Generating a customized highlight sequence depicting an event

• US 10,419,830 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2014
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STATS LLC (Stats Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: Thuuz, Inc.
• Inventors: Packard, Warren Joseph, Lythcott-Haims, Dan, Levin, Alan, Kanygin, Dennis
• Primary Examiner(s): Duffield, Jeremy S
• Application Number:
  US14/510,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20160105733A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,804 Days
• Field of Search: 725 86, 725 91- 93, 725109, 725114-116
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/231 Content storage operation, e.g. caching movies for short term storage, replicating data over plural servers, prioritizing data for deletion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23109 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. EPG data repository details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/278 Content descriptor database or directory service for end-user access details of content or meta data based information retrieval of video data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739

Abstract

A customized highlight sequence depicting an event, and based on a user'"'"'s personal characteristics, interests, and/or preferences, is generated and presented. The event can be a sporting event, entertainment event, and/or the like. For example, in the context of sporting events, a determination is made as to what types of sports, teams, leagues, players, plays, and/or the like are of interest to the user. In at least one embodiment, the amount of time available to the user can be obtained, so that the length of the highlight sequence can be tailored to the available time. A customized highlight sequence is then generated and presented, containing those specific portions of the sporting event that are likely to be of interest, arranged in a manner that is likely to be entertaining to the user and comports with the time restrictions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating a highlight sequence customized for presentation to a particular user, comprising:

at a web server, receiving a request for the customized highlight sequence from a client device and passing the request to an application server;

at a hardware processor of the application server, receiving an electronic signal comprising source content representing a sporting event;

at the hardware processor of the application server, determining, based on available metadata, which sport of a plurality of sports is depicted in the source content, wherein each sport in the plurality has a stored play definition, the play definition including criteria for determining play start time and play end time for that sport;

at the hardware processor of the application server, identifying the play definition for the sport depicted in the source content;

at the hardware processor of the application server, automatically determining at least one characteristic of the user;

at at least one of the hardware processor of the application server and a hardware processor of an analytical server, based on the identified play definition for the sport depicted in the source content and based on the available metadata, performing an analysis to identify individual plays within the sporting event;

at the hardware processor of at least one of the application server and the analytical server, performing video analysis on a video component of the source content to establish at least one of a suitable start and end time for each identified individual play;

at the hardware processor of at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically generating a plurality of segments from the representation of the sporting event, each segment having a start time and an end time, and each segment corresponding to at least one of the identified individual plays within the sporting event, wherein, for each generated segment, at least one of the start and end times is selected based on at least one of the established suitable start and end times;

at the hardware processor of at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically determining an excitement level for each of at least a subset of the identified plays;

at the hardware processor of at least one of the application server and the analytical server, identifying at least one of;

a narrative that provides a coherent story that links a set of segments relating to at least one of a participant, team, story, and play associated with the sporting event; and

a theme relating to at least one of a participant, team, story, and play associated with the sporting event;

at the hardware processor of at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically prioritizing the identified plays based on criteria, wherein the criteria comprise at least;

the at least one characteristic of the user;

the determined excitement levels; and

the degree to which each identified play supports the at least one of an identified narrative and an identified theme;

at the hardware processor of at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically and based on both the prioritization and the at least one characteristic of the user, selecting a subset of the identified plays for inclusion in the customized highlight sequence;

at the hardware processor of at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically adjusting at least one of the start and end times of at least one of the segments corresponding to at least one of the selected plays;

at the hardware processor of the application server, automatically assembling segments corresponding to the selected subset of plays, using at least one of the adjusted start and end times, to create the customized highlight sequence;

transmitting the customized highlight sequence from the application server to the client device; and

at an output device of the client device, outputting the customized highlight sequence comprising the automatically assembled segments.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining the at least one characteristic of the user comprises determining at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a geographic characteristic;

a demographic characteristic; and

a social network profile.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining the at least one characteristic of the user comprises automatically determining the user'"'"'s affinity for at least one of a team, sport, player, and league.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining the at least one characteristic of the user comprises automatically identifying players belonging to a fantasy team associated with the user, and wherein automatically selecting the subset of the identified plays comprises automatically identifying plays associated with at least one of the identified players.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein automatically prioritizing the identified plays comprises automatically determining priorities based at least in part on the excitement level that takes into account the at least one determined characteristic of the user.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein automatically generating the plurality of segments from the representation of the sporting event comprises automatically identifying possessions within the sporting event, wherein each of the identified possessions corresponds to at least one of the identified plays, the method further comprising:

