Media insertion system

Technical field [0001] The invention relates to a program distribution system with insertion of local media.

Background Art [0002] The media insertion system involves the selection of the position of the media to be output by the receiver during a predetermined slot in the schedule, either during broadcasting or when playing back recorded material, or video on demand (VOD) programming, as in personal video recorder (PVR) case. Where programming includes content during a gap that can be replaced by media insertion, this replacement is called media substitution. Such systems can be used for targeted advertising messages (TSA), where the advertising message (in am. "commercial") is selected for output based on a predetermined user profile, without the user choosing any particular advertising message. In the broadcast example, the user's impression is similar to watching a broadcast with a break for an advertising message, but the advertising messages are adapted to the user's profile by making a choice in the broadcast receiver. The default media position can be included in the programming of the program during the slot, for output by receivers in which media substitution is not enabled, or by receivers not indicated for substitution.

[0003] Attempts have been made to normalize aspects of media insertion. For example, the standard of the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers SCTE 130-1 2008 defines the skeleton XML interface for communication between the various components of the substitution advertising platform. The specification for Modern Advertising (1.0) was announced by Canoe Ventures LLC on March 30, 2009.

[0004] However, the practical implementation of a media substitution or insertion system raises many challenges. One of the problems is the complexity of planning media positions, which are subject to restrictions, for example, for other media positions to be planned or to scheduled programs, especially when they are output in close proximity or adjacent to each other. Limitations in current, linear (i.e. non-constitutional) advertising message planning systems are already associated with a significant degree of complexity. For example, the applicant's Landmark 2 system requires a dedicated state of the art computer system to meet the restriction requirements necessary to manage advertising message planning on over 200 channels. Making substitution reservations within the same system context as linear booking would be an unenforceable level of complexity for restrictions if restrictions were to be met between all possible substitution options. One of the specific problems is the limited processing power available on the receiver for selecting substitution options.

[0005] In a centralized broadcast system, such as a satellite broadcast system, regional changes in media positions must be handled by substitution or insertion, rather than only by broadcasting regional variations from the corresponding regional headend.

[0006] Another problem of media substitution involves determining which media positions are left

- output on the receiver. Currently, such information is obtained from survey data from a relatively small number of users, although more accurate information could be provided via a reverse link. However, the receiver may not have a reverse link available, or it may be desirable to avoid using a reverse link, for example when the reverse channel is connected via a switched modem connected to the user's main telephone line. Users may also be opposed to systems that report specific user behavior to a remote location.

[0007] Another problem is related to the method of selecting the position of the substitution media to be output by the receiver according to the user profile. It would be desirable for selection criteria to be as flexible as possible, but this would involve storing a large amount of profile data on the receiver. In addition, the broadcast receiver may not be able to apply complex selection rules to determine which media position to output.

[0008] Another problem is controlling the likelihood that a particular media position or set of media positions will be output to a specific receiver. In linear planning systems, predicted numbers and audience profiles for a particular program are used to select advertising messages that should be scheduled during a break within or adjacent to the program. Estimated audience size is provided in the UK by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB). The likelihood of a specific advertising message being output by a specific receiver is simply determined by the probability that the receiver will be tuned to the channel on which the given advertising message is scheduled during the time slot in which the advertising message is scheduled. This probability is a function of the audience segment to which the receiver belongs.

[0009] In a media substitution system, the likelihood of a specific, substitution advertising message being output by a specific receiver is also dependent on the likelihood that this substitute advertising message will be selected by the receiver. Although predicted audience sizes can be broken down by audience segment, these segments may not match the segments targeted by the different substitution options. Therefore, predicted audience sizes are less useful for planning media substitution positions than for planning media linear positions.

[0010] Therefore, it would be desirable to control the delivery of substitution media positions so as to optimize the probability that a specific media position, directed to a selected audience segment, will be output by receivers within that audience segment.

[0011] The above problems are not limited to broadcasting systems as video on demand (VOD) and Push VOD (with video recording to watch on PVR) systems may include substitution content with the desired program; see, for example, patent publication 2008/078093 A1 regarding the association of ancillary resources, such as advertising messages, with a main resource, such as the program requested.

[0012] Patent publication US-A-2002/083443 discloses a targeted advertising distribution system in which the queue of targeted advertising messages on the set-top box is refreshed when the queue reaches a low level threshold.

The essence of the invention

[0013] According to one aspect of the invention, a method according to claim 1 is provided. 1.

[0014] According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a program receiver according to claim 12.

[0015] According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system according to claim 13.

[0016] Each of the media items may have an associated segment definition defining the associated set or range of values ​​of the receiver profile data, which may be expressed as one or more rules and / or data. The receiver chooses which media items to output, based on a comparison between the segment definition and the profile data.

[0017] It is allowed for the segment definitions to overlap, and the choice between many possible media positions can be made on the receiver, based on associated priority levels and / or independent of the predetermined gap. This may allow improved audience targeting, for example, by matching the expected audience profile of the program with the definition of the media position segment scheduled for the slot.

[0018] The choice between many possible media positions may alternatively or additionally be based on time or frequency constraints, for example based on previous receiver position selections by the receiver.

[0019] The choice between many possible media positions can be made at least partly on a random or pseudo-random, optionally weighted basis, based on one or more of the criteria mentioned above.

