IP Library Granted Patent US 11,871,058
Granted Patent B2
US 11,871,058 · App. 17/898,185 · Granted Jan 9, 2024

Methods and apparatus to determine a duration of media presentation based on tuning session

Inventors: Michael Sheppard (Brooklyn, NY); Jonathan Sullivan (Hurricane, UT); Peter Lipa (Tucson, AZ); Alejandro Terrazas (Santa Cruz, CA)
Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
H04N21/252H04N21/44222H04N21/4667
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,871,058
App. No.
17/898,185
Granted
Jan 9, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to determine a duration of media presentation based on tuning session duration. Example apparatus a receiver to obtain a first tuning session duration indicative of an amount of time between channel changes of a first media presentation device at a first media presentation location, a presentation session estimator to select a model from storage, the model selected based on a match of the first tuning session duration and a second tuning session duration, the model including a relation between the second tuning session duration and a first presentation session duration of media presented on a second media presentation device at a second media presentation location, and estimate a second presentation session duration of media presented within the first tuning session duration based on the model.

Claims (46)

1. A method comprising:

obtaining respective tuning session data from a plurality of media presentation devices, corresponding ones of the media presentation devices in respective ones of media presentation environments, the respective ones of the media presentation environments including at least one media output device to present media from a corresponding one of the media presentation devices, the respective tuning session data from respective ones of the media presentation devices indicative of a tuning session having a tuning session duration, the tuning session duration indicative of an amount of time between interactions with a corresponding one of the media presentation devices, wherein presentation session data is available for a first subset of the media presentation environments, and wherein presentation session data is not available for a second subset of the media presentation environments;

obtaining, for ones of the first subset of the media presentation environments, respective presentation session data indicative of a presentation session duration during which media corresponding to a respective tuning session was presented on the respective at least one media output device by the media presentation device within a respective tuning session duration;

generating, by performing one or more operations with processor circuitry, a model relating the respective tuning session durations to corresponding presentation session durations from the ones of the first subset of the media presentation environments;

based on the model, determining, by performing one or more operations with the processor circuitry, for a given one of the media presentation environments in the second subset of the media presentation environments, an expected presentation session duration for a given tuning session having a given tuning session duration; and

causing, by performing one or more operations with the processor circuitry, presentation of the expected presentation session duration for the given tuning session from the given one of the media presentation environments.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

obtaining, from the first subset of the media presentation environments, additional tuning session data and additional media presentation data indicative of additional tuning session durations and additional media presentation session durations, respectively; and

updating, by performing one or more operations with the processor circuitry, the model with the additional tuning session durations and additional media presentation durations.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

subsequent to determining the expected presentation session duration, based on the model, for the given tuning session having the given tuning session duration, determining, by performing one or more operations with the processor circuitry, for another given one of the media presentation environments in the second subset of the media presentation environments, another expected presentation session duration for another given tuning session having another given tuning session duration based on the updated model; and

causing, by performing one or more operations with the processor circuitry, presentation of the other expected presentation session duration for the other given tuning session from the other given one of the media presentation environments.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining of the expected presentation session duration for the given tuning session based on the model includes determining the expected presentation session duration based on multiple ones of the tuning session durations and corresponding ones of the presentation session durations of the ones of the first subset of the media presentation environments, the multiple ones of the tuning session durations being within a threshold extent of similarity of the given tuning session duration.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the threshold extent of similarity is a threshold of time similarity in which each of the tuning session durations of the multiple ones of the tuning session durations of the ones of the first subset of the media presentation environments are within a time threshold of the given tuning session duration.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the expected presentation session duration for the given presentation session is a weighted average of the presentation session durations of the multiple ones of the tuning session durations of the ones of the first subset of the media presentation environments.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the time threshold is four minutes.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the expected presentation session duration for the given presentation session is a conditional probability of the presentation session durations of the multiple ones of the tuning session durations of the ones of the first subset of the media presentation environments, indicated by the model.

