System and method for enabling content providers to identify advertising opportunities

• US 8,949,882 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2008
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications Management LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: This Technology, Inc. (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Sherwin, Jeffrey, Shaw, Carrie Leigh, Heudecker, Nickolas James
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, NGOC K
• Application Number:
  US12/274,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20090150930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,266 Days
• Field of Search: 725/32, 725/35, 725/36, 705/14.66, 705/14.67, 705/14.68
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• 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 21/26233 involving content or additional data duration or size, e.g. length of a movie, size of an executable file
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A computer implemented method for enabling content providers to identify and customize placement opportunities is disclosed, comprising the steps of processing instructions to customize a pre-existing at least one of an audio and video datastream comprising at least one predefined time interval for content, identifying at least one time interval for a placement opportunity in the at least one of an audio and video datastream; altering at least one characteristic of the at least one time interval for a placement opportunity in accordance with the instructions; assembling the altered at least one time interval for a placement opportunity and at least one time interval for content into a list that represents an altered at least one of an audio and video datastream; and delivering the list to a distribution system for playing the altered at least one of an audio and video datastream. The at least one time interval for a placement opportunity may distinct from or coincident with the at least one time interval for content. The placement opportunity may be at least one of content and an advertising placement opportunity. The content may be entertainment content comprising at least one of video, audio, and interactive overlays. The at least one characteristic may be the duration of or the number of the at least one time interval for a placement opportunity. The list may be one of a playlist and a schedule.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

processing, by a processor, instructions to customize a pre-existing datastream;

identifying, by the processor, at least one time interval for a placement opportunity in the datastream;

dynamically defining, by the processor, on a per-subscriber basis the placement opportunity in accordance with the instructions and altering the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity based on one or more rules defining ownership and interactive rights that specify which entity owns one or more portions of the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity;

assembling, by the processor, the dynamically defined placement opportunity and the altered at least one time interval for the placement opportunity into a playlist that represents a customized datastream on a per-subscriber basis; and

delivering, by the processor, the playlist to a distribution system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity is distinct from the at least one time interval for content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity is coincident with at least one time interval for content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the placement opportunity is at least one of content or an advertising placement opportunity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is entertainment content.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the entertainment content comprises at least one of video, audio, or interactive overlays.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically defining on a per-subscriber basis the placement opportunity and altering the at least one time interval further comprises altering the duration of the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically defining on a per-subscriber basis the placement opportunity and altering the at least one time interval further comprises altering the number of the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically defining on a per-subscriber basis the placement opportunity and altering the at least one time interval further comprises altering at least one of an overlay real estate or sales relationships of the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein altering further comprises at least one of changing, adding to, or subtracting from the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein altering the at least one time interval is based on one of different markets, the nature of the content, from where the content is being accessed, the type of devices employed by a specific subscriber, time of day, day of the week, geographic area, or demographic profile.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity corresponds to one of breaks, entertainment content, pre-rolls, post-rolls, mid-rolls, interstitials, pauses, or video-on-demand requests.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting a decorator for housing placement opportunities that may be matched to content about the content to create the playlist.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising publishing the playlist.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein publishing the playlist comprises transmitting the playlist to one of a content information service (CIS) that conforms to the SCTE-130 standard or a placement opportunity information service (POIS) that conforms to the SCTE-130 standard.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising informing the distribution system to stream the altered datastream.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one placement opportunity is destined for one of video-on-demand based advertising, linear based advertising, rotation groups, or subscriber-based addressing for advertising or content tailoring.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the distribution system is a video distribution system.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the datastream is intended for television transmission.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory;

a processor operatively coupled to memory, the processor to;

process instructions to customize a pre-existing datastream;

identify at least one time interval for a placement opportunity in the datastream;

dynamically define on a per-subscriber basis the placement opportunity in accordance with the instructions and altering the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity based on one or more rules defining ownership and interactive rights that specify which entity owns one or more portions of the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity;

assemble the dynamically defined placement opportunity and the altered at least one time interval for the placement opportunity into a playlist that represents a customized datastream on a per-subscriber basis; and

deliver the playlist to a distribution system.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity is distinct from the at least one time interval for content.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity is coincident with at least one time interval for content.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the placement opportunity is at least one of content or an advertising placement opportunity.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein dynamically defining on a per-subscriber basis the placement opportunity and altering the at least one time interval further comprises altering the duration of the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein dynamically defining on a per-subscriber basis the placement opportunity and altering the at least one time interval further comprises altering the number of the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein altering further comprises at least one of changing, adding to, or subtracting from the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when accessed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations, comprising:

processing, by the processor, instructions to customize a pre-existing datastream;

identifying, by the processor, at least one time interval for a placement opportunity in the datastream;

dynamically defining, by the processor, on a per-subscriber basis the placement opportunity in accordance with the instructions and altering the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity based on one or more rules defining ownership and interactive rights that specify which entity owns one or more portions of the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity;

assembling, by the processor, the dynamically defined placement opportunity and the altered at least one time interval for the placement opportunity into a playlist that represents a customized datastream on a per-subscriber basis; and

delivering, by the processor, the playlist to a distribution system.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity is distinct from the at least one time interval for content.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity is coincident with at least one time interval for content.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the placement opportunity is at least one of content or an advertising placement opportunity.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein dynamically defining on a per-subscriber basis the placement opportunity and altering the at least one time interval further comprises altering the duration of the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein dynamically defining on a per-subscriber basis the placement opportunity and altering the at least one time interval further comprises altering the number of the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein altering further comprises at least one of changing, adding to, or subtracting from the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity.

34. A method, comprising:

identifying, by a processor, at least one time interval for a placement opportunity in a pre-existing datastream;

dynamically defining, by the processor, on a per-subscriber basis rules to customize the placement opportunity located in the pre-existing datastream, one or more of the rules defining ownership and interactive rights that specify which entity owns one or more portions of the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity;

assembling, by the processor, the dynamically defined rules to customize the placement opportunity and the at least one time interval for the placement opportunity into a playlist that represents a customized placement opportunity on a per-subscriber basis; and

delivering, by the processor, the playlist to a distribution system.