Media Consumption Market Identification System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods fail to accurately define and identify geographic boundaries of media consumption due to varying availability of local media programming and advertising, leading to difficulties in identifying and grouping media consumption markets effectively.
Innovation Solution
A system that receives geographic identifiers and television network affiliate data to determine primary local affiliate stations for national television networks, grouping geographic areas with shared affiliates into markets, merging markets based on affiliate sharing, and reassigned geographic identifiers to ensure a single county belongs to a single market, using population data to optimize market consolidation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If geographic areas are grouped into many small markets based on local affiliate availability, then measurement precision of media consumption boundaries is improved, but device complexity and difficulty of operation increase due to managing numerous markets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple small markets that share the same primary local affiliate station into larger consolidated markets. This is achieved by identifying markets with identical primary affiliates and combining them, thereby reducing the total number of markets while maintaining accurate media consumption boundary definitions based on affiliate availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses primary local affiliate station data as a universal criterion for market consolidation across different geographic areas. By applying this single unifying principle (shared primary affiliate) to group multiple markets, the system simplifies market identification while preserving the precision of media consumption boundaries.
2Ease of operation
If markets are merged to reduce the number of markets, then ease of operation and device complexity are improved, but measurement precision of media consumption boundaries deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Markets are merged only when they share the same primary local affiliate station, ensuring that consolidation does not blur media consumption boundaries. The merging process maintains precision by using affiliate station data as the definitive criterion for market membership.
Solution Approach 2:
The system preserves local market characteristics by maintaining distinct markets for areas with different primary affiliates. Each market retains its specific affiliate-based identity, ensuring that local media consumption patterns are accurately represented even as the overall number of markets is reduced.
3Reliability
If geographic identifiers are reassigned to ensure single county membership, then reliability of market assignment is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where county assignments are reviewed and adjusted based on market consolidation results. When consolidation creates counties spanning multiple markets, the system detects this condition and reassigns geographic identifiers to restore single-county-per-market integrity, thereby improving reliability through iterative correction.
Solution Approach 2:
The reassignment of geographic identifiers is performed as a preliminary step before final market consolidation is declared complete. By addressing potential county-splitting issues in advance during the consolidation process, the system ensures reliable market assignments without requiring complex post-processing corrections.
Data Source
AI summary
Geographic identifiers and television network affiliate data may be received. A primary local affiliate station for each of the plurality of national television networks may be determined for each geographic identifier. The geographic identifiers that have the same primary local affiliate for each of the plurality of national television networks may be grouped together to form a first plurality of markets. The markets from the first plurality of markets that have the same primary local affiliate for a first subset of the plurality of national television networks may be merged together, resulting in a second, smaller plurality of markets. Each of the geographic identifiers may be assigned to a market from the second plurality of markets, and a report indicating the second plurality of markets may be output.