to linear content provided according to a schedule, a media provider may provide access to non-linear content which may not be provided according to a schedule. Non-linear content may include content from different media sources including on-demand media content (e.g., VOD), Internet content (e.g., streaming media, downloadable media, etc.), locally stored media content (e.g., video content stored on a digital video recorder (DVR), digital video disc (DVD), video cassette, compact disc (CD), etc.), print content (e.g., books, past issues of magazines) or other time-insensitive media content. On-demand content may include both movies and original media content provided by a particular media provider (e.g., HBO On Demand providing “The Sopranos” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm”). HBO ON DEMAND is a service mark owned by Time Warner Company L. P. et al. and THE SOPRANOS and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM are trademarks owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. Internet content may include web events, such as a chat session or Webcast, or content available on-demand as streaming media or downloadable media through an Internet web site or other Internet access (e.g., FTP). 
     Returning to  FIG. 5 , at step  530 , requirements for accessing media content may be provided. Such requirements may include technical requirements on a consumer&#39;s user equipment which may be included in consumer module  110 . For example, high-definition (HD) television service may only be provided to a consumer with a television receiver capable of interpreting HDTV signals. In another example, a media provider may restrict the provision of R-rated DVDs to consumers over 17 years of age. In an embodiment, requirements provided at step  530  may be presented to a consumer as options from which a consumer can choose. For example, a media provider may offer a streaming video to all consumers, but specify that the streaming video be recommended only to consumers with Internet connections that exceed a specified bandwidth. In such an embodiment, a media provider may offer an alternate type or format of the media content to users of systems with different capabilities. 
     At step  540 , costs of media access may be provided. These costs may represent the amount a media provider wishes to be paid for particular items of media content or particular services. In an embodiment, the cost to the media provider for each media item and/or service may depend upon the particular consumer receiving the media item and/or service. In an embodiment, the cost may depend on the user equipment included in consumer module  110  used to access the media content from media provider module  130  of  FIG. 1 . For example, a provider of streaming media for cellular phones may charge one rate for users of a particular cellular phone service and a different rate for users of a different cellular phone service. In an embodiment, the cost of one or more media content items may depend on other media accessed by the consumer from the media provider. For example, a media provider may offer one or more subscription packages to consumers, which may bundle multiple items of media content or multiple media services (e.g., a magazine subscription and access to a related website). 
     At step  550 , transaction opportunity configurability information is provided. Transaction opportunity configurability refers to any manner in which the media provider may provide transaction opportunities and/or vendor information to consumers. For example, a print media provider may offer to run full-page magazine advertisements for vendors associated with the system. In another example, a television service provider may offer banner advertisement space in a media guidance application. In another example, an Internet radio provider may offer graphic advertisement space or audio “spots” in which transaction opportunities and/or vendor information may be provided. Media provider module  130  may retain a database of configurability information. 
     Configurability information may also be provided by a media provider to vendors (e.g., via electronic communication between media provider module  130  and vendor module  120  of  FIG. 1 ). In turn, vendors associated with system  100  may indicate a preference for one or more of the available transaction opportunity configurations offered by one or more media providers associated with system  100 . In an embodiment, vendor-provided content (such as the content provided at step  450  of  FIG. 4 ) may be matched to one or more transaction opportunity configurations offered by one or more media providers. This matching may be performed by media provider module  130 , which may receive the vendor-provided content directly from a vendor (e.g., by communicating with vendor module  120  of  FIG. 1 ) or from a central source such as an owner module, described in detail below. Matching of vendor-provided content with media provider transaction opportunity configurations may be performed in accordance with known scheduling and matching techniques. 
     Additional participants may be included in a vendor-sponsored media delivery system, such as system  100  of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 6  is a flow diagram of illustrative steps for configuring an auxiliary module within a vendor-sponsored media delivery system. An auxiliary module may represent any participant in system  100  that may not be readily classified as a consumer, vendor or media provider. For example, an auxiliary module may represent a technical service that provides troubleshooting and repair of the hardware and/or software which delivers media content from a media provider to a consumer. An auxiliary module may represent a research organization, which may collect information regarding the activities of consumers, vendors and media providers within system  100 . An auxiliary module may represent an auditing or accounting body, responsible for maintaining records of the activities of participants in system  100  for tax or other purposes. An auxiliary module may represent any participant who may seek information regarding the activities of system  100 , contribute to the activities of system  100 , or a combination thereof. 
     At step  610 , contact information for an auxiliary participant may be provided. This information may include any of the contact information items described above with reference to steps  210 ,  410  and  510  of  FIGS. 2 ,  4  and  5 , respectively, including physical location, one or more ways of contacting the auxiliary participant, and terms of agreement between the auxiliary participant and other participants within the system. 
     At step  620 , an information access request may be provided by the auxiliary participant. An information access request may include a request for information about one or more consumers in system  100 , one or more vendors in system  100 , one or more media providers in system  100 , or a combination thereof. For example, a research organization interested in television viewing patterns may request information regarding which television programs (e.g., provided by media provider module  130 ) were watched most often by consumers (e.g., via consumer module  110 ). In another example, a consulting company seeking to improve a user interface of system  100  may request information regarding the average amount of time one or more consumers or vendors spend on a particular configuration screen (e.g., consumer information preferences configuration screen  300 ). 
     At step  630 , a service provision request may be provided. A service provision request may include a description of one or more services the auxiliary participant may be interested in providing to other participants in system  100 . For example, a bank may wish to offer loans to consumers who are unable to engage in sufficient transaction opportunities to cover the cost of their media access. It will be noted that a bank may also be configured as a vendor within system  100 , as suitable. 
     The configuration information provided by the consumer, vendor, media provider and auxiliary participants (e.g., as illustrated in the flow diagrams of FIGS.  2  and  4 - 6 ) may be used to enable a number of functions of vendor-sponsored media access system  100 . Illustrative embodiments of such functions are discussed below.  FIG. 7  is a flow diagram of illustrative steps for providing a transaction opportunity. It will be understood that the order and number of steps depicted in  FIG. 7  is purely illustrative, and that any suitable steps may be performed in any suitable order as described herein. It will also be understood that each of the steps may be performed by any suitably configured hardware, elements of which may be communicably coupled by any of a number of networking schemes (e.g., via a single hardware BUS, a wireless communications network, a combination of wired and wireless network components, etc.). Illustrative embodiments of systems capable of implementing the processes described herein are discussed below with reference to  FIGS. 11 and 12 . 
     At step  710 , a media access request may be received. A media access request may represent an indication by a consumer that a particular item of media content or a media service is desired. The media access request may be transmitted by consumer module  110  of  FIG. 1 , and may be transmitted to a media provider or to an owner (described in detail below). 
