Goal-based video delivery system

• US 8,849,095 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2011
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brightcove Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ooyala, Inc.
• Inventors: Hoofien, Nimrod, Spare, Caleb E., Knapp, Sean M., Robertson, Harry J. M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US13/190,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20130028573A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• Field of Search: 386/262, 386/278, 348/461, 725/14, 725 32- 36, 725/46, 725/9
• US Class Current: 386/248
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/004 for digital television systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/251 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies details of learning user preferences for the retrieval of video data in a video database G06F16/739; computer systems using learning methods G06N3/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand

Abstract

A system is provided that facilitates achieving a goal associated with a particular video asset. The system may provide an interface through which a user may specify control parameters that are to be the targets of testing, and a goal or combination of goals. The system may control a controller that performs experiments in an attempt to identify optimal values, relative to the specified goals, for the control parameters. The optimal values may be determined and tested on a per-individual-video asset basis. Further, the controller may generate multiple sets of optimal values for a given video, where each set is associated with a different combination of request attributes. To estimate the optimal parameter values for one video, the controller may use usage information collected for that video, as well as usage information collected for similar videos.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a controller operatively connected within a feedback loop in which the controller;

causes first playback units to play back a particular video asset in a manner dictated by one or more initial parameter values;

wherein the one or more initial parameter values include a particular parameter value for at least one of;

a time of day that the particular video asset may be delivered,

a clustering of advertisements that are to be inserted into the particular video asset during playback of the particular video asset,

a particular advertisement network that is to supply advertisements that will accompany the particular video asset,

a mechanism by which users enter video recommendations or are presented with video recommendations,

a keyword sent to an ad server that is serving advertising that will be associated with the particular video asset,

a type of subscription that is required to allow playing the particular video asset, or

a type of monetization strategy for the particular video asset;

a location of a paywall within the particular video asset;

receives usage information that reflects user actions, performed by multiple users while the particular video asset is presented to each of the multiple users in the manner dictated by the one or more initial parameter values;

based, at least in part, on the usage information from the multiple users, automatically adjusts the one or more initial parameter values to produce one or more updated parameter values;

wherein adjusting the one or more initial parameter values includes changing at least the particular parameter value;

after adjusting the one or more initial parameter values to produce the one or more updated parameter values, causes second playback units to play back the particular video asset in a manner dictated by the one or more updated parameter values.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to select the one or more initial parameter values to be used for playback of a given video asset based, at least in part, on current optimal parameter values determined for one or more video assets that have a similarity with the given video asset.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more initial parameter values that are controlled by the controller include a parameter value that affects layout of the first playback units.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller selects the one or more initial parameter values for a video asset to be played by a particular user based, at least in part, on information about the particular user.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller selects the one or more initial parameter values for a video asset to be played in a particular playback environment based, at least in part, on information about the particular playback environment.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more initial parameter values are selected by the controller based, at least in part, on usage results obtained by monitoring user actions while varying, from request to request, values for one or more target control parameters.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller selects the one or more initial parameter values to optimize a goal metric.

8. The system of claim 7 further comprising a user interface that presents controls through which a user may specify a goal for the particular video asset or a particular set of video assets, wherein the goal metric that is optimized by the controller is based on the goal specified by the user through the user interface.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the particular video asset is one of a plurality of video assets for which parameter values are maintained on a per-video-asset basis.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the particular parameter value that is adjusted based on the usage information is for at least one of:

a clustering of advertisements that are to be inserted into the particular video asset during playback of the particular video asset.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more initial parameter values that is adjusted based on the usage information is for a type of advertisement to use with the particular video asset.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the particular parameter value that is adjusted based on the usage information is for a particular advertisement network that is to supply advertisements that will accompany the particular video asset.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the particular parameter value that is adjusted based on the usage information is for a time of day that the particular video asset may be delivered.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more initial parameter values that is adjusted based on the usage information is for a location of advertisement sets to use with the particular video asset, wherein the location is one of pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll with respect to playback of the particular video asset.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the particular parameter value that is adjusted based on the usage information is for a mechanism by which users enter video recommendations or are presented with video recommendations.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the particular parameter value that is adjusted based on the usage information is for a keyword sent to an ad server that is serving advertising that will be associated with the particular video asset.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the particular parameter value that is adjusted based on the usage information is for a type of subscription that is required to allow playing the particular video asset.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the particular parameter value that is adjusted based on the usage information is for a type of monetization strategy for the particular video asset;

the particular parameter value for the type of monetization strategy for the particular video asset is one of advertising, paywall, or subscription;

the changed particular parameter value is another one of advertising, paywall, or subscription.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the particular parameter value that is adjusted based on the usage information is for a location of a paywall within the particular video asset.