[0020] Receiver profile data can be changed by passing variable receiver profile data to the receiver. Receiver profile data items can belong to the segment definition of a specific set of media items. In this way, segments can be defined flexibly and can change for each set of media items. Receiver profile data necessary to select media items from a specific general set can be passed to the receiver, optionally in combination with segment definitions to determine the application of each segment to the receiver profile data. Receiver profile data can be extracted from the profile database containing information about the receivers and / or their associated users. In this way, the need to transfer large amounts of profile data to the receiver can be avoided; instead, the necessary profile data is only transmitted to the receiver as needed. Profile data items can be adapted to a specific set of data items, in which case the selection rule can be a simple matching rule and which does not require complex processing by the receiver. Alternatively or additionally, between different sets of data items and their associated segment definitions, a common set of profile data items can be reused, thus avoiding the need to frequently transfer new profile data items.

Description of the figures [0021] At present, by way of example only, a detailed description of the embodiments of the invention will follow, with reference to the figures identified below.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the main components of the media substitution system in an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart of steps involved in operating the media substitution system.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart of the steps performed by the receiver in determining which media positions

To obtain.

Fig. 4a is a diagram of object associations for attributes of an ungrouped campaign.

Fig. 4b is a diagram of the object associations for the attributes of a grouped substitution campaign.

Fig. 5 is a diagram of a substitution gap containing a campaign of multiple instances of a single advertiser, in an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a diagram of a substitution gap containing three parameterized campaigns of many advertisers in an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating the planning of an aggregated slit substitution campaign in a comparative example.

Fig. 8 is a diagram of an embodiment in which compliance with the restriction requirements is partially performed at the receiver.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart of the process performed at the receiver, in the embodiment of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a schematic of functional components of a specific embodiment of the receiver.

Fig. 11 is a schematic of functional components of a particular embodiment of a computer system in embodiments of the invention.

A detailed description of the embodiments

General information about the media substitution system [0022] Fig. 1 ideologically illustrates the main components of the media substitution system in an embodiment of the invention in which programs are broadcast video programs and substitution media positions include advertising video clips.

[0023] Exemplary broadcast receiver 1 includes a personal video recorder (PVR) adapted to receive video channels broadcast from a headend station 2 via a broadcast link and to output at least one of the received broadcast channels on the video display 3. Receiver 1 stores profile 5 data identifying the preferences and / or demographics of one or more users or subscribers associated with receiver 1. Receiver 1 also stores media content 4, including media substitution items and associated metadata. Media items can be received via broadcast or other communications network in advance of their scheduled broadcast time.

[0024] The media insertion function 6 detects the occurrence of a substitution gap in the currently received broadcast program and can select the position of the substitution media to be output to the video display during the substitution gap, instead of the linear media content on the broadcast channel, based on the profile data. Linear media content will be output through broadcast receivers for which substitution is not activated, either because the receiver is not adapted for media substitution or because media substitution is prohibited. Linear media content will also be output by receivers for which substitution is activated, but the profile data does not correspond to the segment of any substitution media positions for this substitution gap, or the corresponding substitution media position has not been received.

[0025] Optionally, the PVR may record viewing data 7, indicating broadcast programs and / or media positions output for display by the receiver 1, for reporting purposes.

[0026] The content descriptions of the media 4, necessary for the receivers 1, are compiled by a central function

- planning 8, which determines media content planning 4. Media content 4 is output to the broadcast media function 9 for broadcast to receivers 1 in advance of scheduled media content times. The scheduling function 8 also outputs line media positions for insertion into the broadcast program schedule performed by the broadcast function 10.

[0027] All substitution media positions for the substitution gap should be emitted before the substitution gap occurs in the broadcast schedule. Under certain circumstances, each item should be broadcast repeatedly to maximize the chance that all items are received by most receivers 1, when some receivers are occasionally turned off, or unable to receive broadcasts. However, it is not necessary for all substitution options to be received by all receivers, as the broadcast of linear content may be output during the slit if the required substitution option is not available.

[0028] The profile data 5 stored on the receiver 1 can be generated by the profile management function 11 and sent to the receiver 1 by the profile 12 data transfer function on the headend 2. The scheduling function 8 can receive viewership data 7 from the receivers 1 and can respond to data viewership 7 when planning the position of substitution and / or linear media.

Method of substitution transmission [0029] Fig. 2 shows the steps performed in a method of planning, delivering and displaying one or more substitution advertising campaigns, in an embodiment of the invention. Each substitute advertising campaign may include one or more media items, sometimes referred to as "items" or "item items," where each media is associated with a viewer profile segment defined by the segment data and / or one or more segment rules associated with this position. For example, an advertising campaign for a car series may include a set of media items, each containing advertising for a specific car in the series, designed to refer to a market segment defined by the associated data and / or segment rule.

[0030] In the current embodiment, the profile data of each broadcast receiver 1 comprises a set of profile data items stored locally on the receiver. Each receiver 1 also has a unique identity, such as the subscriber's card number (subscriber's ID) stored on the smart card, accessible to receiver 1. The profile management system 11 accesses the database of subscriber's details 13 associated with the subscriber's unique identities, including subscriber's details provided when subscribing to the broadcast service, subscriber's preferences provided via receiver 1 or other communication link, and / or third party data for which the subscriber agreed to this end. Therefore, database 13 stores a large number of profile data items that can be used to define profile data and / or segments. However, it would be impracticable to duplicate all data items associated with the 1 program broadcast receiver in the profile 13 database so that they can be compared with the profile segments of any specific campaign. Moreover, a predetermined set of profile data items may require excessive processing by the receiver to identify if receiver 1 belongs to a particular segment. For example, a predetermined profile data item may contain a trimmed zip code (used for example to specify a channel set - e.g. multiplex or sub-multiplex channel - which can be received by the receiver 1), while the profile segment can be defined by a much larger region. to determine if cropped

- the zip code corresponds to a specific region, receiver 1 would need to obtain a list of cropped zip codes corresponding to each region, and compare this cropped zip code with the list of zip codes.

