Apparatus and methods of open and closed package subscription

An apparatus for providing media program information, comprising:

• a content server including package information defining a package of media presentations associated with a retailer, the package information comprising an indication of whether the package has an OPEN or CLOSED state, the OPEN state indicating that the package is open for additional subscriptions regardless of a subscriber's device type, and the CLOSED state indicating that a package is closed to additional subscriptions but that the media presentations of the package are provided to devices that are associated with the retailer through a subscription agreement regardless of a type of the devices;
• a generator operable to generate a message for transmission to one of the devices associated with the retailer through a subscription agreement, the message comprising the package information;
• and
• a transmit subsystem operable to transmit the message comprising the package information including the indication of whether the package has the OPEN or CLOSED state to the one of the devices associated with the retailer through the subscription agreement.

A method of providing one or more packages of media programming, the method comprising:

• providing information describing a first programming package of media presentations that is open for new subscriptions to a plurality of devices regardless of a type of the devices;
• providing information describing a second programming package of media presentations that has been closed to new subscriptions;
• permitting a subscription to the first programming package to any of the plurality of devices such that the media presentations of the first programming package are available to any of the plurality of devices;
• and
• substantially concurrently permitting a presentation of the media presentations of the second programming package only to those of the plurality of devices that are currently subscribed to the second programming package, wherein subscribers not currently subscribed to the second programming package are prohibited from subscribing to the second programming package so as to prevent additional subscriptions to the second programming package.

At least one processor configured to perform the actions of:

• providing information describing a first programming package of media presentations;
• providing information describing a second programming package of media presentations;
• permitting a presentation of the media presentations of the first package and the media presentations of the second package for a first subscriber having a subscription to the first programming package and the second programming package;
• and
• permitting a presentation of the media presentations of the first package and prohibiting presentation of the media presentations of the second package for a second subscriber having a subscription to the first package but not to the second package, wherein the second subscriber is prohibited from requesting a subscription to the second package.

A computer program resident in a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executed, directs a computer device to perform the actions of:

• providing information describing a first programming package of media presentations;
• providing information describing a second programming package of media presentations;
• permitting a presentation of the media presentations of information describing both the first package and the second package for a first subscriber having a subscription to both the first programming package and the second programming package;
• and
• permitting a presentation of the media presentations of information describing the first package and prohibiting a presentation of the media presentations of information describing the second package for a second subscriber having a subscription to the first package but not to the second package, wherein the second subscriber is prohibited from requesting a subscription to the information describing the second package.

An apparatus for providing media program information, comprising:

• a means for providing information describing a first programming package of media presentations;
• a means for providing information describing a second programming package of media presentations;
• a means for permitting a presentation of the media presentations of both the first package and the second package for a first subscriber having a subscription to both the first programming package and the second programming package;
• and
• a means for permitting a presentation of the media presentations of the first package and for prohibiting a presentation of the media presentations of the second package for a second subscriber having a subscription to the first package but not to the second package, wherein the second subscriber is prohibited from requesting a subscription to the second package.

An apparatus for providing media program information, comprising:

• a content server comprising a first set of package information describing a first media programming package of media presentations having a first subscription characteristic, the content server further comprising a second set of package information describing a second media programming package of media presentations having a second subscription characteristic, wherein the second programming package is different from the first programming package, and wherein at least one of the first subscription characteristic and the second subscription characteristic is operable to permit a presentation of the media presentations of the corresponding programming package only on a device having a current subscription to the corresponding programming package while prohibiting any new subscriptions to the corresponding package regardless of device type;
• and
• a generator operable to generate a message for transmission across a network, the message comprising the first set of package information, the second set of package information, the first subscription characteristic and the second subscription characteristic, the message enabling the presentation of the media presentations of the first and second programming packages only on those devices having a current subscription to the corresponding package regardless of device type, wherein devices not having the current subscription to the corresponding package are prohibited from requesting a subscription to the corresponding package.

A method of receiving media programming information on a device, comprising:

• receiving, on a device, programming package information describing a package of media presentation channels;
• receiving, on the device, an indication of whether a subscription to the package of media presentation channels is OPEN or CLOSED to additional subscribers, wherein the device is configured to present the media presentations of the package;
• allowing a request to subscribe to the package for the package being indicated as OPEN to additional subscribers;
• and
• presenting one of the media presentation channels of the programming package on the device for the programming package being indicated as being CLOSED to additional subscribers and the device being already subscribed to the programming package regardless of a subscriber's device type.

