Methods and apparatuses for determining preferred content using a temporal metadata table

A broadcast system, method and apparatus providing content on demand. Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and apparatuses for rating content to be broadcast or to be broadcast potentially from a server. Additional aspects of particular embodiments of the invention provide methods and apparatuses for automatically managing storage resources of client systems. For one embodiment of the present invention, a user consumes a number of data files each having an associated temporal metadata table (TMDT). Each TMDT contains a plurality of time-indexed entries, each entry containing metadata describing a segment of the corresponding data file. The TMDT and user interaction during consumption of a one or more data files are used to create a preference profile table (PPT) for the user. The PPT is stored at the client system and is used to evaluate subsequent content. Such evaluation is used to determine broadcast schedules or automatically manage storage resources.