Content presentation based on information detected in real time

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing a content item for presentation on a presentation device responsive to a winning bid submitted by the provider of the content item specifying an initial amount required for presentation of the content item;

after providing the content item for presentation on the presentation device:

obtaining sensor data generated by a sensor during presentation of the content item on the presentation device, the sensor located in a same physical environment as the presentation device, the sensor data indicating information about a viewing audience that was located in the physical environment of the presentation device during presentation of the content item on the presentation device;

determining, based on the sensor data, a size of the viewing audience that was located in the physical environment of the presentation device during presentation of the content item on the presentation device; and

adjusting an amount charged to a provider of the content item for presentation of the content item based on the determined size of the viewing audience that was located in the physical environment of the presentation device during presentation of the content item on the presentation device, by decreasing the initial amount specified by the winning bid based on the sensor data indicating that the size of the viewing audience decreased during presentation of the content item on the presentation device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein determining the size of the viewing audience that was located in the physical environment of the presentation device during presentation of the content item on the presentation device includes determining a number of viewers who remained in a viewing vicinity of the presentation device until a specified amount of the presentation of the content item completed.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting the presentation device from among a plurality of presentation devices located in various physical environments on which to present the content item based on information obtained from co-located sensors in the various physical environments indicating information about viewing audiences located in the various physical environments at times preceding presentation of the content item on the presentation device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , further comprising selecting the presentation device from among the plurality of presentation devices located in the various physical environments on which to present the content item based on information about local attendance peaks at the various physical environments.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein a second presentation device located in a second physical environment has no corresponding sensor available to monitor capture information about a viewing audience located in the second physical environment;

the method further comprising providing the content item for presentation also on the second presentation device in the second physical environment.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor located in the same physical environment as the presentation device comprises at least one of an optical sensor, a tactile sensor, a heat sensor, a camera, an acoustic sensor, a speech detector, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a motion sensor, or a humidity sensor.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the presentation device is a billboard, and the sensor comprises at least one of an acoustic sensor, a pressure sensor, or a motion sensor that detects audio, pressure, or visual signals, respectively, indicating information about a number of vehicles traveling on a street in proximity of the billboard.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:

the sensor comprises a camera configured to capture images of viewers within a viewing vicinity of the presentation device; and

determining the size of the viewing audience that was located in the physical environment of the presentation device during presentation of the content item on the presentation device comprises performing an image recognition process on at least one image captured by the camera during presentation of the content item to count a number of viewers that the at least one image shows were located in the viewing vicinity of the presentation device during presentation of the content item.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:

adjusting the amount charged to the provider of the content item for presentation of the content item comprises adding a bonus to the initial amount specified by the winning bid based on the sensor data indicating that the size of the viewing audience meets a threshold viewership size.

10. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of operations comprising:

providing a content item for presentation on a presentation device responsive to a winning bid submitted by the provider of the content item specifying an initial amount required for presentation of the content item;

after providing the content item for presentation on the presentation device:

obtaining sensor data generated by a sensor during presentation of the content item on the presentation device, the sensor located in a same physical environment as the presentation device, the sensor data indicating information about a viewing audience that was located in the physical environment of the presentation device during presentation of the content item on the presentation device;

determining, based on the sensor data, a size of the viewing audience that was located in the physical environment of the presentation device during presentation of the content item on the presentation device; and

adjusting an amount charged to a provider of the content item for presentation of the content item based on the determined size of the viewing audience that was located in the physical environment of the presentation device during presentation of the content item on the presentation device, by decreasing the initial amount specified by the winning bid based on the sensor data indicating that the size of the viewing audience decreased during presentation of the content item on the presentation device.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein determining the size of the viewing audience that was located in the physical environment of the presentation device during presentation of the content item on the presentation device includes determining a number of viewers who remained in a viewing vicinity of the presentation device until a specified amount of the presentation of the content item completed.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise selecting the presentation device from among a plurality of presentation devices located in various physical environments on which to present the content item based on information obtained from co-located sensors in the various physical environments indicating information about viewing audiences located in the various physical environments at times preceding presentation of the content item on the presentation device.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12 , wherein the operations further comprise selecting the presentation device from among the plurality of presentation devices located in the various physical environments on which to present the content item based on information about local attendance peaks at the various physical environments.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein a second presentation device located in a second physical environment has no corresponding sensor available to monitor capture information about a viewing audience located in the second physical environment;

the operations further comprising providing the content item for presentation also on the second presentation device in the second physical environment.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein the sensor located in the same physical environment as the presentation device comprises at least one of an optical sensor, a tactile sensor, a heat sensor, a camera, an acoustic sensor, a speech detector, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a motion sensor, or a humidity sensor.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein the presentation device is a billboard, and the sensor comprises at least one of an acoustic sensor, a pressure sensor, or a motion sensor that detects audio, pressure, or visual signals, respectively, indicating information about a number of vehicles traveling on a street in proximity of the billboard.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein:

the sensor comprises a camera configured to capture images of viewers within a viewing vicinity of the presentation device; and

determining the size of the viewing audience that was located in the physical environment of the presentation device during presentation of the content item on the presentation device comprises performing an image recognition process on at least one image captured by the camera during presentation of the content item to count a number of viewers that the at least one image shows were located in the viewing vicinity of the presentation device during presentation of the content item.

18. A system comprising:

one or more processing devices; and

one or more computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising:

providing a content item for presentation on a presentation device responsive to a winning bid submitted by the provider of the content item specifying an initial amount required for presentation of the content item;

after providing the content item for presentation on the presentation device:

obtaining sensor data generated by a sensor during presentation of the content item on the presentation device, the sensor located in a same physical environment as the presentation device, the sensor data indicating information about a viewing audience that was located in the physical environment of the presentation device during presentation of the content item on the presentation device;

determining, based on the sensor data, a size of the viewing audience that was located in the physical environment of the presentation device during presentation of the content item on the presentation device; and

adjusting an amount charged to a provider of the content item for presentation of the content item based on the determined size of the viewing audience that was located in the physical environment of the presentation device during presentation of the content item on the presentation device, by decreasing the initial amount specified by the winning bid based on the sensor data indicating that the size of the viewing audience decreased during presentation of the content item on the presentation device.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein determining the size of the viewing audience that was located in the physical environment of the presentation device during presentation of the content item on the presentation device includes determining a number of viewers who remained in a viewing vicinity of the presentation device until a specified amount of the presentation of the content item completed.

20. The system of claim 18 , further comprising selecting the presentation device from among a plurality of presentation devices located in various physical environments on which to present the content item based on information obtained from co-located sensors in the various physical environments indicating information about viewing audiences located in the various physical environments at times preceding presentation of the content item on the presentation device.