     At step  720 , the media access request may be evaluated to determine whether the requested media access may be allowed. The determination at step  720  may be based on a number of factors, including information about a consumer&#39;s account (e.g., a balance of credits, a history of late payments, a geographic constraint, or a hardware/software constraint), and information about the requested media (e.g., the media provider&#39;s available bandwidth or limitations on the number of simultaneous connections). In an embodiment, media provider module  130  may be configured to provide an outstanding cost of the media content access based on a maintained record. In an embodiment, the cost of a media access request may be compared to the available credits in a consumer&#39;s account at step  720 . If the available credits cover the cost of the requested media, media access may be provided at step  730 . 
     In an embodiment, if the available credits in a consumer&#39;s account does not cover the cost of the requested media, system  100  may determine whether any transaction opportunities are available to be presented to the consumer at step  740 . This determination may be performed by any suitable participant in system  100 , and may involve communication between multiple participants (e.g., vendor module  120  and media provider module  130  of  FIG. 1 ). Such transaction opportunities may provide additional credits which the user may apply toward the media access requested at step  720  (or another, future request). In an embodiment, a consumer may adjust the media content access provided to consumer module  110  based at least in part on an outstanding cost of media access. In an embodiment, if the available credits in a consumer&#39;s account do not cover the cost of the requested media, the consumer may be presented with an option to request alternate media content and/or services which may be covered by the available credits. Alternate media content and/or services may be related to the media access requested at step  710 , for example, by type or content (e.g., an SD format presented as an alternative to an HD format, or previous seasons of a television program presented as an alternative to a current season). 
     If transaction opportunities for the consumer are available (as determined at step  740 ), these transaction opportunities may be presented at step  750 .  FIG. 8  depicts an illustrative media access request screen  800 , which may be presented to a consumer to guide him or her through one or more of the steps of the flow diagram of  FIG. 7 . Screen  800  includes media access request region  810 , credits information region  820 , and transaction opportunities region  830 . Media access request region  810  may allow a consumer to provide a request for media access (as described with reference to step  710  of  FIG. 7 ), for example, by activating region  812  and further selecting from a menu of possible media items and/or services. In an embodiment, a media access request may be provided by selecting an icon or message advertising a media content item displayed while viewing another media item, by selecting an icon or message displayed while viewing a media guidance application (discussed in detail below), and/or by entering a pre-defined code or instruction (e.g., a code, printed in a magazine, representing an on-demand movie). 
     Credits information region  820  of screen  800  may include information regarding the credits available to a consumer to be applied toward a media access request. In an embodiment, a surplus or deficit in a consumer&#39;s available credits may be displayed with respect to the media access requested (as represented in media access request region  810 ). Credits information region  820  may display whether or not media access may be provided as determined at step  720  (e.g., by displaying the service package “HD Plus” in a green typeface if access is allowed or in a red typeface if access is denied). In an embodiment, areas within credits information region  820  may be selected to display detailed information. For example, selecting “Credit Needed” may display a screen presenting the number of credits required for each of the media content items and/or services requested, and may allow a consumer to adjust his or her media access request. 
     In an embodiment, a consumer may be allowed to pay for credits to cover the cost of his or her media access, alternatively to or in conjunction with credits earned by engaging in transaction opportunities with vendors in system  100 . For example, a consumer may select button  812 , which may initiate a payment based at least in part on some of the contact information provided at step  210  and payment preferences provided at step  220  of the flow diagram of  FIG. 2 . In an embodiment, a consumer may be able to enter a credit code or other authorization to redeem credits or obtain access to media content (e.g., by selecting button  814  of  FIG. 8 ). Such a credit code may be provided, for example, by a vendor in response to a transaction completed outside of the transaction monitoring capabilities of system  100 . Credit codes may allow vendors to participate in system  100  without requiring electronic or automated monitoring of the vendor&#39;s transactions (e.g., for transactions that occur “offline”). 
     Transaction opportunities region  830  of screen  800  may include transaction opportunities in which the consumer may engage to increase the credits available in his or her account. The transaction opportunities presented in region  830  may be selected in any of a number of ways, and may depend on, for example, the consumer&#39;s geographic location, hardware/software constraints, previous transaction opportunities, profile information, information preferences, credits needed to cover the media access request, or any combination thereof. In an embodiment, transaction opportunities region  830  may include information regarding the credits that may be obtained by engaging in each of the displayed transaction opportunities. In an embodiment, each of the displayed transaction opportunities may be selected by a consumer to access more detailed information regarding the transaction opportunity (e.g., the schedule, cost and restrictions of a housekeeping service). In an embodiment, a consumer may indicate a desire to receive additional transaction opportunities (e.g., by selecting “More Opportunities” button  832 ). 
     As described above, transaction opportunities may include any of a variety of interactions between vendors and consumers, and consumers may specify the ways in which they prefer to receive information regarding such transaction opportunities. In an embodiment, vendor information content provided to consumers may include content from multiple vendors, each associated with a vendor module such as vendor module  120  of  FIG. 1 . In an embodiment, a transaction opportunity may be presented to a consumer in a comparison shopping format.  FIG. 9  depicts an illustrative comparison shopping information screen  900 . An example that illustrates one use of such a screen is as follows. A consumer may be interested in purchasing a tennis racket, and may request such information by submitting a search query “tennis racket” within a “Shopping” category of account information. In an embodiment, a search query may be input directly by a consumer or may be a suggested transaction opportunity presented in transaction opportunities region  830  of media access request screen  800  of  FIG. 8 . In an embodiment, screen  900  displays information regarding the credits needed to cover the cost of any media access requested. Such information may be displayed on each of multiple transaction opportunity screens to aid a consumer&#39;s transaction opportunity decisions. Screen  900  may include a comparison region  910  which may display one or more items and/or services related to the search query and available from one or more vendors. As shown, comparison region  910  may also include credit information detailing the number of credits a consumer may receive by engaging in an associated transaction. 
     In an embodiment, transaction opportunities may be presented to a consumer in an auction format. In such a format, consumers may bid competitively with other consumers for goods and/or services provided by vendors associated with the system. In an embodiment, a transaction opportunity may take the form of a call for proposals, in which a consumer specifies a good and/or service which he or she would like to purchase, and vendors associated with the system may competitively bid to provide the specified good and/or service. Such functions may be implemented in accordance with known consumer/vendor auction techniques. 
     Returning to the flow diagram of  FIG. 7 , at step  760 , system  100  may determine whether the consumer has selected one or more transaction opportunities. If no transaction opportunities have been selected, the consumer may, at step  770 , be presented with the option to pay for the media access requested at step  710 . The option to pay for the media access requested may also be presented to the consumer if it is determined that no transaction opportunities are available at step  740 . In an embodiment, a consumer may also be presented with the option to pay for media access prior to determining whether any transaction opportunities are available at step  740 . For example, a user may select button  814  in illustrative screen  800  of  FIG. 8 . 
