Context-sensitive interactive television ticker

An apparatus, comprising:

• at least one communication interface to receive a television signal having a video program;
• a storage medium coupled to the communication interface to store a ticker software program;
• and
• a processor, coupled to the storage medium and to the communication interface, to decode the video program for display to a user, to identify a first subject matter of the video program and to cooperate with the ticker software program to render an interactive ticker that presents a first item, selected from ticker data available to display in an interactive ticker, with a subject matter that is related to the identified first subject matter of the video program, wherein the first item is not pre-selected, prior to presenting the video program, for display with the video program when requested by a viewer and when there is a change in the first subject matter to a second subject matter, the interactive ticker presents a second item, from the ticker data, that is in-context with the second subject matter;
• wherein the processor cooperates with the ticker software to render the interactive ticker that presents the first item by:
• correlating data associated with the first subject matter to data associated with subject matter of available ticker content;
• if the correlation determines that there is a match between the data associated with the first subject matter and the data associated with the subject matter of the available ticker content, obtaining non-preselected matching ticker content;
• and
• presenting the non-preselected matching ticker content in the ticker as the first item.

A video casting system, comprising:

• a source of ticker data, the source of ticker data including:
• a feed server to receive a plurality of feeds of ticker data and having a feed engine that can manipulate the ticker data received from the feeds;
• a production server coupled to the feed server to receive the ticker data manipulated by the feed engine, and coupled to a database having tables for the manipulated ticker data received from the feed server, wherein the production server can change a format of the manipulated ticker data to a format compatible with client terminals;
• and
• a distribution server to distribute the manipulated ticker data having the format compatible with the client terminals;
• a source of video programs, the source of video programs including at least one broadcast center to provide video programs to client terminals via a communication channel;
• and
• a client terminal communicatively coupled to the ticker data source and to the video program source, the client terminal including:
• at least one communication interface to receive a video program from the video program source;
• at least one communication interface to receive ticker data from the ticker data source;
• a storage medium coupled to the communication interface to store a ticker software program;
• and
• a processor, coupled to the storage medium and to the communication interface, to cooperate with the ticker software program to render a context-sensitive interactive ticker that presents ticker data that is in-context with subject matter of the received video program, wherein the presented ticker data is not pre-selected for display, prior to presenting the video program, for display with the video program when requested by a viewer, wherein when there is a change in the subject matter to new subject matter, the interactive ticker presents new ticker data with a subject matter that is related to the new subject matter and that was dynamically obtained from the ticker data source in response to the change in subject matter, wherein the new ticker data is no pre-selected, prior to presenting a video program containing the new subject matter, for display with the video program containing the new subject matter when requested by a viewer;
• wherein the processor cooperates with the ticker software to render the context-sensitive interactive ticker that presents the ticker data that is in-context with the subject matter of the received video program by:
• correlating data associated with the subject matter of the received video program to data associated with subject matter of available ticker content;
• if the correlation determines that there is a match between the data associated with the subject matter of the received video program and the data associated with the subject matter of the available ticker content, obtaining non-preselected matching ticker content;
• and
• presenting the non-preselected matching ticker content in the context-sensitive interactive ticker as a first item of the ticker data.