초록 ▼

The desirability of programming events may be determined using metadata for programming events that includes goodness of fit scores associated with categories of a classification hierarchy one or more of descriptive data and keyword data. The programming events are ranked in accordance with the view

The desirability of programming events may be determined using metadata for programming events that includes goodness of fit scores associated with categories of a classification hierarchy one or more of descriptive data and keyword data. The programming events are ranked in accordance with the viewing preferences of viewers as expressed in one or more viewer profiles. The viewer profiles may each include preference scores associated with categories of the classification hierarchy and may also include one or more keywords. Ranking is performed through category matching and keyword matching using the contents of the metadata and the viewer profiles. The viewer profile keywords may be qualified keywords that are associated with specific categories of the classification hierarchy. The ranking may be performed such that qualified keyword matches generally rank higher than keyword matches, and keyword matches generally rank higher than category matches. In alternative embodiments, scores may be calculated such that the ranges of scores for qualified keyword matches, keyword matches and category matches are overlapping but are generally ordered as previously described. Related embodiments may pertain to systems that implement such methods. Program rankings may be used to generate an alert schedule for providing alerts to viewers regarding programming events.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method in a programmable computing device for determining the desirability of programming events, the method comprising executing processing comprising:receiving metadata describing programming events, the metadata that describes a programming event being comprised of goodness of fit scores ass

1. A method in a programmable computing device for determining the desirability of programming events, the method comprising executing processing comprising:receiving metadata describing programming events, the metadata that describes a programming event being comprised of goodness of fit scores associated with respective categories, and at least one of descriptive data and keyword data, wherein the categories are arranged in a hierarchy comprising at least a set of top-level categories, respective sets of first level sub-categories each corresponding to and encompassed by a top level category, and respective sets of second level sub-categories each corresponding to and encompassed by a first level sub-category; and producing data representing a ranking the programming events in accordance with viewing preferences expressed in at least one viewer profile, wherein each of the a least one viewer profiles is comprised of preference scores associated with categories of the classification hierarchy, and at least one keyword, wherein producing said data representing a ranking of the programming events comprises: determining a category match score for each programming event as a function of the metadata goodness of fit scores and viewer profile preference scores of etched categories of the programming event, wherein a matched category is a category of the classification hierarchy for which there is a goodness of fit score in the metadata of the programming event an a preference score in the at least one viewer profile; and determining a keyword match score for each programming event having a keyword match, wherein a keyword match is a match of the at least one of descriptive data and keyword data of the programming event metadata and a keyword of the at least one viewer profile, and wherein said data representing said ranking is produced such that programming events having keyword matches are ranked higher than programming events not having keyword matches, and programming events not having keyword matches are ranked based upon category matches. 2. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein each keyword match score is greater than a greatest possible category match score, andwherein said ranking is based upon said keyword match scores and said category match scores. 3. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said programming event metadata further comprises a time and duration of the corresponding programming event, andwherein the method further comprises determining a programming event recording schedule in accordance with said keyword match scores and said category match scores of the programming events and the times and durations of the programming events. 4. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said programming event metadata further comprises a time of the corresponding programming event, andwherein the method further comprises determining a programming event alert schedule in accordance with said ranking of the programming events and the times of the programming events. 