JP2010278980A - Content distribution system and mobile terminal therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a content distribution system capable of further improving a degree of satisfaction of a viewer. <P>SOLUTION: A general user requests an event desired to view to an operation management server 9. The operation management server 9 sums up requests and discloses the results on a Web page. Another general user, who browses the Web page, also similarly uploads a request and the Web page is sequentially reflected with the sum of requests. An entrepreneur, who browses the Web page, presents a business price to a Web server in accordance with a decision based on an index such as the number of requests and its own physical business strength and makes a successful bid for a content distribution right in an auction form. Thus, the entrepreneur and a broadcast station are separated, needs of viewers are satisfied and motivation of the entrepreneur is also improved. Further, a mobile broadcast station BS for distributing contents toward mobile terminals includes a content scrambling function, so as to view a content only in a mobile terminal notified of a decryption key, thereby performing proper charging based on pay-per-view. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a content distribution system that distributes video content to an unspecified number of viewers via, for example, an IP (Internet Protocol) network, and a mobile terminal that can be used in this type of system.

  A system for distributing video content via an IP network such as the Internet is known. The capacity of the line connecting the broadcasting station and each user is increasing year by year, and the quality is also increasing. Furthermore, with the construction of a new mobile broadband line such as WiMAX (worldwide interoperability for microwave access), a ground for providing a new form of service has been created.

  Typical broadcast contents include event broadcasts such as concerts or sports broadcasts. At present, television stations select these contents based on their own standards, so it is difficult to say that individual viewers can deliver the contents that they really want. In other words, the selection criteria relying on the traditional audience rating tend to be uniform content, and there is an aspect that must be focused on relatively high-profile events such as baseball and soccer. Also, broadcasters tend to be bound by the intentions of the station, and it is difficult to have a motivation for producing various contents.

  In recent years, it has become possible to view content from a video distribution site on the Internet, but content that captures the true needs of general users is not always distributed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that selects display content based on a request from a user. However, it is difficult to increase motivation for content diversity even by this technology.

  On the other hand, high function terminals such as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) or smartphones are increasingly equipped with a terminal having a television broadcast receiving function such as terrestrial digital broadcasting one-segment broadcasting (hereinafter referred to as one-segment broadcasting). If this type of mobile terminal is used, the user can watch a television broadcast anytime and anywhere within the broadcast service area. As this type of terminals and systems become more widespread, the demand for content is expected to become increasingly diverse.

JP 2004-199241

As described above, most of the sports broadcasts and event relays are only unilaterally selected and broadcasted by the television station, and the relays that general users want to see individually are greatly restricted. Since the number of broadcasters is limited, and all of them must be inspired by the broadcasting station, it is even more difficult to relay low-profile events. In addition, content broadcasters have to choose announcers, photographers, commentators, etc. from television stations, and it cannot be said that there is a real competition. Therefore, the viewer may feel dissatisfied with the skill improvement of the broadcaster and may not be able to enjoy the distributed content sincerely.
The present invention has been made under the circumstances described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a content distribution system and a mobile terminal thereof that can satisfy the viewer.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, a collection means for collecting a request for an event requesting distribution from a plurality of terminal devices including a mobile terminal via the network, and the collected request A list generating means for generating a list by counting each event, a publishing means for publishing the list to a site of the network over a certain period, and a distribution from a plurality of subjects for each content included in the list Accepting means for accepting intention indication via the site; and selecting means for selecting a right holder to give a distribution right from among the subject persons who have indicated the intention for each content included in the list under a predetermined condition; And a content distribution system comprising notification means for notifying the right holder who has obtained the distribution right to that effect

  In the above configuration, the subject means a subject capable of distributing content. For example, it is mainly event organizers and content distribution business operators, etc., but not limited to this, such as content broadcasters, event leaders, players, or general users with content creation means Included in the subject. In recent years, the content creation environment has been enhanced and the cost has been reduced, so it is quite possible for a general user to create content that can withstand viewing.

  By taking the above measures, requests for content to be viewed are collected from a terminal device including a mobile terminal or a fixed terminal (such as a personal computer) via a network, and as a result, a list compiled into a list is released on a website, for example. . Each business operator can browse the list, present a price according to the business strength of each business, and make a successful bid for distribution rights in an auction format, for example. Because of this structure, many actors (including business operators) can participate freely in a business that allows users to view content such as sports broadcasts and event broadcasts via the network. become. The user can notify the subject of the content he desires in the form of a request, and the options for what he / she wants to watch can be dramatically increased. Therefore, it is possible to realize a system that is advantageous not only for general viewers but also for those who intend to participate in the content distribution business.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, the content distribution system distributes the content provided by the right holder to the requesting mobile terminal via the network, and the content distributed by the mobile distribution unit. Scrambling means for scrambling to conceal in the network, and key notifying means for notifying the requesting mobile terminal of key information for releasing the scramble.

