Methods and apparatus to measure brand exposure in media streams

• US 9,785,840 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2016
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Media Research, Inc. (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Deng, Kevin Keqiang, Greenberg, Barry
• Primary Examiner(s): Akhavannik, Hadi
• Application Number:
  US14/997,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20160132729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/40 in video content extracting overlay text G06V20/62; video retrieval G06F16/70; processing of video elementary streams in video servers H04N21/234; processing of video elementary streams in video clients H04N21/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/44 Event detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/635 Overlay text, e.g. embedded captions in a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/09 Recognition of logos

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to measure brand exposure in media streams are disclosed. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes a brand identifier detector to compare first data associated with a first scene of a media stream with second data associated with a reference scene including a first brand identifier to detect the first brand identifier in the first scene of the media stream. The example apparatus also includes a measure and tracking module to combine respective locations of the first brand identifier in respective frames of a first sequence of image frames forming the first scene to determine a weighted location for the first brand identifier. The example apparatus further includes a report generator to report appearance data corresponding to the first brand identifier, the appearance data including the weighted location for the first brand identifier.

Claims

1. An apparatus to measure brand identifier appearance in media streams, the apparatus comprising:

a brand identifier detector to compare first data associated with a first scene of a media stream with second data associated with a reference scene including a first brand identifier to detect the first brand identifier in the first scene of the media stream;

a measure and tracking module to weight and combine respective locations of the first brand identifier as detected in respective frames of a first sequence of image frames forming the first scene to determine a weighted location for the first brand identifier, the respective locations of the first brand identifier being weighted by respective durations of exposure of the first brand identifier at the respective locations; and

a report generator to report appearance data corresponding to the first brand identifier, the appearance data including the weighted location for the first brand identifier.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the measure and tracking module is further to combine respective sizes of the first brand identifier in respective frames of the first sequence of image frames forming the first scene to determine a weighted size for the first brand identifier; and

the report generator is further to report the weighted size for the first brand identifier with the appearance data.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the measure and tracking module is to combine the respective sizes of the first brand identifier by weighting the respective sizes of the first brand identifier by respective durations of exposure of the first brand identifier corresponding to the respective sizes.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the brand identifier detector is further to:

select a first region of interest in the first scene based on stored information associated with the reference scene; and

compare a template associated with a corresponding first region of interest in the reference scene with the first region of interest in the first scene to detect the first brand identifier.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 4, further including a brand identifier matcher to retrieve brand identify information associated with the reference scene to identify the first brand identifier.

6. A method to measure brand identifier appearance in media streams, the method comprising:

comparing, by executing an instruction with a processor, first data associated with a first scene of a media stream with second data associated with a reference scene including a first brand identifier to detect the first brand identifier in the first scene of the media stream;

weighting and combining, by executing an instruction with the processor, respective locations of the first brand identifier as detected in respective frames of a first sequence of image frames forming the first scene to determine a weighted location for the first brand identifier, the respective locations of the first brand identifier being weighted by respective durations of exposure of the first brand identifier at the respective locations; and

reporting, by executing an instruction with the processor, appearance data corresponding to the first brand identifier, the appearance data including the weighted location for the first brand identifier.

7. The method as defined in claim 6, further including:

combining respective sizes of the first brand identifier in respective frames of the first sequence of image frames forming the first scene to determine a weighted size for the first brand identifier; and

reporting the weighted size for the first brand identifier with the appearance data.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the combining of the respective sizes of the first brand identifier includes weighting the respective sizes of the first brand identifier by respective durations of exposure of the first brand identifier corresponding to the respective sizes.

9. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein the comparing of the first data associated with the first scene of the media stream with the second data associated with the reference scene includes:

selecting a first region of interest in the first scene based on stored information associated with the reference scene; and

comparing a template associated with a corresponding first region of interest in the reference scene with the first region of interest in the first scene to detect the first brand identifier.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, further including retrieving brand identify information associated with the reference scene to identify the first brand identifier.

11. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein the reporting of the appearance data includes transmitting the appearance data to a model to determine, based on the appearance data including the weighted location for the first brand identifier, an amount to charge for including the first brand identifier in the media stream.

12. A computer readable storage device or storage disk comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a processor to at least:

compare first data associated with a first scene of a media stream with second data associated with a reference scene including a first brand identifier to detect the first brand identifier in the first scene of the media stream;

weight and combine respective locations of the first brand identifier as detected in respective frames of a first sequence of image frames forming the first scene to determine a weighted location for the first brand identifier, the respective locations of the first brand identifier being weighted by respective durations of exposure of the first brand identifier at the respective locations; and

report appearance data corresponding to the first brand identifier, the appearance data including the weighted location for the first brand identifier.

13. The storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:

combine respective sizes of the first brand identifier in respective frames of the first sequence of image frames forming the first scene to determine a weighted size for the first brand identifier; and

report the weighted size for the first brand identifier with the appearance data.

14. The storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 13, wherein to combine the respective sizes of the first brand identifier, the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to weight the respective sizes of the first brand identifier by respective durations of exposure of the first brand identifier corresponding to the respective sizes.

15. The storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 12, wherein to detect the first brand identifier, the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:

select a first region of interest in the first scene based on stored information associated with the reference scene; and

compare a template associated with a corresponding first region of interest in the reference scene with the first region of interest in the first scene to detect the first brand identifier.

16. The storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to retrieve brand identify information associated with the reference scene to identify the first brand identifier.

17. The storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 12, wherein to report the appearance data, the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to transmit the appearance data to a model to determine, based on the appearance data including the weighted location for the first brand identifier, an amount to charge for including the first brand identifier in the media stream.