5. The method claimed in claim 4, wherein the schedule comprises not more than a predetermined number of programming events within a given time period as specified in a viewer profile.6. A method in a programmable computing device for determining the desirability of programming events, the method comprising executing processing comprising:receiving metadata describing programming events, the metadata that describes a programming event being comprised of goodness of fit scores associated with respective categories, and at least one of descriptive data and keyword data, wherein the categories are arranged in a hierarchy comprising at least a set of top-level categories, respective sets of first level sub-categories each corresponding to and encompassed by a top level category, and respective sets of second level sub-categories each corresponding to and encompassed by a first level sub-category; and producing data representing a ranking of the programming events in accordance with viewing preferences expressed in at least one viewer profile, wherein each of the a least one viewer profiles is comprised of preference scores associate with categories of the classification hierarchy, and at least one keyword, wherein producing said data representing a ranking of the programming events comprises: determining a category match score for each programming event as a function of the metadata goodness of fit scores and viewer profile preference scores of matched categories of the programming event, wherein a matched category is a category of the classification hierarchy for which there is a goodness of fit score in the metadata of the programming event a data preference score in the at least one viewer profile; determining a keyword match score for each programming event having a keyword match, wherein a keyword match is a match between the at least one of descriptive data and keyword data of the programming event metadata and a keyword of the at least one viewer profile; and determining a qualified keyword match score for each programming event having a qualified keyword match, wherein a qualified keyword match is a match between a qualified keyword of the at least one viewer profile and the at least one of descriptive data and keyword data of the metadata of a programming event having a goodness of fit score in the category associated with the qualified keyword, and wherein said data representing said ranking is produced such that programming events having keyword matches are ranked higher than programming events not having keyword matches, and programming events not having keyword matches are ranked based upon category matches. 7. The method claimed in claim 6, wherein each qualified keyword match score is greater than a greatest possible keyword match score,each keyword match score is greater than a greatest possible category match score, and wherein said ranking is based upon said qualified keyword match scores, said keyword match scores and said category match scores. 8. The method claimed in claim 6, wherein a programming event having a qualified keyword match is ranked relative to other programming events having qualified keyword matches in accordance with the preference score associated with the category of each matched qualified keyword in its corresponding viewer profile.9. The method claimed in claim 6, wherein said programming event metadata further comprises a time and duration of the corresponding programming event, andwherein the method further comprises determining a programming event recording schedule in accordance with said qualified keyword match scores, said keyword match scores and said category match scores of the programming events and the times and durations of the programming events. 10. The method claimed in claim 6, wherein said programming event metadata further comprises a time of the corresponding programming event, andwherein the method further comprises determining a programming event alert schedule in accordance with said qualified keyword match scores, said keyword match scores and said category match scores of the programming events and the times of the programming events. 11. The method claimed in claim 10, wherein the schedule comprises not more than a predetermined number of programming events within a given time period as specified in a viewer profile.12. A method in a programmable computing device for determining the desirability of programming events, the method comprising executing processing comprising:receiving metadata describing programming events, the metadata that describes a programming event being comprised of goodness of fit scores associated with respective categories, and at least one of descriptive data and keyword data, wherein the categories are arranged in a hierarchy comprising at least a set of top-level categories, respective sets of first level sub-categories each corresponding to and encompassed by a top level category, and respective sets of second level sub-categories each corresponding to and encompassed by a first level sub-category; and producing data representing a ranking the programming events in accordance with viewing preferences expressed in at least one viewer profile, wherein each of the a least one viewer profiles is comprised of preference scores associated with categories of the classification hierarchy, and at least one keyword, and further comprises at least one qualified keyword comprising a keyword associated with a category of the category hierarchy, wherein said ranking uses the at least one qualified keyword of the at least one viewer profile to determine rank based upon qualified keyword matching, and wherein said data representing said ranking is produced such that programming events having qualified keyword matches are ranked higher than programming events having keyword matches, programming events having keyword matches are ranked higher than programming events not having keyword matches and not having qualified keyword matches, and programming events not having keyword matches and not having qualified keyword matches are ranked based upon category match scores. 13. The method claimed in claim 12, wherein each qualified keyword match score is greater than a greatest possible keyword match score,each keyword match score is greater than a greatest possible category match score, and wherein said ranking in based upon said qualified keyword match scores, said keyword match scores and said category match scores. 