This Technology, Inc.

Comcast Cable Communications, LLC

Fansmit, Inc.

Comcast Cable Communications Management, LLC

Tivo Corporation

Jeffrey Sherwin

John Raymond Mick, Jr

Bryan Santangelo

Nickolas James Heudecker

Jonathan Marc Heller

Matthew Richard Savare

Carrie Leigh Shaw

Bryan David Santangelo

Provided are methods and systems for, in one aspect, managing content delivered to one or more devices. Methods may comprise receiving a first identifier associated with a user of content. The content may comprise one or more advertisement or placement opportunities. A second identifier may be determined based at least on the first identifier. The second identifier may be a perishable identifier configured to expire based on an event. The second identifier may be transmitted to an entity associated with an advertisement inventory, wherein the second identifier facilitates the targeted placement of one or more advertisements from the advertisement inventory without exposing the first identifier to the entity.

Methods and systems for mapping advertising inventory

A server receives metadata associated with an advertisement in a transport signal stream from an encoder, the metadata identifying a specified frame of the transport signal stream corresponding to a point in time of the advertisement. The server instructs an encoder, by a server, to insert a marker into the specified frame of the transport signal stream, the marker identifying the point in time of the advertisement. The server receives data from a smart appliance. The server detects the marker in the data. The server identifies the marker as the specified frame of the transport signal stream played by the smart appliance. The server maps the marker to the identified point in time of the advertisement.

Server side adaptive bit rate reporting

An alternative content system receives a primary content data stream and a secondary content data stream associated with an event. The alternative content system provides an alternative content data stream associated with the event. The alternative content system extracts a primary content identifier from the primary content data stream. The alternative content system identifies an alternative content identifier based on the alternative content data stream. The alternative content system synchronizes the alternative content data stream to the primary content data stream based on the alternative content identifier and the primary content identifier. The alternative content system transmits the synchronized alternative content data stream based on the primary content identifier.

Tying audio and video watermarks of live and recorded events for simulcasting alternative content to an audio channel or second screen

System and method for tying audio and video watermarks of live and recorded events for simulcasting alternative audio commentary to an audio channel or second screen

A computer implemented method and system for managing audience data for advertisement placements is disclosed. A server receives a source signal stream comprising metadata and an advertisement space. The server extracts from the metadata a channel identifier, a private client identifier, and information about an intended audience of interest to advertisers. The server identifies a placement opportunity including an owner of the advertisement space based on the channel identifier. The server purges at least some of the extracted information about the intended audience when the owner of the advertisement space is identified as a national network. The server identifies an amount of information about the intended audience to purge and subsequently to fetch for the national network based on a business arrangement between the national network and a service provider, which the server enforces and enables.

Data boundary manager for addressable advertising

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 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. 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.

System and method for enabling content providers to identify advertising opportunities

A method and system for reporting a percentage of an advertisement played by a smart appliance is disclosed. The server receives data from a smart appliance. The server detects a marker in the data corresponding to a segment of an advertisement of a session played by the smart appliance. The server maps the marker to a percentage played of the advertisement in the session by the smart appliance. The server reports the percentage played of the advertisement in the session by the smart appliance to at least one tracking element.

A method and system for reporting a percentage of an advertisement playable by a smart appliance is disclosed. A server receives metadata associated with an advertisement in a transport signal stream from an encoder. The server determines a length of the advertisement and a frame rate of the transport signal stream based on the received metadata. The server divides the advertisement into at least one segment based on the length and the frame rate. The server instructs the encoder to insert at least one marker into at least one frame of the advertisement corresponding to the at least one segment of the transport signal stream to create at least one marked segment.

A method and system for manipulating a manifest is disclosed. A server receives a smart appliance a request for a manifest corresponding to a session identifier. The server retrieves from a session server a session manifest based on the session identifier. The server adjusts a session offset based on a difference in a session length represented by the session manifest from a session length represented by a previous session manifest corresponding to the session. When the session manifest comprises an address of an ad break, the server identifies in a cache at least one advertisement to be inserted into the session and replaces at least one address corresponding to at least one segment of the at least one advertisement in the session manifest based on the difference. The server transmits the session manifest to the smart appliance.

Method and system for efficient manifest manipulation

A server receives a source signal stream comprising metadata and an advertisement space. The server extracts from the metadata a channel identifier, a private client identifier, and personal identifiable information about an intended audience of interest to advertisers. The server identifies at least one anonymous statistic of a national market and a placement opportunity including an owner of the advertisement space, the at least one anonymous statistic of a national market based in part on the channel identifier and the personal identifiable information. The server purges the personal identifiable information about the intended audience when the owner of the advertisement space is identified as a national network. The server targets an advertisement decision to the intended audience based on the at least one anonymous statistic of a national market.

A method and system for verifying inventory splits is disclosed. A server retrieves from a memory a first inventory policy provided by a first content provider. The server retrieves from the memory a second inventory policy provided by the second content provider. The server verifies that the first inventory policy and the second inventory policy are in agreement for at least one stipulation pertaining to a percentage of compensation to the first content provider for inventory owned by the first content provider and played by the second content provider. The server transmits the first inventory policy to a placement opportunity information service (POIS) communicatively connected to the second content provider. The server transmits the second inventory policy to a placement opportunity information service (POIS) communicatively connected to the first content provider.

Third party server for verifying inventory splits

A server receives a source signal stream having a channel identifier and an indication that an advertisement placement opportunity is located in the signal stream a time period prior to an advertisement signal point. The server transmits the channel identifier to a session manager. The server receives from the session manager a list of sessions corresponding to a number of recipients currently viewing a channel corresponding to the channel identifier. The server transmits to an ad decision service an ad call for each session in the list. The server receives from the ad decision service a plurality of advertisements targeted to the list. The server stores the plurality of advertisements in at least one cache prior to expiration of the time period, where the advertisement signal point is detected by the programmed computer.

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Scarsdale, NY, United States of America

Jeffrey Sherwin