[0031] Instead, in the step of generating the S1 profile, the profile data items are generated from the profile database 13 for use in one or more specific campaigns. For example, a campaign may contain different media positions for viewers in the north and south of England, so the profile data position appropriate for the campaign may indicate whether the subscriber is in the north or in the south of England. The profile management function 11 polls the profile database 13 and specifies the profile data element specific to the campaign for each subscriber ID selected to receive the corresponding campaign. In this way, the profile data items stored in the profile database 13 can be used flexibly to define segments for a specific campaign, without having to send or store a large amount of profile data in receiver 1.

[0032] Profile data may include a discrete profile data set for each campaign, and / or general profile data that is not specific to a particular campaign. For example, general profile data may contain data likely to be generally used in defining segments, such as type, age range, location, socioeconomic group, etc. These general profile data need to be updated only occasionally, while campaign-specific data should be updated when new campaigns are introduced.

[0033] Also at the stage of generating the S1 profile, the campaign metadata is compiled, containing:

• For each campaign, campaign ID and list of segments • For each segment, segmentation rule and media item identifier • For each item identifier, location information indicating where the media item is located in the transmitted stream.

[0034] In steps S2 and S3, the updated profile data items and campaign metadata are acquired by receivers 1 in advance of the substitution slots to which the campaign metadata applies. Please note that the order in which steps S2 and S3 are performed is not important. Updated profile data and campaign metadata can be broadcast periodically on one or more channels separately from programming channels and hidden from the receiver 1 user, and to which each receiver 1 can be periodically tuned, just like once a week. The profile data items can be divided into blocks according to the subscriber's ID, so that the receiver 1 only needs to receive the block associated with its subscriber's ID, thus limiting the time for which the receiver 1 must be tuned to the hidden channel.

[0035] At step S2, each receiver 1 acquires its corresponding updated profile data items and updates its locally stored profile data accordingly. Campaign-specific profile data can be transmitted in encrypted form, so that only receiver 1 having the associated subscriber ID can decode the corresponding campaign-specific profile data items, for example using the key stored on the smart card.

[0036] At step S3, each receiver 1 acquires and stores campaign metadata and builds a list of substitution items for itself through the following process, as shown in Figure 3. For each campaign (step R1), receiver 1 considers each segment in order (R2 ), dissects the associated segmentation rule, and attempts to match the segmenting rule to its stored data

- profile (R3). If a match is found, then the media item identifier for this segment is saved to the list of substitution items (R4) and receiver 1 goes to the next campaign (R6); otherwise, receiver 1 includes the next segment (R5). The segmenting rule and profile data can be defined in many different ways. In one embodiment, the campaign-specific profile data may simply indicate to which segment the associated receiver 1 has been classified. The segmentation rule only requires that the receiver match its previously selected segment to one of the segments in the campaign metadata. In another embodiment, each segmenting rule may be expressed as a combination of different profile data items that may not be specific to the campaign, for example:

IF (TYPE = Male) and (REGION = Scottish Borders) is SEGMENT = 1 IF (TYPE = Female) and (REGION = Scottish Borders) is SEGMENT = 2 and so on.

[0037] Alternatively, profile data could be separated from the total, and campaign metadata could explicitly identify receivers belonging to each segment. In this case, profiling is performed internally in the profile management function 11.

[0038] At the stage S4 of providing media content, each receiver 1 acquires the media positions identified in the list of substitution items. Media entries can be stored, for example, on the local hard disk partition. If an identified media item is already stored locally, it can be removed from the list of substitution items and does not need to be obtained.

[0039] In an alternative embodiment, each receiver 1 may acquire and store all of the media items for the campaign and may select one of the media items to be derived based on the subsequent comparison of the associated profile data with the segment definitions for that campaign. This alternative wastes more on local storage, but allows the reversal of the order of steps S2 and S3.

[0040] In the planning step S5, the planning function schedules a substitution campaign in the broadcast schedule, as described in detail below. In outline, this stage generates a substitution schedule, indicating which substitution campaigns can be shown in different substitution slots in the broadcast schedule. Each substitution slot is defined by a split point, indicating the frame-specific start and / or end time of the substitution slot on a specific transmission channel.

[0041] At this stage, automation events are reserved in the emission schedule as metadata in the substitution slot to allow encoders of the program emission function 10 to generate split point messages and to perform all stream preparation necessary to assist split on receivers 1. Additional automation events can be booked in the broadcast schedule before the start of each program break containing substitution slots or when it occurs to enable the substitution option to be transferred to receivers 1.

In the reproduction step S6, a reserved automation event (or alternatively an event generated by the automation function, generated using substitution slot prediction) causes the broadcast function 10 to broadcast the program 10, in the trigger path associated with the transmission channel, a substitution interval schedule containing a list of identifiers (ID) of the campaign for each substitution gap. Receivers 1 tuned to this channel receive and process the substitution interval schedule to determine for each substitution gap whether locally available

- a stored media position having a campaign ID indicated for a specific slot; if so, this locally stored media position is inserted into the slot in place of the linear media position contained in the transmission channel. Optionally, each media item may contain multiple versions of the same content (e.g. in standard or high definition), and receiver 1 can choose one of the versions to output, e.g. based on the output mode (e.g. in standard or high resolution).