     If it is determined, at step  760 , that a user has selected one or more transaction opportunities, these transaction opportunities may be processed at step  780 . In an embodiment, processing a transaction opportunity may include directing a consumer to contact a vendor to confirm and/or complete the associated transaction. In an embodiment, processing a transaction opportunity may include facilitating the transaction between the consumer and the vendor (e.g., by arranging for billing, shipping and/or scheduling of the transaction). In an embodiment, a transaction opportunity may be accepted by the consumer via consumer module  110 . In an embodiment, media provider module  130  may record an accepted transaction opportunity between the vendor and the consumer. In an embodiment, media provider module  130  may communicate the accepted transaction opportunity to vendor module  120 , in response to which the vendor may complete the transaction with the consumer. 
     In an embodiment, processing a transaction opportunity may include providing an item of media content from a media content provider, for example, when the selected transaction opportunity is the viewing of a public service announcement sponsored by a vendor (e.g., a government agency or community organization). In an embodiment, a transaction opportunity may be processed at step  780  via a buyer module, described in detail below. In an embodiment, a transaction opportunity may be provided at step  780  via an owner module, described in detail below. 
     In an embodiment, a consumer may request transaction opportunities without first requesting media access. As described above with reference to  FIG. 9 , system  100  may serve as a “pull” system for transaction opportunities, in which a consumer may request transaction opportunities, rather than having advertisements and commercials “pushed” to him or her. In an embodiment, vendor information content may be provided in response to a consumer information request transmitted to media provider module  130  by consumer module  110  of  FIG. 1 . In an embodiment, a transaction opportunity may be provided in response to a consumer transaction opportunity request, transmitted by consumer module  110 . 
     In the discussion of  FIG. 7  above, illustrative steps for responding to a consumer&#39;s request for media access are described. In an embodiment, several of these steps may be based at least in part on the credits available in a consumer&#39;s account. These credits may arise from direct payments by the consumer, or as described above, may arise from vendor sponsorship resulting from transactions between the consumer and the vendor.  FIG. 10  is a flow diagram of illustrative steps for providing vendor-sponsored media access. The flow diagram of  FIG. 10  is described below with respect to a database of system  100  of  FIG. 1  which maintains information regarding the credits associated with a consumer&#39;s account and is configured to update this information in response to information regarding transactions between vendors and consumers. Such a database may be maintained by any suitable participant within system  100 . Illustrative embodiments of databases suitable for maintaining this information are described below with reference to  FIGS. 11 ,  12  and  16 . 
     At step  1010 , a vendor may be identified. A vendor may be identified by supplying an associated vendor identification number, or may be identified by use of a particular vendor module configured to communicate identification information (e.g., having a particular IP address). At step  1020 , a transaction notification may be received, transmitted from the vendor identified at step  1010 . A transaction notification may include information regarding a transaction between the vendor and a consumer, which may have a status (e.g., anticipated, pending, completed or disputed). In an embodiment, steps  1010  and steps  1020  are combined by communicating a message from vendor module  120  including vendor identification information and transaction information. It will be recognized that, in accordance with an embodiment, suitable steps of the flow diagram of  FIG. 10  may be performed by consumer module  110  instead of or in addition to vendor module  120 . 
     At step  1030 , the transaction notification received at step  1020  may be examined to determine whether the associated transaction is recognized. A recognized transaction may be one for which system  100  is able to identify all involved participants, properly increment or decrement credits in a consumer&#39;s account, provide any associated media access, or any combination thereof. If the transaction is recognized at step  1030 , the sponsorship level of the vendor for media access by the associated consumer may be determined at step  1040 . For example, the sponsorship level may include a number of credits by which to increment a consumer&#39;s account. In another example, the sponsorship level may include an indication of an on-demand movie to which a consumer may receive access. In another example, the sponsorship level may include a subscription to a magazine. In an embodiment, a sponsorship level determined at step  1040  may decrease the number of credits available in a consumer&#39;s account, or withdraw sponsorship of access to media content. A withdrawal of sponsorship may be triggered, for example, by a canceled transaction between a vendor and a consumer. 
     If the transaction is not recognized at step  1030 , the vendor may be queried at step  1050 . A query of a vendor may include a request for retransmission of a portion of the transaction notification or additional information. A vendor query may be transmitted electronically to a vendor module (e.g., by an e-mail notification or an alert message on a vendor account screen for an Internet-based system) and may include a telephone call or postal letter. In an embodiment, a consumer may be queried at step  1050  instead of or in addition to the vendor. 
     At step  1060 , the vendor sponsorship may be recorded in a consumer record. The consumer record of vendor sponsorship may be used to determine the media content and/or services to which the consumer may gain access. As described above, such records may be stored in a suitable database associated with system  100 . At step  1070 , the vendor sponsorship may be recorded in a vendor record. A vendor record of vendor sponsorship may be used to determine payments that may be made by the vendor to a suitable participant to cover the cost of a consumer&#39;s media access at the level of the recorded sponsorship. In an embodiment, these payments may be made by a vendor directly to a media provider. In an embodiment, these payments may be made by a vendor to an owner (described in detail below), who may in turn make payments to one or more media providers. In an embodiment, system  100  may record the sponsorship in a database which is communicably coupled to one or more of a consumer module, a vendor module and a media provider module. 
     In an embodiment of the systems and methods for vendor-sponsored access to media content described herein, a vendor may provide sponsorship of a specific consumer&#39;s access to media content in response to engaging in a transaction with that specific consumer. Such an embodiment is distinct from traditional media advertising, in which vendors pay to place advertisements in anticipation of future transactions, which may or may not occur. Additionally, payments made by vendors for traditional advertisements have not sponsored a specific consumer&#39;s access to media as described herein. 
     Several illustrative embodiments of hardware and software components which may be used to implement system  100  ( FIG. 1 ) will now be discussed. In particular, system  100  will be described in the context of an electronic media delivery system. It will be understood that such embodiments are illustrative, and that the systems and methods described herein may be applied to any suitable media delivery systems which may incorporate vendor-sponsored media access, including print media and audio and video media transmitted non-electronically (e.g., by postal mail). 
       FIG. 11  is a simplified diagram of an illustrative user equipment device  1100  which may be included in a consumer module (such as consumer module  110 ). With the advent of the Internet, mobile computing, and high-speed wireless networks, consumers are accessing media on personal computers (PCs) and other devices on which they traditionally did not, such as hand-held computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile telephones, or other mobile devices. Media may be provided through on-line applications (i.e., provided on a website), or as stand-alone applications or clients on hand-held computers, PDAs, mobile telephones, or other mobile devices. Various devices and platforms that may implement media delivery and guidance applications are described in more detail below. 
