Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

David L De Heer

Majd Bakar

Francis Tsui

Victor S Lee

James Armand Baldwin

Pradip Kumar Fatehpuria

Gaurav Agarwal

Peter T Barrett

Edward Anthony Ludvig

John Henry Grossman, Iv

Kevin T Carle

Hans-Martin Krober

Richard L Guthrie

Sivaprasad Lakshmi Radhakrishnan

Online advertisement selection techniques are described. In an implementation, data is obtained which describes interaction of one or more clients with advertisements embedded in television content. An advertisement is selected to be displayed in conjunction with web content accessed by the one or more clients based on the interaction with the advertisements described in the data.

Online advertisement selection

Methods are disclosed for measuring ad impressions and receiving feedback on local ad assets inserted into a video transport stream at the set top box level. Each set top box stores the number of times an ad asset is inserted into an ad avail, along with a variety of other information relating to the playback of the ad asset. This measurement data is aggregated and sent to the ad decision service. In order to balance bandwidth usage, each set top box may report its measurement data to the ad decision service at a different time interval that is randomly selected. As it is desirable to receive the data in a timely manner, the random intervals may be confined so that all measurement data is reported within a predefined time period, such as for example over a twelve hour period.

Measurement and reporting of set top box inserted AD impressions

Methods are disclosed for inserting local ad assets into a video transport stream at the set top box level. The media advertising platform of the present system works in conjunction with existing platforms, such as an advertising decision service and a media platform. The present system further includes a client resident on end user set top boxes. In general, the present system operates by pre-caching advertisements to a set top box or boxes within a household or elsewhere. Each set top box is also assigned to particular groups, based on characteristics of the user of that set top box. Group membership information is also sent to the set top box and stored. The present system sends the set top box a decision matrix based on group memberships to allow the set top box to select and insert an ad asset targeted to the specific set top box.

Advertisement insertion decisions for set top box management of advertisements

In-program content targeting is described. A default data stream containing default content associated with multiple segments of a particular program is generated and transmitted. An alternate data stream containing alternate content for one or more of the multiple segments is also generated and transmitted. A client device receiving the default content via the default data stream detects the availability of alternate content via the data stream. Based on profile data associated with the client device (or a user of the client device) and profile data associated with the alternate content, the client device may access the alternate data stream for one or more segments of the particular program.

In-program content targeting

A tunerless media presentation unit is described which dispenses with the use of traditional analog television tuners. In its place, the media presentation unit provides a pseudo-tuner which can selectively access streaming digital media information from a multicast and/or unicast network source, and/or a local source. In one implementation, the media presentation unit can simultaneously receive and process multiple streams of media information. This accommodates the use of multiple picture-in-pictures (PIPs), PIP-based channel browsing, PIP-in-guide presentations, and so forth. Various business models can be implemented which charge subscribers fees based on the number of streams they wish to simultaneously receive, and/or the total number of channels that they wish to access (not necessarily at the same time).

Tunerless media presentation unit and methods of use

Service substitution techniques are described. In an implementation, a substitution table is derived that specifies one or more service substitutions to be performed for content and that specifies particular geographic locations to perform at least one service substitution. One or more communications are formed to be streamed over a packet-switched network to a client that is to perform the at least one service substitution. The one or more communications include the substitution table and the content that corresponds to the at least one service substitution.

Service substitution techniques

User generated targeted advertisements is described. In embodiments, a selection of an advertisement template for a targeted advertisement can be received when initiated by a user. Advertisement content to incorporate in the advertisement template can be received, as well as selections of recipients to receive the targeted advertisement. A program grid can be generated for display from which a television program and advertisement time slot can be selected to display the targeted advertisement for viewing. Confirmation to purchase the targeted advertisement for delivery to the recipients can also be received to initiate the targeted advertisement being displayed for viewing during the selected television program and advertisement time slot.

User generated targeted advertisements

Online advertisement selection techniques are described. In an implementation, data is obtained which describes interaction of one or more clients with television content. At least one online advertisement is selected to be output in conjunction with online content based on the interaction with the television content described in the obtained data.

Monitoring television content interaction to improve online advertisement selection

Advertisement insertion techniques are described. In an implementation, a network operator decrypts a stream of content received from a content provider at a first server. The decrypted stream of content is communicated to an advertisement splicer, which locates one or more advertisement insertion points in the decrypted stream of content. One or more advertisements are then inserted in the located one or more advertisement insertion points. The decrypted stream of content having the inserted one or more advertisements to a second server, which encrypts the decrypted stream of content having the inserted one or more advertisements. The encrypted stream of content having the inserted one or more advertisements is emitted to be communicated to one or more clients for output.

Advertisement insertion

Multiple keys are distributed to multiple clients. The keys provide access to media content. A group of clients are identified to receive substituted media content during a predetermined time period. Modified keys are generated that identify the substituted media content and the predetermined time period. The modified keys are distributed to the group of clients. The modified keys cause the group of clients to receive the substituted media content during the predetermined time period.

Program substitution

Promoted listings are defined in terms of priorities, which may be static, geographically dynamic, or demographically dynamic. The priorities are associated with program data that describes media programs that are scheduled for broadcast or other type of transmission. The program data and priorities are transmitted to client devices that are configured to generate a display of the program data based, at least in part, on the priorities.

Promoted listings

Techniques to adjust clock approximations are described, which may be used to synchronize content output at a client. In an implementation, timestamps derived from a universal time source are allocated to respective program clock reference (PCR) timestamps in content received by a network operator during an interval of time to form ordered pairs of timestamps. An approximation is computed of a plurality of the ordered pairs of timestamps for the interval and the approximation is adjusted using an ordered pair of timestamps taken from a previous approximation.

Adjustment of clock approximations

In-program content telescoping can enable a subscriber to telescope into content that is specially associated with a broadcast program. The selectable content is stored as video-on-demand (VOD) assets that are related to particular portions of broadcast programs. In a described implementation, content providers created association linkages between broadcast programs and the VOD assets. Each association links a VOD asset to a broadcast program and a specific trigger location within the associated broadcast program. The association linkage may be include in VOD asset metadata and in trigger information. In a described operation, a client device detects trigger information in a media transport stream. In response to a request, the client receives asset representation indicators for the VOD assets that are associated with the upcoming trigger location. Upon arrival of the trigger location in the media transport stream, the client displays the asset representation indicators for consideration by the subscriber.

In-program content telescoping

Promoted listing are generated and transmitted to client devices where they are displayed prominently in relation to non-promoted listings. The client devices record tracking data that indicates that a particular promoted listing has been displayed to and/or selected by a user. The tracking data is sent from the client device to a content distribution system that aggregates tracking data from multiple client devices, generates reports and/or bills based on the tracking data, and supplies the reports and/or bills to content providers associated with the promoted listings.

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Woodside, CA, United States of America

David L De Heer