Ad Insertion System for Streaming Media
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users receiving streaming media cannot skip advertisements as easily as they can with traditional media, posing a barrier to widespread viewing since they cannot use DVR-like functions to bypass unwanted ads, and there is a need for a method to allow users to select preferred advertisements.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that determine user preferences for advertisements and insert chosen ads during streaming media playback, allowing users to select which ads they want to see and when, based on temporal distribution and user input.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional streaming media delivery is used, then advertisers can ensure viewers watch their ads, but users cannot skip advertisements as easily as with traditional media
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the advertising delivery mechanism based on user preferences. Users can specify their ad preferences in advance, and the system dynamically selects and delivers ads according to these preferences, making the ad experience adaptable rather than fixed. This resolves the contradiction by making the system flexible enough to accommodate user control desires while maintaining reliable ad delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by collecting user ad preferences before ad delivery occurs. Users pre-specify which ads they want to see, and this information is stored and used during actual ad delivery. This preliminary preference collection enables the system to deliver reliable ads that users have already indicated they want to watch, eliminating the need for post-delivery skipping.
2Quantity of substance
If users are forced to watch all advertisements in streaming media, then advertiser revenue is protected, but user experience deteriorates due to inability to select preferred ads
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by allowing different treatment of different advertisements based on user preferences. Instead of treating all ads uniformly (either all shown or all skippable), the system selectively delivers specific ads to specific users based on their individual preferences. This enables advertisers to reach users who are actually interested in their content, improving both revenue effectiveness and user experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by using user preference information to guide ad delivery decisions. Users provide feedback about which ads they want to see, and the system uses this feedback to automatically select and deliver appropriate ads. This feedback loop ensures that users watch ads they prefer while advertisers pay only for ads that users are willing to view, improving both revenue quality and user satisfaction.
3Ease of operation
If DVR-like functions are added to streaming media players, then users can skip unwanted ads, but the system complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the ad control function from the playback control function. Instead of implementing complex DVR-like pause and skip capabilities, the system separates ad selection from playback control by using pre-collected user preferences to automatically determine which ads to show. This extraction simplifies the system architecture while maintaining user control over ad viewing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by allowing users to pre-configure their ad preferences, after which the system automatically handles ad selection and delivery without requiring user intervention during playback. Users set their preferences once, and the system serves them personalized ad selections automatically, eliminating the need for complex real-time ad skipping mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A method determines user preference information for a user for a number of advertisements in a set of advertising blocks and a temporal distribution of the advertising blocks. When each advertising block in the set of advertising blocks occurs according to the temporal distribution during sending of a video program, the method determines a number of advertisements in the advertising block based on the user preference information, determines advertisements for the advertising block equal to the number of advertisements, and sends the determined advertisements during the advertising block.