A contents receiving system uses a digital broadcast wave or a broadband network to enable a user to suitably view main content, and provide a user with subsidiary content information desired by the user. Each of subsidiary content control receivers A (101), B (102) transmits ID information specific to each of the subsidiary content control receivers A (101), B (102), and a request for acquiring subsidiary content, from a communication control unit (405) to a main content receiving display unit 100. The main content receiving display unit 100 uses a content separation control unit (310) to separate a stream into subsidiary content corresponding to the request. Then, a request information input/transmission control unit (313) transmits the separated subsidiary content and the received ID information to the subsidiary content control receiver in question. The subsidiary content control receiver judges from the ID information that the subsidiary content should be acquired.