MEDIA DELIVERY TO LIMITED CAPABILITY PLATFORMS

• US 20140236739A1
• Filed: 04/29/2014
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Clear Channel Management Services LP (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Inventors: MacTiernan, Daniel N., Littlejohn, Jeffrey Lee, Jellison, David C. Jr., Bengel, Jeffrey James
• Granted Patent: US 11,132,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.73
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio

Abstract

An ad proxy generates a playback manifest for delivery to a destination platform via a content distribution network (CDN). The playback manifest provided to the destination device includes hosted locations, such as network addresses, of both primary media files and advertising content. The playback manifest can also include tracking-calls. The destination platform receives normalized media files associated with the network addresses included in the playback manifest, and plays out those normalized media files during execution of the playback manifest. Tracking-calls can be fired, in accordance with the playback manifest, when part or all of a normalized media file has been played out. The tracking-calls can be used to facilitate calculation of impressions. The destination device need not be capable of differentiating between primary media content and advertising content, thus allowing even limited capability platforms, e.g. integrated automotive platforms, to provide targeted advertising.

Claims

1. A method for use in an advertisement proxy in a digital media delivery system, the method comprising:

receiving, from a playback sequencer, a playlist including a plurality of slots designating primary media items to be played, and at least one empty spot break;

generating, at the ad proxy, a request for an ad server to deliver at least one advertisement to be inserted into the at least one empty spot break;

receiving a response from the ad server, the response designating advertising content selected by the ad server in response to the request;

generating a playback manifest by modifying the playlist using information included in the response received from the ad server to fill the at least one empty spot break;

transmitting the playback manifest to a content distribution network, the content distribution network configured to;

transmit the playback manifest to a destination platform, the playback manifest including a server-hosted location of a primary media item and a server-hosted location of the advertising content selected by the ad server; and

provide the primary media item and the advertising content to the destination platform, wherein the primary media item and the advertising content are provided as normalized media files.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination platform is an automotive radio platform.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination platform lacks functionality required to request and insert advertising content from the ad server.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

inserting, into the playback manifest, at least one tag configured to cause the destination platform to report presentation of at least a portion of a normalized media file.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

inserting, into the playback manifest, a plurality of tags associated with a single normalized media file, each of the plurality of tags configured to cause the destination platform to report presentation of different portions of a single normalized media file.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one tag is configured to cause the destination platform to report presentation of at least a portion of a normalized media file to a third party server.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a destination notification indicating that the destination platform has presented the at least one advertising content media file; and

calculating impression data based, at least in part, on the destination notification.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

calculating the impression data based, at least in part, on both the destination notification and information associated with a request for advertising content.

9. A system comprising:

at least one server computer including a processor programmed to implement a playback sequencer, the playback sequencer configured to;

generate a playlist including a plurality of media item identifiers and at least one spot break;

transmit the playlist to an ad proxy;

at least one server computer including a processor programmed to implement an ad proxy, the ad proxy configured to;

generate a request for at least one advertisement;

transmit the request to an ad server;

receive the at least one advertisement in response to the request;

insert a server-hosted location of the at least one advertisement into the spot break to generate a playback manifest;

insert a plurality of tracking-calls into the playback manifest;

transmit the playback manifest to a content distribution network; and

at least one server computer coupled to the content distribution network, the server computer including a processor programmed to;

transmit the playback manifest to a destination platform, the playback manifest including server-hosted locations of the plurality of media items and a server-hosted location of the at least one advertisement; and

provide the primary media item and the advertising content to the destination platform, wherein the primary media item and the advertising content are provided as normalized media files.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the destination platform is an automotive radio platform.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the destination platform lacks functionality required to request and insert advertising content from the ad server.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the ad proxy is configured to:

insert, into the playback manifest, at least one tracking-call configured to cause the destination platform to report presentation of at least a portion of at least one advertising content media file.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the ad proxy is configured to:

insert, into the playback manifest, a plurality of tracking-calls associated with a single advertising content media file, each of the plurality of tags configured to cause the destination platform to report presentation of different portions of the single advertising content media file.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one tracking-call is configured to cause the destination platform to report presentation of at least one advertising content media file to a third party server.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the ad proxy is configured to:

receive a destination notification indicating that the destination platform has presented the at least one advertising content media file; and

calculate impression data based, at least in part, on the destination notification.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the ad proxy is configured to:

calculate the impression data based, at least in part, on both the destination notification and information provided by the ad server.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program of instructions configured to be executed by a processor, the program of instructions comprising:

at least one instruction to receive, from a playback sequencer, a playlist including a plurality of media item identifiers identifying plurality of media items, and at least one spot break;

at least one instruction to generate, at the ad proxy, a request for an ad server to deliver at least one advertisement to be inserted into the at least one spot break;

at least one instruction to transmit the request to the ad server;

at least one instruction to receive, in response to the request, information designating advertising content;

at least one instruction to insert information identifying a location of the advertising content into the spot break to generate a playback manifest;

at least one instruction to transmit the playback manifest to a content distribution network;

the content distribution network configured to;

transmit the playback manifest to an automotive application platform, the playback manifest including a network location of the plurality of media items a network location of the advertising content; and

provide the plurality of media items and the advertising content as normalized media files to the automotive application platform, wherein the normalized media files are provided in accordance with the playback manifest.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

at least one instruction to insert, into the playback manifest, at least one tracking-call configured to cause the destination platform to report presentation of at least a portion of at least one advertising content media file.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the at least one tracking-call is configured to cause the destination platform to report presentation of at least one advertising content media file to a third party server.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

at least one instruction to calculate impression data based, at least in part, on tracking-calls made by the automotive application platform.