14. The method claimed in claim 12, wherein a programming event having a qualified keyword match is ranked relative to other programming events having qualified keyword matches in accordance with the preference score associated with the category of each matched qualified keyword in its corresponding viewer profile.15. The method claimed in claim 12, wherein said programming event metadata further comprises a time and duration of the corresponding programming event, andwherein the method further comprises determining a programming event recording schedule in accordance with said qualified keyword match scores, said keyword match scores and said category match scores of the programming events and the times and durations of the programming events. 16. The method claimed in claim 12, wherein said programming event metadata further comprises a time of the corresponding programming event, andwherein the method further comprises determining a programming event alert schedule in accordance with said qualified keyword match scores, said keyword match scores and said category match scores of the programming events and the times of the programming events. 17. The method claimed in claim 16, wherein the schedule comprises not more than a determined number of programming events within a given time period as specified in a viewer profile.18. The method claimed in claim 16, further comprising:displaying an alert for a programming event to the viewer in accordance with the alert schedule, the alert identifying the programming event and including at least one of a category and a keyword from the metadata for the programming event, wherein the at least one of a category and a keyword from the metadata for the programming event that are displayed in the alert is a category or keyword that generates a highest score for said programming event in a ranking process used to determine said schedule. 19. The method claimed in claim 18, wherein the alert further includes a score associated with each category or keyword in the alert banner.20. The method claimed in claim 18, wherein the programming event for which the alert is displayed is a segment of a television program.21. The method claimed in claim 18, wherein the alert indicates a viewer profile to which the alert corresponds.22. The method claimed in claim 18, wherein the alert further includes at least on of a title and a description of the programming event.23. The method claimed in claim 18, wherein the alert is displayed as a graphical alert banner that is displayed over a programming event currently being viewed.24. The method claimed in claim 16, whereinsaid metadata describing programming events includes metadata describing individual segments of television programs, and wherein said method further comprises: providing an alert to viewer regarding a segment of a program in accordance with the alert schedule, wherein the alert identifying the programming event includes at least one of a category and a keyword from the metadata for the programming event, and wherein the at least one of a category and a keyword from the metadata for the programming event that are displayed in the alert is a category or keyword that generates a highest score for said programming event in a ranking process used to generate said schedule. 25. The method claimed in claim 24, wherein the alert further includes a score associated with each category or keyword in the alert.26. The method claimed in claim 24, wherein the alert indicates a viewer profile to which the alert corresponds.27. The method claimed in claim 24, wherein the alert further includes at least one of a title and a description of the programming event.28. The method claimed in claim 24, wherein the alert is displayed as a graphical alert banner that is displayed over a programming event currently being viewed.29. A program-controlled device for determining the desirability of programming events, the device comprising a computer readable medium having stored therein programming instructions to perform data processing, the processing comprising:receiving metadata describing programming events, the metadata that describes a programming event being comprised of goodness of fit scores associated with respective categories, and at least one of descriptive data and keyword data, wherein the categories are arranged in a hierarchy comprising at least a set of top-level categories, respective sets of first level sub-categories each corresponding to and compassed by a top level category, and respective sets of second level sub-categories each corresponding to and encompassed by a first level sub-category; ranking the programming events in accordance with viewing preferences expressed in at least one viewer profile, wherein each of the at least one viewer profiles is comprised of preference scores associate with categories of the classification hierarchy, and at least one keyword, wherein said ranking comprises: determining a category match score for each programming event as a function of the metadata goodness of fit scores and viewer profile preference scores of matched categories of the programming event, wherein a matched category is a category of the classification hierarchy for which there is a goodness of fit score in the metadata of the programming event and a preference score in the at least one viewer profile; and determining a keyword match score for each programming event having a keyword match, wherein a keyword match is a match of the at least one of descriptive data and keyword data of the programming event metadata and a keyword of the at least one viewer profile, and wherein said ranking is performed such that programming events having keyword matches are ranked higher than programming events not having keyword matches, and programming events not having keyword matches are ranked based upon category matches. 