SYSTEMS, METHODS, APPARATUS, AND ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE TO IDENTIFY TIMES AT WHICH LIVE MEDIA EVENTS ARE DISTRIBUTED

• US 20130198792A1
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Wright, David Howell, Welch, Mark G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,776,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/116
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• 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 21/2625 for delaying content or additional data distribution, e.g. because of an extended sport event
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to identify times at which live media events are distributed are disclosed. An example method includes collecting feed data representative of source feeds associated with respective live media events, collecting distribution data representative of a plurality of distributions of the source feeds, and comparing, using a processor, the distribution data to the feed data to generate a list identifying times at which the live media events were distributed via corresponding distributions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

collecting feed data representative of source feeds associated with respective live media events;

collecting distribution data representative of a plurality of distributions of the source feeds; and

comparing, using a processor, the distribution data to the feed data to generate a list identifying times at which the live media events were distributed via corresponding distributions.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the source feeds are associated with a plurality of live media events and the list identifies an on-the-fly switch between a first one of the live media events and a second one of the live media events via the same distribution.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the first live media event is a first sporting event and the second live media event is a second sporting event different from the first sporting event.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein generating the list comprises comparing a code present in the feed data to a code present in the distribution data.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein generating the list comprises comparing a first signature associated with the feed data to a second signature associated with the distribution data.

6. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein the code present in the distribution data is collected at a reference station not present in a panelist household.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein generating the list comprises comparing a first signature associated with the feed data to a second signature associated with the distribution data.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the second signature associated with the distribution data is collected at a reference station not present in a panelist household.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising identifying the live media event distributed via corresponding ones of the source feeds.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the list identifies the live media events by name.

11. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein identifying the live media event comprises comparing a code present in the distribution data to a first library mapping codes to at least one of a station name, a distributor name, a content owner or a program name.

12-17. -17. (canceled)

18. An apparatus, comprising:

a comparator to compare distribution data to feed data, the distribution data representative of content information received at a detection site and the feed data representative of respective live media events transmitted by a transmission site via a plurality of distributions; and

a list generator to generate a list identifying times at which the live media events were distributed via corresponding distributions.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the comparator comprises a signature comparator to compare distribution data to a signature stored in a signature library and representative of one of the one or more live media events.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the one or more live media events comprise a plurality of live media events, the comparator to identify an on-the-fly switch between a first one of the live media events and a second one of the live media events via the corresponding one of the distributions.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the distribution data and the feed data comprise signatures generated using at least one of audio signaturing or video signaturing.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the comparator comprises a code comparator to identify at least one of a station name, a distributor name, a content owner or a program name.

23. An apparatus as defined in claim 22, further comprising a code library to map a plurality of codes to respective ones of the station name, the distributor name, the content owner or the program name.

24. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the list generator is to generate the list without requesting additional information from a source of the distribution data.

25. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the comparator is to identify a match between the distribution data and the feed data when at least a threshold number of distribution signatures correspond to feed signatures.

27. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein a first one of the plurality of distributions is associated with a first geographical region and a second one of the plurality of distributions is associated with a second geographical region.

26. (canceled)

28-31. -31. (canceled)

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

collect feed data representative of source feeds associated with respective live media events;

collect distribution data representative of a plurality of distributions of the source feeds; and

compare the distribution data to the feed data to generate a list identifying times at which the live media events were distributed via corresponding distributions.

47. A storage medium as defined in claim 32, wherein the signature associated with the distribution data is collected at a reference station not present in a panelist household.

48. A storage medium as defined in claim 32, wherein the plurality of distributions comprise at least one of an over-the-air television broadcast, cable delivery, satellite transmission, or Internet delivery.

49. A storage medium as defined in claim 32, wherein the list identifies an on-the-fly switch between a first one of the live media events and at least one of a recorded program or a delayed live media event via the same distribution.

33-40. -40. (canceled)