Patent ID: 7076793

Claim:
A program guide information producing apparatus, provided for a broadcaster, that has a capability of outputting self-produced common program guide information and other broadcaster's common program guide information, comprising: a common program guide information producing section which produces self-produced common program guide information based on received program organizing information, a self-produced information transmitting section which receives said self-produced common program guide information from said common program guide information producing section and transmits said self-produced common program guide to a program guide information collecting/transmitting apparatus; a common program guide information receiving section that receives other broadcaster's common program guide information from said program guide information collecting/transmitting apparatus; and a program guide information output section that receives said self-produced common program guide information from said common program guide information producing section and also receives other broadcaster's common program guide information from said common program guide information receiving section, and unites said self-produced common program guide information and said other broadcaster's common program guide information, and outputs the united common program guide information as all broadcasters' common program guide information to a TS multiplexing apparatus, wherein said program guide information output section outputs at least the self-produced common program guide information received from said common program guide information producing section when transmission of other broadcaster's common program guide information has failed.