[0043] The start of outputting selected media positions is signaled by receiver 1 at defined split points of associated slots in the transmission channel. The automation function then generates the element by triggering the split point at the point indicated by the substitution slot, which is then passed to the encoder and used to signal the receiver to prepare the output stream for splitting. Split points can be defined as split events within a broadcast channel using, for example, the SCTE 35 standard. When the receiver 1 receives a split event, it outputs the locally stored media position selected for the corresponding slot, if available, in place of the live stream. At the end of the substitution slots (s) indicated by the duration of the split event or by a further split event, the output of receiver 1 returns to the live stream.

[0044] In the update step S6, the receiver 1 can delete stored media items that are no longer needed, for example those that no longer match the saved profile data after updating the latter, or for which the associated campaign has already expired. Receiver 1 can also delete campaign-specific profile data items and / or campaign metadata associated with an expired campaign. Alternatively, previous versions of at least the profile data and campaign metadata may be stored on receiver 1, for reporting or diagnostic purposes.

[0045] Receiver 1 can update the counter associated with a particular campaign if the media item associated with that campaign has been output. The receiver can update the counter associated with the respective individual media positions when a given media position is output. Receiver 1 can transmit viewership data 7 associated with a particular campaign to the profile management function 11, where the database 13 can be updated with viewership data 7.

Campaign attributes [0046] In both substitution and linear planning, a specific campaign may have some or all of the following attributes:

Demographic - Target audience Campaign goals

Middle ratio - the proportion of advertising media position to be shown during a break during the broadcast, rather than between broadcast programs.

Position during break

Top - tail - the number or proportion of slots at the beginning and end of the break (considered more desirable than the middle of the break).

Target grades

Strike weight - a measure that indicates how often the campaign's display frequency changes over time

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General population (Universe) - the number of people in the demographics targeted by the campaign Collision Code - a category code used to implement restrictions imposed by legislators on the way in which advertising messages can be placed together in a schedule (e.g. messages Alcohol and car advertising may not be shown at the same break.)

One or more reporting categories - the code for the type (s) of product being advertised; this may be used for reporting purposes, but may also impose restrictions on other advertising messages shown at the same break: for example, item positions from other campaigns advertising the same product type may not be shown at the same break.

[0047] The programming schedule itself may contain the following attributes:

Restriction codes (by time) - e.g., codes that indicate time limits for certain types of ads, such as watershed line.

Cast - the list of cast members appearing in the broadcast program.

[0048] In addition, the individual item position (i.e. media) for a specific campaign has its own set of attributes or metadata:

Duration - i.e. the length of time the ad was displayed

Clock number (clock counter) - unique identifier for media items Restriction codes - the media position for the campaign has a set of restriction codes that can be defined only after the reservation stage. These codes define the media item content properties that may limit media item planning, such as the type of product or service being advertised, the minimum age of the viewer, or the waterline line after which this media item can be shown. Cast - a list of cast members appearing in the media position. The regulations may impose that there cannot be a bookmark between the members of the settlement in the advertising break and the cast members in the previous and / or next program, so the cast list attributes should be specified for each advertising media item.

[0049] Fig. 4a depicts the main object relationships between attributes and the campaign and the campaign instance (i.e. media positions) in an unaggregated campaign. The collision code has a one-to-one relationship with the campaign as a whole, while the campaign goal and reporting category have a many-to-one relationship with the campaign as a whole. The campaign may have a one-to-one relationship with the product category through which the relationship with the collision code and reporting category is obtained. Individual copy items have a many-to-one relationship with the campaign as a whole; in other words, each campaign can have one or more assigned item positions. Each of the Cast members, Restriction codes, and Presentation attributes attributes have a many-to-one relationship with a single copy item.

[0050] Hence, it can be seen that the campaign contains a set of media items, with some attributes (campaign goal, collision code, reporting category) associated with this set as a whole, while other attributes (cast member, restriction code, presentation code) are associated with individual media items (or subsets of media items) within the set.

Substitution variants [0051] Various substitution variants can be used, based on the number of campaigns and variants of instances of these campaigns scheduled in the slot in the program schedule. Each slot

- includes a line media position that is contained within a transmit channel for output by receivers for which substitution is not activated or for which profile data is not addressed by any of the segments.

[0052] Fig. 5 shows the first variant, referred to as Single Advertiser Multiple Copy (SAMC), in which it is planned that the S slot has the position of linear L media and many substitution media positions from a single C campaign. Segment data Seg1, Seg2, Seg3 for each position of substitution media define the segment addressed by this position.

[0053] Fig. 6 presents the second variant, referred to as Multiple Advertiser Single Copy (MASC), in which it was planned that the S slot should contain the position of L linear media and many substitution media positions, where each media position comes from a different C1, C2 campaign , C3. SegA, SegB, SegC data for each media item defines the segment addressed by this item, but segments from different campaigns can be defined in terms of different profile data items or segmentation rules; this creates the possibility that the segments may overlap, so that some receivers cannot determine which copy to output, based on a comparison with their profile data.

[0054] In a further variant, referred to as Multiple Advertiser Multiple Copy (MAMC), it is planned that the slot should contain a substitution copy from multiple campaigns, with more than one media item belonging to the same campaign and addressed to different segments. So MAMC is a hybrid between SAMC and MASC.

Planning [0055] Two stages of planning may be required:

1. Booking - placing the campaign within the broadcasting schedule which is known in advance. Reservation can be done sequentially as planning campaigns become available.

2. Pre-broadcast control - checking immediately before broadcasting that planned campaign media positions meet the required restrictions with respect to the final version of the schedule immediately before broadcasting.

Checks before broadcasting may be necessary as an additional step to booking, as broadcast programs may have changed compared to the previously scheduled broadcast schedule. For example, broadcast times may have changed as a result of exceeded time or last-minute news, or the content of the program may have changed, or it may be known that it contains material such as news items that may interfere with specific content in the media item.