30. The device claimed in claim 29, wherein each keyword match score is greater than a greatest possible category match score, andwherein said ranking is based upon said keyword match scores and said category match scores. 31. The device claimed in claim 29, wherein said programming event metadata further comprises a time and duration of the corresponding programming event, andwherein said processing further comprises determining a programming event recording schedule in accordance with said keyword match scores and said category match scores of the programming events and the times and durations of the programming events. 32. The device claimed in claim 29, wherein said programming event metadata further comprises a time of the corresponding programming event, andwherein said processing further comprises determining a programming event alert schedule in accordance with said ranking of the programming events and the times of the programming events. 33. The device claimed in claim 32, wherein the schedule comprises not more than a predetermined number of programming events within a given time period as specified in a viewer profile.34. A program-controlled device for determining the desirability of programming events, the device comprising a computer readable medium having stored therein programming instructions to perform data processing, the processing comprising:receiving metadata describing programming events, the metadata that describes a programming event being comprised of goodness of fit scores associated with respective categories, and at least one of descriptive data and keyword data, wherein the categories are arranged in a hierarchy comprising at least a set of top-level categories, respective sets of first level sub-categories each corresponding to and encompassed by a top level category, and respective sets of second level sub-categories each corresponding to and encompassed by a first level sub-category; and ranking the programming events in accordance with viewing preferences expressed in at least one viewer profile, wherein each of the at least one viewer profiles is comprised of preference scores associate with categories of the classification hierarchy, and at least one keyword, wherein said ranking comprises: determining a category match score for each programming event as a function of the metadata goodness of fit scores and viewer profile preference scores of matched categories of the programming event, wherein a matched category is a category of the classification hierarchy for which there is a goodness of fit score in the metadata of the programming event an a preference score in the at least one viewer profile; determining a keyword match score for each programming event having a keyword match, wherein a keyword match is a match between the at least one of descriptive data and keyword data of the programming event metadata and a keyword of the at least one viewer profile; and determining a qualified keyword match score for each programming event having a qualified keyword match, wherein a qualified keyword match is a match between a qualified keyword of the at least one viewer profile and the at least one of descriptive data and keyword data of the metadata of a programming event having a goodness of fit score in the category associated with the qualified keyword, and wherein said ranking is performed such that programming events having keyword matches are ranked higher than programming events not having keyword matches, and programming events not having keyword matches are ranked based upon category matches. 35. The device claimed in claim 34, wherein each qualified keyword match score is greater than a greatest possible keyword match score,each keyword match score is greater than a greatest possible category match score, and wherein said ranking is based upon said qualified keyword match scores, said keyword match scores and said category match scores. 36. The device claimed in claim 34, wherein a programming event having a qualified keyword match is ranked relative to other programming events having qualified keyword matches in accordance with the preference score associated with the category of each matched qualified keyword in its corresponding viewer profile.37. The device claimed in claim 34, wherein said programming event metadata further comprises a time and duration of the corresponding programming event, andwherein said processing further comprises determining a programming event recording schedule in accordance with said qualified keyword match scores, said keyword match scores and said category match scores of the programming events and the times and durations of the programming events. 38. The device claimed in claim 34, wherein said programming event metadata further comprises a time of the corresponding programming event, andwherein said processing further comprises determining a programming event alert schedule in accordance with said qualified keyword match scores, said keyword match scores and said category match scores of the programming events and the times of the programming events. 