Method and system for quantifying viewer awareness of advertising images in a video source

• US 8,712,831 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2004
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Sports America LLC (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: Nielsen Sports America LLC (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Inventors: Cline, William Russell Jr., Williams, Gerald Bruce, Feyerabend, David Thomas, Singh, Jasvindarjit, Sharma, Neal Arjuna
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Alvin L
• Application Number:
  US10/993,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20060174261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,448 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/375 Commercial
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/64 for providing detail information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• 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 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; 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 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Methods and media are provided for quantifying viewer awareness of advertising images in a video source is provided. According to one embodiment, a media source is segmented into a set of frames, which are annotated with attributes based on the images that appear within each frame. The attribute data is analyzed to determine detections that meet provided criteria. The detections are indexed based on the attributes, which are then supplemented with additional attributes to create one or more valuation factors. The valuation factors can be used to derive a discount factor that can be applied against a benchmark, such as the 30-second spot rate, to determine a value associated with the video source.

Claims

1. A method for quantifying potential viewer awareness of advertising content that is within a source of media, the method comprising:

storing, in a computer readable medium, the source of media, thereby providing a stored source of media;

segmenting the stored source of media into a plurality of segments of interest;

receiving an identification of one or more advertisement detections that appear in the plurality of segments, wherein the one or more advertisement detections were made without employing image-recognition software;

associating one or more attributes with each of the segments, wherein the one or more attributes include a size indication, a duration indication, and an isolation indication associated with the one or more advertisement detections;

based on the attributes, categorizing each of the segments into a defined category to derive a plurality of individual detection scores; and

aggregating the individual detection scores to provide one or more valuation scores; and

generating one or more reports related to the one or more advertisement detections.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the source of media includes one or more of:

a source of video;

a source of audio; and

combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the source of video includes at least one of:

a live feed;

a streaming-video segment;

a previously recorded video segment; and

combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of segments includes a plurality of frames or frame sets.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving an identification of one or more advertisement detections comprises:

receiving input corresponding to the one or more attributes by means of a user interface.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the user interface is operable to receive commands from a user, wherein the user is a human being.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the user interfaces is further operable to automatically parse the received commands.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the user interface is further operable to prevent the user from advancing past an unviewed frame.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the size indication indicates a portion of screen real estate consumed by the one or more advertisement detections;

the duration indication indicates a length of time that the one or more advertisement detections was viewable; and

the isolation indication indicates whether a first advertisement detection associated with a first sponsor appears with a second advertisement detection associated with a second sponsor.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein additional attributes are included to provide one or more valuation scores, the additional attributes include:

a screen-location identifier;

a source identifier that indicates a location upon which the one or more advertisement detections appeared; and

an image-quality identifier.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein aggregating the individual detection scores includes summing the individual detection scores to provide a sum.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein aggregating the individual detection scores includes enriching the individual detection scores with additional information, the additional information including:

a sponsorship-tier level;

a viewing-audience-size number;

or

a graphics indication that indicates whether an advertisement detection is a generated graphic;

an on-air mention indication that indicates whether an advertisement detection is an on-air mention, the on-air mention including an audible indication of a sponsor, including the sponsor'"'"'s name or a jingle associated with the sponsor;

a product-placement indication;

a ratings factor; and

combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising employing the sum to determine a monetary valuation of the advertisement detections.

14. A method for valuing advertising content that is within a source of media, the method comprising:

storing, in a computer readable medium, a video source that contains a plurality of sponsorship images;

receiving an identification of the plurality of sponsorship images, wherein the sponsorship images were identified without employing image-recognition software;

assigning attributes to each occurrence of the sponsorship images;

based on the attributes, categorizing the occurrences into a plurality of categories;

based on the categories, providing a set of indexes respectively associated with the occurrences;

aggregating the occurrences;

associating the aggregated occurrences with additional valuation information, which additional valuation information includes one or more of

(1) a screen-location identifier,

(2) a source identifier that indicates a location upon which the one or more advertisement detections appeared, and

(3) an image-quality identifier;

providing from the associated aggregated occurrences an index factor to be applied to an advertising-valuation benchmark; and

generating one or more reports related to the advertising content.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein valuing the advertising content comprises determining a monetary value associated with the advertising content.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining a monetary value comprises applying the index factor to a flat-rate advertising metric, the flat-rate advertising metric including a 30-second spot rate for a commercial.