[0056] Planning advertising campaigns based on the attributes or metadata mentioned above is a combination of two formal classes of mathematical and computational problems, namely meeting the requirements of limitation and optimization. Booking involves meeting the constraint requirements based on schedule and campaign attributes within the gap and optimization based on campaign goals for different campaigns. The pre-broadcast control involves meeting the restrictions requirements based on program schedule attributes and media position reserved within the specified break.

[0057] Examples of these restrictions include:

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Booking restrictions [0058] • The duration of the gap within the gap should meet or exceed the duration of the media position.

• Collision codes for campaigns should not conflict with the time restriction codes for the schedule.

• Collision codes for campaigns should not conflict with other collision codes for other campaigns contained within the gap.

Reservation optimizations [0059] • Reservation slot should implement the efficient use of demographic cross-section within the schedule; in other words, the predicted demographic profile of the slot viewers within the schedule should match the target demographics of the campaign reserved in that slot as closely as possible.

• Slot booking should contribute to campaign goals, such as campaign delivery ratings and indicators (mid-end gap, break position, stretch weight, etc.)

Restrictions on Pre-Broadcast Control [0060] • The media position should not contain any cast members shared with adjacent (preceding or following) programs.

• Restriction codes applied to the media position should be compatible with the programming content, break and time of day.

[0061] In linear planning, meeting the requirements of the above limitation and optimization problems requires considerable computational resources, especially when a time-critical planning change is needed during pre-broadcast control.

[0062] Substitutional advertising delivery introduces many alternative media positions, potentially from many different campaigns, within the same substitution gap within the gap. Substitutional advertising message creates additional complications as follows:

Additional reservation restrictions [0063] • The duration of the gap within the gap should meet or exceed the duration of each media position planned for that gap.

• The duration of the substitution media positions within the gap should all be the same (or at least make up the same duration; for example, two or more shorter media positions may be reserved sequentially within the provided gap so that the total duration of the media position sequential will be equal to the duration of the slot.

• Check for collision codes against the schedule should be used for all substitution variants of the substitution gap.

• Collision code checks between media positions within a gap should be used for all substitution variants of substitution slots. This could potentially include all variants of additional substitution gaps within the gap.

Additional booking optimizations

[0064] • Reservations of all substitution media positions within the substitution gap should effectively use the demographic cross-section within the schedule.

• Booking of all substitution media items within the constitutional gap should contribute to the objectives of their respective campaigns, such as ratings and delivery rates (mid-end pause, break position, extent weight, etc.)

Additional restrictions before broadcasting [0065] • No substitution media items may have cast members shared with prior programming.

• Restriction codes applied to all substitution variants should be consistent with the programming content, breaks and time of day, taking into account that there may be more than one gap within a gap.

[0066] These additional requirements result in a significant increase in the number of calculations that must be performed to ensure that the planned gap contents comply with the respective calculations and optimizations. These calculations must be made each time a booking is made, as well as part of the pre-broadcast check.

[0067] Consider an example of a gap containing 5 slots, two of which are substitution slots. The first substitution slot contains the SAMC campaign with substitution options. The second substitution slot contains three MASC campaigns along with a linear campaign. This gives you the following break statement:

• 5 slots in a break • 8 campaigns in a break • 11 media items in a break • 20 variants of a copy of the gap [0068] During booking only campaign compliance is taken into account, which gives an improvement of processing of 5/8 or 60%. During the pre-broadcast check, copy compliance should also be made. If compliance is done as if all media items were shown together, this gives an improvement of 6/5 or 120% processing. However, this simplification introduces a limitation that campaigns with the same collision code cannot share the same substitution gap, even though the effects of collision codes are designed to never let a situation occur, e.g. two campaigns with the same collision code are shown at the same break. A more correct approach would be to include all variants of the instance in order, which even without optimization would improve processing by 20 times in the example above.

Aggregation [0069] In the comparative example, at least some of the above problems are overcome by a process in which the complexity of the substitution model is significantly reduced relative to the complexity of the conventional linear model. The creators have observed that the attributes belonging to a single campaign and its associated item positions, and the relationships that link that campaign and item positions to programming and other item positions within the gap, are roughly similar, regardless of

- whether a combination of a single campaign / item items or grouping of multiple campaigns and multiple item items is contemplated. Referring to the object-relation diagram from Fig. 4b, if the campaign object is replaced with a campaign grouping and the campaign instance position with multiple campaign instance positions, then the only change that would occur is that the relationship between campaigns and collision code would change from one-to-one to one-to-one to-many ". All other relationships would remain the same. This shows that the aggregation scheme can allow for the planning of a substitute advertising message in a manner similar to a standard linear advertising message.

[0070] In the aggregation scheme, many substitution media items are treated as individual groupings for the purpose of booking on a linear schedule. In other words, attributes that are specific to individual media items, or a subset of media items, are aggregated together, and grouped attributes are treated as having a many-to-one relationship with a single object of grouped campaigns. The grouped campaign is then booked in the schedule by applying restrictions and / or optimization to the grouped attributes.

[0071] The aggregation scheme will now be described in more detail with reference to Fig. 7. The grouped campaign A is composed of a single item of linear medium L and a single "pod" P, which in turn contains one or more substitution media items belonging to different campaigns C1, C2, C3. Media positions are selected so that SegA, SegB, SegC user segments of the media position within the pod do not overlap; this means that a given user profile will fit in at most one segment.

