ADVERTISEMENT MANAGEMENT FOR LIVE INTERNET MULTIMEDIA CONTENT

• US 20100205049A1
• Filed: 02/12/2009
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Brueck, Kenneth A., Long, Dustin W., Brueck, David F.
• Granted Patent: US 9,009,066 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.500
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0252 based on events or environment, e.g. weather or festivals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

Managing advertisements for multimedia content delivered over the Internet for a live event. In one embodiment, the method receives the multimedia content over a network connection for playback on a media player, and receives a first advertisement marker that indicates a first start time and a first scheduled duration of a first advertisement break. The method adjust the first scheduled duration to a first adjusted portion, and selects one or more advertisements for playback on the media player to fill the first adjusted duration of the first advertisement break, instead of the first scheduled duration.

Claims

1. A client device for managing advertisements for a live event, wherein multimedia content of the live event is scheduled to be played at a specified point in time, wherein the multimedia content comprises one or more advertisement breaks in the multimedia content, each having a scheduled start time and a scheduled duration, the client device comprising:

a computing device including,

a network connection to the Internet; and

a media player operating on the computing device, including an advertisement manager,

the media player to receive the multimedia content over the network connection for playback on the media player,

the media player to receive a first advertisement marker that indicates a first start time and a first scheduled duration of a first advertisement break,

the advertisement manager to adjust the first scheduled duration to a first adjusted duration that is different than the first scheduled duration; and

the advertisement manager to select one or more advertisements for playback on the client device to fill the first adjusted duration of the first advertisement break, instead of the first scheduled duration.

2. The client device of claim 1, wherein the first advertisement break is a scheduled advertisement break at a scheduled point in time relative to the beginning of the live event.

3. The client device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more advertisements comprises a multimedia advertisement.

4. The client device of claim 1, wherein the first adjusted duration is a multiple of a specified constant.

5. The client device of claim 1, wherein the first adjusted duration is one of a plurality of standard durations of available advertisements for playback on the media player, and wherein the plurality of standard durations are multiples of a specified constant, wherein the specified constant is the shortest duration of the plurality of standard durations.

6. The client device of claim 1, wherein the advertisement manager is to adjust the first scheduled duration to the first adjusted duration as a function of the first scheduled duration and a first error value indicative of the media player'"'"'s lag behind live.

7. The client device of claim 6, wherein the first error value is the difference in time between when a portion of the multimedia content is available to the media player via Internet distribution and when the portion is played back on the media player, and wherein the advertisement manager determines the first error value by

determining an actual lag-behind-live value, wherein the actual lag-behind-live value is the difference in time between a particular point in time in the live event and when a portion of the multimedia content corresponding to the particular point in time is played back on the media player, and

subtracting a minimum possible lag-behind-live value, wherein the minimum possible lag-behind-live value is the difference in time between the particular point in time in the live event and when the portion of the multimedia content is available to the media player via Internet distribution.

8. The client device of claim 7, wherein the advertisement manager determines the first error value before the first start time of the first advertisement break.

9. The client device of claim 6, wherein the media player is to receive, during playback of the multimedia content, a second advertisement marker that indicates a second start time and a second scheduled duration of a second advertisement break, and wherein the advertisement manager is to select one or more advertisements for playback to fill the second adjusted duration of the second advertisement break, instead of the second scheduled duration.

10. The client device of claim 9, wherein the advertisement manager is to adjust the second scheduled duration to a second adjusted duration that is different than the second scheduled duration, and to select one or more advertisements for playback to fill the second adjusted duration of the second advertisement break, instead of the second scheduled duration.

11. The client device of claim 10, wherein the advertisement manager is to adjust the second scheduled duration to the second adjusted duration by subtracting the first error value from the second scheduled duration to obtain the second adjusted duration.

12. The client device of claim 10, wherein the advertisement manager is to adjust the second scheduled duration to the second adjusted duration as a function of the second scheduled duration, the first error value, and an additional fixed value.