     Consumers may access media content and media guidance applications from one or more of their user equipment devices.  FIG. 11  shows a generalized embodiment of illustrative user equipment device  1100 . More specific implementations of user equipment devices are discussed below in connection with  FIG. 12 . User equipment device  1100  may receive media content and data via input/output (hereinafter “I/O”) path  1102 . I/O path  1102  may provide media content (e.g., broadcast programming, on-demand programming, Internet content, and other text, video or audio) and data to control circuitry  1104 , which may include processing circuitry  1106  and storage  1108 . Control circuitry  1104  may be used to send and receive commands, requests, and other suitable data using I/O path  1102 . I/O path  1102  may connect control circuitry  1104  (and specifically processing circuitry  1106 ) to one or more communications paths (described below). I/O functions may be provided by one or more of these communications paths, but are shown as a single path in  FIG. 11  to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. 
     Control circuitry  1104  may be based on any suitable processing circuitry  1106  such as processing circuitry based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, etc. In some embodiments, control circuitry  1104  may execute instructions for a media guidance application stored in memory (e.g., storage  1108 ). In client-server based embodiments, control circuitry  1104  may include communications circuitry suitable for communicating with a guidance application server or other networks or servers. Communications circuitry may include a cable modem, an integrated services digital network (ISDN) modem, a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem, a telephone modem, or a wireless modem for communications with other equipment. Such communications may involve the Internet or any other suitable communications networks or paths (described in more detail below with reference to  FIG. 12 ). In addition, communications circuitry may include circuitry that enables peer-to-peer communication between user equipment devices, or communication between user equipment devices in locations remote from each other (described in more detail below). 
     Memory (e.g., random-access memory, read-only memory, or any other suitable memory), hard drives, optical drives, or any other suitable fixed or removable storage devices (e.g., DVD recorder, CD recorder, video cassette recorder, or other suitable recording device) may be provided as storage  1108  that may be part of control circuitry  1104 . Storage  1108  may include one or more of the above types of storage devices. For example, user equipment device  1100  may include a hard drive for a DVR (sometimes called a personal video recorder, or PVR) and a DVD recorder as a secondary storage device. Storage  1108  may be used to store various types of media described herein and guidance application data, including program information, guidance application settings, user preferences or profile information, or other data used in operating the guidance application. Nonvolatile memory may also be used (e.g., to launch a boot-up routine and other instructions). 
     Control circuitry  1104  may include video generating circuitry and tuning circuitry, such as one or more analog tuners, one or more MPEG-2 decoders or other digital decoding circuitry, high-definition tuners, or any other suitable tuning or video circuits or combinations of such circuits. Encoding circuitry (e.g., for converting over-the-air, analog, or digital signals to MPEG signals for storage) may also be provided. Control circuitry  1104  may also include scaler circuitry for upconverting and downconverting media into the preferred output format of user equipment  1100 . Circuitry  1104  may also include digital-to-analog converter circuitry and analog-to-digital converter circuitry for converting between digital and analog signals. The tuning and encoding circuitry may be used by user equipment  1100  to receive and to display, to play, or to record media content. The tuning and encoding circuitry may also be used to receive guidance data. The circuitry described herein, including for example, the tuning, video generating, encoding, decoding, scaler, and analog/digital circuitry, 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., watch and record functions, picture-in-picture (PIP) functions, multiple-tuner recording, etc.). If storage  1108  is provided as a separate device from user equipment  1100 , the tuning and encoding circuitry (including multiple tuners) may be associated with storage  1108 . 
     A user may control the control circuitry  1104  using user input interface  1110 . User input interface  1110  may be any suitable user interface, such as a remote control, mouse, trackball, keypad, keyboard, touch screen, touch pad, stylus input, joystick, voice recognition interface, or other user input interfaces. Display  1112  may be provided as a stand-alone device or integrated with other elements of user equipment device  1100 . Display  1112  may be one or more of a monitor, a television, a liquid crystal display (LCD) for a mobile device, or any other suitable equipment for displaying visual images. For example, display  1112  may be capable of displaying any of the illustrative screens described herein, including those of  FIGS. 3 ,  8 ,  9  and  13 . In some embodiments, display  1112  may be HDTV-capable. The audio component of videos and other media content displayed on display  1112  may be played through speakers  1114 . Speakers  1114  may be provided as integrated with other elements of user equipment device  1100  or may be stand-alone units. In some embodiments, the audio may be distributed to a receiver (not shown), which processes and outputs the audio via speakers  1114 . 
     User equipment device  1100  of  FIG. 11  can be implemented in system  1200  of  FIG. 12  as user television equipment  1202 , user computer equipment  1204 , wireless user communications device  1206 , or any other type of user equipment suitable for accessing media, such as a non-portable gaming machine. For simplicity, these devices may be referred to herein collectively as user equipment or user equipment devices. A user equipment device, on which a media guidance application may be implemented, may function as a standalone device or may be part of a network of devices. Various network configurations of devices may be implemented and are discussed in more detail below. 
     User television equipment  1202  may include a set-top box, an integrated receiver decoder (IRD) for handling satellite television, a television set, a digital storage device, a DVD recorder, a video-cassette recorder (VCR), a local media server, or other user television equipment. One or more of these devices may be integrated to be a single device, if desired. User computer equipment  1204  may include a PC, a laptop, a tablet, a WebTV box, a personal computer television (PC/TV), a PC media server, a PC media center, or other user computer equipment. WEBTV is a trademark owned by Microsoft Corp. Wireless user communications device  1206  may include a PDA, a mobile telephone, a portable video player, a portable music player, a portable gaming machine, or other wireless devices. 
     It should be noted that with the advent of television tuner cards for PC&#39;s, WebTV, and the integration of video into other user equipment devices, the lines have become blurred when trying to classify a device as one of the above devices. In fact, each of user television equipment  1202 , user computer equipment  1204 , and wireless user communications device  1206  may utilize at least some of the system features described above in connection with  FIG. 11  and, as a result, include flexibility with respect to the type of media content available on the device. For example, user television equipment  1202  may be Internet-enabled, allowing for access to Internet content, while user computer equipment  1204  may include a tuner allowing for access to television programming. A media guidance application may have the same layout on the various different types of user equipment or may be tailored to the display capabilities of the user equipment. For example, on user computer equipment  1204 , a guidance application may be provided as a web site accessed by a web browser. In another example, a guidance application may be scaled down for wireless user communications devices. 
     In system  1200 , there is typically more than one of each type of user equipment device but only one of each is shown in  FIG. 12  to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. In addition, each consumer may utilize more than one type of user equipment device (e.g., a consumer may have a television set and a computer) and also more than one of each type of user equipment device (e.g., a consumer may have a PDA and a mobile telephone and/or multiple television sets). 
