SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE TO MEASURE ONLINE AUDIENCES

• US 20130198125A1
• Filed: 01/25/2013
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Oliver, James R., Stackhouse, Herbert F., Doe, Peter C., Tang, Candy, Ha, Michelle
• Granted Patent: US 9,224,094 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to monitor media content at a content display site are described. An example method includes obtaining panelist data corresponding to a plurality of panelists accessing web pages at measured locations, classifying the panelist data according to demographic information of the panelists, generating a virtual panel based on an estimate of web page access at unmeasured locations, and classifying page view data associated with the unmeasured locations based on data corresponding to the virtual panel.

Claims

1. A method to classify audience data, comprising:

obtaining panelist data corresponding to a plurality of panelists accessing web pages at measured locations;

classifying the panelist data according to demographic information of the panelists;

generating a virtual panel based on an estimate of web page access at unmeasured locations; and

classifying page view data associated with the unmeasured locations based on data corresponding to the virtual panel.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the virtual panel comprises a subset of the plurality of panelists.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein generating the virtual panel comprises estimating a total audience.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein generating the virtual panel is based on a census-based count of page views, the panelist data, and an estimated universe.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein generating the virtual panel comprises estimating an audience at the unmeasured locations using a negative binomial distribution.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein generating the virtual panel is based on at least one of a demographic target or an activity target.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein classifying the panelist data comprises estimating a first portion of an online audience based on the panelist data.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein classifying the page view data comprises estimating a second portion of the online audience, the first portion and the second portion comprising numbers of unique audience members.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

determining a difference between a census-based count of page views and a number of page views associated with the first and second portions of the page view data; and

estimating additional audience activity not represented by the plurality of panelists and the virtual panel based on the difference.

10-15. -15. (canceled)

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a panel data collector to collect panelist data corresponding to a plurality of panelists accessing web pages at measured locations;

a virtual panel generator to generate a virtual panel based on an estimate of web page access at unmeasured locations; and

an audience classifier to classify the panelist data according to demographic information of the panelists and to classify page view data associated with the unmeasured locations based on data corresponding to the virtual panel.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, further comprising a negative binomial distribution calculator to estimate an audience at unmeasured locations based on the plurality of panelists and a universe estimate.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, further comprising an activity fulfiller to determine online activity based on the plurality of panelists, the audience classifier to classify a third portion of the page view data based on the online activity.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, further comprising a census-based data collector to receive the page view data representing a number of page views of a web page from measured and unmeasured locations.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, further comprising a survey-based data collector to collect a universe estimate, the virtual panel generator to generate the virtual panel based on the universe estimate.

21-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a processor to at least:

obtain panelist data corresponding to a plurality of panelists accessing web pages at measured locations;

classifying the panelist data according to demographic information of the panelists;

generating a virtual panel based on an estimate of web page access at unmeasured locations; and

classifying page view data associated with the unmeasured locations based on data corresponding to the virtual panel.

28. A storage medium as defined in claim 27, wherein the virtual panel comprises a subset of the plurality of panelists.

29. A storage medium as defined in claim 27, wherein the instructions are to cause the processor to generate the virtual panel by estimating a total audience.

30. A storage medium as defined in claim 27, wherein the instructions are to cause the processor to generate the virtual panel based on a census-based count of page views, the panelist data, and an estimated universe.

31. A storage medium as defined in claim 27, wherein the instructions are to cause the processor to generate the virtual panel by estimating an audience at the unmeasured locations using a negative binomial distribution.

32. A storage medium as defined in claim 27, wherein the instructions are to cause the processor to generate the virtual panel based on at least one of a demographic target or an activity target.

33. A storage medium as defined in claim 27, wherein the instructions are to cause the processor to classify the panelist data by estimating a first portion of an online audience based on the panelist data.

34. A storage medium as defined in claim 33, wherein the instructions are to cause the processor to classifying the page view data by estimating a second portion of the online audience, the first portion and the second portion comprising numbers of unique audience members.

35. A storage medium as defined in claim 27, wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to:

determine a difference between a census-based count of page views and a number of page views associated with the first and second portions of the page view data; and

estimate additional audience activity not represented by the plurality of panelists and the virtual panel based on the difference.

36-41. -41. (canceled)