VOD Viewership Tracking via Session Identifier Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for tracking Video on Demand (VOD) viewership are fragmented and platform-specific, making it difficult for third parties to obtain comprehensive and actionable insights across multiple VOD platforms.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for tracking VOD content viewership using a panel of users with installed software that captures session identifiers from user equipment, allowing seamless data collection and aggregation across various VOD platforms, including SVOD, AVOD, TVOD, FVOD, and HVOD, without requiring direct server access or user credentials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If server-side tracking is used to collect comprehensive viewership data, then data completeness is improved, but access requirements become more restrictive and only platform operators can implement it
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dual-tracking architecture where server-side tracking and client-side tracking work together as intermediaries. Server-side tracking captures comprehensive viewership data from the platform, while client-side tracking via browser extensions captures data from user devices. These two intermediaries complement each other to provide complete viewership information that neither could obtain alone, resolving the contradiction between data completeness and access availability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If client-side tracking is implemented to enable third-party access, then data accessibility is improved, but data coverage is limited to users who allow access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges server-side tracking data and client-side tracking data into a unified viewership dataset. Server-side tracking provides comprehensive coverage of all users accessing the VOD platform, while client-side tracking via browser extensions provides additional granular data from consenting users. By combining these two data sources, the system achieves both broad data coverage and high accessibility for third-party researchers.
3Ease of manufacture
If platform-specific tracking methods are used, then implementation simplicity is improved, but data standardization across multiple platforms deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal tracking framework that works across multiple VOD platforms (Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, etc.) through a common architecture. The system uses standardized data collection methods on the client side (browser extensions) and standardized data aggregation protocols on the server side, enabling the same tracking infrastructure to function universally across different platforms while maintaining data standardization through consistent schemas and formats.
Data Source
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AI summary
A computer-implemented method for tracking Video on Demand (VOD) content viewership, the method comprising, at a user equipment (UE) device (130) operating a VOD access application (131) for communicating with a VOD server (111) that operates a VOD platform: upon detecting (S4) that the VOD access application (131) communicates with the VOD server (111), capturing (S5) a session identifier used for communication between the VOD access application (131) and the VOD server (111); sending (S6) a request to the VOD server (111) for viewership information, the request comprising the captured session identifier; and receiving (S7) from the VOD server (111) the viewership information corresponding to the captured session identifier.