     User equipment devices may be coupled to communications network  1214 . Namely, user television equipment  1202 , user computer equipment  1204 , and wireless user communications device  1206  may be coupled to communications network  1214  via communications paths  1208 ,  1210 , and  1212 , respectively. Communications network  1214  may be one or more networks including the Internet, a mobile phone network, mobile device (e.g., Blackberry) network, cable network, public switched telephone network, or other types of communications network or combinations of communications networks. BLACKBERRY is a service mark owned by Research In Motion Limited Corp. Paths  1208 ,  1210 , and  1212  may separately or together include one or more communications paths, such as a satellite path, a fiber-optic path, a cable path, a path that supports Internet communications (e.g., IPTV), free-space connections (e.g., for broadcast or other wireless signals), or any other suitable wired or wireless communications path or combination of such paths. Path  1212  is drawn with dotted lines to indicate that in the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 12  it is a wireless path and paths  1208  and  1210  are drawn as solid lines to indicate they are wired paths (although these paths may be wireless paths, if desired). Communications with the user equipment devices may be provided by one or more of these communications paths, but are shown as a single path in  FIG. 12  to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. 
     Although communications paths are not drawn between user equipment devices, these devices may communicate directly with each other via communication paths, such as those described above in connection with paths  1208 ,  1210 , and  1212 , as well other short-range point-to-point communication paths, such as USB cables, IEEE 1394 cables, wireless paths (e.g., Bluetooth, infrared, IEEE 802-11, etc.), or other short-range communication via wired or wireless paths. BLUETOOTH is a certification mark owned by Bluetooth SIG, INC. The user equipment devices may also communicate with each other through an indirect path via communications network  1214 . 
     System  1200  includes media content source  1216  and media guidance data source  1218  coupled to communications network  1214  via communication paths  1220  and  1222 , respectively. Paths  1220  and  1222  may include any of the communication paths described above in connection with paths  1208 ,  1210 , and  1212 . Communications with media content source  1216  and media guidance data source  1218  may be exchanged over one or more communications paths, but are shown as a single path in  FIG. 12  to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. In addition, there may be more than one of each of media content source  1216  and media guidance data source  1218 , but only one of each is shown in  FIG. 12  to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. (The different types of each of these sources are discussed below.) In an embodiment, media guidance data source  1218  may be associated with an owner (discussed in detail below with reference to  FIGS. 14 and 16 ). If desired, media content source  1216  and media guidance data source  1218  may be integrated as one source device. Although communications between sources  1216  and  1218  with user equipment devices  1202 ,  1204 , and  1206  are shown as through communications network  1214 , in some embodiments, sources  1216  and  1218  may communicate directly with user equipment devices  1202 ,  1204 , and  1206  via communication paths (not shown) such as those described above in connection with paths  1208 ,  1210 , and  1212 . 
     Media content source  1216  may include one or more types of media distribution equipment including a television distribution facility, cable system headend, satellite distribution facility, programming sources (e.g., television broadcasters, such as NBC, ABC, HBO, etc.), intermediate distribution facilities and/or servers, Internet providers, on-demand media servers, print media distributors, radio broadcasters, satellite broadcasters and other media content providers. NBC is a trademark owned by the National Broadcasting Company, Inc., ABC is a trademark owned by the ABC, INC., and HBO is a trademark owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. Media content source  1216  may be the originator of media content (e.g., a television broadcaster, a Webcast provider, etc.) or may not be the originator of media content (e.g., an on-demand media content provider, an Internet provider of video content of broadcast programs for downloading, a distributor of print or electronic books, etc.). Media content source  1216  may include cable sources, satellite providers, on-demand providers, Internet providers, or other providers of media content. Media content source  1216  may also include a remote media server used to store different types of media content (including video content selected by a user), in a location remote from any of the user equipment devices. Systems and methods for remote storage of media content, and providing remotely stored media content to user equipment are discussed in greater detail in connection with Ellis et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/332,244, filed Jun. 11, 1999, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     Media delivery system  1200  may illustrate a number of approaches, or network configurations, by which user equipment devices and sources of media content and guidance data may communicate with each other for the purpose of accessing media and providing media guidance. The present invention may be applied in any one or a subset of these approaches, or in a system employing other approaches for delivering media and providing media guidance. The following three approaches provide specific illustrations of the generalized example of  FIG. 12 . 
     In one approach, user equipment devices may communicate with each other within a consumer&#39;s home network. User equipment devices can communicate with each other directly via short-range point-to-point communication schemes describe above, via indirect paths through a hub or other similar device provided on a home network, or via communications network  1214 . Each of the multiple individuals in a single home may operate different user equipment devices on the home network. As a result, it may be desirable for various media guidance information or settings to be communicated between the different user equipment devices. For example, it may be desirable for consumers to maintain consistent media guidance application settings on different user equipment devices within a home network, as described in greater detail in Ellis et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/179,410, filed Jul. 11, 2005. Different types of user equipment devices in a home network may also communicate with each other to transmit media content. For example, a user may transmit media content from user computer equipment to a portable video player or portable music player. In an embodiment, media content accessed by a consumer via system  100  may be distributed and/or copied among one or more user equipment devices, with such distribution subject to restriction (e.g., an electronic publication may be accessed by at most three electronic readers). 
     In a second approach, a consumer may have multiple types of user equipment by which he or she accesses media content and obtains media guidance. For example, some users may have home networks that are accessed by in-home and mobile devices. Consumers may control in-home devices via a media guidance application implemented on a remote device. For example, consumers may access an online media guidance application (which may include account information as discussed above with reference to  FIG. 2 ) on a website via a personal computer at their office, or a mobile device such as a PDA or web-enabled mobile telephone. The consumer may set various settings (e.g., recordings, reminders, or other settings) on the online guidance application to control the user&#39;s in-home equipment. The online guide may control user equipment directly, or by communicating with a media guidance application on in-home user equipment. Various systems and methods for user equipment devices communication, where the user equipment devices are in locations remote from each other, is discussed in, for example, Ellis et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/927,814, filed Aug. 26, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     In a third approach, users of user equipment devices inside and outside a consumer&#39;s home can use their media guidance applications to communicate directly with media content source  1216  to access media content. Specifically, within a home, users of user television equipment  1204  and user computer equipment  1206  may access the media guidance application to navigate among and locate desirable media content. Consumers may also access the media guidance application outside of the home using wireless user communications devices  1206  to navigate among and locate desirable media content. 
