Methods and apparatus to maintain audience privacy while determining viewing of video-on-demand programs
View Patent ↗Methods and apparatus to maintain audience privacy while determining viewing of video-on-demand (VOD) programs are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein comprises obtaining subscriber metering data from a site metering device monitoring presentation of VOD content at a first subscriber site, obtaining server metering data from a VOD server, the server metering data including identification information for a plurality of subscriber sites to identify particular VOD content provided uniquely to each of the subscriber sites, the identification information manipulated to preserve anonymity of the plurality of subscriber sites, manipulating at least a portion of the subscriber metering data to determine a first manipulated identifier to identify the first subscriber site, and using the first manipulated identifier to cross-reference the manipulated identification information included in the server metering data to merge the subscriber metering data and the portion of the server metering data uniquely associated with the first subscriber site.
1. A method to monitor presentation of video-on-demand (VOD) media, the method comprising:
obtaining subscriber metering data from a site metering device monitoring presentation of first VOD media at a first subscriber site;
obtaining server metering data from a VOD server that is to provide VOD media including the first VOD media to a plurality of subscriber sites including the first subscriber site, the server metering data including first information associated with the first subscriber site, the first information indicating that the first VOD media has been provided to the first subscriber site, the first information being manipulated to preserve anonymity of the first subscriber site;
obtaining, based on a metering device identifier associated with the subscriber metering data, a first media device identifier and first subscriber identification information, the first media device identifier identifying a first media device used to present the first VOD media at the first subscriber site, the first subscriber identification information identifying a first subscriber associated with the first subscriber site; and
combining the first media device identifier and the first subscriber identification information to determine a first manipulated identifier to match a second manipulated identifier included in the server metering data to identify the first information associated with the first subscriber site.
2. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein combining the first media device identifier and the first subscriber identification information to determine the first manipulated identifier comprises processing a combination of the first media device identifier and the first subscriber identification information with a hash function to determine the first manipulated identifier.
3. A method as defined in claim 2 , wherein the hash function processes input data having a variable length and produces output data having a fixed-length.
4. A method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that the first information included in the server metering data is associated with the first subscriber site when the first manipulated identifier is determined to match the second manipulated identifier; and
augmenting the subscriber metering data using the first information included in the server metering data.
5. A method as defined in claim 4 , wherein a first portion of the subscriber metering data provides an indication that the first VOD media has been presented at the first subscriber site, and augmenting the subscriber metering data using the first information included in the server metering data comprises replacing the indication with at least a portion of the first information included in the server metering data.
6. A method for media monitoring, the method comprising:
accessing a first set of metering data associated with a media source providing media to a plurality of subscribers, the first set of metering data being organized into subsets corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of subscribers, respective ones of the subsets of the first metering data including respective first encrypted identifiers to associate the respective ones of the subsets with the respective ones of the plurality of subscribers while preserving anonymity of the respective ones of the plurality of subscribers;
accessing a second set of metering data associated with a metering device monitoring media presentations at a first subscriber site associated with a first one of the plurality of subscribers;
manipulating a combination of first and second identification data associated with the first one of the plurality of subscribers to determine a second encrypted identifier associated with the first one of the plurality of subscribers, the first and second identification data being obtained based on third identification data included in the second set of metering data; and
comparing the second encrypted identifier with the first encrypted identifiers included in the first metering data to identify a first subset of the first metering data to be combined with the second set of metering data.
7. A method as defined in claim 6 , wherein manipulating the combination of the first and second identification data to determine the second encrypted identifier comprises:
concatenating the first identification data and the second identification data to produce a concatenation of the first identification data and the second identification data; and
processing the concatenation of the first identification data and the second identification data with a hash function to determine the second encrypted identifier.
8. A method as defined in claim 7 , wherein the hash function is structured to process input data having a variable length and to produce output data having a fixed-length.
