Systems and methods for advertising television networks, channels, and programs

A method for controlling the presentation of advertisements to a television viewer, comprising:

• storing said advertisements in an advertising database;
• and
• in a processor that is a portion of one of a piece of television viewer equipment, a television set-top box, and a network node;
• receiving said advertisements from said advertising database;
• receiving said advertisement control information associated with said advertisements, wherein said advertisement control information schedules said advertisements for display by said television viewer equipment, wherein at least some of said advertisements are programming-related advertisements for a network, channel or programming on a network or channel;
• determining with said processor whether or not said advertisements that are received from said advertising database are for a network, channel, or programming on a network or channel that is received by said television viewer equipment;
• and
• for each advertisement that said processor determines is for a network, channel, or programming on a network or channel that is not received by said television viewer equipment, preventing the display of said advertisements on said television viewer equipment and selecting a substitute advertisement to be displayed on said television viewer equipment instead of said each advertisement.

A system for presenting to a television viewer advertisements that is associated with a television network having a network identifier, said system comprising:

• an advertising database that stores said advertisements;
• and
• a processor that receives from said advertising database said advertisements, and that receives advertisement control information that is associated with said advertisements, wherein:
• said advertisement control information schedules said advertisements for display by said television viewer equipment and that contains said network identifier;
• said processor uses said network identifier to determine whether any affiliate of said network is received by said television viewer equipment;
• and
• for each advertisement that said processor determines is for said affiliate that is not received by said television viewer equipment, said processor prevents the display of said each advertisements on said television viewer equipment and selects a substitute advertisement to be displayed on said viewer television equipment instead of said each advertisement.

A method for presenting to a television viewer advertisements that is associated with a television network having a network identifier, said method comprising:

• storing in an advertising database said advertisements;
• and
• receiving from said advertising database said advertisements with a processor;
• receiving advertisement control information that is associated with said advertisements and that contains said network identifier with said processor;
• using said network identifier to determine with said processor whether any affiliate of said network is received by said television viewer equipment;
• and
• for each advertisement that said processor determines is for said affiliate that is not received by said television viewer equipment, preventing the display of said advertisements on said television viewer equipment and selecting a substitute advertisement to be displayed on said viewer television equipment instead of said each advertisement.