  In addition, the mobile terminal has a request unit that gives a request for an event requesting distribution to the content distribution system, and a key acquisition unit that acquires key information for unscrambled content to be scrambled and distributed from the content distribution system And decrypting means for decrypting the content using the acquired key information. By such means, it becomes possible to view the distribution content only on the mobile terminal from which the key information has been acquired. That is, by making it possible to identify the receiver, for example, a mobile terminal capable of receiving one-segment broadcasting for terrestrial digital broadcasting can be incorporated into the content distribution system according to the present invention, and appropriate charging can be performed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a content distribution system that can satisfy the viewer.

The system diagram which shows the outline | summary of the content delivery system concerning this invention. The functional block diagram which shows embodiment of the operation management server 9 of FIG. The figure which shows an example of the web page published by the operation management server 9. The functional block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the mobile terminal shown in FIG. The sequence diagram which shows an example of the flow of a process in the content delivery system of FIG. The sequence diagram which shows the process sequence in connection with listening of content in mobile terminal PS1.

  FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing an outline of a content distribution system according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, the pattern of the event venue 1 where a sports game or the like is held is photographed by a photographer 2 and edited by an editorial office 4 in addition to the voices of an announcer, a commentator 3 and the like. Created. This content is distributed from the WiMAX base station 5 or the like directly to the PC user 8 and the mobile terminals PS1 and PS2 via the IP network 7. The user of each terminal device views the distributed content. In this embodiment, “distribution” and “relay” are used almost synonymously.

  By using a large-capacity line such as WiMAX, live broadcast content can be poured into the IP network 7 from the event site. The viewer can view the distributed content using the terminal device that the viewer owns. The distributed content may be temporarily recorded in the content server 6 and distributed on demand according to a request from a general user. The content server 6 may be managed by a relay operator who undertakes a content distribution business, a broadcasting station, or a management company responsible for management work, or may be managed by a business entity independent of these.

  1 includes an operation management server 9, a mobile broadcasting station BS, and a cellular base station CS, all of which are connected to the IP network 7. The mobile terminals PS1 and PS2 held by the user can connect to the cellular base station CS to perform bidirectional communication, and can acquire moving image content transmitted from the mobile broadcast station BS. That is, the mobile broadcast station BS distributes content distributed via the IP network 7 to the mobile terminals PS1 and PS2. The mobile broadcast station BS has a function of scrambling the content distributed to the mobile terminals PS1 and PS2 via the IP network 7 and concealing the distributed content in the wireless section of the network. The key information for unscrambling is managed by the 92 g encryption key management unit in the operation management server 9.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment of the operation management server 9 of FIG. The operation management server 9 has a function as a so-called Web site, and includes an interface unit 91 connected to the IP network 7, a control unit 92 having an arithmetic processing function by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and a storage unit such as a large-capacity memory 93.

The control unit 92 includes a collection processing unit 92a, a page creation unit 92b, a page disclosure unit 92c, an auction function unit 92d, a ranking processing unit 92e, a charging processing unit 92f, an encryption function, and the like as processing functions related to this embodiment. A key management unit 92g.
The collection processing unit 92a collects event requests transmitted from the PC user 8 or the mobile terminals PS1 and PS2. That is, the terminal of the PC user 8 and the mobile terminals PS1 and PS2 have a function of accessing the operation management server 9 via the IP network 7, and request a request for an event to be distributed in the form of text data or Web voting. It is sent to the operation management server 9. The collection processing unit 92a collects this request from a plurality of users via the IP network. In addition, the collection processing unit 92a collects evaluations on the distributed content via the IP network 7 in the form of Web voting, for example.

  The page creation unit 92b aggregates and collects the collected requests for each event, and creates a Web page as shown in FIG. The web page source code data is stored in the storage unit 92 as web page source data 93a. This web page is published on the IP network 7 for a certain period by the page publication unit 92c. Not only the PC user 8 and the mobile terminals PS1 and PS2, but also all of the content distribution operators and other operators can access this Web page.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a Web page published by the operation management server 9. This Web page is released over, for example, the event entry period. In FIG. 3, for each scheduled event (October 10 in FIG. 3), the program code, start time, completion time, event name, location, number of requests from general users, and the number of relay operators A list of candidates is displayed.

