Measuring video-content viewing

• US 10,645,433 B1
• Filed: 08/29/2013
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Orlowski, Robert Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Alcon, Fernando
• Application Number:
  US14/013,031
• Time in Patent Office: 2,441 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/32 Arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations, e.g. malfunction or breakdown of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/40 for identifying broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/43 for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4666 using neural networks, e.g. processing the feedback provided by the user

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of using video viewing activity data as input to an aggregation engine built on the Hadoop MapReduce framework which calculates second-by-second video viewing activity aggregated to the analyst'"'"'s choice of (a) geographic area, (b) video server, (c) video content (channel call sign, video program, etc.), or (d) viewer demographic, or any combination of these fields, for each second of the day represented in the video viewing activity data. Also calculates overall viewing for use as a denominator in calculations. The source data may be extracted from a database defined according to the Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. Media Measurement Data Model defined in “Audience Data Measurement Specification” as “OpenCable™ Specifications, Audience Measurement, Audience Measurement Data Specification” document OC-SP-AMD-I01-130502 or any similar format. These metrics provide detailed data needed to calculate information on customer viewing behavior that can drive business decisions for service providers, advertisers, and content producers.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing system, data indicating a plurality of video-viewing events, wherein each video-viewing event of the plurality of video-viewing events is associated with a time range during which a video-asset-viewing device output a video asset for display;

determining, by the computing system, based on the plurality of video-viewing events, and for each interval of a plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset, an amount of time of the each interval during which the video-asset-viewing device output the video asset for display; and

determining, by the computing system and based on the amount of time determined for each interval of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset, a video-viewing metric.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the amount of time comprises determining a number of predefined increments of time of the each interval during which the video-asset-viewing device output the video asset for display.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the amount of time comprises determining a number of frames of the video asset that the video-asset-viewing device output for display during the each interval.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing system comprises a cluster of associated nodes, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining, for each interval of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset, a node, of the cluster of associated nodes, on which to store the amount of time determined for each interval of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of time determined for a first interval of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset is less than the first interval.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of time determined for a first interval of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset comprises a count of a number of seconds, of the first interval, during which the video-asset-viewing device output the video asset for display.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving data indicating a second plurality of video-viewing events, wherein each video-viewing event of the second plurality of video-viewing events is associated with a time range during which a second video-asset-viewing device output the video asset for display; and

determining, based on the second plurality of video-viewing events and for each interval of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset, an amount of time of the each interval during which the second video-asset-viewing device output the video asset for display.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on determining that the video-asset-viewing device is associated with one or more attributes, incrementing a content viewing count, associated with a first interval of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset, by the amount of time determined for the first interval of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more attributes comprise one or more of a geographic attribute, a content source attribute, or a viewer demographic attribute.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

based on adding the content viewing count and one or more content viewing counts associated with one or more second intervals of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset, determining a total viewing count; and

determining a ratio between the content viewing count and the total viewing count.

11. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to;

receive data indicating a plurality of video-viewing events, wherein each video-viewing event of the plurality of video-viewing events is associated with a time range during which a video-asset-viewing device output a video asset for display;

determine, based on the plurality of video-viewing events and for each interval of a plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset, an amount of time of the each interval during which the video-asset-viewing device output the video asset for display; and

determine, based on the amount of time determined for each interval of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset, a video-viewing metric.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to determine the amount of time by determining a number of frames of the video asset that the video-asset-viewing device output for display during the each interval.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:

receive data indicating a second plurality of video-viewing events, wherein each video-viewing event of the second plurality of video-viewing events is associated with a time range during which a second video-asset-viewing device output the video asset for display; and

determine, based on the second plurality of video-viewing events and for each interval of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset, an amount of time of the each interval during which the second video-asset-viewing device output the video asset for display.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:

based on determining that the video-asset-viewing device is associated with one or more attributes, increment a content viewing count, associated with a first interval of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset, by the amount of time determined for the first interval of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:

based on adding the content viewing count and one or more content viewing counts associated with one or more second intervals of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset, determine a total viewing count; and

determine a ratio between the content viewing count and the total viewing count.

16. A system comprising:

a first computing device comprising;

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first computing device to;

receive data indicating a plurality of video-viewing events, wherein each video-viewing event of the plurality of video-viewing events is associated with a time range during which a video-asset-viewing device output a video asset for display;

determine, based on the plurality of video-viewing events and for each interval of a plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset, an amount of time of the each interval during which the video-asset-viewing device output the video asset for display; and

determine, based on the amount of time determined for each interval of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset, a video-viewing metric; and

a second computing device comprising;

one or more second processors; and

memory storing second instructions that, when executed by the one or more second processors, cause the second computing device to send at least a portion of the data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first computing device to determine the amount of time by determining a number of frames of the video asset that the video-asset-viewing device output for display during the each interval.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the first computing device to:

receive data indicating a second plurality of video-viewing events, wherein each video-viewing event of the second plurality of video-viewing events is associated with a time range during which a second video-asset-viewing device output the video asset for display; and

determine, based on the second plurality of video-viewing events and for each interval of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset, an amount of time of the each interval during which the second video-asset-viewing device output the video asset for display.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the first computing device to:

based on determining that the video-asset-viewing device is associated with one or more attributes, increment a content viewing count, associated with a first interval of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset, by the amount of time determined for the first interval of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the first computing device to:

based on adding the content viewing count and one or more content viewing counts associated with one or more second intervals of the plurality of equally sized intervals of the video asset, determine a total viewing count; and

determine a ratio between the content viewing count and the total viewing count.