[0072] The attributes of the constituent media items of a grouped campaign A (including booking restrictions and campaign goals) are aggregated together, and the grouped campaign is planned using a set of grouping attributes as if they were a single set of attributes for a single campaign. In a similar way, the grouped campaign A contains the positions of the individual media for each of the campaigns in the grouping. The schedule contains a set of grouped slots into which grouped campaigns can be planned.

[0073] P pods are formed by grouping together compatible C1, C2, C3 substitution campaigns together. Substitution campaign compatibility is assessed by the following factors:

• Overlapping campaign segments • Target demographic profile • Duration of the campaign • Length of media position [0074] Each P pod is assigned a unique identifier. Please note that the same substitution campaign can be associated with more than one P pod.

[0075] Each pod P is grouped with a linear L campaign to form a grouped campaign A. Each grouped campaign A is also assigned a unique identifier. Please note that the same P pod can be grouped with more than one linear L campaign to create the right multiplicity of grouped A campaigns.

[0076] Campaign goals of the constituent items of a grouped campaign may be aggregated into a single set of campaign goals that become the goals of the campaign of this grouped campaign A. Alternatively, the campaigns may be selected for inclusion in the P pod based on compatible campaign goals.

[0077] Aggregation of attributes may result in unnecessary application of the restriction, so that grouped campaigns cannot be planned during a break. E.g:

• Grouped campaign A1 is reserved first for the slot in the gap, and has a car collision code;

• Grouped A2 campaign also contains the car collision code and it is required to reserve it for another slot in the same gap.

[0078] Based on this information only, the A2 campaign cannot be booked during this break, because the reservation limitation prevents two media items having the same collision code from showing in the same break. However, additional information is available about the distribution of grouped campaigns involved:

• Campaign A1 selects the campaign C1 for the car from the first manufacturer if the subscriber is in the London region.

• Campaign A2 selects the C2 campaign for the car from the second manufacturer if the subscriber is in the Border region.

[0079] Hence, if the campaign segments A1 and A2 are taken into account, it can be seen that the campaign A1 and the campaign A2 cannot both choose the car advertisement for a given subscriber, since the segments of two car campaigns do not overlap: London region and the Outskirts region.

[0080] As a solution to this problem, when triggering a collision rule between two grouped campaigns, the aggregation function can forward to the planning function whether the collision can be reconciled, e.g. because the segments between the two campaigns don't overlap where the collision rule is called. This communication may occur in real time, and reservation and marking as having warning status may be allowed, and the asynchronous process may query aggregation for all reservations with warning status and prevent reservations where the aggregation function indicates that the collision cannot be reconciled.

[0081] The use of grouped campaigns, each having the grouped attributes of many of the substitution campaigns contained therein, addresses additional reservation and control restrictions prior to broadcasting the substitution system, without requiring significant changes in the linear planning system and with only moderate increase in computational complexity. This is true regardless of the number of segments and substitution options contained within the P pod.

Separate Reservation [0082] In an embodiment of the invention, one or more media positions may be reserved for the available slot separately from the substitution media positions, and preferably before any substitution media positions are reserved for this slot. Line media position reservations can be performed using conventional reservation methods. However, it is then preferred to indicate for each slot what type of substitution media items may be reserved for that slot; this indication contains so-called 'benefit schedule' data that is generated and can be updated during booking.

[0083] Benefit schedule data may be based on one or more predefined substitution rules of the main campaign to which the line media item belongs. For example, if

- the main campaign is targeted at "adults", then they allow substitution benefits targeted at high-income households at the top of the stratum.

[0084] Benefit schedule data may indicate restrictions imposed on substitution media items that may be reserved during the break as a whole, such as:

• collision codes for programs before and / or after a pause • collision codes or adjacent rules regarding the position of media reserved in other slots within this pause (e.g. if a car advertisement is already reserved during a break, do not reserve alcohol advertisement for benefits) • compliance codes for the water department line and HFSS exclusion (for high fat, sugar and salt content) [0085] Benefit schedule data may also indicate restrictions on media positions substitution, which can be reserved in a specific gap within the gap, such as:

• slot length, determined by the length of the line media positions reserved in this slot • single / multiple advertiser: indicates whether substitution media positions can come from an advertiser other than the corresponding line media position • segment exclusions: defines which segments are not available for substitution messages ads, for example because they have already been allocated within the slot.

[0086] Substitution media positions for each slot can be reserved as a grouped P pod, as in the comparative example. Alternatively, the substitution media items can be reserved individually, in which case the exclusion of segments for this slot are updated as reservations are made.

[0087] The overlap of the segments between the different positions of the media reserved in individual slots is resolved according to a predetermined rule, so that the segments no longer overlap. For example, priority may be given in the order of reservation; hence, in the example above, the segment of the first position of substitution media is (ABC1 NO London) k If the second position of substitution media, then reserved, will be directed to households with children, then the current segment for this position will be (children NOT ABC1 NOT London) .

[0088] In an alternative rule, although the line media position is reserved first, it is given a lower priority than any of the substitution media positions subsequently reserved, and the substitution media positions are given priority in the order of reservation. In this case, the segments would be:

• Linear position: London not ABC1 not children • 1. substitution position ABC1 • 2. substitution position: children not ABC1 [0089] Other segment priority rules may be used within the scope of the invention. For example, subsequent reservations within a slot can be prevented if the associated segment overlaps with any of the segments already reserved in that slot. However, such a rule would require normalization of segment definitions so that overlaps can be automatically determined, which limits the flexibility of the booking system.

[0090] An advantage of this embodiment is that reservations can be confirmed rather as they are

- reported instead of having to maintain reservation requests until grouped reservations can be made, as in the comparative example.