39. The device claimed in claim 38, wherein the schedule comprises not more than a predetermined number of programming events within a given time period as specified in a viewer profile.40. A program-controlled device for determining the desirability of programming events, the device comprising a computer readable medium having stored therein programming instructions to perform data processing, the processing comprising:receiving metadata describing programming events, the metadata that describes a programming event being comprised of goodness of fit scores associated with respective categories, and at least one of descriptive data and keyword data, wherein the categories are arranged in a hierarchy comprising at least a set of top-level categories, respective sets of first level sub-categories each corresponding to and encompassed by a top level category, and respective sets of second level sub-categories each corresponding to and encompassed by a first level sub-category; and ranking the programming events in accordance with viewing preferences expressed in at least one viewer profile, wherein each of the at least one viewer profiles is comprised of preference scores associate with categories of the classification hierarchy, and at least one keyword, and further comprises at least one qualified keyword comprising a keyword associated with a category of the category hierarchy, wherein said ranking uses the at least one qualified keyword of the at least one viewer profile to determine rank based upon qualified keyword matching, and wherein said ranking is performed such that programming events having qualified keyword matches are ranked higher than programming events having keyword matches, programming events having keyword matches are ranked higher than programming events not having keyword matches and not having qualified keyword matches, and programming events not having keyword matches and not having qualified keyword matches are ranked based upon category match scores. 41. The device claimed in claim 40, wherein each qualified keyword match score is greater than a greatest possible keyword match score,each keyword match score is greater than a greatest possible category match score, and wherein said ranking is based upon said qualified keyword math scores, said keyword match scores and said category match scores. 42. The device claimed in claim 40, wherein a programming event having a qualified keyword match is ranked relative to other programming events having qualified keyword matches in accordance with the preference score associated with the category of each matched qualified keyword in its corresponding viewer profile.43. The device claimed in claim 40, wherein said programming event metadata further comprises a time and duration of the corresponding programming event, andwherein said processing further comprises determining a programming event recording schedule in accordance with said qualified keyword match scores, said keyword match scores and said category match scores of the programming events and the times and durations of the programming events. 44. The device claimed in claim 40, wherein said programming event metadata further comprises a time of the corresponding programming event, andwherein said processing further comprises determining a programming event alert schedule in accordance with said qualified keyword match scores, said keyword match scores and said category match scores of the programming events and the times of the programming events. 45. The device claimed in claim 44, wherein the schedule comprises not more than a predetermined number of programming events within a given time period as specified in a viewer profile.46. The device claimed in claim 44, wherein said processing further comprises:displaying an alert for programming event to the viewer in accordance with the alert schedule, the alert identifying the programming event and including at least one of a category and a keyword from the metadata for the programming event, wherein the at least one of a category and a keyword from the metadata for the programming event that are displayed in the alert is a category or keyword that generates a highest score for said programming event in a ranking process used to determine said schedule. 47. The device claimed in claim 46, wherein the alert further includes a score associated with each category or keyword in the alert banner.48. The device claimed in claim 46, wherein the programming event for which the alert is displayed is a segment of a television program.49. The device claimed in claim 46, wherein the alert indicates a viewer profile to which the alert corresponds.50. The device claimed in claim 46, wherein the alert further includes at least one of a title and a description of the programming event.51. The device claimed in claim 46, wherein the alert is displayed as a graphical alert banner that is displayed over a programming event currently being viewed.52. The device claimed in claim 44, whereinsaid metadata describing programming events includes metadata describing individual segments of television programs, and wherein said processing further comprises: providing an alert to viewer regarding a segment of a program in accordance with the alert schedule, wherein the alert identifying the programming event includes at least one of a category and a keyword from the metadata for the programming event, and wherein the at least one of a category and a keyword from the metadata for the programming event that are displayed in the alert is a category or keyword that generates a highest score for said programming event in a ranking process used to generate said alert schedule. 