Content-modification system with system resource request feature

1. A method comprising:

identifying, by a server computing system, an upcoming content modification opportunity on a channel;

responsive to identifying the upcoming content modification opportunity on the channel, identifying, by the server computing system, a group of multiple content-presentation devices tuned to the channel;

using, by the server computing system, at least in part, an amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine an amount of system resources to request for use in performing actions that facilitate at least a portion of the content-presentation devices in the identified group performing respective content-modification operations, wherein using the amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine the amount of system resources to request comprises using data that maps the amount of content-presentation devices to a respective corresponding amount of system resources, to determine the amount of system resources to request; and

requesting, by the server computing system, the determined amount of system resources for use in performing the actions that facilitate at least a portion of the content-presentation devices in the identified group performing respective content-modification operations.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determined amount of system resources comprises more than one system resource.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein using, at least in part, the amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine the amount of system resources to request further comprises using, at least in part, the amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group and historical content consumption data associated with the content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine the amount of system resources to request.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the historical content consumption data relates to tendencies of the content-presentation devices in the identified group to change channels.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein using, at least in part, the amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group and historical content consumption data associated with the content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine the amount of system resources to request comprises:

determining that a portion of content-presentation devices of the identified group are over a threshold percentage likely to change channels before the upcoming content modification opportunity; and

in response to determining that the portion of content-presentation devices of the identified group are over the threshold percentage likely to change channels before the upcoming content modification opportunity, determining the amount of system resources to request based on an amount of content-presentation devices in a remaining portion of the identified group.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein using, at least in part, the amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine the amount of system resources to request comprises determining that one instance of a server running a particular software application should be requested for every n content-presentation devices of the identified group, wherein n is an integer greater than zero, the particular software application having logic for selecting supplemental content to deliver to at least the portion of the content-presentation devices for at least the portion of the content-presentation devices.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein requesting the determined amount of system resources comprises requesting launching one or more instances of servers running a particular software application having logic for selecting supplemental content to deliver to at least the portion of the content-presentation devices for at least the portion of the content-presentation devices to use in performing the respective content-modification operations.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the particular software application further has logic for causing, for each content-presentation device of at least the portion of the content-presentation devices in the identified group, selected supplemental content to be transmitted to that content-presentation device.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein requesting the determined amount of system resources further comprises requesting additional processing cycles for the servers running the particular software application.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by a processor, cause performance of a set of operations comprising:

identifying an upcoming content modification opportunity on a channel;

responsive to identifying the upcoming content modification opportunity on the channel, identifying a group of multiple content-presentation devices tuned to the channel;

using, at least in part, an amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine an amount of system resources to request for use in performing actions that facilitate at least a portion of the content-presentation devices in the identified group performing respective content-modification operations, wherein using the amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine the amount of system resources to request comprises using data that maps the amount of content-presentation devices to a respective corresponding amount of system resources, to determine the amount of system resources to request; and

requesting, the determined amount of system resources for use in performing the actions that facilitate at least a portion of the content-presentation devices in the identified group performing respective content-modification operations.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein using, at least in part, the amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine the amount of system resources to request further comprises using, at least in part, the amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group and historical content consumption data associated with the content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine the amount of system resources to request.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the historical content consumption data relates to tendencies of the content-presentation devices in the identified group to change channels.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein using, at least in part, the amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group and historical content consumption data associated with the content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine the amount of system resources to request comprises:

determining that a portion of content-presentation devices of the identified group are over a threshold percentage likely to change channels before the upcoming content modification opportunity; and

in response to determining that the portion of content-presentation devices of the identified group are over the threshold percentage likely to change channels before the upcoming content modification opportunity, determining the amount of system resources to request based on an amount of content-presentation devices in a remaining portion of the identified group.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein using, at least in part, the amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine the amount of system resources to request comprises determining that one instance of a server running a particular software application should be requested for every n content-presentation devices of the identified group, wherein n is an integer greater than zero, the particular software application having logic for selecting supplemental content to deliver to at least the portion of the content-presentation devices for at least the portion of the content-presentation devices.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein requesting the determined amount of system resources comprises requesting launching one or more instances of servers running a particular software application having logic for selecting supplemental content to deliver to at least the portion of the content-presentation devices for at least the portion of the content-presentation devices to use in performing the respective content-modification operations.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the upcoming content modification opportunity on the channel comprises an opportunity to perform a content-replacement operation for outputting, in place of a particular content segment of a linear sequence of content segments received on the channel, a replacement content segment, and

wherein using, at least in part, the amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine the amount of system resources to request further comprises using, at least in part, the amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine the amount of system resources to request for use in performing actions that facilitate at least a portion of the content-presentation devices in the identified group performing respective content-replacement operations at the upcoming content modification opportunity.

17. A server computing system comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by the processor, cause performance of a set of operations comprising:

identifying an upcoming content modification opportunity on a channel;

responsive to identifying the upcoming content modification opportunity on the channel, identifying a group of multiple content-presentation devices tuned to the channel;

using, at least in part, an amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine an amount of system resources to request for use in performing actions that facilitate at least a portion of the content-presentation devices in the identified group performing respective content-modification operations, wherein using the amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine the amount of system resources to request comprises using data that maps the amount of content-presentation devices to a respective corresponding amount of system resources, to determine the amount of system resources to request; and

requesting, the determined amount of system resources for use in performing the actions that facilitate at least a portion of the content-presentation devices in the identified group performing respective content-modification operations.

18. The computing system of claim 17 , wherein using, at least in part,

the amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine the amount of system resources to request further comprises using, at least in part, the amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group and historical content consumption data associated with the content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine the amount of system resources to request.

19. The computing system of claim 18 , wherein the historical content consumption data relates to tendencies of the content-presentation devices in the identified group to change channels.

20. The computing system of claim 18 , wherein using, at least in part, the amount of content-presentation devices in the identified group and historical content consumption data associated with the content-presentation devices in the identified group as a basis to determine the amount of system resources to request comprises:

determining that a portion of content-presentation devices of the identified group are over a threshold percentage likely to change channels before the upcoming content modification opportunity; and

in response to determining that the portion of content-presentation devices of the identified group are over the threshold percentage likely to change channels before the upcoming content modification opportunity, determining the amount of system resources to request based on an amount of content-presentation devices in a remaining portion of the identified group.