System and method for priority sponsorship of multimedia content

An information handling system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• a memory accessible by the processors;
• a network interface connecting the information handling system to a computer network;
• and
• a recording tool for recording sponsored programs, the recording tool including:
• means for receiving, at a digital video recorder, a sponsored program listing over a network from a service provider;
• means for retrieving one or more user assigned rankings corresponding to one or more scheduled programs;
• means for locating a sponsor ranking in the sponsored program listing corresponding to one or more of the scheduled programs that have user assigned rankings;
• means for increasing the user assigned ranking for one of the scheduled programs in response to the scheduled program matching the sponsored program listing;
• means for selecting, based on the user assigned rankings and the sponsor ranking increase, one of the scheduled programs;
• and
• means for recording the selected scheduled program onto a nonvolatile storage device accessible by the digital video recorder.

A computer program product stored in a computer operable media for recording a program, said computer program product comprising:

• means for receiving, at a digital video recorder, a sponsored program listing over a network from a service provider;
• means for retrieving one or more user assigned rankings corresponding to one or more scheduled programs;
• means for locating a sponsor ranking in the sponsored program listing corresponding to one or more of the scheduled programs that have user assigned rankings;
• means for increasing the user assigned ranking for one of the scheduled programs in response to the scheduled program matching the sponsored program listing;
• means for selecting, based on the user assigned rankings and the sponsor ranking increase, one of the scheduled programs;
• and
• means for recording the selected scheduled program onto a nonvolatile storage device accessible by the digital video recorder.