13. The client device of claim 10, wherein the advertisement manager is to adjust the second scheduled duration to the second adjusted duration by

subtracting the first error value from the second scheduled duration to obtain a first value;

and

rounding the first value up to be a second value that is a multiple of a specified constant, wherein the second value is the second adjusted duration, and wherein the specified constant is the shortest duration of the durations of available advertisements for playback on the client device.

14. The client device of claim 10, wherein the advertisement manager is to adjust the second scheduled duration to the second adjusted duration by skipping an individual advertisement of the one or more advertisements selected for playback during the second advertisement break.

15. The client device of claim 10, wherein the advertisement manager is to adjust the second scheduled duration to the second adjusted duration by replacing an advertisement of the one or more advertisements, having a first duration, with another advertisement of a second duration that is different from the first duration.

16. The client device of claim 1, wherein the advertisement manager is to select the one or more advertisements for playback by

sending a request over the network connection to an advertisement decision service (ADS) operating on a remote server;

and

receiving identities of the one or more advertisements for playback in response to the request.

17. The client device of claim 16, wherein the request comprise information comprises at least one of local time of the media player, one or more keywords, the geographic location of the media player, an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a preference of a user of the media player, or one or more demographics of the user.

18. A computer-implemented method of managing advertisements for a live event, wherein multimedia content of the live event is scheduled to be played at a specified point in time, wherein the multimedia content comprises one or more advertisement breaks in the multimedia content, each having a scheduled start time and a scheduled duration, the method comprising:

receiving the multimedia content over a network connection for playback on a media player operating on a client device;

receiving a first advertisement marker that indicates a first start time and a first scheduled duration of a first advertisement break;

adjust the first scheduled duration to a first adjusted duration that is different than the first scheduled duration; and

selecting one or more advertisements for playback on the media player to fill the first adjusted duration of the first advertisement break, instead of the first scheduled duration.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining a first error value indicative of the media players lag behind live before the first start time of the first advertisement break, wherein determining the first error value comprises:

determining an actual lag-behind-live value, wherein the actual lag-behind-live value is the difference in time between a particular point in time in the live event and when a portion of the multimedia content corresponding to the particular point in time is played back on the media player; and

subtracting a minimum possible lag-behind-live value, wherein the minimum possible lag-behind-live value is the difference between the particular point in time in the live event and when the portion of the multimedia content is available to the media player via Internet distribution.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving, during playback of the multimedia content, a second advertisement marker that indicates a second start time and a second scheduled duration of a second advertisement break; and

selecting one or more advertisements for playback to fill the second adjusted duration of the second advertisement break, instead of the second scheduled duration.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein adjusting the second scheduled duration to the second adjusted duration comprises:

subtracting the first error value from the second scheduled duration to obtain a first value; and

rounding the first value up to be a second value that is a multiple of a specified constant, wherein the specified constant is the shortest duration of the durations of available advertisements for playback on the media player, and wherein the second value is the second adjusted duration.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein adjusting the second scheduled duration to the second adjusted duration comprises skipping an individual advertisement of the one or more advertisements for playback during the second advertisement break.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the first scheduled duration is adjusted to the first adjusted duration based on a point of entering the first advertisement break, and wherein the method further comprises receiving a request from a user of the media player to start playback of the multimedia content of the live event on the media player, wherein the request from the user is received during the first advertisement break of the live event, and wherein the point of entering the first advertisement is when the request is processed by the media player.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising determining a duration remaining in the first advertisement break from the point of entering the first advertisement break.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising returning to play the multimedia content at the end of the first advertisement break.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising playing back the one or more advertisements in their entirety during the first advertisement break to fill the first adjusted duration, and wherein the first adjusted duration is greater than the duration remaining in the first advertisement break, and wherein the method further comprises returning to play the multimedia content at the end of the one or more advertisements in the first advertisement break.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein returning to play the multimedia content comprises returning to a target playback point in the multimedia content that is after a starting point in the multimedia content that follows the first advertisement break, and wherein returning to the target playback point skips a portion of the multimedia content.

