Patent ID: 7246367

Claim:
A method for providing synchronized service in a communications network, the method comprising: forming at least one group of user terminals, wherein each of the user terminals are assigned different rights to control a playback of a recording and allocating at least one channel to an individual group; transmitting a recording to the user terminals of a group thus formed, each recording including timing markers, each of which indicates an internal position within the recording; storing at least part of the recording prior to its playback at each user terminal, wherein the storing further includes storing the timing markers; sending a start command to each user terminal of the group; in response to the start command, starting the playback of the recording at each user terminal; maintaining status information for the recording, the status information indicating at least the playback position of the recording; transmitting a status message to the user terminals, the message indicating new status information concerning the recording; changing the playback status at each user terminal according to said new status information; and controlling the playback in the plurality of user equipment by utilizing at least information received in a message from a user terminal with highest priority by utilizing the stored timing markers, wherein the communications network includes user terminals and servers providing services to the user terminals through at least one channel.