  That is, the page creation unit 92b attaches a program code to each event based on the request collected from the PC user 8, totals the number of event requests, the candidates for the relay operator, etc., and collects the Web page source data 93a in a table. It has a function to create. Users and businesses who have referred to the Web page can know the registration status of the requested event and the status of the request.

  The ranks of candidate relay operators in FIG. 3 are, for example, the order in which the points from the general users obtained from past relay results are counted as points. The distribution right of content can be given according to the order. Further, this order can be determined when the relay operator indicates an intention to desire content distribution, and is immediately reflected in the display content of the Web page.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the auction function unit 92 d accepts distribution intention indications from a plurality of business operators for each program content shown on the Web page of FIG. 3 via the Web site. The auction function unit 92d selects one business operator based on conditions accompanying the intention display, for example, a price for acquiring a distribution right. That is, the auction function unit 92d sets a distribution right in association with the program code, and accepts a bid from each business operator for the distribution right in an auction format.

  For example, the distribution right is awarded to an operator who has presented a lower price during the entry period, taking into account weighting by evaluation points obtained from the above-mentioned past relay results. When the successful bidder is determined after the entry period, the successful bidder is notified accordingly. The notification may be made public on the website, or only the successful bidder may be notified by a confidential message. In particular, for program content having a large number of viewing requests, distribution by a plurality of companies may be permitted. In this way, it is possible to foster the competitiveness of the relay operator and motivate it to improve skills.

The ranking processing unit 92e statistically processes the evaluation points for the distribution content collected by the collection processing unit 92a, and ranks the operators based on the result. The ranking result is published on, for example, the Web page in FIG. That is, the order in which company names (company A, company B,...) Shown as relay company candidates are arranged corresponds to ranking. For example, it is only necessary to show the rank such that the business operator located on the leftmost side has the highest rank, and the rank decreases as it goes to the right.
The billing processing unit 92f performs billing processing for the user who has viewed the content. In particular, the charging processing unit 92f acquires the content reception status from the mobile terminals PS1 and PS2 that have received the content distribution. The reception status can be shown, for example, as a total time or a ratio of time during which a viewable state can be secured in the content distribution period. That is, in the mobile terminal, the radio wave reception status changes every moment due to movement, so that a good image cannot always be acquired in the entire distribution period. Therefore, in this embodiment, the reception status is managed in the mobile terminal, and the reception status is notified to the operation management server 9 after the viewing ends. The charging processing unit 92f charges the user of the mobile terminal from which the reception status is acquired, for example, by pay-per-use, according to the reception status acquired from the mobile terminal. In this way, pay-per-view can be realized for content viewing by a mobile terminal.

  The encryption key management unit 92g holds key information for unscrambling the distribution content scrambled at the mobile broadcast station BS, and this key information (decryption key) is only for the mobile terminal that is a valid recipient. Is notified via the IP network 7. The decryption key is notified in the form of an e-mail to the mobile terminal that has requested the content distribution, for example, prior to the content distribution. For example, the code indicating the decryption key may be written in text in the e-mail, or the decryption key may be downloaded automatically by attaching an executable file to the e-mail and clicking the file icon. Good.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment of the mobile terminal shown in FIG. The radio signal transmitted from the cellular base station CS of FIG. 1 is received by the antenna A and then input to the receiving circuit (RX) 130 via the antenna duplexer (DUP) D. The receiving circuit 130 mixes the received radio signal with the local oscillation signal output from the frequency synthesizer (SYN) 140 and converts the frequency into an intermediate frequency signal (down-conversion). The downconverted intermediate frequency signal is demodulated and a received baseband signal is output. The frequency of the local oscillation signal generated from the frequency synthesizer 140 is indicated by a control signal SYC output from the control unit 230.

  The received baseband signal is input to the signal processing unit 160, and received packet data in a predetermined transmission format is reproduced. The received packet data is input to a compression / decompression processing unit (hereinafter referred to as a compander) 170. The compander 170 separates the received packet data output from the signal processing unit 160 for each medium by the demultiplexing unit. Then, the data is decrypted for each separated medium. For example, in the call mode, audio data such as call voice included in the received packet data is decoded by a speech codec. If the received packet data includes video data as in the television telephone mode, the video data is decoded by a video codec.

