Method and system for independent validation of asset serving

1. A method for independent validation of asset serving performance, wherein the method is performed in a network that includes a Content Distribution Network (CDN), wherein the CDN retaining a plurality of assets available for download therefrom, the method comprising:

receiving an asset serving request, generated in response to a content request sent by a client device;

responsive to receiving the asset serving request, performing the following:

selecting an asset from the plurality of assets;

generating an asset session identifier corresponding to the asset and the asset serving request;

providing an Asset Serving Template (AST) comprising a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) pointing to the asset, and

providing to the client device content corresponding to the content request,

wherein the URL is configured when being used in a download request of the asset from the CDN to effect recordation of the asset session identifier in association with an event logged in an event log associated with the CDN responsive to the download request;

whereby determining unique asset download request events of a given asset of the plurality of assets based on asset session identifiers corresponding to the given asset recorded in association with events logged in the event log, is enabled;

wherein the unique asset download request events are used for validating a reported impression statistic of the given asset, where the reported impression statistic is provided by a third-party publishing system, enabling verification of third-party impression statistics.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the URL is further configured to prevent caching of the asset.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the asset session identifier comprises encoding of asset data selected from the group consisting of:

an asset identifier;

an asset file identification;

an asset placement identification;

an asset campaign identification;

an asset owner identification;

and any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the asset session identifier comprises a unique or pseudo-unique session identification selected from the group consisting of:

a client Internet Protocol (IP) address;

a timestamp of the asset serving request;

a cookie header;

a client device identification;

the URL pointing to the asset of the AST;

a client user agent identification;

a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) header of the asset serving request;

a HTTP status code of a response to the asset serving request; an amount of time for start of response to the asset serving request;

an amount of time for completion of response to the asset serving request;

and any combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the AST further comprises at least one beacon URL configured for being accessed responsive to a predetermined condition being met to thereby cause logging of a beacon event, wherein the unique asset download request events are used for validating reported and/or logged beacon events for the given asset.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network comprises a third-party publisher system, wherein the asset serving request is issued by the third-party publisher system, wherein the third-party publisher system comprises an asset delivery component configured to access the CDN using the AST a plurality of times to deliver the asset to a user.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the third-party publisher system is configured to ignore any beacon URLs comprised in the AST and configured for being accessed responsive to a predetermined condition being met to thereby cause logging of a beacon event, whereby the third-party publisher system preventing usage of beacon URLs for validating impression statistics provided by the third-party publisher system, wherein validation of impression statistics is enabled using the unique asset download request events.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, based on real-time analysis of the event log, to prevent asset serving in response to asset serving request from a first third-party publisher system, whereby selective real-time asset blocking is performed with respect to the first third-party publisher system, and whereby asset serving to a second third-party publisher continues uninterruptedly.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of assets is associated with a companion asset, wherein events logged or reported with respect to the companion asset are correlated with the unique asset download request events for validation.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising computing a number of download requests based on the unique asset download request events in a timeframe, and comparing a number of reported events in the timeframe, wherein the reported events are reported based on actions of a third-party, whereby verifying or refuting the number of reported events provided by the third-party.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising matching each of the unique asset download request events with reported events, wherein the reported events are reported based on actions of a third-party, whereby verifying or refuting each of the reported events provided by the third-party.

12. An apparatus having a processor and coupled memory, the apparatus being used for independent validation of asset serving performance, the apparatus being in communication with a network that includes a Content Distribution Network (CDN), wherein the CDN retaining a plurality of assets available for download therefrom, the processor being adapted to:

receiving an asset serving request, generated in response to a content request sent by a client device;

responsive to receiving the asset serving request:

select an asset from the plurality of assets;

generate an asset session identifier corresponding to the asset and the asset serving request;

provide an Asset Serving Template (AST) comprising a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) pointing to the asset, and

provide to the client device content corresponding to the content request,

wherein the URL is configured when being used in a download request of the asset from the CDN to effect recordation of the asset session identifier in association with an event logged in an event log associated with the CDN responsive to the download request;

whereby determining unique asset download request events of a given asset of the plurality of assets based on asset session identifiers corresponding to the given asset recorded in association with events logged in the event log, is enabled;

wherein the unique asset download request events are used for validating a reported impression statistic of the given asset, where the reported impression statistic is provided by a third-party publishing system enabling verification of third-party impression statistics.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the URL is further configured to prevent caching of the asset.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the AST further comprises at least one beacon URL configured for being accessed responsive to a predetermined condition being met to thereby cause logging of a beacon event, wherein the unique asset download request events are used for validating reported and/or logged beacon events for the given asset.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein said processor being further adapted to:

determine, based on real-time analysis of the event log, to prevent asset serving in response to asset serving request from a first third-party publisher system, whereby selective real-time asset blocking is performed with respect to the first third-party publisher system, and whereby asset serving to a second third-party publisher continues uninterruptedly.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein said processor being further adapted to compute a number of download requests based on the unique asset download request events in a timeframe, and compare a number of reported events in the timeframe, wherein the reported events are reported based on actions of a third-party, whereby verifying or refuting the number of reported events provided by the third-party.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein said processor being further adapted to match each of the unique asset download request events with reported events, wherein the reported events are reported based on actions of a third-party, whereby verifying or refuting each of the reported events provided by the third-party.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium retaining program instructions, which program instructions when read by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for independent validation of asset serving performance, wherein the method being performed in a network that includes a Content Distribution Network (CDN), wherein the CDN retaining a plurality of assets available for download therefrom, wherein the method comprising:

receiving an asset serving request, generated in response to a content request sent by a client device;

responsive to receiving the asset serving request:

selecting an asset from the plurality of assets;

generating an asset session identifier corresponding to the asset and the asset serving request;

providing an Asset Serving Template (AST) comprising a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) pointing to the asset, and

providing to the client device content corresponding to the content request,

wherein the URL is configured when being used in a download request of the asset from the CDN to effect recordation of the asset session identifier in association with an event logged in an event log associated with the CDN responsive to the download request;

whereby determining unique asset download request events of a given asset of the plurality of assets based on asset session identifiers corresponding to the given asset recorded in association with events logged in the event log, is enabled;

wherein the unique asset download request events are used for validating a reported impression statistic of the given asset, where the reported impression statistic is provided by a third-party publishing system enabling verification of third-party impression statistics.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the asset is an advertisement.

20. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the asset is an advertisement.

21. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining any one or more of the following for the given asset: unique asset initiations count within a timeframe, impressions count within a timeframe, completions count within a timeframe; and a count of impressions that reaches a certain quartile or another percentage count within a timeframe.

22. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further adapted to determine any one or more of the following for the given asset: unique asset initiations count within a timeframe, impressions count within a timeframe, completions count within a timeframe; and a count of impressions that reaches a certain quartile or another percentage count within a timeframe.