9. The method of claim 1 , further including:

determining, by performing one or more operations with the processor circuitry, that a number of tuning session durations related by the model to corresponding presentation session durations from the first subset of the media presentation environments is at least a threshold number of tuning session durations, and

wherein the determining of the expected presentation session duration for the given tuning session having the given tuning session duration based on the model is performed in response to the determination that the number of tuning session durations related by the model to corresponding presentation session durations from the first subset of the media presentation environments is at least the threshold number of tuning session durations.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the threshold number is five hundred tuning session durations.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the threshold number is one thousand tuning session durations.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining, for the ones of the first subset of the media presentation environments, the respective presentation session data indicative of the presentation session duration during which media corresponding to the respective tuning session was presented by the media presentation device within the respective tuning session duration includes obtaining, for the ones of the first subset of the media presentation environments, respective on/off durations, the respective on/off durations indicative of an amount of time that the respective media output device was turned on during the respective tuning session.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the model is utilized to adjust inaccurate tuning session data and relates the respective tuning session durations to corresponding on/off durations from the ones of the first subset of the media presentation environments.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying, by performing one or more operations with the processor circuitry, the first subset of the media presentation environments from which the presentation session data is available.

15. A method comprising:

accessing respective tuning session data from a plurality of set-top boxes, corresponding ones of the set-top boxes in respective ones of media presentation environments, the respective media presentation environments including at least one television to present media from a corresponding one of the set-top boxes, the respective tuning session data from respective ones of the set-top boxes indicative of a tuning session having a tuning session duration, the tuning session duration indicative of an amount of time between interactions with a corresponding one of the set-top boxes, wherein on/off durations are available for a first subset of the media presentation environments, and wherein on/off durations are not available for a second subset of the media presentation environments;

accessing, for ones of the first subset of the media presentation environments, respective on/off durations corresponding to respective tuning sessions, the on/off duration indicative of an amount of time that the respective television was turned on during the respective tuning session;

generating a model relating the respective tuning session durations to corresponding on/off durations from the ones of the first subset of the media presentation environments;

based on the model, determining, for a given one of the media presentation environments in the second subset of the media presentation environments, an expected on/off duration for a given tuning session having a given tuning session duration; and

causing presentation of the expected on/off duration for the given tuning session from the given one of the media presentation environments.

16. The method of claim 15 , including:

accessing, from additional ones of the first subset of the media presentation environments, additional tuning session data indicative of additional tuning session durations and additional on/off durations indicative of an amount of time that the respective television was turned on during the additional tuning session; and

updating the model with the additional tuning session durations and additional on/off durations.

17. The method of claim 16 , including:

subsequent to determining the expected on/off duration, based on the model, for the given tuning session having the given tuning session duration, determining, for another given one of the media presentation environments in the second subset of the media presentation environments, another expected on/off duration for another given tuning session having another given tuning session duration based on the updated model; and

outputting the other expected on/off duration for the other given tuning session from the other given one of the media presentation environments.

18. The method of claim 15 , including determining the expected on/off duration for the given tuning session based on the model by determining the expected on/off duration based on multiple ones of the tuning session durations and corresponding ones of the on/off durations of the ones of the first subset of the media presentation environments, the multiple ones of the tuning session durations being within a threshold extent of similarity of the given tuning session duration.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the threshold extent of similarity is a threshold of time similarity in which each of the tuning session durations of the multiple ones of the tuning session durations of the ones of the first subset of the media presentation environments are within a time threshold of the given tuning session duration.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the expected on/off duration for the given tuning session is a weighted average of the on/off durations of the multiple ones of the tuning session durations of the ones of the first subset of the media presentation environments.

21. The method of claim 18 , wherein the expected on/off duration for the given tuning session is a conditional probability of the on/off durations of the multiple ones of the tuning session durations of the ones of the first subset of the media presentation environments, indicated by the model.

22. The method of claim 15 , including:

determining that a number of tuning session durations related by the model to corresponding on/off durations from the first subset of the media presentation environments is at least a threshold number of tuning session durations, and

determining the expected on/off duration for the given tuning session having the given tuning session duration based on the model in response to the determination that the number of tuning session durations related by the model to corresponding on/off durations from the first subset of the media presentation environments is at least the threshold number of tuning session durations.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the threshold number is five hundred tuning session durations.

Assignments (4)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 8, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: ARES CAPITAL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 063574/0632 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 28, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 063561/0381 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 31, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 063560/0547 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 19, 2022
From: SHEPPARD, MICHAEL; SULLIVAN, JONATHAN; LIPA, PETER; TERRAZAS, ALEJANDRO
To: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
Reel/Frame 061705/0230 →