The Nielsen Comapny (us), LLC

Nielsen Media Research, Inc.

A.c. Nielsen Company

David Henry Harkness

Arun Ramaswamy

Daozheng Lu

Jerome Samson

William Feininger

Manish Bhatia

Venugopal Srinivasan

Alexander Pavlovich Topchy

Jan Besehanic

Trevor I Blumenau

Craig M Smithpeters

William L Thomas

Paul C Kempter

Brian Fuhrer

Kamal Nasser

Example methods disclosed herein include accessing a secondary content schedule based on one or more watermarks detected in primary media content, the secondary content schedule to identify (i) one or more secondary content items and (ii) one or more first time values associated with the one or more secondary content items. Disclosed example methods also include comparing the one or more first time values associated with the one or more secondary content items in the secondary content schedule to second time values provided by a clock to determine whether to present a first one of the one or more secondary content items, the second time values based on a timestamp associated with the one or more watermarks detected in the primary media content. Disclosed example methods further include causing a media presentation device to display the first one of the secondary content items according to the secondary content schedule.

Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to provide secondary content in association with primary broadcast media content

Example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to provide media content are disclosed. Example apparatus disclosed herein include means for identifying primary media content presented on a first media presentation device. Disclosed example apparatus also include means for accessing a secondary content schedule associated with the primary media content. The secondary content schedule includes a plurality of secondary content items and time values associated with the secondary content items. The secondary content items are also associated with a loyalty value for a user of the first media presentation device. Disclosed example apparatus further include means for selecting one of the secondary content items to be accessed in response to a timestamp associated with the primary media content being between time values associated with the selected one of the secondary content items in the secondary content schedule.

Systems and methods to identify intentionally placed products in media content are disclosed. A disclosed system to detect intentionally placed products in media content includes a placement monitor site to record an occurrence of a first intentionally placed product within first broadcast media content in a product placement record; an audience measurement site to record an audience interaction with a second intentionally placed product in second broadcast media content in an event record; and a collection facility to receive the product placement record and the event record.

Systems and methods to identify intentionally placed products

Example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to provide media content are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes receiving an audio signal output by a first media presentation device, the audio signal being associated with first media content, decoding the audio signal to extract a code from the audio signal, the code identifying at least one of the first media content or a broadcaster of the first media content, setting a clock using a timestamp associated with the code, obtaining second media content based on the code and the timestamp, the second media content comprising a plurality of pieces of secondary content for respective ones of a plurality of timestamps, and presenting, at a second media presentation device, a first of the plurality of pieces of secondary media when its respective timestamp substantially corresponds to a time value obtained from the clock.

Methods and apparatus for using a browser history file to determine web site reach are disclosed. An example method includes receiving a message from a first computer at a second computer after a browser history at the first computer is populated with information, wherein the message includes an identity indication of the first computer and the browser history is maintained by browser functionality native to the browser and sending an application to the first computer from the second computer in response to the message, wherein, when the application is executed at the first computer, the application accesses the browser history, extracts a portion of the browser history, and inserts the extracted portion of the browser history into a communication directed to a third computer.

Use of browser history file to determine web site reach

Methods and apparatus for using a browser history file to determine web site reach are disclosed. An example method includes accessing Web site access history information stored at a client computer, accessing a user setting corresponding to a duration of time for retention of the Web site access history information, and sending the Web site access history information and the user setting to a collection computer different from the client computer.

A metering system meters usage of on-line and local services by way of interactive service devices. An example metering system includes a first data acquisition module configured to copy usage data associated with a first interactive service device and a second data acquisition module configured to copy usage data associated with a second interactive service device different than the first interactive service device. Each of the data acquisition modules is configured to distinguish between on-line communications associated with access to an on-line service and local communications associated with a local application program. In addition, each data acquisition module is configured to extract the usage data based whether an on-line communication or a local communication is identified.

Interactive service device metering systems

Example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to provide media content are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes receiving audio output by a first media presentation device, obtaining at least one of a Nielsen code or an Arbitron&#xae; code from the audio, the obtained code being representative of at least one of the first media content or a broadcaster of the first media content, obtaining second media content based on the extracted code, and presenting the second media content on a second media presentation device different from the first media presentation device.

Digital rights management and audience measurement systems and methods are disclosed. An example method includes receiving a request to upload media content to a content distributor, attempting to obtain a code associated with the media content, querying a program information database for program information associated with the media content using the code, and applying a business rule to the media content based on the program information.

Digital rights management and audience measurement systems and methods

A detection apparatus includes a tuner tuned to the program and a meter coupled to the tuner and arranged to detect content ancillary information from the program tuned by the tuner. The content ancillary information may be a media link, closed captioning information, or the like. The meter may also be arranged to extract a broadcast signature from the program. A comparator compares the broadcast signature to a reference signature selected from a library of reference signatures based upon the content ancillary information. Broadcast signatures from unknown programs may be clustered at least partially on the basis of the content ancillary information.

Detection of media links in broadcast signals

In a method of metering Web usage, a collection program is downloaded from a server to a metered computer in response to a message transmitted from the metered computer to the server, and the collection program is executed on the metered computer in order to collect Web usage history information stored in a history file by a browser running on the metered computer. The collected Web site usage history information is transmitted by the metered computer to the server. The Web site usage history information is stored in the server along with Web site usage history information from other metered computers.

An audience measurement system identifies a program which is broadcast from a signal source and to which a receiver is tuned. The audience measurement system includes a code reader for reading an ancillary code of the program to which the receiver is tuned, a channel status detector for determining channel status relating to channels to which the receiver is tuned, a memory for storing ancillary codes read by the code reading means and for storing channel status determined by the channel status determining means if ancillary codes are not readable by the code reading means, and a communicator for communicating the ancillary code and/or the channel status to a central office computer.

Growing community of inventors

Wilton, CT, United States of America

David Henry Harkness