at the hardware processor of at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically determining a priority for each identified possession;

and wherein automatically selecting the subset of the identified plays comprises automatically selecting plays based at least in part on the determined priority for a possession corresponding to a play.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein automatically determining the priority for each identified possession comprises automatically determining the priority based on the determined excitement levels.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein automatically determining the priority for each identified possession comprises automatically determining the priority based on the determined excitement levels, and wherein the determined excitement levels take into account the at least one determined characteristic of the user.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein automatically selecting plays comprises:

automatically identifying a subset of the plays having a priority exceeding a predetermining threshold;

automatically determining a priority for each play corresponding to one of the possessions in the subset; and

automatically selecting plays from the identified subset of plays, based on the determined priorities.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining the at least one characteristic of the user comprises automatically identifying players belonging to a fantasy team associated with the user, and wherein automatically selecting the subset of the identified plays comprises, for each identified player:

automatically determining a player priority for each play, wherein the player priority takes into account the degree to which the identified player is associated with the play; and

automatically selecting plays based on the determined player priorities.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining the at least one characteristic of the user comprises automatically identifying players for whom the user has an affinity, and wherein automatically selecting the subset of the identified plays comprises automatically identifying plays associated with at least one of the identified players.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining the at least one characteristic of the user comprises automatically identifying players for whom the user has an affinity, and wherein automatically selecting the subset of the identified plays comprises, for each identified player:

automatically determining a player priority for each play, wherein the player priority takes into account the degree to which the identified player is associated with the play; and

automatically selecting plays based on the determined player priorities.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the hardware processor of at least one of the application server and the analytical server, receiving an indication of available time for the customized highlight sequence;

and wherein automatically selecting the subset of the identified plays comprises automatically selecting plays so that the customized highlight sequence is of a length that comports with the indicated available time.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the hardware processor of the application server, receiving an indication of available time for the customized highlight sequence;

and wherein automatically selecting the subset of the identified plays comprises automatically selecting plays so that the customized highlight sequence is of a length that comports with the indicated available time;

and wherein automatically adjusting at least one of the start and end times of at least one of the segments comprises automatically adjusting at least one of the start and end times of at least one of the segments so that the total length of the segments corresponding to the selected subset of plays comports with the indicated available time.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the hardware processor of the application server, receiving an indication of a perspective associated with the user;

and wherein automatically prioritizing the identified plays based on one or more criteria comprises automatically determining which plays are likely to be of interest to the user based on the perspective of the user.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

identifying at least one of a narrative and a theme comprises identifying a narrative for the customized highlight sequence; and

the criteria for automatically prioritizing the identified plays comprise at least the degree to which they support the identified narrative.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

identifying at least one of a narrative and a theme comprises identifying a theme for the customized highlight sequence; and

the criteria for automatically prioritizing the identified plays comprise at least the degree to which they support the identified theme.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein outputting the customized highlight sequence comprises displaying video of the customized highlight sequence on a display device of the client device.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein outputting the customized highlight sequence comprises outputting audio of the customized highlight sequence of the client device.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein automatically selecting the subset of the identified plays for inclusion in the customized highlight sequence comprises automatically generating a list of time codes corresponding to start and end times for segments to be included in the customized highlight sequence.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein:

transmitting the customized highlight sequence from the application server to the client device comprises transmitting the generated list of time codes from the application server to the client device.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, further comprising:

storing the generated list of time codes at a storage device associated with the client device;

and wherein outputting the customized highlight sequence comprises;

at the client, automatically generating the customized highlight sequence by retrieving content from a content server according to the generated time codes.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the source content is stored at a local storage device associated with the client device;

and wherein outputting the customized highlight sequence comprises automatically generating the customized highlight sequence by retrieving, from the local storage device, content according to the generated time codes.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein outputting the customized highlight sequence comprises outputting transitions between the automatically selected subset of plays.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein outputting the customized highlight sequence comprises outputting descriptive information prior to each of the automatically selected subset of plays.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, wherein outputting descriptive information comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

outputting a score;

outputting explanatory text;

outputting commentary;

outputting a narrative; and

outputting audio.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, wherein outputting descriptive information comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

outputting visual descriptive information;

outputting text; and

outputting audio descriptive information.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, further comprising:

at the hardware processor of the application server, determining whether spoilers should be included in descriptive information;

and wherein outputting descriptive information comprises;

responsive to a determination that spoilers should be included, outputting descriptive information that reveals at least one play that takes place within an upcoming highlight;

responsive to a determination that spoilers should not be included, outputting descriptive information that does not reveal any plays that take place within an upcoming highlight.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 28, wherein determining whether spoilers should be included in descriptive information comprises receiving user input, at an input device, to indicate whether spoilers should be included in descriptive information.

30. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein outputting the customized highlight sequence comprises outputting additional content associated with the sporting event.

31. The computer-implemented method of claim 30, wherein the additional content associated with the sporting event comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

pre-game content for the sporting event;

post-game content for the sporting event;

analysis of the sporting event;

commentary concerning the sporting event; and

at least one interview concerning the sporting event.

32. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein outputting the customized highlight sequence comprises outputting a video stream comprising the customized highlight sequence.

33. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein outputting the customized highlight sequence comprises:

presenting a user interface allowing user selection among a plurality of segments, each segment corresponding to one of the selected plays; and

responsive to user selection of one of the segments, outputting the segment.

34. The computer-implemented method of claim 33, wherein presenting a user interface allowing user selection among a plurality of segments comprises displaying a plurality of thumbnail images, each thumbnail image corresponding to a segment.

35. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the electronic signal comprising source content representing the sporting event comprises obtaining source content selected from the group consisting of:

a live broadcast;

a recorded broadcast;

a video archive;

content from a website;

content from a video-sharing site;

content stored on a content server;

content stored on a mobile computing device;

content stored on a camera;

on-demand content;

content stored locally;

content captured by a device associated with the user; and

pre-curated content.

36. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining the at least one characteristic of the user comprises tracking user behavior.

37. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining the at least one characteristic of the user comprises querying the user.

38. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the customized highlight sequence contains highlights from a first portion of the sporting event, the method further comprising:

at the output device, subsequent to outputting the customized highlight sequence, outputting an unedited representation of a second portion of the sporting event not included in the first portion.

39. The computer-implemented method of claim 38, wherein outputting the unedited representation of the second portion of the sporting event comprises outputting a real-time representation of the second portion of the sporting event.

40. The computer-implemented method of claim 38, wherein outputting the unedited representation of the second portion of the sporting event comprises outputting a live representation of the second portion of the sporting event.

50. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

identifying at least one of a narrative and a theme comprises identifying a narrative for the customized highlight sequence; and

the criteria for automatically prioritizing the identified plays comprise at least the degree to which they support the identified narrative.

51. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

identifying at least one of a narrative and a theme comprises identifying a theme for the customized highlight sequence; and

the criteria for automatically prioritizing the identified plays comprise at least the degree to which they support the identified theme.

56. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

establishing at least one of a suitable start and end time for each individual play comprises determining a plurality of alternative start times and a plurality of alternative end times for each individual play; and

automatically adjusting at least one of the start and end times comprises;

selecting a start time from the plurality of alternative start times; and

selecting an end time from the plurality of alternative end times.

41. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium for generating a highlight sequence customized for presentation to a particular user, comprising instructions stored thereon, that when executed by at least one processor, perform the steps of:

at a web server, receiving a request for the customized highlight sequence from a client device and passing the request to an application server;

at the application server, receiving an electronic signal comprising source content representing a sporting event;

at the application server, determining, based on available metadata, which sport of a plurality of sports is depicted in the source content, wherein each sport in the plurality has a stored play definition, the play definition including criteria for determining play start time and play end time for that sport;

at the application server, identifying the play definition for the sport depicted in the source content;

at the application server, automatically determining at least one characteristic of the user;

at at least one of the application server and an analytical server, based on the identified play definition for the sport depicted in the source content and based on the available metadata, performing an analysis to identify individual plays within the sporting event;

at at least one of the application server and the analytical server, performing video analysis on a video component of the source content to establish at least one of a suitable start and end time for each identified individual play;

at at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically generating a plurality of segments from the representation of the sporting event, each segment having a start time and an end time, and each segment corresponding to at least one of the identified individual plays within the sporting event, wherein, for each generated segment, at least one of the start and end times is selected based on at least one of the established suitable start and end times;

at at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically determining an excitement level for each of at least a subset of the identified plays;

at at least one of the application server and the analytical server, identifying at least one of;

a narrative that provides a coherent story that links a set of segments relating to at least one of a participant, team, story, and play associated with the sporting event; and

