Media delivery to limited capability platforms
An ad proxy generates a playback manifest for delivery to a destination platform via a content distribution network (CDN). The playback manifest provided to the destination device includes hosted locations, such as network addresses, of both primary media files and advertising content. The playback manifest can also include tracking-calls. The destination platform receives normalized media files associated with the network addresses included in the playback manifest, and plays out those normalized media files during execution of the playback manifest. Tracking-calls can be fired, in accordance with the playback manifest, when part or all of a normalized media file has been played out. The tracking-calls can be used to facilitate calculation of impressions. The destination device need not be capable of differentiating between primary media content and advertising content, thus allowing even limited capability platforms, e.g. integrated automotive platforms, to provide targeted advertising.
1. A method comprising:
at a playback sequencer:
receiving a request for a playlist for use by a destination platform;
determining a source of the request for the playlist;
determining, based on the source of the request for the playlist, whether the destination platform is capable of making direct calls to an ad server;
in response to determining that the destination platform is incapable of making direct calls to an ad server, transmitting from the playback sequencer to an advertisement proxy, a playlist including a plurality of slots designating primary media items to be played, and at least one empty spot break;
receiving the playlist at the advertisement proxy;
the advertisement proxy processing the playlist received from the playback sequencer to identify and fill the at least one empty spot break, wherein filling the at least one empty spot break includes:
generating, at the advertisement proxy, a request for an ad server to deliver at least one advertisement to be inserted into the at least one empty spot break;
receiving a response from the ad server, the response designating advertising content selected by the ad server in response to the request;
the advertisement proxy generating a preliminary version of a playback manifest by modifying the playlist using information included in the response received from the ad server to fill the at least one empty spot break, the preliminary version of the playback manifest including tracking-calls inserted by the advertisement proxy, and first location information associated with a media file included in the preliminary version of the playback manifest;
transmitting the preliminary version of the playback manifest from the advertisement proxy to a content distribution network, the content distribution network being operable to format hosted media files based on normalized format information of the playback manifest, and configured to:
override the first location information by inserting, into the preliminary version of the playback manifest, second location information in place of the first location information, the second location information associated with a different location of the media file;
generate a final version of the playback manifest including the second location information;
transmit the final version of the playback manifest to a destination platform;
generate normalized media files from the primary media items and the advertising content based on the normalized format information; and
provide the normalized media files to the destination platform, wherein the destination platform is configured to playback normalized media files in accordance with the final version of the playback manifest.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the destination platform is an automotive radio platform.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to determining that the destination platform is capable of making direct calls to an ad server, transmitting the playlist from the playback sequencer to the content distribution network instead of the advertisement proxy.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
inserting, into the preliminary version of the playback manifest, at least one tag configured to cause the destination platform to report presentation of at least a portion of a normalized media file of the normalized media files.
5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
inserting, into the preliminary version of the playback manifest, a plurality of tags associated with a single normalized media file of the normalized media files, each of the plurality of tags configured to cause the destination platform to report presentation of different portions of the single normalized media file of the normalized media files.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the at least one tag is configured to cause the destination platform to report presentation of at least a portion of a normalized media file of the normalized media files to a third party server.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a destination notification indicating that the destination platform has presented at least one advertising content media file; and
calculating impression data based, at least in part, on the destination notification.
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
calculating the impression data based, at least in part, on both the destination notification and information associated with a request for advertising content.
9. A system comprising:
at least one server computer including a processor programmed to implement a playback sequencer, the playback sequencer configured to:
receive a request for a playlist for use by a destination platform;
determine a source of the request for the playlist;
generate the playlist, wherein the playlist includes a plurality of media item identifiers associated with a plurality of media items, and at least one spot break;
determine, based on the source of the request for the playlist, whether the destination platform is capable of making direct calls to an ad server;
in response to determining that the destination platform is incapable of making direct calls to an ad server, transmit the playlist from the playback sequencer to an advertisement proxy;
at least one server computer including a processor programmed to implement the advertisement proxy, the advertisement proxy configured to:
process the playlist received from playback sequencer to identify the at least one spot break;
generate a request for at least one advertisement;
transmit the request to an ad server;
receive the at least one advertisement in response to the request;
insert a first server-hosted location of the at least one advertisement into the spot break to generate a preliminary version of a playback manifest;
insert a plurality of tracking-calls into the playback manifest;
transmit the playback manifest from the advertisement proxy to a content distribution network being operable to format hosted media files based on normalized format information of the playback manifest and to generate normalized media files from the plurality of media items and the at least one advertisement; and
at least one server computer coupled to the content distribution network, the server computer including a processor programmed to:
override the first server-hosted location of the at least one advertisement by inserting, into the preliminary version of the playback manifest, a different server-hosted location of the at least one advertisement;
generate a final version of the playback manifest including the different server-hosted location;
transmit the final version of the playback manifest to a destination platform, the final version of the playback manifest including server-hosted locations of the plurality of media items and the different server-hosted location of the at least one advertisement; and
provide the normalized media files to the destination platform, wherein the destination platform is configured to playback normalized media files in accordance with the final version of the playback manifest.
