SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MEASURING LINEAR, DVR, AND VOD VIDEO PROGRAM VIEWING AT A SECOND-BY-SECOND LEVEL TO UNDERSTAND BEHAVIOR OF VIEWERS AS THEY INTERACT WITH VIDEO ASSET VIEWING DEVICES DELIVERING CONTENT THROUGH A NETWORK

• US 20190058908A1
• Filed: 08/05/2012
• Published: 02/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Orlowski, Robert Alan
• Granted Patent: US 10,945,011 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/64 for providing detail information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25 Management operations performed by the server for facilitating the content distribution or administrating data related to end-users or client devices, e.g. end-user or client device authentication, learning user preferences for recommending movies maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of using video program viewer interaction data that has been loaded to a media measurement database as input to a measurement engine which then calculates Linear, DVR, and VOD asset viewing activity at three levels: (a) Video Program, (b) Video Program Airing, (c) Video Program Airing Segment, where each level provides summary metrics for groupings of Demographic, Geographic, and/or Device Characteristic, and also second-by-second viewing metrics, including counting advertising impressions, within the Demographic, Geographic, Device groupings. System also accounts for reduced value of ad viewing when viewer is using trick plays or when viewer delays viewing recorded content. Together these metrics provide detailed information on customer viewing behavior which can be used to drive business decisions for service providers, advertisers, and content producers. Additionally, a viewing histogram analysis is produced.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by a computing system and for each segment of a plurality of different segments of a timeframe during which a video-asset-viewing device outputted a video asset, a level of engagement of a user of the video-asset-viewing device with the video asset during the segment, wherein each segment of the plurality of different segments has a same time duration, and wherein two or more of the plurality of different segments form a continuous period of time within the timeframe during which the video-asset-viewing device outputted the video asset;

generating, by the computing system, a first plurality of records collectively representing the timeframe, wherein each record of the first plurality of records corresponds to a segment of the plurality of different segments and indicates a value representing the level of engagement of the user of the video-asset-viewing device with the video asset during the segment;

generating, by the computing system, a second plurality of records collectively representing a timeframe during which a second video-asset-viewing device outputted the video asset;

based on the first plurality of records and the second plurality of records, determining, by the computing system, a video-viewing-activity metric for the video asset; and

causing, by the computing system, output of data indicating the video-viewing-activity metric for the video asset.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the level of engagement comprises determining one or more playback modes employed by the video-asset-viewing device with respect to the video asset during the segment.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more playback modes comprises one or more trick play modes, and wherein determining the level of engagement comprises determining one or more trick play modes employed by the video-asset-viewing device with respect to the video asset during the segment.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the level of engagement comprises determining a direction in which the video-asset-viewing device outputted the video asset during the segment.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the level of engagement comprises determining a speed at which the video-asset-viewing device outputted the video asset during the segment.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the level of engagement comprises determining an audio level utilized by the video-asset-viewing device with respect to the video asset during the segment.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the level of engagement comprises determining a percentage of a display, associated with the video-asset-viewing device, occupied by the video asset during the segment.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the level of engagement comprises determining an amount of time between when the video asset was made available for output and when the video-asset-viewing device outputted the video asset during the segment.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

grouping, by the computing system, the first plurality of records and the second plurality of records with a set of records associated with the video asset,

wherein determining the video-viewing-activity metric for the video asset is based on a number of records in the set.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising determining, by the computing system and for each record in a subset of the set, that the record corresponds to one or more criteria for the video-viewing-activity metric.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the one or more criteria comprise a viewer-demographic criterion, wherein determining that the record corresponds to the one or more criteria comprises determining that the record corresponds to the viewer-demographic criterion, and wherein determining the video-viewing-activity metric comprises determining a video-viewing-activity metric for the viewer-demographic criterion.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the one or more criteria comprise a geographic criterion, wherein determining that the record corresponds to the one or more criteria comprises determining that the record corresponds to the geographic criterion, and wherein determining the video-viewing-activity metric comprises determining a video-viewing-activity metric for the geographic criterion.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the one or more criteria comprise a video-asset-viewing-device-characteristic criterion, wherein determining that the record corresponds to the one or more criteria comprises determining that the record corresponds to the video-asset-viewing-device-characteristic criterion, and wherein determining the video-viewing-activity metric comprises determining a video-viewing-activity metric for the video-asset-viewing-device-characteristic criterion.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein determining the video-viewing-activity metric comprises determining a ratio of a number of records in the subset to the number of records in the set.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein a first segment of the plurality of different segments comprises two or more viewing events, and determining the level of engagement of the user of the video-asset-viewing device with the video asset during the first segment comprises determining the level of engagement of the user of the video-asset-viewing device with the video asset during the first segment based on the two or more viewing events.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein the level of engagement comprises a type of playback used by the video-asset-viewing device with respect to the video asset during the segment, wherein the value representing the level of engagement of the user comprises a weighted value representing the type of playback used by the video-asset-viewing device with respect to the video asset during the segment, and wherein generating the first plurality of records comprises populating the record corresponding to the segment with the weighted value representing the type of playback used by the video-asset-viewing device with respect to the video asset during the segment.

37. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining, by the computing system and based on the first plurality of records, a count of the first plurality of records indicating a playback mode of the one or more playback modes employed by the video-asset-viewing device,

wherein determining the video-viewing-activity metric for the video asset is based on the count of the first plurality of records indicating the playback mode.

41. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on the first plurality of records and the second plurality of records, determining, by the computing system and for each segment of the plurality of different segments;

a count of a number of segments that a plurality of video-asset-viewing devices outputted the video asset during the segment, and

an adjusted count of a number of segments that the plurality of video-asset-viewing devices outputted the video asset during the segment, wherein the adjusted count comprises the count modified by the value.

2-14. -14. (canceled)

28. A method, comprising:

for each video-viewing-activity event of a plurality of video-viewing-activity events;

determining, by a computing system and for each interval of a plurality of different intervals of a time range during which the video-viewing-activity event occurred, a level of engagement of a viewer during the interval, wherein each interval of the plurality of different intervals has a same time duration, and wherein two or more of the plurality of different intervals form a continuous period of time within the time range during which the video-viewing-activity event occurred;

generating, by the computing system, a plurality of records collectively representing the time range, wherein each record of the plurality of records corresponds to an interval of the plurality of different intervals and indicates a weighted value representing the level of engagement of the viewer during the interval;

based on the plurality of records for each video-viewing-activity event of the plurality of video-viewing-activity events, determining, by the computing system, a video-viewing-activity metric for the plurality of video-viewing-activity events; and

causing, by the computing system, output of data indicating the video-viewing-activity metric for the plurality of video-viewing-activity events.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein determining the level of engagement comprises determining one or more playback modes employed during the interval.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

aggregating, by the computing system and for each video-viewing-activity event of the plurality of video-viewing-activity events, the plurality of records into a set of records for the plurality of video-viewing-activity events,

wherein determining the video-viewing-activity metric for the plurality of video-viewing-activity events is based on a number of records in the set.

39. The method of claim 28, wherein generating the plurality of records comprises populating the record corresponding to the interval with an indication of whether a video-asset-viewing device, associated with the viewer, output, during the interval, a video asset associated with the video-viewing-activity event.

31. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a computing system, video-viewing-activity data generated by a video-asset-viewing device for a plurality of different segments of a video asset outputted by the video-asset-viewing device during a period of time, wherein each segment of the plurality of different segments is associated with a same time duration, and wherein two or more of the plurality of different segments form a continuous period of time within the period of time during which the video-asset-viewing device outputted the video asset;

generating, by the computing system, a first plurality of records collectively representing the period of time, wherein each record of the first plurality of records to a segment of the plurality of different segments and indicates a value representing a level of viewer engagement with the segment;

generating, by the computing system, a second plurality of records collectively representing a period of time during which a second video-asset-viewing device outputted the video asset;

based on the first plurality of records and the second plurality of records, determining, by the computing system, a video-viewing-activity metric for the video asset; and

causing, by the computing system, output of data indicating the video-viewing-activity metric for the video asset.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising determining, by the computing system, for each segment of the plurality of different segments, and based on one or more playback modes employed by the video-asset-viewing device for the segment, the level of viewer engagement.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein determining the video-viewing-activity metric for the video asset is based on the level of viewer engagement for each segment of the plurality of different segments.

40. The method of claim 31, wherein the period of time during which the video-asset-viewing device outputted the video asset comprises an entire duration of the video asset, and wherein the first plurality of records collectively representing the period of time during which the video-asset-viewing device outputted the video asset comprises a plurality of records collectively representing the entire duration of the video asset.

34. (canceled)

38. (canceled)