US Patent 7487530 Method and apparatus for ranking broadcast programs

Frequencies of viewing of first weekly broadcast programs by a user are detected in connection with past sections of the first weekly broadcast programs. At least one which has the detected viewing frequency greater than a predetermined threshold value is excluded from the first weekly broadcast programs to get second weekly broadcast programs. Program ranking measures representative of a relation between program attributes and user's preference are generated in response to (1) attributes of the past sections of the second weekly broadcast programs and (2) which of the past sections of the second weekly broadcast programs were viewed by the user. Future sections of the second weekly broadcast programs are ranked in response to (1) the generated program ranking measures and (2) attributes of the future sections of the second weekly broadcast programs.