     Media guidance application data may be provided to a user equipment device using any suitable approach. In an embodiment, a guidance application may be a stand-alone interactive program guide that receives program guide data via a data feed (e.g., a continuous feed or a trickle feed). In an embodiment, program schedule data and other guidance data may be provided to user equipment on a television channel sideband, in the vertical blanking interval of a television channel, using an in-band digital signal, using an out-of-band digital signal, or by any other suitable data transmission technique or combination of techniques. Program schedule data and other guidance data may be provided to user equipment on multiple analog or digital channels, such as analog or digital radio and television channels. Program schedule data and other guidance data may be provided to the user equipment with any suitable frequency (e.g., continuously, daily, at a user-specified interval of time, a system-specified period of time, in response to a request from user equipment, etc.). In an embodiment, guidance data from media guidance data source  1218  may be provided to user equipment using a client-server approach. For example, a guidance application client residing on user equipment may initiate sessions with source  1218  to obtain guidance data when needed. Media guidance data source  1218  may provide user equipment devices  1202 ,  1204 , and  1206  with the media guidance application itself and/or software updates for the media guidance application. 
     Media guidance applications may be, for example, stand-alone applications implemented on user equipment devices. In other embodiments, media guidance applications may be client-server applications where only the client resides on the user equipment device. For example, a media guidance application may be implemented partially as a client application on control circuitry  1104  of user equipment device  1100  and partially on a remote server as a server application (e.g., media guidance data source  1218 ). Guidance application displays (e.g., the illustrative screens of  FIGS. 3 ,  8 ,  9  and  13 ) may be generated by media guidance data source  1218  and transmitted to the user equipment devices. Media guidance data source  1218  may also transmit data for storage on the user equipment, which then may generate the guidance application displays based on instructions processed by control circuitry. 
     A guidance application may be implemented using any suitable architecture. For example, a guidance application may be a stand-alone application wholly implemented on user equipment device  1100 . In such an approach, instructions of the application may be stored locally, and data for use by the application may be downloaded on a periodic basis (e.g., from the VBI of a television channel, from an out-of-band feed, or using another suitable approach). In another embodiment, the media guidance application may be a client-server based application. Data for use by a thick or thin client implemented on user equipment device  1100  may be retrieved on-demand by issuing requests to a server remote to user equipment device  1100 . In one example of a client-server based guidance application, control circuitry  1104  may run a web browser that interprets web pages provided by a remote server. 
     In yet other embodiments, a media guidance application may be downloaded and interpreted or otherwise run by an interpreter or virtual machine (run by control circuitry  1104 ). In some embodiments, a guidance application may be encoded in the ETV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF), received by control circuitry  1104  as part of a suitable feed, and interpreted by a user agent running on control circuitry  1104 . For example, a guidance application may be a EBIF widget. In other embodiments, a guidance application may be defined by a series of JAVA-based files that are received and run by a local virtual machine or other suitable middleware executed by control circuitry  1104 . In some of such embodiments (e.g., those employing MPEG-2 or other digital media encoding schemes), a guidance application may be, for example, encoded and transmitted in an MPEG-2 object carousel with the MPEG audio and video packets of a program. 
     Media guidance applications may be used to provide one or more of media listings, media information, media content, media access and transaction opportunities to users.  FIG. 13  depicts an illustrative display screen that may be used to provide media guidance, and in particular media listings. The display screen depicted in  FIG. 13  may be implemented on any suitable device or platform. While the display of  FIG. 13  is illustrated as a full screen display, information may also be fully or partially overlaid over media content being displayed. A user may indicate a desire to access media information by selecting a selectable option provided in a display screen (e.g., a menu option, a listings option, an icon, a hyperlink, etc.) or pressing a dedicated button (e.g., a GUIDE button) on a remote control or other user input interface or device. In response to a user&#39;s indication, a media guidance application may provide a display screen with media information organized in one of several ways, such as by time and channel in a grid, by time, by channel, by media type (e.g., text, video, audio), by category (e.g., movies, sports, news, children, or other categories of programming), or other predefined, user-defined, or other organization criteria. Such criteria may be specified by a consumer as part of the consumer&#39;s information preferences (e.g., as discussed above with reference to  FIG. 3 ). 
     Media guidance applications may also be used to facilitate transactions between vendors and consumers in system  100  of  FIG. 1  as described above (e.g., with reference to  FIGS. 2 ,  3 ,  8  and  9 ). For example, a media guidance application may allow a user to configure media access account settings and participate in transactions with vendors to sponsor such media access. Various systems and methods for performing transactions via media access systems are discussed in, for example, Ellis et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/368,198, filed Aug. 4, 1999, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     The media information and media access account configuration functions of a media guidance application may be interrelated. For example, advertisement  1302  of  FIG. 13  may provide an advertisement for media content that, depending on a consumer&#39;s access configuration and/or media access requests (e.g., for subscription programming), is currently available for viewing, will be available for viewing in the future, may be available for viewing if a user obtains sufficient sponsorship, or may never become available for viewing. Advertisement  1302  may correspond to or be unrelated to one or more of the media listings in grid  1304 . Advertisement  1302  may also be for products or services related or unrelated to the media content displayed in grid  1304 , and provide information or transaction opportunities which may result in transactions that provide vendor sponsorship of media access. Advertisement  1302  may be selectable and provide further information about media content, provide information about a product or a service, enable purchasing of media content, a product, or a service, provide media content relating to the advertisement, etc. Advertisement  1302  may be targeted based on a user&#39;s information preferences (e.g., as described above with reference to  FIG. 3 ), a user&#39;s profile (e.g., as described above with reference to  FIG. 2 ), monitored user activity, the type of display provided, or on other suitable targeted advertisement bases. 
     Advertisement  1302  may be a transaction opportunity directed to a particular user or group of users by a vendor. Such a directed transaction opportunity may be based on any of the above targeting factors. In an embodiment, consumer information may be provided to vendors by a buyer module as discussed below. 
     Options region  1306  may allow the user to access different types of media content, media guidance application displays, and/or media guidance application features. Options region  1306  may be part of display  1300  (and other display screens of the present invention), or may be invoked by a user by selecting an on-screen option or pressing a dedicated or assignable button on a user input device. The selectable options within options region  1306  may concern features related to program listings in grid  1304  and may include options available from a main menu display. Features related to program listings may include searching for other air times or ways of receiving a program, recording a program, enabling series recording of a program, setting program and/or channel as a favorite, purchasing a program, or other features. Options available from a main menu display may include search options (e.g., for media content, transaction opportunities, or both), VOD options, parental control options, access to various types of listing displays, subscribe to a premium service, edit a consumer&#39;s account and/or profile, access a browse overlay, or other options. 
     A media guidance application may be personalized based on a consumer&#39;s preferences. A personalized media guidance application allows a consumer to customize displays and features to create a personalized “experience” with the media guidance application. This personalized experience may be created by allowing a consumer to input these customizations and/or by the media guidance application monitoring consumer activity to determine various preferences (e.g., as described above with reference to  FIG. 2 ). Users may access their personalized guidance application by logging in or otherwise identifying themselves to the guidance application. Customization of the media guidance application may be made in accordance with a user profile. The customizations may include varying information format preferences (e.g., as described above with reference to  FIG. 3 ), presentation schemes (e.g., color scheme of displays, font size of text, etc.), aspects of media content listings displayed (e.g., only HDTV programming, user-specified broadcast channels based on favorite channel selections, re-ordering the display of channels, recommended media content, etc.), desired recording features (e.g., recording or series recordings for particular users, recording quality, etc.), parental control settings, and other desired customizations. 