a theme relating to at least one of a participant, team, story, and play associated with the sporting event;

at at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically prioritizing the identified plays based on criteria, wherein the criteria comprise at least;

the at least one characteristic of the user;

the determined excitement levels; and

the degree to which each identified play supports the at least one of an identified narrative and an identified theme;

at at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically and based on both the prioritization and the at least one characteristic of the user, selecting a subset of the identified plays for inclusion in the customized highlight sequence;

at at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically adjusting at least one of the start and end times of at least one of the segments corresponding to at least one of the selected plays;

at the application server, automatically assembling segments corresponding to the selected subset of plays, using at least one of the adjusted start and end times, to create the customized highlight sequence;

transmitting the customized highlight sequence from the application server to the client device; and

causing an output device of the client device to output the customized highlight sequence comprising the automatically assembled segments.

42. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 41, further comprising instructions stored thereon, that when executed by at least one processor, perform the step of:

receiving an indication of available time for the customized highlight sequence;

and wherein automatically selecting the subset of the identified plays comprises automatically selecting plays so that the customized highlight sequence is of a length that comports with the indicated available time;

and wherein automatically adjusting at least one of the start and end times of at least one of the segments comprises automatically adjusting at least one of the start and end times of at least one of the segments so that the total length of the segments corresponding to the selected subset of plays comports with the indicated available time.

43. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein causing the output device to output the customized highlight sequence comprises causing the output device to output a video stream comprising the customized highlight sequence.

44. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein causing the output device to output the customized highlight sequence comprises:

causing the output device to present a user interface allowing user selection among a plurality of segments, each segment corresponding to one of the selected plays; and

causing the output device to, responsive to user selection of one of the segments, output the segment.

52. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein:

identifying at least one of a narrative and a theme comprises identifying a narrative for the customized highlight sequence; and

the criteria for automatically prioritizing the identified plays comprise at least the degree to which they support the identified narrative.

53. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein:

identifying at least one of a narrative and a theme comprises identifying a theme for the customized highlight sequence; and

the criteria for automatically prioritizing the identified plays comprise at least the degree to which they support the identified theme.

57. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein:

establishing at least one of a suitable start and end time for each individual play comprises determining a plurality of alternative start times and a plurality of alternative end times for each individual play; and

automatically adjusting at least one of the start and end times comprises;

selecting a start time from the plurality of alternative start times; and

selecting an end time from the plurality of alternative end times.

45. A system for generating a highlight sequence customized for presentation to a particular user, comprising:

a web server, configured to receive a request for the customized highlight sequence from a client device and to pass the request to an application server;

the application server, communicatively coupled to the web server, comprising a hardware processor, configured to;

receive an electronic signal comprising source content representing a sporting event;

determine, based on available metadata, which sport of a plurality of sports is depicted in the source content, wherein each sport in the plurality has a stored play definition, the play definition including criteria for determining play start time and play end time for that sport;

identify the play definition for the sport depicted in the source content; and

automatically determine at least one characteristic of the user; and

an analytical server, communicatively coupled to the application server, comprising a hardware processor configured to;

based on the identified play definition for the sport depicted in the source content and based on the available metadata, perform an analysis to identify individual plays within the sporting event;

perform video analysis on a video component of the source content to establish at least one of a suitable start and end time for each identified individual play;

automatically generate a plurality of segments from the representation of the sporting event, each segment having a start time and an end time, and each segment corresponding to at least one of the identified individual plays within the sporting event, wherein, for each generated segment, at least one of the start and end times is selected based on at least one of the established suitable start and end times;

automatically determine an excitement level for each of at least a subset of the identified plays;

identify at least one of;

a narrative that provides a coherent story that links a set of segments relating to at least one of a participant, team, story, and play associated with the sporting event; and

a theme relating to at least one of a participant, team, story, and play associated with the sporting event;

automatically prioritize the identified plays based on criteria, wherein the criteria comprise at least;

the at least one characteristic of the user;

the determined excitement levels; and

the degree to which each identified play supports the at least one of an identified narrative and an identified theme;

automatically and based on both the prioritization and the at least one characteristic of the user, select a subset of the identified plays for inclusion in the customized highlight sequence; and

automatically adjust at least one of the start and end times of at least one of the segments corresponding to at least one of the selected plays;

wherein the hardware processor of the application server is further configured to;

automatically assemble segments corresponding to the selected subset of plays, using at least one of the adjusted start and end times, to create the customized highlight sequence; and

transmit the customized highlight sequence from the application server to the client device for output thereon.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the hardware processor of the analytical server is configured to automatically prioritize the identified plays by determining priorities based at least in part on the excitement level that takes into account the at least one determined characteristic of the user.