  The digital audio signal obtained by the decoding process is supplied to a PCM code processing unit (hereinafter referred to as a PCM codec) 180. The PCM codec 180 performs PCM decoding on the digital audio signal output from the compander 170 and outputs an analog audio signal. The analog audio signal is amplified by the reception amplifier 190 and then output from the speaker 200.

  The digital video signal decoded by the compander 170 is input to the control unit 230. The control unit 230 displays the digital video signal output from the compander 170 on the display 280 via the video RAM. The control unit 230 displays not only the received video data but also video data captured by a camera (not shown) on the display 280 via the video RAM.

  If the received packet data is data downloaded from an e-mail or a website, the received data is input from the signal processing unit 160 to the control unit 230. The control unit 230 stores the input reception data in the reception data storage area of the storage unit 240 and causes the display 280 to display the reception data according to a user's display operation on the input device 270.

  On the other hand, in the call mode, the speaker's voice signal input to the microphone 210 is amplified to an appropriate level by the transmission amplifier 220 and then subjected to PCM encoding processing by the PCM codec 180 to become a digital audio signal. 170 is input. A video signal output from a camera (not shown) is digitized by the control unit 230 and input to the compander 170. Note that the electronic mail created by the control unit 230 is also input from the control unit 230 to the compander 170.

  The compander 170 encodes the digital audio signal to generate audio data. In addition, the digital video signal output from the control unit 230 is encoded to generate video data. Further, when an electronic mail is output from the control unit 230, the text data and the like are encoded. The decoded audio data, video data, text data, and the like are packetized according to a predetermined transmission format by the demultiplexing unit, and the transmission packet data is output to the signal processing unit 160.

  The signal processing unit 160 processes the transmission packet data output from the compander 170 and then outputs it to the transmission circuit (TX) 150. Based on the transmission packet data from the signal processing unit 160, the transmission circuit 150 generates a transmission signal by a modulation method such as a QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) method or an OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex) method. Then, the generated transmission signal is combined with a local oscillation signal generated from the frequency synthesizer 140 and frequency-converted into a radio signal. Then, the radio signal is amplified at a high frequency so that the transmission power level indicated by the control unit 230 is obtained. The amplified radio signal is supplied to the antenna A via the antenna duplexer D, and transmitted from the antenna A to the base station.

  Further, the mobile terminal of FIG. 4 includes a television broadcast receiver (TV broadcast receiver) 300. This TV broadcast receiver 300 receives, for example, one-segment broadcast (one-segment broadcast) of terrestrial digital broadcast via the antenna 310, and inputs the received reception data of the one-segment broadcast to the control unit 230. The received data immediately after reception is scrambled, and the control unit releases this scramble using the decryption key.

The control unit 230 separates the descrambled one-segment broadcast reception data into a moving image stream and an audio stream and then decodes them. Then, the decoded moving image signal is displayed on the display 290. At the same time, the decoded digital audio signal is supplied to the PCM codec 180. The digital audio signal is converted into an analog audio signal by the PCM codec 180 and then output from the speaker 200 via the reception amplifier 190.
Reference numeral 250 denotes a battery, and 260 denotes a power supply circuit. The power supply circuit 260 generates a predetermined operating power supply voltage Vcc based on the output of the battery 250 and supplies it to each circuit unit. The battery 250 is charged by a charging circuit (not shown). The input device 270 includes a dial keypad and various function keys.

  By the way, the control unit 230 includes a browser function unit 230a, an encryption processing unit 230b, and a reception state monitoring unit 230c as its control functions. Among these, the browser function unit 230a has a function of displaying source data described in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) on the display 280 in the form of a Web page.

  The encryption processing unit 230b acquires a decryption key for descrambling the content data distributed in a scrambled state from the mobile broadcast station BS from the encryption key management unit 92g of the operation management server 9. As described above, this decryption key is supplied as, for example, attached information of an electronic mail. Then, the encryption processing unit 230b descrambles the content received from the mobile broadcast station BS using the obtained decryption key.

  The reception status monitoring unit 230c monitors the reception status of the content distributed from the mobile broadcast station BS, and notifies the charging processing unit 92f of the operation management server 9 of the result when the distribution is completed. As the reception status, a cumulative value of the time when the content can be normally listened to on the mobile terminal or a ratio of the cumulative value to the total distribution period can be used. Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. First, processing related to content selection will be described with reference to FIG. 5, and then processing related to content listening in the mobile terminal will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing flow in the content distribution system of FIG. FIG. 5 shows a content distribution business in which a lead player and an athlete 11, an organizer 12 who plans each event, a relay company 13 that produces content, a management company 14 of the content distribution business, and a general user 15 are related. It shows an example of a business flow.

