Patent ID: 7831993

Claim:
A method for merchandising information to a broadcast customer for inclusion in an output video digital data stream, said method comprising: storing the merchandising information in a database; receiving changed information; automatically updating the stored information based on the received changed information; receiving, from the broadcast customer, a first selection identifying a subset of the stored information as display data; receiving, from the broadcast customer, a second selection identifying a screen arrangement for the display data, the screen arrangement determining where the display data will be positioned on an output screen which is displaying the output video digital data stream; defining, at a server, a video layout based on the first and second selections received from the broadcast customer; formatting, at the server, a broadcast-ready video data stream which includes the display data based on the video layout transmitting the broadcast-ready video data stream from the server to the broadcast customer; receiving the broadcast-ready video data stream from the server; and combining, prior to broadcast, the received broadcast-ready video data stream with video content broadcast by the broadcast customer thereby producing the output video digital data, wherein the combining positions the display data of the received broadcast-ready video data stream and the video content broadcast by the broadcast customer according to the screen arrangement.