[0091] In a development of this embodiment, the benefit schedule data for a specific slot may include one or more collision code regarding media positions already reserved in other slots within the same gap. For example, if the media item for alcohol was reserved in another gap within the gap, such as a linear or substitution slot, the "alcohol" collision code may be included in the benefit schedule for that particular slot. The predetermined collision code rule then prevents the media position with the "car" collision code being reserved in the specified slot to prevent the media item position for the car and alcohol in the same slot being shown.

Fractional slot times [0092] The planning of fractional media positions having a duration that is a fraction (such as half) of the substitution gap duration creates additional restrictions in that one fractional media position should be matched to one or more other fractional media position and planned sequentially to fold over the duration of the substitution gap. In one solution, fractional media positions are glued together to create a glued media position having the grouped attributes of the component media position, and the position of the glued media is then treated for planning purposes as a single position of the grouped media media.

[0093] In another embodiment, fractional media positions are planned for a grouped campaign, and the substitution schedule transmitted to the receiver indicates that fractional media positions are to be shown sequentially rather than as alternatives. For example, the schedule may indicate the following substitution options:

1. substitution campaign 12345

2. substitution campaigns 1111 and 2222 in order.

In this solution, the gluing of fractional media positions does not have to be done before planning, but the need to plan fractional media positions in order creates additional restrictions that must be resolved by the reservation system.

Deactivating substitution options [0094] In the embodiment described above, it is assumed that once the campaign or grouped campaign is scheduled in the slot, any of the substitution options can be selected by one or more receivers, as planning constraints have been met. In an alternative embodiment, one or more substitution options with the campaign or grouped campaign may be selectively turned off at or just before the broadcasting time, for example by modifying the substitution schedule. This selective shutdown can be used to control the frequency at which individual substitution options are displayed. Substitution options to be turned off can be changed during the campaign, so that providing some substitution options can be balanced by the need to change planning.

[0095] This method can be used for a linear planning scheme in which a planned campaign defines a supply of potential media positions for the slot, and the linear position for this slot is selected from the supply of possible positions.

- EP 2 460 352 B1

Variable substitution options [0096] If the same substitution campaign (including grouped campaign) is planned in multiple substitution slots, with the same associated campaign metadata and profile data, the specified receiver 1 will be deterministically choosing the same substitution option each time the campaign is scheduled. In some cases, it may be desirable to change the substitution option for a specific receiver each time a campaign is planned.

[0097] In one embodiment, each media position may include a sequence of clips, with one sequence clip selected in order for output by the receiver each time the associated media position is selected for output. This embodiment is particularly advantageous for providing media positions having an overall length that is greater than the length of the substitution gap and it is possible to provide a series without having to plan each series clip in a different, subsequent campaign.

Prioritizing [0098] One of the problems mentioned above is controlling the delivery of substitution media positions so as to optimize the likelihood of a specific media position addressed to a selected audience segment, output by receivers 1, matching that audience segment. This problem cannot be solved by planning alone, because predicted audience profiles cannot be determined for a variety of segments that can be addressed by substitution media items.

[0099] This problem can be represented by a practical example: the "Doctor Who" series provided by the BBC, watched mainly by children, or at least in households where there are children. However, there are a number of smaller segments that are also watching this series, such as students, science fiction fans and so on. Adverts suitable for children are unlikely to appeal to these smaller segments and vice versa. In addition, these smaller segments overlap to some extent, so optimal targeting cannot be achieved by merely defining relevant substitution options for students, science fiction fans. However, a specific advertiser may wish to target one of these smaller segments and could identify the "Doctor Who" series as appropriate means to reach this segment.

[0100] Furthermore, the likelihood that the media position will reach the segment to which it is directed need not be proportional to the number of times that media position is placed on the schedule, due to the size of the individual segments. For example, a media position directed to an area with only 1,000 homes is only likely to be selected by a subset of 100 homes, regardless of the number of placements, while media positions targeted to men in the south east of England can result in hundreds of thousands of choices, even if it is placed only in several slots in the schedule.

[0101] One solution would be to shift the substitution decision making process almost completely to the receiver, but as identified above, this requires collecting too much data and processing power at the receiver.

[0102] In the invention, instead of using a deterministic substitution process as described above, priority assessments regarding the position of substitution media are transmitted to the receivers, and the choices

- the position of substitution media by receivers are based on priority assessments. Priority assessments may include global priority assessments and / or priority assessments that are specific to receivers or groups of receivers. Priority ratings can change over time.

[0103] As the substitution system is not deterministic in this embodiment, the different positions of substitution media assigned to a particular gap may have overlapping segments. Hence, substitution media items are reserved for slots subject only to reservations and restrictions prior to broadcasting as described above. This increases the likelihood that a receiver that falls within the media position segment can select this position.

[0104] The rating system, external to the planning function 8, collects information from receivers 1 and / or other sources to enable determination of ratings for substitution media positions. Global priority assessments are then calculated for each media item or media collection based on the associated segments. These global priority assessments are broadcast daily to all receivers 1 that store priority assessments for associated, locally stored substitution media items. [0105] The system external to the planning function 8 determines the degree of fit between the predicted audience profile for the slot and the position segments of the substitution media reserved in the slot. This degree of matching can be used to calculate a specific priority rating for each of the substitution media items, although other criteria may be used. Specific priority assessments are transmitted to receivers 1 in the substitution schedule data, transmitted shortly before the time of this slot emission. Certain priority assessments can be unconditional, for example, by giving a specific rating value associated with each substitution media item, or implicit, for example, resulting from the order in which the substitution media items are indicated for a specific slot in the substitution schedule data.