  In FIG. 5, the event organizer 12 works with performers, athletes 11 and the like to plan an event. This action may be directly opposed, or may be exchange of messages via the IP network 7 (reference numerals 16-1 and 16-2). When an event is planned, the operating company 14 is notified by an event PR update message 17-1. The operating company 14 registers that the planned event is to be performed in the operation management server 9, and the contents are immediately reflected on the Web page (FIG. 3).

  On the other hand, the general user 15 notifies the operating company 14 of requests for events and programs that the user wants to broadcast by event requests 18-1 to 18-m. The total result of the request is registered on the website and published on the web page. A general user who browses the Web page can increase the needs (popularity) of the event by raising an event request in the same manner as long as the event content to which he / she agrees is displayed.

While monitoring the degree of popularity (popularity) for these events (19-1, 19-2), some event organizers plan events in accordance with requests from general users. The contents of the plan are similarly registered on the website as an event PR (17-2).
Such a procedure is performed until a certain period before an event is actually performed, and it becomes possible for both users and vendors to confirm the degree of popularity for the event. Next, a bid is made to select a relay operator that relays the event.

  There are various ways to bid. For example, as described above, a bid price may be used as an amount for subcontracting work, and a distributor who presents the lowest price may be allowed to make a successful bid for distribution rights. Alternatively, evaluations from general users obtained from past relay results may be statistically processed and converted into points, and event distribution rights may be given in descending order of the accumulated point count value.

  When bidding is started in FIG. 5, a trader who wishes to relay an event displays his intention by bidding (20-1, 20-2), and the ranking is published on the website (21-1, 21-2). . The criteria for the ranking of a business operator is a bidding price or an evaluation point. When the bidding period expires, the bidding ends, and the operating company 14 can monitor the Web page to know which relay operator has obtained the event distribution right. The business operator who has obtained the distribution right is notified by the selection result notification message 22.

  The relay operator 13 who has obtained the distribution right to relay the content when the selection of the trader is completed, the announcer, the commentator, the background of the event, the performer information, the background survey of athletes, and the relay before the event Various preparations such as camera work will be prepared to prepare for actual event relay.

  When the event is held, the broadcast content 23 is distributed to the general user 15 via the IP network 7. The form is basically live broadcast, but it may be on-demand distribution via the content server 6. That is, the general user 15 can not only view the content on the live broadcast 24, but also view the content at any time from the content server 6 (FIG. 1).

The operating company 14 grasps the number of viewers for each content. For example, the general user 15 having a fixed terminal registers in advance in the system, and the operating company 14 knows from what time to what time of the content broadcast time based on the login time. As a result, it is possible to calculate an index indicating whether the user is bored on the way, and this is reflected in the points of the operator. On the other hand, the user of the mobile terminal notifies the system of the reception status of the content, and the system charges in the form of pay-per-view according to the result. Also, the prior popularity of the event is compared with the actual number of viewers. However, it can be used as one of evaluation data for the relay operator 13. For example, if the number of viewers is small even though the previous reputation is high, there is a possibility that the general user 15 gets bored on the way, and there is a problem in the problem of the event itself or the skill of the relay operator 13. In such a case, it is possible to consider such as lowering the evaluation point of the operator who has contracted the distribution of the content, and increasing the point in the opposite case. Furthermore, the event organizer 12 can be similarly evaluated by points based on past results. If this point is presented on the website as reference information, the quality of the event plan itself can be expected to improve.

  The user who has viewed the content is charged in the form of pay-per-use, for example, every time a live broadcast of live content or every time of a recording relay (25, 27-1, 27-2). The fee collected from the user is collected once by the operating company 14, the content fee 28 is paid to the relay operator 13, the event fee 29 is paid to the event organizer, and the appearance fee is paid to the performer and the player 11 in the form of a reward 30. . That is, based on the result of counting the number of viewers after the end of the event, the operating company 14 pays the content fee 28 to the relay operator 13, and the relay operator 13 sends the event organizer 12 a part of the cost as an event fee 29. Pay. Furthermore, the event organizer 12 pays a performance fee and a reward 30 to performers, athletes, etc. from an amount combined with an admission fee by an attendee other than this broadcast. In this way, a reward corresponding to the provided service is distributed to each person.

  In addition, as a cost for the above business operation, a method of collecting a viewing amount from the general user 15 as a viewing fee via the IP network 7 or a method of paying with an advertising fee from a general company is conceivable. . When collecting as a viewing fee from the general user 15, consideration may be required such as charging only when viewing for a certain period of time from the viewing start time.

  FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing a processing procedure related to listening to content in the mobile terminal PS1. The procedure when the user of the mobile terminal PS2 wishes to view content is the same. The user (mobile user) of the mobile terminal PS1 sends out an event request (18-1) desired to be listened to using the mobile terminal PS1. This request is notified to the operating company 14 via the cellular base station CS, and the popularity of various events is accumulated. This popularity (19-1) can be referred to via the Web site by both the relay operator 13 and the event organizer 12. Similarly, the mobile user can refer to the popularity of the event (reference 19-2) by accessing the site of the operating company 14 (reference 40).

  Next, prior to the start of content broadcasting, for example, the relay operator 13 notifies the operating company 14 of that fact (reference numeral 41). Then, the operation management server 9 notifies the mobile broadcast station BS of the encryption key for scrambling along with channel information for broadcasting this content. The mobile broadcasting station BS radiates the content distributed on the designated channel to the radio section in a scrambled state using this encryption key (scrambled broadcast setting: 43).

  At the same time, the operating company 14 notifies the mobile terminal PS1 of the broadcast parameters including the decryption key for descrambling together with the channel information for viewing the content in the form of e-mail, for example, via the cellular base station CS. (44). In response to this, the mobile terminal PS1 sets the reception parameters including the broadcast channel and the decryption key to itself (45), and displays it on the display 280 to notify the mobile user of the start of the broadcast. When the mobile user performs a reception OK process accordingly, decoding of the scrambled data is started and relay viewing is started.

  When relay viewing of the content broadcast is started, the mobile terminal PS1 starts monitoring its reception state (47). Here, the cumulative value of the period during which the content can be normally viewed is counted. When the event ends and relay broadcast ends, the relay operator 13 notifies the mobile broadcast station BS via the operation management server 9 and the transmission wave from the mobile broadcast station BS stops (49). .

  Next, the operating company 14 requests the operation management server 9 to acquire information related to charging (50). Then, the operation management server 9 gives a message requesting acquisition of the content reception status to the mobile terminal PS1 via the cellular base station CS, and the mobile terminal PS1 receives this and based on the cumulative value of the normal reception period in the content distribution period. The reception fee is notified to the mobile user (52). When the mobile user gives approval for this (53), a message to that effect is returned to the operation management server 9, and the operating company 14 charges the mobile user (54). The viewing fee (28) of the content collected in this way is paid from the operating company 14 to the relay operator 13, and the relay operator 13 pays a part of the cost as the event fee 29 to the event organizer 12.

  As described above, in this embodiment, many general users including the users of the mobile terminals PS1 and PS2 notify the provider of viewing requests for planned sports broadcasts and event relays via the IP network 7. It becomes possible to do. Requests are aggregated on the system side and published on a web page. Furthermore, since the request to the relay operator can also be notified, the improvement of the skill by the relay operator's own efforts can be expected.

  The broadcaster can determine which sports broadcasts and event relays are common, or whether the content they are good at is requested, and can apply for auction-type bidding. At the time of bidding, the rank order of the comprehensive relay operator is clearly indicated by the relay operator request from the general user and the past relay results, and it is possible to select which event is relayed from the higher-ranking operator. The relay operator who has acquired the right to distribute content prepares for the relay at the event venue, prepares the announcer and commentator, and prepares seven IP network lines, and relays the content live. The content is recorded in the content server 6 and can be distributed on demand.

  Furthermore, since the evaluation of the relay operator or event organizer is statistically converted into points based on the information collected from the viewer and reflected on the Web page, it can be fed back to the rank at the next bid. The viewer of the contents is electronically settled a fee according to the amount of viewing, and the fee is distributed to the system operating company 14, the relay operator 13, and the event organizer 12 to be revenue for each operator.

  In this way, the general user can give an event relay request to the operating company via the IP network instead of an event unilaterally determined by the broadcasting station. In addition, the relay operator can be motivated to choose an advantageous event relay by raising the evaluation points, so it can be expected to improve the skills of the relay operation due to the competition principle between operators. In addition, sports and events that have been rarely broadcast until now can also be relayed, and various sports can be promoted. Furthermore, it is possible to increase the number of new occupations that deal with event relay work, and contribute to the promotion of employment in society.

