SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENABLING CONTENT PROVIDERS TO IDENTIFY ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES

• US 20090150930A1
• Filed: 11/20/2008
• Published: 06/11/2009
• 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: Heudecker, Nickolas James, Shaw, Carrie Leigh, Sherwin, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 8,949,882 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/35
• 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 tile 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 computer implemented method for enabling service providers to identify and customize placement opportunities, 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.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one time interval for a 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 a 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 and 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, and interactive overlays.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic is the duration of the at least one time interval for a placement opportunity.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic is the number of the at least one time interval for a placement opportunity.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic is at least one of an overlay real estate, ownership, sales relationships, and interactive rights of the at least one time interval for a placement opportunity.

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

11. The method of claim 1, wherein changing at least one characteristic 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 user, time of day, day of the week, geographic area, and demographic profile.

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

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the list is one of a playlist and a schedule.

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

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of publishing the list.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the list is published using one of a content information service (CIS), a placement opportunity information service (POIS) that conforms to the SCTE-130 standard, and insertion directly into an Asset Distribution Interface (ADI).

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of informing the distribution system to stream the altered at least one of an audio and video datastream.

18. 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, and subscriber-based addressing for advertising or content tailoring.

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

20. The method of claim 19, wherein tile video datastream is intended for television transmission.

26. The apparatus of claim 2i, wherein the at least one characteristic is the number of the at least one time interval for a placement opportunity.

21. An apparatus for enabling service providers to identify and customize placement opportunities, comprising

at least one core of at least one processor configured for:

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.

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

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the at least one time interval for a placement opportunity is coincident with at least one time interval for content.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the placement opportunity is at least one of content and an advertising placement opportunity.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the at least one characteristic is the duration of the at least one time interval for a placement opportunity.

27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the step of altering comprises at least one of changing, adding to, and subtracting from the characteristic of the at least one time interval for a placement opportunity.

28. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the list is one of a playlist and a schedule.

29. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences for enabling service providers to identify and customize placement opportunities, wherein execution of the one of more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform 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.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the at least one time interval for a placement opportunity is distinct from the at least one time interval for content.

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

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the placement opportunity is at least one of content and an advertising placement opportunity.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the at least one characteristic is the duration of the at least one time interval for a placement opportunity.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the at least one characteristic is the number of the at least one time interval for a placement opportunity.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the step of altering comprises at least one of changing, adding to, and subtracting from the characteristic of the at least one time interval for a placement opportunity.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the list is one of a playlist and a schedule.