Patent ID: 7587729

Claim:
A method implemented by a content distribution system, the method comprising: receiving from a program data provider, program data that represents a plurality of programs scheduled for transmission over a network; maintaining a plurality of promotion priorities, each of which may be purchased by a content provider and associated with one or more particular channels or particular programs, thereby indicating that the particular channels or particular programs specified by the content provider are to be presented to an end-user more prominently than other channels or programs that are not associated with a promotion priority, wherein the promotion priorities have a ranking such that a first channel or program associated with a first priority is presented to the end user in a more prominent position than a second channel or program associated with a second priority, the first priority having a higher ranking than the second priority; offering the plurality of promotion priorities for purchase by content providers; receiving from a first content provider, a request to purchase a first priority of the plurality of priorities; generating modified program data by modifying the program data to include a representation of the first priority that was purchased by the first content provider; communicating the modified program data to a client device, thereby enabling the client device to present the program data, including a promoted listing based on the first priority that was purchased by the first content provider; and receiving from the client device, tracking data that indicates the promoted listing was displayed.