Audience Rating Estimation Framework for Ad Scheduling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current systems for scheduling linear media advertisement spots in commercial breaks are tedious and prone to errors, failing to honor all constraints and requirements, leading to inefficient targeting and demographics scheduling.

Innovation Solution

A framework for audience rating estimation is implemented, which includes a system that communicates with advertiser order generation systems to receive orders, determines targeting orders, sets baseline target delivery, and reshuffles spots based on liability and expected viewership to create a finalized commercial break schedule, utilizing consumer choice modeling to predict viewership and adjust for seasonality and special events.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If manual scheduling methods are used for linear media advertisement spots, then flexibility in handling complex constraints is maintained, but the process becomes tedious and error-prone with low productivity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehandling of scheduling constraintsVSAvoidscheduling efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual mechanical scheduling operations with an automated electronic computing system that uses algorithms to optimize advertisement spot placement. The system electronically receives orders, automatically determines targeting orders, calculates baseline target delivery, and reshuffles spots based on liability and expected viewership, eliminating tedious manual processes while maintaining constraint handling capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The scheduling system performs self-service by automatically determining which orders are targeting orders, calculating baseline target delivery without human intervention, and autonomously reshuffling spots to minimize liability. The system uses consumer choice modeling to predict viewership and automatically adjusts scheduling decisions based on these predictions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Device complexity

If simple first-come-first-served scheduling is used, then system complexity is reduced, but the system fails to honor all constraints and requirements leading to poor measurement precision

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvescheduling system complexityVSAvoidconstraint satisfaction accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by determining baseline target delivery before final spot placement, and by using consumer choice modeling to predict expected viewership in advance. This preliminary analysis allows the system to make informed scheduling decisions that satisfy constraints while optimizing for target delivery and viewership expectations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms by using consumer choice modeling to predict viewership and by continuously evaluating liability associated with pending spots. The reshuffling process uses this feedback information to adjust spot placement decisions, ensuring that constraints are honored while optimizing scheduling outcomes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Speed

If traditional scheduling without audience rating estimation is used, then processing speed is maintained, but targeting accuracy and demographic scheduling precision deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvescheduling processing speedVSAvoidaudience rating estimation accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary audience rating estimation using consumer choice modeling before final spot placement decisions are made. This preliminary estimation of expected viewership allows for accurate targeting and demographic scheduling while maintaining efficient processing through automated computational methods

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces traditional manual audience estimation methods with automated consumer choice modeling that uses computational algorithms to predict viewership. This substitution enables rapid processing of audience rating estimates while maintaining high precision in targeting and demographic scheduling decisions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS11064234B2Targeting and demographics scheduling utilizing a framework for audience rating estimation

Publication Date: 2021.07.13 TURNER BROADCASTING SYSTEM INC

AI summary

An advertisement management system receives a commercial break schedule generated from a completed assignment of one or more spots, which correspond to deals including advertiser orders to place the one or more spots into one or more commercial breaks in the commercial break schedule based on constraints and placement requirements. The system determines which of one or more orders in one or more deals are targeting orders, and determine a baseline target delivery for the targeting orders based on expected viewership associated with the targeting orders. The system places a portion of the one or more spots for the targeting orders based on a lift goal over the baseline target delivery, determines a liability per pending spot for spots determined to be candidates for advertisement scheduling and reshuffles placement of a remaining portion of the one or more spots based on the liability per pending spot for the candidates.