53. The device claimed in claim 52, wherein the alert further includes a score associated with each category or keyword in the alert.54. The device claimed in claim 52, wherein the alert indicates a viewer profile to which the alert corresponds.55. The device claimed in claim 52, wherein the alert further includes at least one of a title and a description of the programming event.56. The device claimed in claim 52, wherein the alert is displayed as a graphical alert banner that is displayed over a programming event currently being view.57. A method in a programmable computing device for alerting a viewer of upcoming programming events of interest to the viewer, the method comprising executing processing comprising:receiving metadata describing programming events, the metadata that describes a programming event being comprised of goodness of fit scores associated with categories, and at least one of descriptive data and keyword data, wherein the categories are arranged in a hierarchy comprising at least a set of top-level categories, respective sets of first level sub-categories each corresponding to and encompassed by a top level category, and respective sets of second level sub-categories each corresponding to and encompassed by a first level sub-category; producing data representing a programming event alert schedule in accordance with viewing preferences expressed in at least one viewer profile using said metadata, wherein each of the at least one viewer profiles is comprised of preference scores associated with categories of the classification hierarchy, and at least one keyword; and providing alerts to a viewer in accordance with said alert schedule, wherein producing said data representing said programming event alert schedule comprises ranking said programming events, wherein said ranking uses the metadata goodness of fit scores and the viewer profile category preference scores to determine rank based on category matching, and wherein said ranking further uses the at least one of metadata descriptive data and metadata keyword and the at least one keyword of the at least one viewer profile to determine rank based upon keyword matching. 58. The method claimed in claim 57, wherein providing alerts comprises displaying a banner on a video screen describing a programming event in said programming event alert schedule.59. The method claimed in claim 58, wherein a color of said banner indicates a viewer profile most closely matched by the corresponding programming event.60. The method claimed in claim 58, wherein said banner comprises a description of said programming event including a highest scored matched keyword from metadata of said programming event, and a highest scored matched category from said programming event.61. The method claimed in claim 60, wherein said banner further comprises scores associated with said matched keyword and said matched category.62. The method claimed in claim 57, wherein providing an alert comprises:determining an amount of time in advance of a programming event to display an alert for the programming event from the at least one viewer profile; and displaying an alert for programming events in said programming event schedule in accordance with said amount of time. 63. The method claimed in claim 57, further comprising displaying said programming event alert schedule in response to viewer input.64. The method claimed in claim 63, further comprising removing an alert from the alert schedule in response to viewer input.65. The method claimed in claim 57, wherein producing said data representing said programming event alert schedule comprises selecting not more than a predetermined number of highest ranking programming events to occupy a given time period in said schedule.66. The method claimed in claim 65, wherein said predetermined number and said given period of time are determined from said at least one viewer profile.67. The method claimed in claim 57, wherein said ranking comprises:determining a category match score for each programming event as a function of the metadata goodness of fit scores and viewer profile preference scores of matched categories of the programming event, wherein a matched category is a category of the classification hierarchy for which there is a goodness of fit score in the metadata of the programming event and a preference score in the at least one viewer profile; and determining a keyword match score for each programming event having a keyword match, wherein a keyword match is a match the at least one of descriptive data and keyword data of the programming event metadata and a keyword of the at least one viewer profile. 68. The method claimed in claim 57, wherein the at least one viewer profile further comprises at least one qualified keyword comprising a keyword associated with a category of the category hierarchy,wherein said ranking further uses the at least one qualified keyword of the at least one viewer profile to determine rank based upon qualified keyword matching. 69. The method claimed in claim 68, wherein said ranking comprises:determining a category match score for each programming event as a function of the metadata goodness of fit scores and viewer profile preference scores of matched categories of the programming event, wherein a matched category is a category of the classification hierarchy for which there is a goodness of fit score in the metadata of the programming event and a preference score in the at least one viewer profile; determining a keyword match score for each programming event having a keyword match, wherein a keyword match is a match between the at least one of descriptive data and keyword data of the programming event metadata and a keyword of the at least on viewer profile; and determining a qualified keyword match score for each programming event having a qualified keyword match, wherein a qualified keyword match is a match between a qualified keyword of the at least one viewer profile and the at least one of descriptive data and keyword data of the metadata of a programming event having a goodness of fit score in the category associated with the qualified keyword. 