Interactive Ad Pod Filling to Minimize Streaming Break Slate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ad-supported streaming video services face challenges in consistently filling ad breaks due to unpredictable ad availability, leading to unsold ad space filled with slate, resulting in lost revenue opportunities.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that dynamically combines traditional ads with interactive ads that can expand or contract to fit the unfilled duration of ad breaks, ensuring minimal or zero slate by using processors to determine ad durations and interactively adjust ad content based on user engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional ad units are used to fill ad breaks, then ad revenue is generated, but unfilled portions result in slate display and lost revenue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making ad units expandable and contractable to dynamically fit the available ad break duration. Ad units can expand beyond their base duration or contract to match the actual unfilled portion, allowing flexible adaptation to variable ad break lengths and ensuring complete monetization without slate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the duration parameter of ad units dynamically based on the ad break availability. By adjusting the ad unit duration from a fixed base duration to variable durations that expand or contract to match the unfilled portion, the system maximizes revenue capture while eliminating slate display.
2Ease of manufacture
If ad units have fixed durations, then ad delivery is simplified, but they cannot adapt to varying ad break lengths leaving unfilled portions
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from fixed-duration ad units to dynamic ad units that can expand or contract based on the unfilled ad break duration. This maintains ease of delivery through standardized ad pods while adding adaptability to match variable time slots.
Solution Approach 2:
The ad break is segmented into filled portions and unfilled portions, allowing different ad units to be applied to different segments. Traditional ads fill the standard portions while interactive ads fill the variable unfilled portions, combining simplicity for standard cases with flexibility for edge cases.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple ad units are returned for an ad break, then ad selection options increase, but determining the optimal combination to minimize slate becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from ad duration calculations to automatically determine the optimal ad combination. By calculating the unfilled portion duration and selecting ad units that expand or contract to match this duration, the system simplifies the combination determination process while maximizing revenue.
Solution Approach 2:
The ad delivery system performs self-service by automatically calculating unfilled portions and selecting appropriate ad units without requiring complex manual optimization. The system independently determines the optimal mix of traditional and interactive ads based on duration matching.
Data Source
AI summary
A video content server includes a transceiver configured to receive an ad request for advertising to be displayed during an ad break for streaming of video content to an electronic device. The video content server also includes at least one processing device configured, in response to receiving an indication of zero or more ads returned for the ad request, to determine that an overall duration of the zero or more ads returned for the ad request leave an unfilled portion of the ad break. The at least one processing device is also configured to combine, with the zero or more ads returned for the ad request, an interactive ad that is expanded or contracted to fit the unfilled portion of the ad break. The interactive ad includes ad content that can change based on user interaction with the ad content.