  Also, both general users and business operators can know the results of request aggregation. The operator can expect a higher reward as the number of requests from general users increases, and the willingness to relay improves. Conversely, if the number of requests is small, the willingness to relay will decrease, and there is a possibility that relaying itself will not be performed. Furthermore, even if there are only a few requests from general users, there may be a case where the total cost satisfies the relay operator's willingness to implement by increasing the costs borne by the general users. As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to develop a flexible business in consideration of a case where an existing TV broadcast is simultaneously performed.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, if there is a high need for collecting a request from a general user and approving the general user or a high viewing fee per viewer, It is possible to view even a relatively low-profile event. In addition, it is possible to reflect the intentions of general users more strongly to the relay operator, and an increase in the number of relay operators can be expected as requests from general users spread. This leads to an increase in the number of announcers and commentators who broadcast sports, for example, and it can be expected not only to create jobs but also to improve skills by expanding the base, so further improvement in the quality of broadcast content can be expected. Specifically, to foster announcers who are good at relaying for each sport type, or to develop excellent commentators from specific sports experiencers, and to contribute to the promotion of the sport itself Can do.

  Furthermore, taking sports broadcasts as an example, only popular sports such as baseball and soccer have been targeted for TV relays in the past, so it was not possible to raise the degree of attention to other sports. On the other hand, according to this embodiment, there is a request from a general user for a low-profile sport, and a general broadcaster responding to the request makes it possible for a general user to watch the sports broadcast at any time. The disparity of each type can be expected to be corrected.

  In summary, in this embodiment, the general user requests the operation management server 9 for an event to be viewed. The operation management server 9 totals the requests and publishes the results on a Web page. Other general users who have browsed this Web page also make requests in the same manner and reflect the totals on the Web page one after another. The business who browsed the web page presents the business price to the web server based on the judgment based on the index such as the number of requests and the business strength of the business, and makes a successful bid for the right of content distribution in an auction format. In this way, the operator and the broadcasting station can be separated to satisfy the needs of the viewer and improve the operator's motivation.

  In this embodiment, since the content distributed via the IP network is broadcast via the mobile broadcasting station BS, the content can be viewed on the mobile terminal, and live broadcasting such as sports is restricted to the place. It is also possible to enjoy without being. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the mobile broadcast station BS has a function of scrambling the distributed content so that the distributed content data can be viewed only at the mobile terminal notified of the decryption key. In other words, since content data is scrambled using key information when relaying live broadcast content via the website of the operating company 14, it does not allow unspecified number of users to view it for free. It becomes possible to permit viewing only to a specific mobile user.

  In other words, not only relaying via the network, but only users who are permitted to view from the mobile broadcasting station BS can view the content, so content distribution as a business is established, and event relaying is also performed in the mobile environment. The advantage of being able to see is widely spread.

  Furthermore, it is difficult to maintain a certain reception state as a situation peculiar to the mobile terminal. In this embodiment, the reception state is monitored on the mobile terminal, and the result is notified to the system after the viewing ends. As a result, it is possible to charge the mobile user in a pay-per-view manner. From the above, it is possible to provide a content distribution system and its mobile terminal that further enhance the degree of viewer satisfaction.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment as it is. For example, in the embodiment, broadcast content by live broadcast such as sports event relay is described as an example. Not only this, but also programs such as educational programs, dialogues, quiz programs, etc., so far only broadcast stations have organized, produced, and broadcasted TV broadcasts at the request of general users Is also possible.

  FIG. 5 shows a form in which the event organizer 12 publicizes various events. Instead, for example, the relay operator 13 may be given the initiative of the event PR. In other words, the relay operator 13 can host an event completely independently, and it is sufficient to devise content that is likely to attract the viewer's interest and to plan it on a scale according to its own management strength. In the first place, as shown in FIG. 5, since the event request and the degree of popularity are also notified to the relay operator 13, the relay operator 13 can create attractive content by referring to this. it can.

  That is, not only the business form in which the operating company 14 mediates the relationship between supply and demand between the general user 15 and the event organizer 12 but also the relay operator 13 is given the right to select content. It is clear that this is desirable. It is beneficial not only for the general viewers to create a new culture, but also to be able to demonstrate their abilities in a content distribution business with a completely new relay operator participating in new concepts and thoughts. Is meaningful. Furthermore, not only the event organizer 12 and the relay operator 13 but also the lead player, the player 11 or the general user 11 can freely create original contents and publicize the contents freely through the operation management server 9. Can be implemented. As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, not only the degree of satisfaction of the viewer is increased, but also the advantage that the threshold for distributing the content of the user can be lowered for an unspecified number of people.

