Methods and apparatus to compensate for server-generated errors in database proprietor impression data due to misattribution and/or non-coverage

1. An apparatus, comprising:

an impression collector to:

access, at a first internet domain, a first network communication received at a first server from a first computing device of a first type of computing device, the first network communication indicative of access to media at the first computing device; and

send, from the first server, a second network communication to request demographic information corresponding to the first network communication and third network communications received at the first internet domain from a second computing device of the first type of computing device;

an impression information collector to access a count of media impressions occurring on the first type of computing device, a first portion of the media impressions corresponding to first persons for whom first demographic information is recognizable by a second server of a database proprietor, and a non-coverage error resulting from the second server of the database proprietor unable to access second demographic information of second persons corresponding to a second portion of the media impressions; and

a non-coverage corrector to correct the non-coverage error resulting from the second server of the database proprietor by determining the second demographic information for the second portion of the media impressions based on a first probability that the media corresponding to the media impressions is accessed on the first type of computing device and based on a second probability that the media is accessed on a second type of device, at least one of the impression collector, the impression information collector or the non-coverage corrector implemented by a logic circuit.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , further including a non-coverage calculator to multiply (1) a ratio of the first probability to the second probability with (2) a number of the media impressions attributed to a first demographic group.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2 , wherein the first probability is a likelihood that a person in the first demographic group accesses the media on the first type of computing device and the second probability is a likelihood that the person in the first demographic group accesses the media on the second type of device.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 2 , further including a misattribution corrector to adjust the media impressions to compensate for incorrect attribution of a subset of the media impressions to third persons in a second demographic group, the number of the media impressions attributed to the first demographic group being determined from the subset of the media impressions that are adjusted to compensate for the incorrect attribution.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first type of computing device includes a mobile device and the second type of device includes a television.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first type of computing device includes at least one of a smartphone, a tablet computer, or a portable media player.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , further including a non-coverage calculator to calculate the first probability and the second probability based on survey responses to a survey of people, the non-coverage calculator to calculate the first probability by determining, from the survey responses, weights associated with at least one of a demographic group, a media category, a type of computing device, or a geographic region, the weights indicating respective probabilities of accessing the media associated with the media impressions on a device type of interest.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 7 , wherein the survey is of at least one of a random panel or a panel of audience members maintained by an audience measurement entity.

9. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first probability and the second probability correspond to a media category of the media.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 9 , wherein the media category is at least one of comedy, drama, political, reality, or a combination media category.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the non-coverage corrector is to determine the second demographic information for the second portion of the media impressions by:

determining proportions of the media impressions attributable to different demographic groups corresponding to the persons; and

scaling the proportions of the media impressions to the second portion of the media impressions.

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

access, at a first internet domain, a first network communication from a first computing device of a first type of computing device, the first network communication indicative of access to media at the first computing device;

send a second network communication requesting demographic information corresponding to the first network communication and third network communications received at the first internet domain from a second computing device of the first type of computing device;

access a count of media impressions occurring on the first type of computing device, a first portion of the media impressions corresponding to first persons for whom first demographic information is recognizable by a second server of a database proprietor, and a non-coverage error resulting from the second server of the database proprietor unable to access second demographic information of second persons corresponding to a second portion of the media impressions; and

correct the non-coverage error resulting from the second server of the database proprietor by determining the second demographic information for the second portion of the media impressions based on a first probability that the media corresponding to the media impressions is accessed on the first type of computing device and based on a second probability that the media is accessed on a second type of device.

13. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 12 , wherein the instructions are to cause the first server to determine the second demographic information by multiplying (1) a ratio of the first probability to the second probability with (2) a number of the media impressions attributed to a first demographic group.

14. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 13 , wherein the first probability is a likelihood that a person in the first demographic group accesses the media on the first type of computing device and the second probability is a likelihood that the person in the first demographic group accesses the media on the second type of device.

15. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 13 , wherein the instructions are further to cause the first server to adjust the media impressions to compensate for incorrect attribution of a subset of the media impressions to third persons in a second demographic group, the number of the media impressions attributed to the first demographic group being determined from the subset of the media impressions that are adjusted to compensate for the incorrect attribution.

16. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 12 , wherein the first type of computing device includes a mobile device and the second type of device includes a television.

17. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 12 , wherein the first type of computing device includes at least one of a smartphone, a tablet computer, or a portable media player.

18. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 12 , wherein the first probability and the second probability correspond to a media category of the media.

19. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 18 , wherein the media category is at least one of comedy, drama, political, reality, or a combination media category.

20. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 12 , wherein the instructions are further to cause the first server to, before the determining of the second demographic information, adjust the media impressions for ones of the media impressions being incorrectly attributed to persons not having caused the ones of the media impressions.

21. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 20 , wherein the instructions are further to cause the first server to calculate the first probability and the second probability based on survey responses to a survey of people, the instructions to cause the first server to calculate the first probability by determining, from the survey responses, weights associated with at least one of a demographic group, a media category, a type of computing device, or a geographic region, the weights indicating respective probabilities of accessing the media associated with the media impressions on a device type of interest.

22. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 21 , wherein the survey is of at least one of a random panel or a panel of audience members maintained by an audience measurement entity.

23. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 12 , wherein the instructions are to cause the first server to determine the second demographic information for the second portion of the media impressions by:

determining proportions of the media impressions attributable to different demographic groups corresponding to the persons; and

scaling the proportions of the media impressions to the second portion of the media impressions.

24. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a first server at a first internet domain, a first network communication from a first computing device of a first type of computing device, the first network communication indicative of access to media at the first computing device;

sending, by executing an instruction with the first server, a second network communication from the first server to request demographic information corresponding to the first network communication and third network communications received at the first internet domain from second computing devices of the first type of computing device;

accessing, by executing an instruction with at least one processor, a count of media impressions occurring on the first type of computing device, a first portion of the media impressions corresponding to first persons for whom first demographic information is recognizable by a second server of a database proprietor, and a non-coverage error resulting from the second server of the database proprietor unable to access second demographic information of second persons corresponding to a second portion of the media impressions; and

correcting, by executing an instruction with the at least one processor, the non-coverage error resulting from the second server of the database proprietor by determining the second demographic information for the second portion of the media impressions based on (1) the first demographic information for the first portion provided by the second server of the database proprietor in response to the second network communication, (2) a first probability that the media corresponding to the media impressions is accessed on the first type of computing device, and (3) a second probability that the media is accessed on a second type of device.