     A media guidance application may allow a consumer to provide consumer profile information (e.g., as described above with reference to  FIG. 2 ) or may automatically compile consumer profile information. The media guidance application may, for example, monitor the media the consumer accesses and/or other interactions the consumer may have with the guidance application. Additionally, the media guidance application may obtain all or part of other profiles that are related to a particular consumer (e.g., from other web sites on the Internet the consumer accesses, such as www.tvguide.com, from other media guidance applications the consumer accesses, from other interactive applications the consumer accesses, from a handheld device of the consumer, etc.), and/or obtain information about the consumer from other sources that the media guidance application may access. As a result, a consumer can be provided with a unified guidance application experience across the consumer&#39;s different devices. Additional personalized media guidance application features are described in greater detail in Ellis et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/179,410, filed Jul. 11, 2005, Boyer et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/437,304, filed Nov. 9, 1999, and Ellis et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/105,128, filed Feb. 21, 2002, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 
     The consumer may also set various settings to maintain consistent media guidance application settings across in-home devices and remote devices. Settings include those described herein, as well as channel and program favorites, programming preferences that the guidance application utilizes to make programming recommendations, display preferences, and other desirable guidance settings. For example, if a consumer sets a channel as a favorite on, for example, the web site www.tvguide.com on their personal computer at their office, the same channel would appear as a favorite on the consumer&#39;s in-home devices (e.g., user television equipment  1202  and user computer equipment  1204  of  FIG. 12 ) as well as the consumer&#39;s mobile devices, if desired. Therefore, changes made on one user equipment device can change the guidance experience on another user equipment device, regardless of whether they are the same or a different type of user equipment device. In addition, the changes made may be based on settings input by a consumer, as well as consumer activity monitored by the guidance application. 
     It will be appreciated that while the discussion of media content has focused on video content, the principles of media delivery and guidance can be applied to many types of media content, such as text, music, images, etc. Additionally, the methods and systems described herein readily apply to providing delivery of many types of services, including Internet access and cellular and land-based telephone service. 
     For illustrative purposes, the methods and systems of vendor-sponsored media access presented herein have largely been described with respect to the block diagram of  FIG. 1 , in which three participants are included in system  100 . The configuration and inclusion of a fourth auxiliary participant is discussed above with reference to  FIG. 6 . Additionally, configurations with different numbers and types of participants may be desirable in certain applications. In the following embodiments, consumer, vendor and media provider modules may be configured in accordance with any of the embodiments described above (e.g., with reference to system  100  of  FIG. 1 ). In an embodiment, an owner may participate in the system.  FIG. 14  is a simplified diagram of an illustrative vendor-sponsored media delivery system  1400  including an owner module  1440 . An owner may take on any one or more of the activities required to maintain and operate the systems described herein, including account maintenance, billing, and transaction monitoring. 
     In an embodiment, a system  1400  for managing vendor-sponsored access to media content may include owner module  1440 , which may be in electronic communication with one or more of consumer module  1410 , vendor module  1420  and media provider module  1430 . These modules may be associated with an owner, a consumer, a vendor and a media provider, respectively. In an embodiment, owner module  1440  may be configured to communicate, instructions to media provider module  1430  to provide access to media content to consumer module  1410 . In an embodiment, owner module  1440  may be further configured to receive an electronic communication from vendor module  1420 . The electronic communication may indicate a consumer associated with consumer module  1410  and may communicate sponsorship, by the vendor, of a portion of the cost of the media content access provided to consumer module  1410  by media provider module  1430 . The electronic communication may be transmitted from vendor module  1420  in response to a transaction between a vendor and a consumer. Owner module  1440  may additionally be configured to maintain a record including the media content access provided to consumer module  1410  by media provider module  1430 , and the portion of the cost of the media content access sponsored by the vendor. For example, sponsorship by a vendor may include a payment towards a periodic service cost of the media content access provided to consumer module  1410 . Sponsorship by a vendor may include a payment for one or more items of media content provided to consumer module  1410 . In an embodiment, consumer module  1410 , vendor module  1420 , media provider module  1430  and owner module  1440  may be any suitable hardware devices capable of performing the functions described herein (e.g., the devices discussed above with reference to  FIGS. 11 and 12 ). 
     In an embodiment, an owner may also be a media provider. Additionally, an owner module, such as owner module  1440 , may be advantageous in systems which include multiple media providers. In an embodiment, owner module  1440  may be further configured to communicate instruction to multiple media provider modules to provide access to media content to consumer module  1410 , and consumer module  1410  may be configured to access media content from the multiple media provider modules. 
       FIG. 15  is a simplified diagram of an illustrative vendor-sponsored media delivery system  1500  including a buyer module  1540 . Illustrative system  1500  also includes consumer module  1510 , vendor module  1520 , and media provider module  1530 , In an embodiment, consumer module  1410 , vendor module  1420 , media provider module  1430  and buyer module  1540  may be suitable hardware devices capable of performing the functions described herein (e.g., the devices discussed above with reference to  FIGS. 11 and 12 ). Buyer module  1540  may be included in system  1500  to provide a layer of additional security and anonymity in a consumer&#39;s access to media content, a consumer&#39;s transactions with one or more vendors, or a combination thereof. A buyer module may also be used to provide information regarding a consumer&#39;s preferences to a vendor without revealing the consumer&#39;s identity, enabling the delivery of more suitable transaction opportunities to the consumer without sacrificing privacy. 
     In an embodiment, buyer module  1540  may be configured to monitor consumer module  1510  and provide a profile of the consumer based at least in part on the monitoring of consumer module  1510 . The consumer profile may not include the identity of the consumer. Consumer profile information provided by buyer module  1540  may be based at least in part on profile information provided by the consumer at step  250  of the flowchart of  FIG. 2 . In an embodiment, such a consumer profile may be provided by buyer module  1540  to at least one of media provider module  1530  and vendor module  1520 . Further, in an embodiment, vendor information content, based at least in part on the consumer profile, is provided to consumer module  1510  by media provider module  1530 . Buyer module  1540  may be fully automated, or may function in response to consumer feedback or manual control by a consumer or another managing party. 
     In an embodiment, a vendor-sponsored media delivery system may include both a buyer module (e.g, buyer module  1540  of  FIG. 15 ) and an owner module (e.g., owner module  1440  of  FIG. 14 ). In such an embodiment, a buyer module may prevent an owner module from knowing the identity of consumers engaged in transactions within the system, while still allowing such transactions to take place. In an embodiment, a trusted set of participants (such as technicians or support providers) may be granted access to the identities of one or more consumers from time to time in order, for example, to maintain and improve the performance of the system. 
