System and method for encouraging viewers to watch television programs

In a broadcasting network that includes a broadcast signal source configured to broadcast television programming and one or more television receivers that are configured to display the television programming to one or more viewers, a method for offering reward incentives for the one or more viewers to watch the television programming, the method comprising:

• broadcasting a program;
• repeatedly broadcasting, with the program, reward notice triggers corresponding to a reward notice that is displayed with the program and that identifies the program as content for which a viewer will be rewarded for monitoring the content, wherein each reward notice trigger includes a time stamp that can be used to determine a time in which the reward notice is selected by the viewer;
• upon the viewer selecting the reward notice, determining the time in which the viewer selected the reward notice based upon the time stamp of the reward notice trigger that was being broadcast during the selection of the reward notice;
• and
• determining that the viewer monitored the program based upon the time in which the viewer selected the reward notice.

A computer program product for use in a broadcasting network that includes a broadcast signal source configured to broadcast television programming to one or more television receivers that are configured to display the television programming to one or more viewers, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for implementing a method for offering reward incentives for the one or more viewers to watch the television programming, the method comprising:

• broadcasting a television program to one or more television viewers via one or more television receivers;
• using a reward notice to alert the one or more viewers of a possibility of receiving a reward for viewing at least a portion of the program, the reward notice being associated with reward notice triggers having time stamps that are repeatedly transmitted with the broadcast of the program and that can be used to determine a time in which the one or more viewers tune into the program and select the reward notice;
• soliciting an email response from the one or more the viewers;
• identifying a group of the one or more viewers who viewed the program and that will be rewarded for viewing the program, wherein a determination that the one or more viewers in the identified group viewed the program is at least partially based upon whether the one or more viewers submitted the solicited email response;
• and
• providing a reward to each viewer in the identified group of viewers.

A computer program product for use in a broadcasting network that includes a broadcast signal source configured to broadcast television programming and one or more television receivers that are configured to display the television programming to one or more viewers, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for implementing a method for offering reward incentives for the one or more viewers to watch the television programming, the method comprising:

• broadcasting a program;
• repeatedly broadcasting, with the program, reward notice triggers corresponding to a reward notice that is displayed with the program and that identifies the program as content for which a viewer will be rewarded for monitoring the content, wherein each reward notice trigger includes a time stamp that can be used to determine a time in which the reward notice is selected by the viewer;
• upon the viewer selecting the reward notice, determining the time in which the viewer selected the reward notice based upon the time stamp of the reward notice trigger that was being broadcast during the selection of the reward notice;
• and
• determining that the viewer monitored the program based upon the time in which the viewer selected the reward notice.