MULTIMEDIA CHANNEL SHARING ACROSS ACCESS NETWORK BOUNDARIES

摘要

An initiating viewer identifies a multimedia channel and submits a request to share the multimedia channel with at least one recipient viewer at another viewer premises. This request is processed by the multimedia receiver of the initiating viewer so as to generate a channel change request for submission to a service provider. In response to the channel share request, the service provider queries the recipient viewer to determine whether the recipient viewer accepts or rejects the offered multimedia channel. If the recipient viewer accepts the multimedia channel, the multimedia channel can be provided to the multimedia receiver of the recipient viewer either for storage for later playback or for immediate playback concurrent with the provision of the multimedia channel to the initiating viewer. Billing for costs associated with the shared multimedia channel is conducted based on billing feedback provided by the initiating viewer.