  Further, it is possible to link the mobile terminal PS and the PC user 8 terminal (PC terminal). That is, the content requested using the mobile terminal PS can be viewed on the PC terminal, and conversely, the content requested from the PC terminal can be viewed from the mobile terminal PC.

  In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which content is distributed to mobile terminals using so-called one-segment broadcasting compliant with ISDB-T (Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and MediaFLO, DVB-H Distribution of content using a mobile television system such as (Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld) or ISDBT-mm (ISDB-T for mobile multimedia) is also easily possible by applying this embodiment.

  Furthermore, the present invention can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the spirit of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Event venue, 2 ... Photographer, 3 ... Announcer, commentator, 4 ... Editorial office, 5 ... Base station for WiMAX, 6 ... Content server, 7 ... IP network, 8 ... General user, 9 ... Web server, BS ... Mobile broadcast station, CS ... cellular base station, PS1, PS2 ... mobile terminal, A ... antenna, D ... antenna duplexer (DUP), 130 ... receiver circuit (RX), 140 ... frequency synthesizer (SYN), 150 ... transmitter circuit (TX), 160 ... signal processing unit, 170 ... compression / decompression processing unit (compander), 180 ... PCM code processing unit (PCM codec), 190 ... receiver amplifier, 200 ... speaker, 210 ... microphone, 220 ... transmitter amplifier , 230 ... control unit, 230a ... browser function part, 230b ... encryption processing part, 230c ... receiving Status monitor unit, 240 ... storage unit, 250 ... battery, 260 ... power supply circuit, 270 ... input device, 280 ... display, 300 ... TV broadcast receiver, 310 ... antenna for broadcast reception, 91 ... interface unit, 92 ... control , 92a ... collection processing unit, 92b ... page creation unit, 92c ... page release unit, 92d ... auction function unit, 92e ... ranking processing unit, 92f ... billing processing unit, 92g ... encryption key management unit, 93 ... storage unit 93a ... Web page source data, 11 ... Leader, athlete, 12 ... Organizer, 13 ... Relay company, 14 ... Management company, 15 ... General user, 16-1, 16-2 ... Event planning message, 17 -1, 17-2 ... event PR update message, 18-1 to 18-m ... event request, 19-1, 19-2 ... a Request, popularity, 20-1, 20-2 ... bidding message, 21-1, 21-2 ... ranking message, 22 ... selection result notification message, 23 ... broadcast content, 24 ... live broadcast, 25, 27- 1, 27-2 ... billing information, 28 ... content fee, 29 ... event fee, 30 ... appearance fee, reward

Claims (7)

Collection means for collecting a request for an event requesting distribution from a plurality of terminal devices including a mobile terminal via the network;
List generating means for generating a list by counting the collected requests for each event;
Publishing means for publishing the list on a site of the network over a period of time;
Accepting means for accepting, through the site, distribution intention indications from a plurality of subjects for each content included in the list;
A selection means for selecting a right holder to give a distribution right from among the subject persons who have indicated the intention, for each content included in the list under a predetermined condition;
A notification means for notifying the right holder who has obtained the distribution right;
Mobile distribution means for distributing content provided by the right holder to the requesting mobile terminal via the network;
Scramble means for scrambling the content distributed by the mobile distribution means to keep it secret in the network;
A content distribution system comprising: key notification means for notifying the requesting mobile terminal of key information for unscrambling. Furthermore, an acquisition means for acquiring the reception status of the content from the mobile terminal that has received the content distribution;
The content distribution system according to claim 1, further comprising charging means for charging a user of the mobile terminal from which the reception status is acquired with a metered charge according to the reception status. The content distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the key notification unit attaches the key information to a mail distributed to the requesting mobile terminal prior to the distribution of the content. The accepting means accepts the intention display at a bid price for the distribution right under an auction format,
The content distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit causes the subject who presented the lowest price to make a successful bid for the distribution right. The collection means collects evaluations of distributed content via the network,
And a ranking means for ranking the plurality of subjects based on a result of statistical processing of the collected evaluations,
The content distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the publishing unit publishes the ranking result to the site. In a mobile terminal that can be connected to a content distribution system that distributes content via a network,
Request means for giving a request for an event requesting distribution to the content distribution system;
Key acquisition means for acquiring, from the content distribution system, key information for descrambling the scrambled content to be distributed;
A mobile terminal comprising: decrypting means for decrypting the content using the acquired key information. The mobile terminal according to claim 6, further comprising reception status notifying means for notifying the content distribution system of a reception status of the distributed content.

Images