70. The method claimed in claim 57, wherein providing alerts comprises sending alerts to a communication device of the viewer.71. A program-controlled device for alerting a viewer of upcoming programming events of interest to the viewer, the device comprising a computer readable medium having stored therein programming instructions to perform data processing, the processing comprising:receiving metadata describing programming events, the metadata that describes a programming event being comprised of goodness of fit scores associated with categories, and at least one of descriptive data and keyword data, wherein the categories are arranged in a hierarchy comprising at least a set of top-level categories, respective sets of first level sub-categories each corresponding to and encompassed by a top level category, and respective sets of second level sub-categories each corresponding to and encompassed by a first level sub-category; determining a programming event alert schedule in accordance with viewing preferences expressed in at least one viewer profile using said metadata, wherein each of the at least one viewer profiles is comprised of preference scores associate with categories of the classification hierarchy, and at least one keyword; and providing alerts to a viewer in accordance with said alert schedule, wherein determining said programming event alert schedule comprises ranking said programming events, wherein said ranking uses the metadata goodness of fit scores and the viewer profile category preference scores to determine rank based on category matching, and wherein said ranking further uses the at least one of metadata descriptive data and metadata keywords and the at least one keyword of the at least one viewer profile to determine rank based upon keyword matching. 72. The device claimed in claim 71, wherein providing alerts comprises displaying a banner on a video screen describing a programming event in said programming event alert schedule.73. The device claimed in claim 72, wherein a color of said banner indicates a viewer profile most closely matched by the corresponding programming event.74. The device claimed in claim 72, wherein said banner comprises a description of said programming event including a highest scored matched keyword from metadata of said programming event, and a highest scored matched category from said programming event.75. The device claimed in claim 74, wherein said banner further comprises scores associated with said matched keyword and said matched category.76. The device claimed in claim 71, wherein providing an alert comprises:determining an amount of time in advance of a programming event to display an alert for the programming event from the at least one viewer profile; and displaying an alert for programming events in said programming event schedule in accordance with said amount of time. 77. The device claimed in claim 71, said processing further comprising displaying said programming event alert schedule in response to viewer input.78. The device claimed in claim 77, said processing further comprising removing an alert from the alert schedule in response to viewer input.79. The device claimed in claim 71, wherein determining a programming event alert schedule comprises selecting not more than a predetermined number of highest ranking programming events to occupy a given time period in said schedule.80. The device claimed in claim 79, wherein said predetermined number and said given period of time are determined from said at least one viewer profile.81. The device claimed in claim 71, wherein said ranking comprises:determining a category match score for each programming event as a function of the metadata goodness of fit scores and viewer profile preference scores of matched categories of the programming event, wherein a matched category is a category of the classification hierarchy for which there is a goodness of fit score in the metadata of the programming event and a preference score in the at least one viewer profile; and determining a keyword match score for each programming event having a keyword match, wherein a keyword match is a match the at least one of descriptive data and keyword data of the programming event metadata and a keyword of the at least one viewer profile. 82. The device claimed in claim 71, wherein the at least one viewer profile further comprises at least one qualified keyword comprising a keyword associated with a category of the category hierarchy,wherein said ranking further uses the at least one qualified keyword of the at least one viewer profile to determine rank based upon qualified keyword matching. 83. The device claimed in claim 83, wherein said ranking comprises:determining a category match score for each programming event as a function of the metadata goodness of fit scores and viewer profile preference scores of matched categories of the programming event, wherein a matched category is a category of the classification hierarchy for which there is a goodness of fit score in the metadata of the programming event and a preference score in the at least one viewer profile; determining a keyword match score for each programming event having a keyword match, wherein a keyword match is a match between the at least one of descriptive data and keyword data of the programming event metadata and a keyword of the at least one viewer profile; and determining a qualified keyword match score for each programming event having a qualified keyword match, wherein a qualified keyword match is a match between a qualified keyword of the at least one viewer profile and the at least one of descriptive data and keyword data of the metadata of a programming event having goodness of fit score in the category associated with the qualified keyword. 84. The device claimed in claim 71, wherein providing alerts comprises sending alerts to a communication device of the viewer.