MEDIA PROGRAM VIEWERSHIP MEASUREMENT USING BLOCKCHAINS

1 . A method of measuring consumption of content data having content for serially presentation, comprising:

embedding consumption monitoring data in different temporal locations of the content data, the consumption monitoring data comprising random values;

transmitting the content data to a client device for consumption;

wherein the client device:

extracts the random values only after a portion of the content data associated with a temporal location of the associated random values has been consumed; and

transmits the extracted random values to a smart contract associated with a blockchain;

wherein the smart contract:

verifies that the transmitted extracted random values match the embedded random values; and

executes a transaction of the smart contract only if the transmitted extracted random values match the embedded random values.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

embedding consumption monitoring data in different temporal locations of the content data, comprises:

generating n random numbers, where n>0;

embedding the consumption monitoring data comprising the n random numbers in the different temporal locations of the content data;

the method further comprises:

generating a first value P 1 at least in part from a cryptographic function of the n random numbers;

publishing the first value P 1 to a smart contract associated with a blockchain;

wherein the client device:

extracts each of the n random numbers only after the portion of the content data associated with the temporal location of the associated random number has been consumed; and

transmits the extracted n random numbers to the smart contract associated with the blockchain;

wherein the smart contract:

verifies, that the transmitted extracted n random numbers match the embedded n random numbers from the published first value P 1 and a second value P 2 generated from the extracted n random numbers; and

executes the transaction of the smart contract only if the transmitted extracted n random numbers match the embedded n random numbers.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the cryptographic function is a hash of a combination of the n random numbers.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the combination of the n random numbers is one of an exclusive OR of the n random numbers;

a bitwise OR of the n random numbers;

a bitwise AND of the n random numbers; and

a concatenation of the n random numbers.

5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein:

the serially presented content data comprises a transport stream including packets having an adaptation field; and

each of the n random numbers are embedded as private data of the adaptation field.

6 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the serially presented content is coded chunks according to an HLS protocol, and one of the n random number is included in each chunk.

7 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the extracted n random numbers are transmitted only after all of the n random numbers associated with the content have been extracted.

8 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the extracted n random numbers are securely transmitted.

9 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the consumption monitoring data further comprises a unique identifier of the content.

10 . A system for measuring consumption of content data having content for serially presentation, comprising:

means for embedding consumption monitoring data in different temporal locations of the content data, the consumption monitoring data comprising random values;

means for transmitting the content data to a client device for consumption;

wherein the client device:

extracts the random values only after a portion of the content data associated with a temporal location of the associated random number has been consumed an

transmits the extracted random values to a smart contract associated with a blockchain;

wherein the smart contract:

verifies that the transmitted extracted random values match the embedded random values; and

executes a transaction of the smart contract only if the transmitted extracted random values match the embedded random values.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein.

the means for embedding consumption monitoring data in different temporal locations of the content data, comprises:

means for generating n random numbers, where n>0;

means for embedding the consumption monitoring data comprising the n random numbers in the different temporal locations of the content data;

the system further comprises:

means for generating a first value P 1 at least in part from a cryptographic function of the n random numbers;

means for publishing the first value P 1 to a smart contract associated with a blockchain;

wherein the client device:

extracts each of the n random numbers only after the portion of the content data associated with the temporal location of the associated random number has been consumed; and

transmits the extracted n random numbers to the smart contract associated with the blockchain;

wherein the smart contract:

verifies, that the transmitted extracted n random numbers match the embedded n random numbers from the published first value P 1 and a second value P 2 generated from the extracted n random numbers; and

executes the transaction of the smart contract only if the transmitted extracted n random numbers match the embedded n random numbers.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the cryptographic function is a hash of a combination of the n random numbers.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the combination of the n random numbers is one of

an exclusive OR of the n random numbers;

a bitwise OR of the n random numbers;

a bitwise AND of the n random numbers; and

a concatenation of the n random numbers.

14 . The system of claim 11 , wherein:

the serially presented content data comprises a transport stream including packets having an adaptation field; and

each of the n random numbers are embedded as private data of the adaptation field.

15 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the serially presented content is coded chunks according to an HLS protocol, and one of the n random number is included in each chunk.

16 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the extracted n random numbers are transmitted only after all of the n random numbers associated with the content have been extracted.

17 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the extracted n random numbers are securely transmitted.

18 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the consumption monitoring data further comprises a unique identifier of the content.

19 . A system for measuring consumption of content data having content for serially presentation, comprising:

a content producer processor;

a content producer memory, communicatively coupled to the content producer processor, the content producer memory storing content producer instructions including instructions for:

embedding consumption monitoring data in different temporal locations of the content data, the consumption monitoring data comprising random values;

a transmitter, for transmitting the content data to a client device for consumption;

wherein the client device:

extracts the random values only after a portion of the content data associated with a temporal location of the associated random number has been consumed; and

transmits the extracted random values to a smart contract associated with a blockchain;

a verification processor;

a verification memory, storing verification processor instructions comprising instructions for:

verifying that the transmitted extracted random values match the embedded random values; and

executing a transaction of the smart contract only if the transmitted extracted random values match the embedded random values.

20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein:

the content producer processor instructions for embedding the consumption monitoring data in the different temporal locations of the content data comprise content producer processor instructions for:

generating n random numbers, where n>0; and

embedding the consumption monitoring data comprising the n random numbers in the different temporal locations of the content data;

the content producer processor instructions further comprise content producer processor instructions for:

generating a first value P 1 at least in part from a cryptographic function of the n random numbers;

publishing the first value P 1 to a smart contract associated with a blockchain;

wherein the client device:

extracts each of the n random numbers only after the portion of the content data associated with the temporal location of the associated random number has been consumed; and

transmits the extracted n random numbers to the smart contract associated with the blockchain;

wherein:

the verification processor instructions for verifying that the transmitted extracted random values match the embedded random values comprise verification processor instructions for:

verifying, that the transmitted extracted n random numbers match the embedded n random numbers from the published first value P 1 and a second value P 2 generated from the extracted n random numbers; and

the verification processor instructions for executing the transaction of the smart contract only if the transmitted extracted random values match the embedded random values comprise verification processor instructions for:

automatically executing the transaction of the smart contract only if the transmitted extracted n random numbers match the embedded n random numbers.