An apparatus for receiving media program information, comprising:

• a computer platform operable to present media content;
• a data repository comprising programming package information for at least one package and device subscription information indicating the packages to which the device is currently subscribed, the programming package information describing a package of channels including a subscription characteristic that indicates whether the programming package is open for additional subscriptions regardless of subscriber device type;
• and
• a media manager module that determines if the channels of a package may be displayed based on states of the subscription characteristic of the package and the device subscription information regardless of subscriber device type, the media manager module operable to initiate presentation of one of the channels of the package on the device based on the package permission decision regardless of subscriber device type, and the media manager operable to prohibit requests for subscribing to the programming package when the media manager module determines that the package is not open to additional subscriptions.

A method of providing package information, comprising:

• providing package information relating to a package of media presentations,
• providing a first package subscription information that indicates whether the package of media presentations is associated with a closed state, the closed state indicating that the package of media presentations is closed to new subscribers to the package but that the media presentations of the package are available to existing subscribers to the package;
• and
• transmitting the package information and the first package subscription information to a device configured to display the media presentations of the package.

A method of receiving package information, comprising:

• receiving, by a device, package information relating to a package of media presentations, wherein the device is configured to display the media presentations of the package;
• receiving a first package subscription information that indicates whether the package of media presentations is associated with a closed state, the closed state indicating that the package of media presentations is closed to new subscribers to the package but that the media presentations of the package are available to existing subscribers to the package;
• and
• allowing a request to subscribe to the package of media presentations, wherein the first package subscription information indicates that the package is not associated with the closed state.

At least one processor configured to perform the actions of:

• providing package information relating to a package of media presentations,
• providing a first package subscription information that indicates whether the package of media presentations is associated with a closed state, the closed state indicating that the package of media presentations is closed to new subscribers to the package but that the media presentations of the package are available to existing subscribers to the package;
• and
• transmitting the package information and the first package subscription information to a device configured to display the media presentations of the package.

At least one processor configured to perform the actions of:

• receiving, by a device, package information relating to a package of media presentations, wherein the device is configured to display the media presentations of the package;
• receiving a first package subscription information that indicates whether the package of media presentations is associated with a closed state, the closed state indicating that the package of media presentations is closed to new subscribers to the package but that the media presentations of the package are available to existing subscribers to the package;
• and
• allowing a request to subscribe to the package of media presentations, wherein the first package subscription information indicates that the package is not associated with the closed state.

A computer program resident in a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executed, directs a computer device to perform the actions of:

• providing package information relating to a package of media presentations,
• providing a first package subscription information that indicates whether the package of media presentations is associated with a closed state, the closed state indicating that the package of media presentations is closed to new subscribers to the package but that the media presentations of the package are available to existing subscribers to the package;
• and
• transmitting the package information and the first package subscription information to a device configured to display the media presentations of the package.

A computer program resident in a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executed, directs a computer device to perform the actions of:

• receiving, by a device, package information relating to a package of media presentations, wherein the device is configured to display the media presentations of the package;
• receiving a first package subscription information that indicates whether the package of media presentations is associated with a closed state, the closed state indicating that the package of media presentations is closed to new subscribers to the package but that the media presentations of the package are available to existing subscribers to the package;
• and
• allowing a request to subscribe to the package of media presentations, wherein the first package subscription information indicates that the package is not associated with the closed state.

An apparatus for providing media program information, comprising:

• means for providing package information relating to a package of media presentations,
• means for providing a first package subscription information that indicates whether the package of media presentations is associated with a closed state, the closed state indicating that the package of media presentations is closed to new subscribers to the package but that the media presentations of the package are available to existing subscribers to the package;
• and
• means for transmitting the package information and the first package subscription information to a device configured to display the media presentations of the package.

An apparatus for providing media program information, comprising:

• means for receiving, by a device, package information relating to a package of media presentations, wherein the device is configured to display the media presentations of the package;
• means for receiving a first package subscription information that indicates whether the package of media presentations is associated with a closed state, the closed state indicating that the package of media presentations is closed to new subscribers to the package but that the media presentations of the package are available to existing subscribers to the package;
• and
• means for allowing a request to subscribe to the package of media presentations, wherein the first package subscription information indicates that the package is not associated with the closed state.