Methods and apparatus to measure exposure to streaming media

• US 9,197,421 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Besehanic, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehrmanesh, Amir
• Application Number:
  US13/793,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20130311780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 726 22- 27, 380/201, 713/168, 713/176
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0869 involving random numbers or seeds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/12 Transmitting and receiving encryption devices synchronised or initially set up in a particular manner
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234309 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to measure exposure to streaming media are disclosed herein. An example method includes identifying metadata from media. The media is converted into converted media having a streaming format. The converted media is encrypted using an encryption key. A manifest is created in association with the converted media, the manifest identifying a first location of the encrypted media and a second location of a decryption key.

Claims

1. A method of measuring exposure to streaming media, the method comprising:

extracting a watermark from media;

converting the media into converted media having a streaming format;

transmitting, from a service provider server to an audience measurement entity, a request for (1) an encryption key and (2) a decryption key location, the request for the encryption key including the watermark extracted from the media;

storing, at the service provider, (1) the requested encryption key, and (2) the decryption key location, the decryption key location identifying an address of a server of the audience measurement entity;

encrypting, at the service provider server, the converted media using the requested encryption key, the requested encryption key associated with the watermark; and

creating a manifest in association with the converted media, the manifest identifying a location of the encrypted media and the decryption key location.

2. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising transmitting the manifest to a requesting device.

3. The method as described in claim 2, further comprising transmitting the encrypted converted media to the requesting device.

4. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the request is a first request, and the media is obtained from a media provider in response to a second request from a requesting device.

5. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the streaming format is a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Live Streaming (HLS) format.

6. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the watermark is an audio watermark.

7. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the watermark is a video watermark.

8. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the request for (1) the encryption key and (2) the decryption key location is transmitted in a single message.

9. An apparatus to measure exposure to streaming media, the apparatus comprising:

a media identifier located at a service provider to generate media-identifying metadata based on a watermark extracted from the media;

an encryption key synchronizer located at the service provider to request an encryption key and a location of a decryption key from an audience measurement entity different from the service provider, the request including the media-identifying metadata;

an encryption key store to store the requested encryption key and the location of the decryption key in association with the media, the location of the decryption key identifying an address of a server of the audience measurement entity;

a media encrypter located at the service provider to encrypt the media using the requested encryption key after receipt of the requested encryption key and the location of the decryption key at that encryption key synchronizer; and

a manifest generator to generate a manifest identifying a location of the encrypted media and the location of the decryption key.

10. The apparatus as described in claim 9, further comprising a transcoder to transcode the media into a streaming format.

11. The apparatus as described in claim 10, wherein the streaming format is a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Live Streaming (HLS) format.

12. The apparatus as described in claim 10, further comprising a media transmitter to transmit the manifest and the encrypted media to a requesting device.

13. A tangible computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a service provider server to at least:

extract a watermark from media;

convert the media into converted media having a streaming format;

transmit, to an audience measurement entity, a request for (1) an encryption key and (2) a decryption key location, the request for the encryption key including the watermark extracted from the media;

store, at the service provider, (1) the requested encryption key, and (2) the decryption key location, the decryption key location identifying an address of a server of the audience measurement entity;

encrypt the converted media using the requested encryption key, the requested encryption key associated with the watermark; and

create a manifest in association with the encrypted converted media, the manifest identifying a location of the encrypted converted media and the decryption key location.

14. The tangible computer-readable medium as described in claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the service provider server to transmit the manifest to a requesting device.

15. The tangible computer-readable medium as described in claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the service provider server to transmit the encrypted converted media to the requesting device.

16. The tangible computer-readable medium as described in claim 13, wherein the request is a first request, and the media is obtained from a media provider in response to a second request from a requesting device.

17. The tangible computer-readable medium as described in claim 13, wherein the media comprises live media.

18. The tangible computer-readable medium as described in claim 13, wherein the media is stored media.

19. The tangible computer-readable medium as described in claim 13, wherein the streaming format is a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Live Streaming (HLS) format.

20. The tangible computer-readable medium as described in claim 13, wherein the watermark is an audio watermark.