9. One or more non-transitory storage media storing instructions which, when executed by a controller that is operatively connected within a feedback loop, cause the controller to perform the steps of:

causing first playback units to play back a particular video asset in a manner dictated by one or more initial parameter values;

wherein the one or more initial parameter values include a particular parameter value for at least one of;

a time of day that the particular video asset may be delivered,

a clustering of advertisements that are to be inserted into the particular video asset during playback of the particular video asset,

a particular advertisement network that is to supply advertisements that will accompany the particular video asset,

a mechanism by which users enter video recommendations or are presented with video recommendations,

a keyword sent to an ad server that is serving advertising that will be associated with the particular video asset,

a type of subscription that is required to allow playing the particular video asset, or

a type of monetization strategy for the particular video asset;

a location of a paywall within the particular video asset;

receiving usage information that reflects user actions, performed by multiple users while the particular video asset is presented to each of the multiple users in the manner dictated by the one or more initial parameter values;

based, at least in part, on the usage information from the multiple users, automatically adjusting the one or more initial parameter values to produce one or more updated parameter values;

wherein adjusting the one or more initial parameter values includes changing at least the particular parameter value;

after adjusting the one or more initial parameter values to produce the one or more updated parameter values, causing second playback units to play back the particular video asset in a manner dictated by the one or more updated parameter values.

21. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 9, wherein the controller further performs the step of selecting the one or more initial parameter values to be used for playback of a given video asset based, at least in part, on current optimal parameter values determined for one or more video assets that have a similarity with the given video asset.

22. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 9, wherein the one or more initial parameter values that are controlled by the controller include a parameter value that affects layout of the first playback units.

23. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 9, wherein the controller further performs the step of selecting the one or more initial parameter values for a video asset to be played by a particular user based, at least in part, on information about the particular user.

24. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 9, wherein the controller further performs the step of selecting the one or more initial parameter values for a video asset to be played in a particular playback environment based, at least in part, on information about the particular playback environment.

25. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 9, wherein the one or more initial parameter values are selected by the controller based, at least in part, on usage results obtained by monitoring user actions while varying, from request to request, values for one or more target control parameters.

26. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 9, wherein the controller further performs the step of selecting the one or more initial parameter values to optimize a goal metric.

27. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 26, wherein a user interface presents controls through which a user may specify a goal for the particular video asset or the particular set of video assets, wherein the goal metric that is optimized by the controller is based on the goal specified by the user through the user interface.

28. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 9, wherein the particular video asset is one of a plurality of video assets for which parameter values are maintained on a per-video-asset basis.

29. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 9, wherein the particular parameter value that is adjusted based on the usage information is for at least one of:

a clustering of advertisements that are to be inserted into the particular video asset during playback of the particular video asset.

30. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 9, wherein one of the one or more initial parameter values that is adjusted based on the usage information is for a type of advertisement to use with the particular video asset.

31. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 9, wherein the particular parameter value that is adjusted based on the usage information is for a particular advertisement network that is to supply advertisements that will accompany the particular video asset.

32. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 9, wherein the particular parameter value that is adjusted based on the usage information is for a time of day that the particular video asset may be delivered.

33. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 9, wherein one of the one or more initial parameter values that is adjusted based on the usage information is for a location of advertisement sets to use with the particular video asset, wherein the location is one of pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll with respect to playback of the particular video asset.

34. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 9, wherein the particular parameter value that is adjusted based on the usage information is for a mechanism by which users enter video recommendations or are presented with video recommendations.

35. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 9, wherein the particular parameter value that is adjusted based on the usage information is for a keyword sent to an ad server that is serving advertising that will be associated with the particular video asset.

36. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 9, wherein the particular parameter value that is adjusted based on the usage information is for a type of subscription that is required to allow playing the particular video asset.

37. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 9, wherein:

the particular parameter value that is adjusted based on the usage information is for a type of monetization strategy for the particular video asset;

the particular parameter value for the type of monetization strategy for the particular video asset is one of advertising, paywall, or subscription;

the changed particular parameter value is another one of advertising, paywall, or subscription.

38. The one or more non-transitory storage media of claim 9, wherein the particular parameter value that is adjusted based on the usage information is for a location of a paywall within the particular video asset.