     An embodiment of vendor-sponsored media delivery system  1600  including a buyer module and an owner module is depicted in the simplified block diagram of  FIG. 16 . System  1600  may enable communication between client or peer systems in consumers&#39; homes, in media providers&#39; head-ends or central offices, and in vendors&#39; data centers. System  1600  may include consumer subsystem  1602 , vendor subsystem  1604  and media provider subsystem  1606 , which may provide communication interfaces to the three respective participants&#39; systems. Each of subsystems  1602 ,  1604  and  1606  may include an associated module as described above, which may include any suitable hardware device configured to perform the functions described herein. For example, these subsystems may carry out the configuration of consumers, vendors and media providers (as described above with reference to  FIGS. 2 ,  4  and  5 ). When high-level functions are needed by more than one of the other subsystems in system  1600 , such functions may be handled in one or more of these three components. 
       FIG. 16  also depicts an owner subsystem  1608 . In an embodiment, owner subsystem  1608  may coincide with one or more of vendor subsystem  1604  and media provider subsystem  1606 . 
     In an embodiment, owner subsystem  1608  may access system  1600  under the watch of security subsystem  1610 . Security subsystem  1610  may connect, or prohibit connections between, subsystems of system  1600 . Individuals associated with owner subsystem  1608 , such as employees of a company responsible for owner subsystem  1608 , may need a variety of clearances for higher or lower levels of capability according to their job responsibilities. Along such lines, each subsystem of system  1600  may vary in the amount of security required. In order to allow technicians to maintain system  1600 , different security keys may be granted (e.g., by an outside service). Additional security features may be implemented in accordance with known secure computing, data transfer and networking techniques. 
     Buyer subsystem  1612 , for example, may require a high level of protection. As introduced above, buyer subsystem  1612  may enable the creation of an anonymous “buyer” persona with a consumer&#39;s profile, so vendors may provide the consumers with suitable transaction opportunities without actually knowing their true identity, thus protecting the consumers&#39; privacy. 
     The arrows in  FIG. 16  indicate which other components individual subsystems may work with to accomplish different goals. It will be understood that system  1600  may include suitable working relationships between subsystems not indicated in  FIG. 16  to carry out the functions described herein. As depicted in  FIG. 16 , buyer subsystem  1612  may work with consumer subsystem  1602  and with sales subsystem  1614 . 
     Sales subsystem  1614  may handle shopping by a consumer, or by a “buyer” representing the consumer. Sales subsystem  1614  may be fairly end-to-end, covering needs including browsing for goods and services, providing up-selling and cross-selling, and administering checkout for transactions. Sales subsystem  1614  may be connected to vendor subsystem  1604  and buyer subsystem  1612 . Sales subsystem  1614  may also be connected to consumer subsystem  1602 , for those consumers who prefer a more direct alternative to the anonymous “buyer” method. In an embodiment, a consumer may specify when a transaction should occur through buyer subsystem  1612 . 
     Sales subsystem  1614  may be connected to media subsystem  1618 , which may allow video, audio, text and interactive programming to be used during a transaction. A consumer may inform system  1600  through consumer subsystem  1602  when he or she is willing to review the media coming from sales subsystem  1614 . From time to time, account subsystem  1620  might encourage a consumer to shop or engage in a transaction whenever the consumer&#39;s account is running low. The connection between consumer subsystem  1602  and sales subsystem  1614  may be used for a consumer to inform system  1600  that a satisfactory fulfillment of a good or service provided by a vendor has occurred, and that the transaction may be finalized (e.g., by recording the satisfactory fulfillment in a database). When that happens, sales subsystem  1614  may communicate to account subsystem  1620  and part of the proceeds from the transaction may be used to sponsor the consumer&#39;s media access (e.g., may be applied to the consumer&#39;s media access bill). In an embodiment, the communication between sales subsystem  1614  and account subsystem  1620  may take place upon confirmation provided by vendor subsystem  1604  or any other suitable subsystem. 
     Account subsystem  1620  may track and allow changes to the amount that a consumer owes a media service provider for media access, as well as which services the consumer accesses from the media provider (e.g., as described above with reference to  FIG. 7 ). Account subsystem  1620  may also handle the registration of consumers, vendors, media providers and auxiliary participants (e.g., as described above with reference to FIGS.  2  and  4 - 6 ). In an embodiment, there may be a connection between media provider database  1622  and consumer database  1624 , which may enable a link between a consumer module and a media provider module as described above. Account subsystem  1620  may maintain the required linking between the two databases. In an embodiment, vendor database  1626  may be independent. 
     In an embodiment, credit subsystem  1628  may allow an owner to lend money to a consumer. If an owner of system  1600  is a media provider, a loan may take the form of credit against a consumer&#39;s media access bill. Alternatively, credit subsystem  1628  may interface to one or more banks, credit card companies or other outside lending institutions. 
     Auction subsystem  1616  may allow consumers to competitively bid on some of the goods and services provided by vendors. Once the bidding is complete, the sale may be consummated using sales subsystem  1614  as described above. In an embodiment, both consumers and anonymous “buyers” may participate in auctions. In an embodiment, a vendor may not need to know anything about the consumers who are bidding during an auction, and thus vendor subsystem  1604  may not be connected to auction subsystem  1616 . In an embodiment, once an auction completes, sales subsystem  1614  may work with the winning consumer. As described above, auction subsystem  1616  may also work “in reverse” by managing proposals from multiple vendors to satisfy a consumer&#39;s request for a good or service. 
     Cost compare subsystem  1630  may identify comparative pricing for similar goods and services when requested by consumers (e.g., as described above with reference to  FIG. 8 ). Cost compare subsystem  1630  may receive information from vendor database  1626 . In an embodiment, a vendor may be aware that this type of access will occur before the vendor participates in the system. 
     Media subsystem  1618  may handle the delivery, removal and distribution of video, audio, text and interactive programming. Media subsystem  1618  may also work as a back-end server for an interactive television or Internet interactive application. Communications for such applications may go through media provider subsystem  1606  when suitable or vendor subsystem  1604  when an alternative may be desired. For example, when a media provider does not handle a consumer&#39;s Internet connection, vendor subsystem  1604  may be used for Internet-based shopping. As suitable, content may come from, and be maintained by, a media provider and/or a vendor. In an embodiment, all media may be stored consistently on vendor database  1626  for convenience. 
     Additional functions, such as those required to maintain accounts and perform activities related to auxiliary participants (e.g., as described above with reference to  FIG. 6 ) may be performed by suitable existing or additional subsystems within system  1600 . 
     It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown. Those skilled in the art will know or be able to ascertain, using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the embodiments and practices described herein. Accordingly, it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments disclosed herein.