Customized barker channels for viewers of a cable system

A method for providing customized barker content to a set top box (“STB”) of a subscriber of a video service subscriber, wherein said STB is configured to generate signals to a television for a display having a first portion presenting a movie trailer and a second portion presenting VOD menu selections, said method comprising the steps of:

• receiving a signal at a headend of the video service provider sent from the STB over a video distribution network indicating a set top box identifier, wherein said signal is sent in response from said subscriber requesting a video on-demand service;
• selecting said movie trailer from a data store storing a plurality of movie trailers having a plurality of ratings;
• causing said movie trailer to be streamed from said headend over one of a plurality of barker channels;
• and
• providing to said STB from said headend a barker channel identifier associated with the one of the plurality of barker channels, wherein said STB generates said display by accessing said barker channel using said barker channel identifier.

A system for providing customized barker content to a subscriber, comprising:

• an SCTE 130 based Ad Manager (“AM”) receiving a default barker comprising a plurality of movie trailers, and further configured to provide said customized barker content;
• an SCTE 130 based Ad Decision Service (“ADS”) interfacing with said AM, said ADS configured to receive a request from the AM to identify custom barker data for the AM to incorporate into said default barker to provide said customized barker content;
• an SCTE 130 based Content Information System (“CIS”) storing content information about at least one movie trailer of said default barker, said CIS configured to provide said content information to said ADS;
• and
• an SCTE 130 based Subscriber Information System (“SIS”) storing subscriber information about said subscriber, said SIS configured to provide said subscriber information to said ADS,
• wherein said ADS uses said content information and said subscriber information to indicate said custom barker data to said AM, and
• wherein said AM retrieves said custom barker data from a data store and generates said customized barker content to said subscriber using said custom barker data.