Methods and apparatus to determine ratings information for online media presentations

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting, from a logic circuit of an audience measurement entity and via a network, first instructions which, when executed by a client device, cause the client device to transmit a plurality of messages in response to corresponding presentations of portions of an item of media that is delivered to the client device via the network;

receiving, at the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity and via the network, a first set of messages sent by the client device based on the first instructions, the messages in the first set respectively corresponding to presentations of different portions of a duration of the item of media at the client device;

transmitting, from the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity and via the network, a second message to the client device in response to a beacon request sent by the client device or in response to one of the messages in the first set sent by the client device, the second message to cause the client device to transmit a third message to a database proprietor;

determining, using the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity, a first one of the portions of the media that was presented at the client device based on a first one of the messages in the first set;

obtaining, at the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity, demographic information associated with the client device, the demographic information being obtained based on the second message and the third message;

determining, using the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity, a first demographic characteristic associated with one of the presentations corresponding to the first one of the portions of the media based on the messages in the first set and the demographic information;

determining, using the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity, numbers of impressions for respective ones of the portions of the media based on the messages in the first set and fourth messages received from other client devices; and

determining, using the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity, respective demographic characteristics corresponding to the impressions based on the first demographic characteristic, the messages in the first set, and the fourth messages.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the obtaining of the demographic information is based on a cookie provided to the client device by the audience measurement entity, the messages in the first set including the cookie.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the media includes content interspersed with commercials, the first one of the portions of the media including an advertisement, and the determining of the first demographic characteristic associated with the first one of the portions of the media includes determining the first demographic characteristic associated with only the advertisement.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the messages includes a time referenced to a designated point in the media, the method further including determining a first one of the impressions for the first one of the portions of the media based on the time and based on the first one of the messages.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the portions of the media correspond to discrete intervals within the media, and the messages in the first set correspond to respective ones of the discrete intervals.

6. The method as defined in claim 5 , wherein the determining of the respective demographic characteristics corresponding to the impressions includes determining ones of the impressions that are attributable to a demographic group.

7. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the messages in the first set correspond to different portions of the media being presented at the client device, the first one of the messages being received in response to presentation of a corresponding one of the different portions of the media at the client device.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 , wherein the messages identify the different portions of the media being presented at the client device.

9. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the transmitting of the first instructions includes transmitting the first instructions to the client device in response to receiving a beacon request from the client device, the first set of messages being based on the client device executing the first instructions.

10. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the transmitting of the first instructions includes transmitting the first instructions to a distributor of the media, the first set of messages being based on media information identifying the media, the media information received at the client device with the first instructions from the distributor.

11. A method, comprising:

transmitting, from a logic circuit of an audience measurement entity and via a network, pingback instructions which, when executed by a client device, cause the client device to transmit a plurality of pingback messages in response to corresponding presentations of portions of an item of media that is delivered to the client device via the network;

receiving, at the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity, first pingback messages sent by corresponding client devices based on the client devices executing instances of the pingback instructions, the first pingback messages corresponding to presentations of a first media item at the client devices, the first pingback messages respectively identifying the first media item and a corresponding time within the first media item or a corresponding duration within the first media item;

determining, using the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity, portions of the first media item that were presented at the client devices based on the times or the durations identified in the first pingback messages;

transmitting, from the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity and via the network, second messages to the client devices in response to respective beacon requests sent by the client devices or in response to respective ones of the first pingback sent by the client devices, the second messages to cause the client device to transmit corresponding third messages to a database proprietor;

obtaining, at the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity, demographic information associated with the client devices based on the second messages and the third messages;

determining, using the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity, a number of impressions of a first one of the portions of the first media item at the client devices based on the first pingback messages; and

determining, using the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity, a demographic characteristic associated with the number of impressions of the first one of the portions of the media item based on the first pingback messages and the demographic information.

12. A method, comprising:

transmitting, from a logic circuit of an audience measurement entity and via a network, first instructions which, when executed by a client device, cause the client device to transmit a plurality of messages in response to corresponding presentations of portions of an item of media that is delivered to the client device via the network;

receiving, at the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity and via the network, a first set of messages sent by the client device based on the first instructions, the first set of messages corresponding to presentations of different portions of a same block of media occurring at the client device, a first one of the portions of the media having a first media type and a second one of the portions of the media having a second media type;

determining, using the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity, that the first one of the portions of the media that was presented at the client device based on a first one of the messages in the first set;

obtaining, at the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity, demographic information associated with the client device;

determining, using the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity, a first number of impressions for the first one of the portions of the media based on the messages in the first set and second messages received from other client devices;

determining, using the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity, first demographic characteristics corresponding to the first number of impressions based on the demographic information and the messages in the first set and the second messages;

determining, using the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity, a second number of impressions for the second one of the portions of the media based on the messages in the first set and the second messages; and

determining, using the logic circuit of the audience measurement entity, second demographic characteristics corresponding to the second number of impressions based on the demographic information and the messages in the first set and the second messages.

