Streaming Media Exposure Measurement via Transcoded Watermarks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for measuring media exposure, particularly for streaming media, face challenges in accurately collecting detailed demographic information from all users, including non-panelists, due to limitations in data privacy and the cost of maintaining large panels.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves cooperation between media monitoring companies and database proprietors, such as social networking sites and wireless service carriers, to extend media monitoring capabilities to non-panelists. This is achieved by using transcoded watermarks embedded in media as metadata, which allows for the identification of media devices and users, enabling the collection of demographic information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If traditional panel member monitoring methods are used, then demographic data collection is possible, but the panel size is limited and costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces watermarks as an intermediary element embedded in media content. These watermarks enable automatic identification and tracking of media exposure without requiring direct monitoring of panel members, thus expanding the effective panel size while reducing system complexity and costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables media devices and platforms to automatically report exposure data through embedded watermarks and metadata. This self-reporting mechanism eliminates the need for complex active monitoring of individual panel members, allowing for larger effective panel sizes with reduced operational complexity.
2Measurement precision
If detailed demographic information is collected from all users, then measurement accuracy is improved, but data privacy concerns increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary identification information from watermarks and metadata rather than collecting comprehensive personal data. This selective extraction approach maintains measurement precision by identifying media exposure while minimizing privacy concerns by avoiding collection of sensitive demographic information.
3Quantity of substance
If large panels are maintained for accurate measurement, then data comprehensiveness is improved, but maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The watermark-based system enables automatic, passive collection of exposure data from any media device that plays watermarked content. This eliminates the need for active panel member recruitment and maintenance, achieving comprehensive data collection at significantly reduced costs through self-reporting mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus to measure exposure to streaming media are disclosed. An example apparatus includes for measurement of exposure to streaming media includes at least one memory, instructions in the apparatus, and processor circuitry to execute the instructions to: access metadata identifying media presented to a user, and cookie data, the metadata and the cookie data provided by a client device; determine whether the cookie data identifies the user to a database proprietor; in response to a determination that the cookie data does not identify the user to the database proprietor, send a redirect message instructing the client device to retransmit the metadata to a next-hop location; and in response to a determination that the cookie data does identify the user to the database proprietor, provide the metadata and a user identifier to a central facility.