Interactive television program guide system with operator showcase

A method for providing an interactive television program guide on user equipment that contains a database of television listings data, the program guide displaying at least one operator showcase television listings screen on the user equipment based on content criteria selected by a service provider that operates a television distribution facility, comprising:

• receiving at a main facility the content criteria selected by the service provider;
• transmitting the content criteria from the main facility to the television distribution facility which distributes the content criteria to the user equipment;
• displaying on the user equipment an operator showcase menu containing a plurality of television display screen options corresponding to the content criteria received by the user equipment, wherein each television display screen option is associated with a respective operator showcase television listings screen;
• generating a set of television listings information for each operator showcase television listings screen from the television listings data in the database based on the content criteria provided to the user equipment, wherein each one of the content criteria identifies a specific type of program offering and is usable by the program guide in performing a database query in the database for generating an associated set of television listings information when an associated television display screen option corresponding to the specific type of program offering is selected;
• and
• displaying the set of television listings information in the operator showcase television listings screen on the user equipment.

A system for providing an interactive television program guide on user equipment that contains a database of television listings data, the program guide displaying at least one operator showcase television listings screen on the user equipment based on content criteria selected by a service provider that operates a television distribution facility, comprising:

• a main facility that receives the content criteria selected by the service provider, wherein the content criteria is subsequently transmitted from the main facility to the television distribution facility which distributes the content criteria to the user equipment, wherein the user equipment:
• displays an operator showcase menu containing a plurality of television display screen options corresponding to the content criteria received by the user equipment, wherein each television display screen option is associated with a respective operator showcase television listings screen;
• generates a set of television listings information for each operator showcase television listings screen from the television listings data in the database based on the content criteria provided to the user equipment, wherein each one of the content criteria identifies a specific type of program offering and is usable by the program guide in performing a database query in the database for generating an associated set of television listings information when an associated television display screen option corresponding to the specific type of program offering is selected;
• and
• displays the set of television listings information in the operator showcase television listings screen.