Patent ID: 8209720

Claim:
A system comprising: a client device comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the memory containing instructions for configuring the client device through execution of the instructions by the processor; the client device comprising a network interface for accessing a database of show identifiers (IDs) and corresponding television (TV) programs, wherein a show ID is unique to a corresponding TV program, the client device being configured to present the show IDs and corresponding TV program titles in an onscreen guide configured for locating one or more TV programs in a universe of TV programs that can be broadcasted, wherein the universe of TV programs comprises at least one TV program that is currently unpublished in a program guide, and at least one different TV program that is currently published in the program guide; the client being configured to associate a primary request ID with a particular one of the show IDs obtained from the database to indicate a viewer's interest in a particular TV program represented by the particular show ID, wherein the particular TV program represented by the particular show ID is currently unpublished in the program guide, wherein a time and a date of broadcast, or a channel on which the TV program will be broadcasted, is unavailable until information regarding the time, the date, and the channel corresponding to the TV program is published in the program guide; an EPG application stored in the memory to receive, at a later time, programming guide data that identifies TV programs published in the program guide and scheduled to be available, wherein the TV programs that are published in the program guide and scheduled to be available have the corresponding unique show IDs obtained from the database by the program guide publisher and associated with the TV programs in the program guide, and wherein the show ID is created and assigned to a corresponding TV program in the database by an entertainment industry service provider before the programming guide data containing that show ID is generated; the client device being configured to identify the particular TV program associated with the primary request ID in the programming guide data by comparing the primary request ID with the show IDs obtained from the database by the program guide publisher and associated with the TV programs listed in the program guide; based on the comparison, the client device being configured to determine that the programming guide data indicates that the particular TV program associated with the primary request ID is published in the program guide and is scheduled to be available to be received by the client device; and a log application stored in the memory to update a log file responsive to viewing of the particular TV program, the log file comprising a history of TV programs viewed by a particular viewer out of multiple viewers in a household.