System and method for providing measurement of tracking events with radio broadcast materials via the internet

• US 6,748,427 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2002
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Susquehanna Radio Corporation (Cumulus Media Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Susquehanna Radio Corporation (Cumulus Media Incorporated)
• Inventors: Price, Edwin C., Drosset, Joseph, Hanrahan, Jeffrey A., Mackintosh, Gregory B., Keeble, Louis J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Philip B.
• Application Number:
  US10/040,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20020188746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/02 Arrangements for relaying broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/18 Arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/82 using signals not modulated onto a carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/40 characterised in that additional data relating to the broadcast data are available via a different channel than the broadcast channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/39 for identifying broadcast space-time use of Electronic Programme Guides H04H60/72

Abstract

A broadcast material delivery architecture provides coordinated inclusion of supplemental materials with delivered broadcast material. A broadcaster broadcasts the broadcast materials to a plurality of users, the broadcast material being divided into a plurality of segments. Also broadcast is program data associated with the plurality of segments. A user terminal receives the broadcast material from the broadcaster and retrieving supplemental materials related to said plurality of segments of said broadcast material. To retrieve the supplemental materials, the program data are provided to a data server, which provides parameters for the supplemental materials to the user terminal. The user terminal uses the parameters to retrieve supplemental materials from one or more databases. The user terminal plays the supplemental materials in conjunction with the broadcast material.

Claims

1. A system for providing measurement of a listening audience of a radio program broadcast via the Internet, the system comprising:

a radio broadcast system configured to transmit to a streaming server broadcast materials divided into a plurality of program segments, the program segments being accompanied by program data, the program data comprising a code identifying the accompanied program segment;

a streaming server configured to receive the program segments and program data and broadcast the received broadcast materials and program data to a plurality of media players over the Internet;

a media player configured to receive th broadcast materials and data from said streaming server and transmit tracking events for the media player based on the program data; and

a measurement sewer configured to receive tracking events for the media players based on the program data and provide an indication to the radio broadcast system of the media players receiving the broadcast materials at a period of time, wherein the indication is based on the program data.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising proxy software configured to provide said tracking events to said measurement server.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising proxy software configured to store said tracking events in a database, such that said tracking events can be retrieved by said measurement server.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said measurement server is further configured to receive program data with said tracking events, said program data indicating which of a plurality of segments is being broadcast at the time.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said measurement server is further configured to receive time stamps with said tracking events.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said tracking events comprise an event indicating initiation of streaming to a user terminal and an event indicating termination of streaming to a user terminal.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said providing an indication is performed in real-time as users log-onto and off of said streaming server.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a collection engine configured to collect the tracking events indicative of user activities associated with receipt of the program segments

a database configured to store said collected tracking events; and

a user interface configured to provide reports of said user activities based on the program data to a provider of said broadcast material segments.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a data engine configured to process said collected tracking events.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said collection engine is further configured to collect the program data that is associated with said tracking events.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein said database is further configured to store a time stamp with said tracking events.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein said report comprises a real-time report of users accessing said broadcast material segments.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein said report comprises a historical report of users accessing said broadcast material segments.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein said report comprises a report of listenership of the broadcast material segments.

15. The system of claim 8, further comprising a means for processing said collected tracking events.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for collecting the tracking

means for storing said collected tracking events; and

means for providing reports of said user activities based on the program data to a provider of said broadcast material segments.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first graphical display component illustrating real-time listenership for at least one of a plurality of groups of users.

18. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a graphical display component illustrating listenership for at least one of a plurality of groups of users;

at least one user selection input allowing a program director to select parameters by which said graphical display is to be illustrated.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein providing an indication comprises providing a graphic depiction of listenership.

20. A method of measuring a broadcast material audience, comprising:

transmitting to an Internet broadcasting system, from a radio station system, broadcast materials divided into a plurality of program segments, the program segments being accompanied by program data, the program data comprising a code identifying the accompanied segment;

receiving the program segments and program data at the Internet broadcasting system and broadcasting the received broadcast materials and program data to a plurality of media players over the Internet;

receiving at a media player the broadcast material and program data from said Internet broadcast system;

transmitting at least one tracking event for the media player based on the program data and providing an indication based on the program data to the radio broadcast system of the media players receiving the broadcast materials at a period of time;

receiving said at least one tracking event for the media player

storing said at least one tracking event in a database; and

providing to a broadcaster the indication based on the program data that said user is receiving said broadcast material from said radio station system.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising providing reports of listenership data for the broadcaster.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising receiving additional tracking events indicating user activities, wherein said tracking events include at least one of a user log-on, a user log-off, the ordering of supplemental materials, and a product purchase.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said additional tracking events are received from the broadcast material segments provider.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said additional tracking events are received from a user terminal.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising generating a real-time report of user activities and providing said report to said broadcaster.

26. The of method of claim 25, further comprising filtering the report based on additional data.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said additional data comprises demographic data.

28. The method of claim 20, further comprising collecting and storing franking events from a plurality of users.

29. The method of claim 20, further comprising collecting demographic information from one or more users.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising generating reports of user listenership to broadcast material segments based on demographic information.

31. The method of claim 20, further comprising receiving tracking information with said additional tracking events, to enable correlation of said tracking events with the broadcast material segments.

32. The method of claim 20, further comprising receiving time stamps with said additional tracking events, to enable correlation of said tracking events with the broadcast material segments.

33. A computer program product for use with a computer system, said computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for causing the computer system collect listenership information, said computer readable program code means comprising;

computer readable program code means for transmitting to an Internet broadcasting system, from a radio station system, broadcast materials divided into a plurality of program segments, the program segments being accompanied by program data, the program data comprising a code identifying the accompanied segment;

computer readable program code means for receiving the program segments and program data at the Internet broadcasting system and broadcasting the received broadcast materials and program data to a plurality of media players over the Internet;

computer readable program code means for receiving at a media player the broadcast material and program data from said Internet broadcast system;

computer readable program code means for transmitting at least one tracking event for the media player based on the program data and providing an indication based on the program data to the radio broadcast system of the media players receiving the broadcast materials at a period of time;

computer readable program code means for receiving said at least one tracking event for the media player;

computer readable program code means for storing said at least one tracking event in a database; and

computer readable program code means for providing to a broadcaster the indication based on the program data that said user is receiving said broadcast material from said radio station system.

34. A program storage device, readable by one or more machines, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machines to perform method steps for audience measurement of broadcast materials, said method steps comprising the steps of:

transmitting to an Internet broadcasting system, from a radio station system, broadcast materials divided into a plurality of program segments, the program segments being accompanied by program data, the program data comprising a code identifying the accompanied segment;

receiving the program segments and program data at the Internet broadcasting system and broadcasting the received broadcast materials and program data to a plurality of media players over the Internet;

receiving at a media player the broadcast material and program data from said Internet broadcast system;

transmitting at least one tracking event for the media player based on the program data and providing an indication based on the program data to the radio broadcast system of the media players receiving the broadcast materials at a period of time;

receiving said at least one tracking event for the media player;

storing said at least one tracking event in a database; and

providing to a broadcaster the indication based on the program data that said user is receiving said broadcast material from said radio station system.