28. A computer-implemented method of managing advertisements for a live event, wherein multimedia content of the live event is scheduled to be played at a specified point in time, wherein the multimedia content comprises one or more advertisement breaks in the multimedia content, each having a scheduled start time, the method comprising:

receiving the multimedia content over a network connection for playback on a media player operating on a client device;

receiving a first advertisement marker that indicates a first start time of a first advertisement break;

selecting a first set of one or more advertisements for playback on the media player;

during playback of the first set of one or more, receiving an end-of-advertisement marker that indicates when the first advertisement break is scheduled to end;

determining a first scheduled duration using the first start time and a first end time of the end-of-advertisement marker; and

adjusting the first set of one or more advertisements to more closely match an effective duration of the first advertisement break, as played by the media player, to the first scheduled duration than playback of the one or more advertisements without adjusting the first set of selected advertisements based on the end-of-advertisement marker.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein adjusting the first set of selected advertisements comprises truncating at least one of the first set of selected advertisements scheduled to be played during the first advertisement break, and wherein the method further comprises returning to play the multimedia content at the end of the first advertisement break.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein adjusting the first set of selected advertisements comprises skipping at least one of the first set of selected advertisements scheduled to be played during the first advertisement break.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein adjusting the first set of selected advertisements comprises replacing at least one of the first set of selected advertisements with another advertisement having a different specified duration than the at least one advertisement.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein adjusting the first set of selected advertisements comprises filling any remaining time in the first advertisement break with filler content.

33. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

upon receiving the end-of-advertisement marker, stopping playback of a currently playing advertisement of the first set of selected advertisements; and

returning to play the multimedia content at the end of the first advertisement without skipping any portion of the multimedia content.

34. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

upon receiving the end-of-advertisement marker, playing back the first set of selected advertisements in their entirety; and

returning to play the multimedia content at a target playback point in the multimedia content that is after a starting point in the multimedia content that follows the first advertisement break, and wherein returning to the target playback point skips a portion of the multimedia content.

35. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

upon receiving the end-of-advertisement marker, playing back the first set of selected advertisements in their entirety; and

returning to play the multimedia content at a point that the end-of-advertisement marker is received by the media player without skipping any portion of the multimedia content.

36. A computer-implemented method of managing advertisements for a live event, wherein multimedia content of the live event is scheduled to be played at a specified point in time, wherein the multimedia content comprises one or more advertisement breaks in the multimedia content, each having a scheduled start time and a scheduled duration, the method comprising:

receiving the multimedia content over a network connection for playback on a media player operating on a client device;

during playback of the multimedia content, receiving a first advertisement marker that indicates a first start time and a first scheduled duration of a first advertisement break;

scheduling one or more advertisements to be played during the first advertisement break; and

during playback of the one or more advertisements of the first advertisement break, adjusting the one or more advertisements during the first advertisement to more closely match an effective duration of the first advertisement break, as played by the media player, to the first scheduled duration than playback of the one or more advertisements without adjusting the one or more advertisements.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein adjusting the one or more advertisements comprises at least one of the following:

truncating at least one of the one or more advertisements scheduled to be played during the first advertisement break;

skipping at least one of the one or more advertisements scheduled to be played during the first advertisement break;

replacing at least one of the one or more advertisements with another advertisement having a different specified duration than the at least one advertisement;

or

playing back one or more advertisements in their entirety during the first advertisement break to fill a first adjusted duration, and wherein the first adjusted duration is greater than the first scheduled duration.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein adjusting the one or more advertisements further comprises filling any remaining time in the first advertisement break with filler content.

39. The method of claim 37, further comprising returning to play the multimedia content at the end of the first advertisement break.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein returning to play the multimedia content comprises returning to a target playback point in the multimedia content that is after a starting point in the multimedia content that follows the first advertisement break, and wherein returning to the target playback point skips a portion of the multimedia content.

41. The method of claim 36, wherein scheduling the one or more advertisements comprises selecting a set of one or more advertisements, wherein the sum of the durations of the set of one or more advertisements approximates the first scheduled duration, and wherein the method further comprises playing the set of one or more advertisements in their entirety, regardless of any delay in starting or during playback of the set of one or more advertisements.