10. The system of claim 9 , the playback sequencer is further configured to:
transmit the playlist from the playback sequencer to the content distribution network instead of the advertisement proxy in response to determining that the destination platform is capable of making direct calls to an ad server.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the destination platform is an automotive radio platform.
12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the advertisement proxy is configured to:
insert, into the preliminary version of the playback manifest, at least one tracking-call configured to cause the destination platform to report presentation of at least a portion of at least one advertising content media file.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the advertisement proxy is configured to:
insert, into the preliminary version of the playback manifest, a plurality of tracking-calls associated with a single advertising content media file, each of the plurality of tags configured to cause the destination platform to report presentation of different portions of the single advertising content media file.
14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one tracking-call is configured to cause the destination platform to report presentation of at least one advertising content media file to a third party server.
15. The system of claim 9 , wherein the advertisement proxy is configured to:
receive a destination notification indicating that the destination platform has presented at least one advertising content media file; and
calculate impression data based, at least in part, on the destination notification.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the advertisement proxy is configured to:
calculate the impression data based, at least in part, on both the destination notification and information provided by the ad server.
17. A non-transitory computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program of instructions configured to be executed by a processor, the program of instructions comprising:
at least one instruction to receive, at a playback sequencer, a request for a playlist for use by a destination platform;
at least one instruction to determine, at the playback sequencer a source of the request for the playlist;
at least one instruction to determine at the playback sequencer, based on the source of the request for the playlist, whether the destination platform is capable of making direct calls to an ad server;
at least one instruction to transmit a playlist from the playback sequencer to an advertisement proxy in response to determining that the destination platform is incapable of making direct calls to an ad server, wherein the playlist includes a plurality of slots designating a plurality of primary media items to be played, and at least one spot break;
at least one instruction to receive the playlist at the advertisement proxy;
at least one instruction instructing an advertisement proxy to process the playlist received from the playback sequencer to identify and fill the at least one spot break, wherein the at least one instruction to fill the at least one spot break includes;
at least one instruction to generate, at the advertisement proxy, a request for an ad server to deliver at least one advertisement to be inserted into the at least one spot break;
at least one instruction to transmit the request to the ad server;
at least one instruction to receive, in response to the request, information designating advertising content;
at least one instruction to insert information identifying a first location of the advertising content into the spot break to generate a preliminary version of a playback manifest;
at least one instruction to insert tracking-calls into the preliminary version of a playback manifest;
at least one instruction to transmit the preliminary version of the playback manifest from the advertisement proxy to a content distribution network, the content distribution network being operable to format hosted media files based on normalized format information of the preliminary version of the playback manifest, and configured to:
override the first location by inserting, into the preliminary version of the playback manifest, a second location in place of the first location, the second location specifying a different location of the advertising content;
generate a final version of the playback manifest including the second location;
transmit the final version of the playback manifest to an automotive application platform, the final version of the playback manifest including a network location of the plurality of primary media items and the second location of the advertising content;
generate normalized media files from primary media items, and the advertising content; and
provide the normalized media files to the automotive application platform, wherein the automotive application platform is configured to playback normalized media files in accordance with the final version of the playback manifest.
18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 , further comprising:
at least one instruction to insert, into the preliminary version of the playback manifest, at least one tracking-call configured to cause the automotive application platform to report presentation of at least a portion of at least one advertising content media file.
19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the at least one tracking-call is configured to cause the automotive application platform to report presentation of at least one advertising content media file to a third party server.
20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 , further comprising:
at least one instruction to calculate impression data based, at least in part, on tracking-calls made by the automotive application platform.