13. An audience measurement entity device, comprising:

a communications interface to:

transmit first instructions which, when executed by a client device, cause the client device to transmit a plurality of messages in response to corresponding presentations of portions of an item of media that is delivered to the client device via a network.

receive a first set of messages sent by the client device based on the first instructions, the messages in the first set respectively corresponding to presentations of different portions of a same item of media content at the client device; and

transmit a second message to the client device in response to a beacon request sent by the client device or in response to one of the messages in the first set sent by the client device, the second message to cause the client device to transmit a third message to a database proprietor;

receive demographic information associated with the client device from the database proprietor, the demographic information being received based on the second message and the third message; and

an impression monitor implemented by a processor to:

determine a first one of the portions of the media that was presented at the client device based on a first one of the messages in the first set;

determine, based on the messages, a first demographic characteristic associated with the first one of the portions of the media based on the messages in the first set and the demographic information;

determine numbers of impressions for respective ones of the portions of the media based on the messages in the first set and second messages received from other client devices; and

determine respective demographic characteristics corresponding to the impressions based on the first demographic characteristic and the messages in the first set and the second messages.

14. The device as defined in claim 13 , wherein the communications interface is to receive the demographic information based on a cookie provided to the client device by the audience measurement entity device, the messages in the first set including the cookie.

15. The device as defined in claim 13 , further including a rules engine to select the database proprietor, the communications interface to transmit the second message as a redirect message to the client device.

16. The device as defined in claim 13 , wherein the media includes content interspersed with commercials, the first one of the portions of the media including an advertisement, and the impression monitor is to determine the first demographic characteristic corresponding to the first one of the portions of the media by determining the first demographic characteristic for the advertisement.

17. The device as defined in claim 13 , wherein at least one of the messages in the first set includes a time referenced to a designated point in the media, the impression monitor to identify a first one of the impressions for the first portion of the media based on the time and based on at least one additional message of the messages in the first set.

18. The device as defined in claim 13 , wherein the portions of the media correspond to discrete intervals of the media, and the messages in the first set correspond to respective ones of the discrete intervals.

19. The device as defined in claim 13 , wherein the impression monitor is to determine the respective demographic characteristics corresponding to the impressions by determining ones of the impressions that are attributable to a demographic group.

20. A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising first computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a logic circuit to at least:

transmit second instructions which, when executed by a client device, cause the client device to transmit a plurality of messages in response to corresponding presentations of portions of an item of media that is delivered to the client device via a network;

identify a first set of messages sent by the client device based on the second instructions, the messages in the first set respectively corresponding to presentations of different portions of a same item of media at the client device;

determine a first one of the portions of the media that was presented at the client device based on a first one of the messages in the first set;

determine whether a cookie received in the first one of the messages in the first set corresponds to demographic information that was previously received;

when the cookie does not correspond to demographic information:

select a database proprietor; and

send a redirect message to the client device in response to the first one of the messages or in response to a beacon request sent by the client device, the redirect message to cause the client device to transmit a third message to the database proprietor;

access demographic information associated with the client device, the demographic information being received from the database proprietor based on the redirect message and the third message;

determine a first demographic characteristic associated with the first one of the portions of the media based on the messages in the first set and the demographic information;

determine numbers of impressions for respective ones of the portions of the media based on the messages in the first set and second messages received from other client devices; and

determine respective demographic characteristics corresponding to the impressions based on the first demographic characteristic, the messages in the first set, and the second messages.

21. The storage medium as defined in claim 20 , wherein the media includes content interspersed with commercials, and the first instructions are to cause the logic circuit to determine the respective demographic characteristics corresponding to the impressions by determining the demographic characteristics associated with only one of the commercials.

22. The storage medium as defined in claim 20 , wherein at least one of the messages in the first set includes a time referenced to a designated point in the media, the first instructions to further cause the logic circuit to determine a first one of the impressions for the first one of the portions of the media corresponding to the client device based on the time and based on at least one additional message of the messages in the first set.

23. The storage medium as defined in claim 20 , wherein the portions of the media correspond to discrete intervals within the media, and the messages in the first set correspond to respective ones of the discrete intervals.

24. The storage medium as defined in claim 23 , wherein the first instructions are further to cause the logic circuit to determine the respective demographic characteristics corresponding to the impressions by determining ones of the impressions that are attributable to a demographic group.

25. A method, comprising:

transmitting, from a processor of an audience measurement entity and via a network, first instructions which, when executed by a client device, cause the client device to transmit a plurality of messages in response to corresponding presentations of portions of an item of media that is delivered to the client device via the network;

receiving, at the processor of the audience measurement entity, a first pingback message from the client device based on the client device executing the first instructions, the first pingback message identifying first media having a time duration, the first pingback message identifying a first time period within the time duration of the first media;

based on receiving the first pingback message, sending, from the processor of the audience measurement entity, a redirect message to the client device to cause the client device to send a request to a database proprietor;

after sending the redirect message, receiving, at the processor of the audience measurement entity, first demographic information corresponding to the client device;

receiving, at the processor of the audience measurement entity, a second pingback message from the client device, the second pingback message identifying the first media and a second time period within the time duration of the first media, the second time period being different than the first time period;

determining, at the processor of the audience measurement entity, a demographic characteristic associated with the client device based on the first demographic information;

determining, at the processor of the audience measurement entity, a first number of impressions for the first time period within the time duration of the first media that correspond to the demographic characteristic based on the first pingback message and the demographic characteristic; and

determining, at the processor of the audience measurement entity, a second number of impressions for the second time period within the time duration of the first media that correspond to the demographic characteristic based on the second pingback message and the demographic characteristic.