Patent ID: 8316389

Claim:
A server external to a content provider that is configured to provide the content provider with viewership data, the server comprising: a program database configured to store information about programs provided by one or more content providers; a tuning space database configured to store information about one or more local tuning spaces; a translation function configured to translate tokens that identify a program to be broadcast into instructions compatible with a local tuning space by interfacing with the program database and the tuning space database and configured to send the instructions to a viewer's device to program the viewer's device to record the program to be broadcast; a ratings database configured to store viewership information based at least in part on the information translated from the tokens, the viewership information obtained during token translations prior to the broadcast time of the program to be broadcast; and a predictive filter configured to estimate a size of a viewing audience intending to record the program to be broadcast as indicated by the viewership information stored in the ratings database and to provide the estimated size of the viewing audience to the content provider prior to the broadcast time of the program.