9. A method as defined in claim 6 , wherein a first one of the first encrypted identifiers is associated with the first subset of the first metering data, and further comprising:
determining that the first subset of the first metering data is associated with the first one of the plurality of subscribers when the second encrypted identifier is determined to match the first one of the first encrypted identifiers; and
combining the second set of metering data with the first subset of the first metering data.
10. A method as defined in claim 9 , wherein combining the second set of metering data with the first subset of the first metering data comprising replacing a portion of the second set of metering data with a portion of the first subset of the first metering data.
11. A machine readable storage device or storage disk comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:
access a first set of metering data associated with a media source providing media to a plurality of subscribers, the first set of metering data being organized into subsets corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of subscribers, respective ones of the subsets of the first metering data including respective first encrypted identifiers to associate the respective ones of the subsets with the respective ones of the plurality of subscribers while preserving anonymity of the respective ones of the plurality of subscribers;
access a second set of metering data associated with a metering device monitoring media presentations at a first subscriber site associated with a first one of the plurality of subscribers;
manipulate a combination of first and second identification data associated with the first one of the plurality of subscribers to determine a second encrypted identifier associated with the first one of the plurality of subscribers, the first and second identification data being obtained based on third identification data included in the second set of metering data; and
compare the second encrypted identifier with the first encrypted identifiers included in the first metering data to identify a first subset of the first metering data to be combined with the second set of metering data.
12. A storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to:
concatenate the first identification data and the second identification data to determine a concatenation of the first identification data and the second identification data; and
process the concatenation of the first identification data and the second identification data with a hash function to determine the second encrypted identifier.
13. A storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 12 , wherein the hash function is structured to process input data having a variable length and to produce output data having a fixed-length.
14. A storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 11 , wherein a first one of the first encrypted identifiers is associated with the first subset of the first metering data, and the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to:
determine that the first subset of the first metering data is associated with the first one of the plurality of subscribers when the second encrypted identifier is determined to match the first one of the first encrypted identifiers; and
combine the second set of metering data with the first subset of the first metering data.
15. A storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to replace a portion of the second set of metering data with a portion of the first subset of the first metering data to combine the second set of metering data with the first subset of the first metering data.
16. An apparatus for media monitoring, the apparatus comprising:
a data processor to:
access a first set of metering data associated with a media source providing media to a plurality of subscribers, the first set of metering data being organized into subsets corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of subscribers, respective ones of the subsets of the first metering data including respective first encrypted identifiers to associate the respective ones of the subsets with the respective ones of the plurality of subscribers while preserving anonymity of the respective ones of the plurality of subscribers; and
access a second set of metering data associated with a metering device monitoring media presentations at a first subscriber site associated with a first one of the plurality of subscribers; and
a hash generator to manipulate a combination of first and second identification data associated with the first one of the plurality of subscribers to determine a second encrypted identifier associated with the first one of the plurality of subscribers, the first and second identification data being obtained based on third identification data included in the second set of metering data, wherein the data processor is to compare the second encrypted identifier with the first encrypted identifiers included in the first metering data to identify a first subset of the first metering data to be combined with the second set of metering data.
17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16 , wherein the hash generator is further to:
concatenate the first identification data and the second identification data to determine a concatenation of the first identification data and the second identification data; and
process the concatenation of the first identification data and the second identification data with a hash function to determine the second encrypted identifier.
18. An apparatus as defined in claim 17 , wherein the hash generator is to process input data having a variable length and to produce output data having a fixed-length.
19. An apparatus as defined in claim 16 , wherein a first one of the first encrypted identifiers is associated with the first subset of the first metering data, and the data processor is further to:
determine that the first subset of the first metering data is associated with the first one of the plurality of subscribers when the second encrypted identifier is determined to match the first one of the first encrypted identifiers; and
combine the second set of metering data with the first subset of the first metering data.
20. An apparatus as defined in claim 19 , wherein the data processor is to replace a portion of the second set of metering data with a portion of the first subset of the first metering data to combine the second set of metering data with the first subset of the first metering data.