CM data management apparatus/method, pay-program reception terminal/method, pay-program transmission/reception system, and computer-readable storage medium storing computer program to realize these methods

A CM (commercial message) management method used by an information processing computer of a CM management apparatus for managing a CM-inserted program, and transmitting the CM-inserted program to a plurality of pay-program reception terminals, the method comprising:

• storing, the CM-inserted program, which is reproduction-target AV (audio-visual) data that is a pay program and CMs, the pay program being composed of a plurality of pay program portions;
• storing, a CM-inserted program schedule providing instructions for an order that the pay program portions and the CMs of the reproduction-target AV data are to be reproduced;
• upon receiving, by the information processing computer, a request for the pay program from one of the pay-program reception terminals, reading the CM-inserted program including the requested pay program and reading the CM-inserted program schedule;
• transmitting, by the information processing computer, the CM-inserted program and the CM-inserted program schedule to the one of the pay program reception terminals;
• receiving, by the information processing computer, a CM deletion request to delete one or more of the CMs from the one of the pay-program reception terminals;
• upon receiving the CM deletion request, storing the received CM deletion request as a history;
• based on the history of the received CM deletion request, calculating, by the information processing computer, an additional fee to be charged on the one of the pay-program reception terminals for a permission to delete the one or more of the CMs as requested;
• transmitting information, by the information processing computer, indicating the calculated additional fee to the one of the pay-program reception terminals;
• receiving, by the information processing computer, a CM deletion instruction to delete the one or more of the CMs from the one of the pay-program reception terminals;
• and
• upon receiving the CM deletion instruction, transmitting, by the information processing computer, a new program schedule to the one of the pay-program reception terminals without transmitting the CM-inserted program to the one of the pay-program reception terminals, the new program schedule providing instructions for an order that the pay program portions and remaining CMs are to be reproduced, the remaining CMs being CMs that are not requested to be deleted in the CM deletion request.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to execute the following steps:

• store, a CM-inserted program and a CM-inserted program schedule, the CM-inserted program being reproduction-target AV (audio-visual) data that is a pay program and CMs, the pay program being composed of a plurality of pay program portions, the CM-inserted program schedule providing instructions for an order that the pay program portions and the CMs of the reproduction-target AV data are to be reproduced;
• upon receiving a request for the pay program from one of a plurality of pay-program reception terminals, read the CM-inserted program including the requested pay program and read the CM-inserted program schedule;
• transmit the CM-inserted program and the CM-inserted program schedule to the one of the pay program reception terminals;
• receive a CM deletion request to delete one or more of the CMs from the one of the pay-program reception terminals;
• upon receiving the CM deletion request, store the received CM deletion request as a history;
• based on the history of the received CM deletion request, calculate an additional fee to be charged on the one of the pay-program reception terminals for a permission to delete the one or more of the CMs as requested;
• transmit information indicating the calculated additional fee to the one of the pay-program reception terminals;
• receive a CM deletion instruction to delete the one or more of the CMs from the one of the pay-program reception terminals;
• and
• upon receiving the CM deletion instruction, transmit only a new program schedule to the one of the pay-program reception terminals without transmitting the CM-inserted program to the one of the pay-program reception terminals, the new program schedule providing instructions for an order that the pay program portions and remaining CMs are to be reproduced, the remaining CMs being CMs that are not requested to be deleted in the CM deletion request.