Video distribution system and method of managing receiving terminal of video distribution service

Abstract

A video distribution system includes plural receiving terminals, a video distribution apparatus, and a common ID issuing and managing apparatus. Each of the plural receiving terminals has a terminal ID, makes a distribution request for video data, and receives the video data distributed in response to the distribution request. The video distribution apparatus distributes video data to the receiving terminal according to the distribution request. The common ID issuing and managing apparatus includes a common ID issuing unit which issues a common ID and integrates the terminal IDs of the plural receiving terminals by the common ID so that the terminal IDs are treated as a same ID in the common ID issuing & managing apparatus, a common ID storing unit which stores the common ID and the plural terminal IDs in association with each other, and a terminal authenticating unit which checks, when the video distribution apparatus distributes the video data to the receiving terminal in response to the distribution request, whether a common ID is stored in association with a terminal ID of the receiving terminal that sends the distribution request in the common ID storing unit and authenticates the receiving terminal according to the common ID.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.