Methods and systems for creating and managing multi participant sessions

Abstract

A method of creating a multi participant session among a plurality of viewers of media content. The method comprises automatically identifying which media content is currently presented on a plurality of client terminals of a plurality of subscribers, receiving, from a first subscriber, a first selection indicative of a template of a multi participant session object and a second selection indicative of a group from the plurality of subscribers, creating a multi participant session object adapted for simultaneous presentation with the media content according to first and second selections and establishing a multi participant session among at least one member of the group and the first subscriber using the multi participant session object.

1 - 81 . (canceled) 
     
     
         82 . A method of creating a multi participant session among a plurality of participants, comprising:
 identifying a plurality of client terminals of a plurality of subscribers;   presenting a plurality of icons of interactive applications to a first subscriber of said plurality of subscribers, at least one icon of said plurality of icons of interactive applications is generated according to an analysis of at least one electronic program guide (EPG);   receiving, from said first subscriber, a selection indicative of one of said plurality of icons; and   establishing a multi participant session between said first subscriber and at least one other subscriber of said plurality of subscribers according to said selection.   
     
     
         83 . The method of  claim 82 , wherein said plurality of interactive applications is stored on at least one of said plurality of client terminals. 
     
     
         84 . The method of  claim 82 , wherein said plurality of interactive applications is stored on a remote network node. 
     
     
         85 . The method of  claim 82 , wherein at least one of said plurality of interactive applications is a commercial application which contains commercial content. 
     
     
         86 . The method of  claim 82 , wherein at least one of said plurality of interactive applications is associated with a media content item. 
     
     
         87 . The method of  claim 82 , further comprising presenting on a first client terminal of said plurality of client terminals a user interface for receiving said selection from said first subscriber at said first client terminal. 
     
     
         88 . The method of  claim 82 , further comprising identifying said plurality of subscribers according to social connections. 
     
     
         89 . The method of  claim 82 , wherein said plurality of interactive applications is automatically selected from a group of interactive applications available to a first client terminal of said plurality of client terminals. 
     
     
         90 . A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions adapted to perform the method of  claim 82 . 
     
     
         91 . A system for creating a multi participant session among a plurality of participants, comprising:
 a plurality of client terminals of a plurality of subscribers, wherein a first client terminal from said plurality of client terminals is configured to:
 presenting a plurality of icons of interactive applications to a first subscriber of said plurality of subscribers, at least one icon of said plurality of icons of interactive applications generated according to an analysis of at least one electronic program guide (EPG); and 
 receiving, from said first subscriber, a selection indicative of one of said plurality of icons; and 
   a central unit that establishes a multi participant session between said first subscriber and at least one other subscriber of said plurality of subscribers according to said selection.   
     
     
         92 . A computer program product for creating a multi participant session among a plurality of participants, said computer program product comprising:
 a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon:   first program instructions executable by a first client terminal from a plurality of client terminals of a plurality of subscribers to cause said first client terminal to present a plurality of icons of interactive applications to a first subscriber of said plurality of subscribers, at least one icon of said plurality of icons of interactive applications generated according to an analysis of at least one electronic program guide (EPG);   second program instructions executable by said first client terminal to cause said first client terminal to receive, from said first subscriber, a selection indicative of one of said plurality of icons; and   third program instructions executable by a central unit to cause said central unit to establish a multi participant session between said first subscriber and at least one other subscriber of said plurality of subscribers according to said selection.