System and method for maintaining an association between a distribution device and a shared end user characteristic

A method for obtaining information to determine at least one geographic area served by each of a plurality of receiver units, comprising:

• providing a unique ID for each of the receiver units;
• transmitting a request to at least a subset of a plurality of end viewers served by each receiver unit to communicate information to a central system by:
• transmitting the unique ID that identifies the receiver unit to the subset of end viewers served by the receiver unit so that the unique ID is displayable on a television to the subset of end viewers served by the receiver unit;
• at the central system:
• receiving the information from the subset of the end viewers, wherein the information received from one of the subset of the end viewers includes a particular ID displayed to the end viewer and the geographic area where the particular ID was displayed;
• based on the received information that includes the particular ID, identifying at least one geographic area served by the receiver unit having the particular ID, and
• maintaining a database that associates the particular ID with the at least one geographic areas served by the receiver unit having the particular ID.

A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions, said instructions comprising instructions for:

• instructing a plurality of receiver units to generate local content to a plurality of end viewers, wherein the local content includes a unique ID associated with the receiver unit providing the local content;
• receiving from a subset of the end viewers served by the receiver units communications identifying the unique IDs that were communicated by the receiver units and the geographic areas where the unique IDs were displayed;
• determining at least one geographic area served by each of the receiver units by associating the unique ID for each receiver unit with the geographic areas identified in the communications from the subset of the end viewers having the same unique ID;
• and
• maintaining a database that associates each of the unique IDs with the at least one geographic area served by the receiver unit associated with the unique ID.