Patent ID: 7555767

Claim:
A TV (television) program distribution system for distributing a pay TV program provided by a TV program provider to TV broadcast signal receiving devices, limiting number of TV broadcast signal receiving devices allowed to access the pay TV program, the TV program distribution system comprising: a TV broadcast signal distribution device for scrambling the pay TV program, and for multiplexing the pay TV program with other information into DTV (Digital Television) broadcast signals for distribution; an auction management device for managing selling, by auction, of viewing right of the pay TV program; an account management device for charging winning bidders of the pay TV program determined by the auction; and a conditional access management device for managing conditional access information to make it possible for each TV broadcast receiving device of each winning bidder of the pay TV program to descramble the scrambled pay TV program, wherein prior to the distribution of the pay TV program, the TV broadcast signal distribution device distributes auction TV program information including information on an outline of the pay TV program, predetermined number of TV broadcast signal receiving devices allowed to access the pay TV program, auction period and predetermined minimum bid price, wherein the auction management device receives a user ID (Identification) for identifying the user of the TV broadcast signal receiving device and bid information including information on a bid price, which are sent from each TV broadcast signal receiving device, and further sums up received plural bid information so as to determine winning bidders and a winning bid price of the pay TV program, wherein when the number of bidders in the auction period is within the predetermined number of TV broadcast signal receiving devices allowed to access the pay TV program, the auction management device determines all the bidders as the winning bidders and the predetermined minimum price as the winning bid price for all the winning bidders, wherein when the number of bidders in the auction period exceeds the predetermined number of TV broadcast signal receiving devices allowed to access the pay TV program, the TV program distribution system determines that the number of bidders, which corresponds to the predetermined number of TV broadcast signal receiving devices allowed to access the pay TV program, and which is chosen in order from the highest bid price, are winning bidders, in which the TV program distribution system distributes the pay TV program to all the winning bidders at the lowest bid price among bid prices of all the winning bidders, and wherein when the winning bidders of the pay TV program are determined, the TV broadcast signal distribution device distributes, to each winning bidder of the pay TV program, the conditional access information of the pay TV program managed by the conditional access management device.