47. The system of claim 45, wherein the hardware processor of the analytical server is further configured to receive an indication of available time for the customized highlight sequence;

and wherein the hardware processor of the analytical server is configured to automatically select the subset of the identified plays so that the customized highlight sequence is of a length that comports with the indicated available time;

and wherein automatically adjusting at least one of the start and end times of at least one of the segments comprises automatically adjusting at least one of the start and end times of at least one of the segments so that the total length of the segments corresponding to the selected subset of plays comports with the indicated available time.

48. The system of claim 45, wherein transmitting the customized highlight sequence comprises transmitting the customized highlight sequence as a video stream.

49. The system of claim 45, further comprising:

an input device at the client device, configured to receive user input; and

an output device at the client device, configured to;

present a user interface allowing user selection among the plurality of segments, each segment corresponding to one of the selected plays; and

responsive to user selection of one of the segments via the input device, output the segment.

54. The system of claim 45, wherein:

the hardware processor of the analytical server is configured to identify at least one of a narrative and a theme by identifying a narrative for the customized highlight sequence; and

the criteria for automatically prioritizing the identified plays comprise at least the degree to which they support the identified narrative.

55. The system of claim 45, wherein:

the hardware processor of the analytical server is configured to identify at least one of a narrative and a theme by identifying a theme for the customized highlight sequence; and

the criteria for automatically prioritizing the identified plays comprise at least the degree to which they support the identified theme.

58. The system of claim 45, wherein:

establishing at least one of a suitable start and end time for each individual play comprises determining a plurality of alternative start times and a plurality of alternative end times for each individual play; and

automatically adjusting at least one of the start and end times comprises;

selecting a start time from the plurality of alternative start times; and

selecting an end time from the plurality of alternative end times.

59. A computer-implemented method for generating a highlight sequence customized for presentation to a particular user, comprising:

at a web server, receiving a request for the customized highlight sequence from a client device and passing the request to an application server;

at a hardware processor of the application server, receiving an electronic signal comprising source content representing a sporting event;

at the hardware processor of the application server, determining, based on available metadata, which sport of a plurality of sports is depicted in the source content, wherein each sport in the plurality has a stored play definition, the play definition including criteria for determining play start time and play end time for that sport;

at the hardware processor of the application server, identifying the play definition for the sport depicted in the source content;

at the hardware processor of the application server, automatically determining at least one characteristic of the user;

at at least one of the hardware processor of the application server and a hardware processor of an analytical server, based on the identified play definition for the sport depicted in the source content and based on the available metadata, performing an analysis to identify individual plays within the sporting event;

at the hardware processor of at least one of the application server and the analytical server, performing video analysis on a video component of the source content to establish at least one of a suitable start and end time for each identified individual play, wherein the video analysis comprises analysis of a video component representing a game clock;

at the hardware processor of at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically generating a plurality of segments from the representation of the sporting event, each segment having a start time and an end time, and each segment corresponding to at least one of the identified individual plays within the sporting event, wherein, for each generated segment, at least one of the start and end times is selected based on at least one of the established suitable start and end times;

at the hardware processor of at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically determining an excitement level for each of at least a subset of the identified plays;

at the hardware processor of at least one of the application server and the analytical server, identifying at least one of;

a narrative that provides a coherent story that links a set of segments relating to at least one of a participant, team, story, and play associated with the sporting event; and

a theme relating to at least one of a participant, team, story, and play associated with the sporting event;

at the hardware processor of at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically prioritizing the identified plays based on criteria, wherein the criteria comprise at least;

the at least one characteristic of the user;

the determined excitement levels; and

the degree to which each identified play supports the at least one of an identified narrative and an identified theme;

at the hardware processor of at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically and based on both the prioritization and the at least one characteristic of the user, selecting a subset of the identified plays for inclusion in the customized highlight sequence;

at the hardware processor of the application server, automatically assembling segments corresponding to the selected subset of plays, using at least one of the established suitable start and end times, to create the customized highlight sequence;

transmitting the customized highlight sequence from the application server to the client device; and

at an output device of the client device, outputting the customized highlight sequence comprising the automatically assembled segments.

60. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium for generating a highlight sequence customized for presentation to a particular user, comprising instructions stored thereon, that when executed by at least one processor, perform the steps of:

at a web server, receiving a request for the customized highlight sequence from a client device and passing the request to an application server;

at the application server, receiving an electronic signal comprising source content representing a sporting event;

at the application server, determining, based on available metadata, which sport of a plurality of sports is depicted in the source content, wherein each sport in the plurality has a stored play definition, the play definition including criteria for determining play start time and play end time for that sport;

at the application server, identifying the play definition for the sport depicted in the source content;

at the application server, automatically determining at least one characteristic of the user;

at at least one of the application server and an analytical server, based on the identified play definition for the sport depicted in the source content and based on the available metadata, performing an analysis to identify individual plays within the sporting event;

at at least one of the application server and the analytical server, performing video analysis on a video component of the source content to establish at least one of a suitable start and end time for each identified individual play, wherein the video analysis comprises analysis of a video component representing a game clock;

at at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically generating a plurality of segments from the representation of the sporting event, each segment having a start time and an end time, and each segment corresponding to at least one of the identified individual plays within the sporting event, wherein, for each generated segment, at least one of the start and end times is selected based on at least one of the established suitable start and end times;

at at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically determining an excitement level for each of at least a subset of the identified plays;

at at least one of the application server and the analytical server, identifying at least one of;

a narrative that provides a coherent story that links a set of segments relating to at least one of a participant, team, story, and play associated with the sporting event; and

a theme relating to at least one of a participant, team, story, and play associated with the sporting event;

at at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically prioritizing the identified plays based on criteria, wherein the criteria comprise at least;

the at least one characteristic of the user;

the determined excitement levels; and

the degree to which each identified play supports the at least one of an identified narrative and an identified theme;

at at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically and based on both the prioritization and the at least one characteristic of the user, selecting a subset of the identified plays for inclusion in the customized highlight sequence;

at at least one of the application server and the analytical server, automatically adjusting at least one of the start and end times of at least one of the segments corresponding to at least one of the selected plays;

at the application server, automatically assembling segments corresponding to the selected subset of plays, using at least one of the established suitable start and end times, to create the customized highlight sequence;

transmitting the customized highlight sequence from the application server to the client device; and

causing an output device of the client device to output the customized highlight sequence comprising the automatically assembled segments.

61. A system for generating a highlight sequence customized for presentation to a particular user, comprising:

a web server, configured to receive a request for the customized highlight sequence from a client device and to pass the request to an application server;

the application server, communicatively coupled to the web server, comprising a hardware processor, configured to;

receive an electronic signal comprising source content representing a sporting event;

determine, based on available metadata, which sport of a plurality of sports is depicted in the source content, wherein each sport in the plurality has a stored play definition, the play definition including criteria for determining play start time and play end time for that sport;

identify the play definition for the sport depicted in the source content; and

automatically determine at least one characteristic of the user; and

an analytical server, communicatively coupled to the application server, comprising a hardware processor configured to;

based on the identified play definition for the sport depicted in the source content and based on the available metadata, perform an analysis to identify individual plays within the sporting event;

perform video analysis on a video component of the source content to establish at least one of a suitable start and end time for each identified individual play, wherein the video analysis comprises analysis of a video component representing a game clock;

automatically generate a plurality of segments from the representation of the sporting event, each segment having a start time and an end time, and each segment corresponding to at least one of the identified individual plays within the sporting event, wherein, for each generated segment, at least one of the start and end times is selected based on at least one of the established suitable start and end times;

automatically determine an excitement level for each of at least a subset of the identified plays;

identify at least one of;

a narrative that provides a coherent story that links a set of segments relating to at least one of a participant, team, story, and play associated with the sporting event; and

a theme relating to at least one of a participant, team, story, and play associated with the sporting event;

automatically prioritize the identified plays based on criteria, wherein the criteria comprise at least;

the at least one characteristic of the user;

the determined excitement levels; and

the degree to which each identified play supports the at least one of an identified narrative and an identified theme;

automatically and based on both the prioritization and the at least one characteristic of the user, select a subset of the identified plays for inclusion in the customized highlight sequence; and

automatically adjust at least one of the start and end times of at least one of the segments corresponding to at least one of the selected plays;

wherein the hardware processor of the application server is further configured to;

automatically assemble segments corresponding to the selected subset of plays, using at least one of the established suitable start and end times, to create the customized highlight sequence; and

transmit the customized highlight sequence from the application server to the client device for output thereon.