[0106] When the receiver 1 receives the substitution schedule data, it selects the substitution position to be derived based on the comparison between the segment of the receiver 1 and the segments indicated for the substitution media position as described above. However, in this embodiment, there may be more than one substitution media item that matches receiver segment 1, in which case one of them is selected for output based on their respective and / or global priority ratings. A media item with a higher priority rating can be selected, or a random (pseudo-random) selection of matching media items can be weighted according to priority ratings. Some of these weights may be zero, so for example low-priority media items may never be selected. The zero weight may be based on one of the priority assessments, such as a specific priority rating, for the other weighted media items according to global priority ratings.

[0107] The priority evaluation threshold may be predetermined, either globally or for each campaign individually, so that priority evaluations falling below this threshold have a zero weight assigned by the receiver 1, or are otherwise prevented from being selected for output. If none of the possible substitution media positions for the slot has a priority rating above the threshold, the threshold can be adjusted downwards so that one of the media positions can be selected.

[0108] In this embodiment, receiver 1 may alternately or additionally select the position of substitution media to output based on local priority assessment based on historical or other criteria specific to receiver 1. For example, for the number of outputs of each media position

- a maximum predefined maximum value can be set, so that the receiver 1 will no longer select this media position for output as soon as the set maximum is reached, but may instead choose another media position, potentially having a lower rating priority. As another example, a minimum period of time between successive selections of the same media item can be set, such that the receiver 1 is prevented from re-selecting the media item when the elapsed time is shorter than the minimum. As another example, a start date limitation can be set such that a media item cannot be selected to be output before a specific start date.

[0109] More generally, the local priority evaluation of substitution media positions may be a function of global priority assessment, the time remaining to the end of the campaign, and / or the difference between the number of outputs of that position already made and the predetermined maximum number of outputs of this position. For example, local priority may increase as the time remaining to the end of the campaign decreases. Local priority may decrease as the number of outputs of this media item reaches a predetermined maximum.

[0110] The above criteria may be set locally on receiver 1, or may be forwarded to receiver 1. These criteria may be appropriate for specific media positions or sets of media positions. In this way, the delivery of media position can be controlled to optimize their exposure to the target segment.

Linear Media Position Segment [0111] In at least some of the embodiments described herein, it is assumed that the receiver will always perform media substitution if the appropriate substitution media position is available rather than outputting the line media position for the slot. In these embodiments, the line media position is selected as the default output signal. The disadvantage of this approach is that the target audience of the linear position may not match the profile of the specific receiver.

[0112] In an alternative embodiment, a segment is defined for each line media position and it is forwarded to receivers so that receivers can choose to output line media positions if the associated segment matches the stored receiver profile. Otherwise the receiver 1 can output the available substitution position.

[0113] A line position segment may be defined by creating a campaign identifier (ID) for a line position, assigning a segment definition to that campaign at the stage of providing S3 campaign metadata, and indicating the campaign ID for the line position on the break schedule in step S6. The receiver then selects the linear position to be derived if the associated segment matches the receiver profile. The line position can be selected as preferential over the position of substitution media. Alternatively, a specific priority rating as described above can be defined for linear media positions as well as substitution media positions, and the selection can be made between the linear position and one or more substitution media positions based on their relative priority ratings. If required, the line position may maximum priority rating.

[0114] Alternatively, the segment for the line position may be signaled just before the associated break, for example in the trigger path, together with the break schedule. Receiver 1 then determines whether its profile fits in this segment, and if so, does not perform substitution but outputs a linear position in the slot assigned to it.

[0115] A segment for a linear position may be defined in terms of any profile data,

Stored in receivers 1, including general profile data or campaign-specific data as described above. Campaign-specific data may or may not be relevant for any campaign ID created for a linear position.

Fulfillment of the constraint on the receiver [0116] In the comparative example, the fulfillment of the constraint is performed entirely by central planning function 8. One of the problems with this approach is that the choice of substitution media positions between different slots may be overloaded with restrictions, as it is assumed that any of the substitution media positions planned for a particular slot could actually have been output by the receiver in that slot. For example, one of the substitution items planned in the slot may relate to alcohol; this would make it impossible to plan the position of substitution media for the car in another slot of the same program break. As a result, there may not be enough substitution options available, and media items having certain collision codes or neighborhood rules may be difficult to plan.

[0117] In the present embodiment, the fulfillment of the constraint is divided between the central planning function 8 and the receivers 1 as shown in Fig. 8. The planning function 8 implements the fulfillment of the constraint (step P1) for the constraints that apply to all receivers 1, such as slot length, compliance codes (e.g. water department, HFSS)) and constraint codes for adjacent programs, while each of the receivers 1 implements the constraint satisfaction for the constraints that are specific to the receiver, such as collision codes between substitution media positions within the same program break.

[0118] The result of meeting the constraint by the scheduling functions 8 for each slot is the LL "long list" identifying all possible substitution media positions that can be output in that slot. The corresponding LL "long list" for each slot in the gap is transmitted to receivers 1 in the substitution schedule data, immediately before the associated program break. CD restriction data, such as collision codes for each media item, are also transmitted to receivers 1, e.g. as metadata received with corresponding media items.

[0119] As in previous embodiments, each receiver 1 registers in advance the position or positions of the substitution media that match the profile segment of the receiver 1 for each campaign. When receiver 1 receives the "long list" LL for each slot, it determines (step P2) which of the indicated media positions are available from the local warehouse; these items will be available because they match the profile segment of the receiver 1, and the receiver 1 was able to receive and save them. Available media positions from the LL "long list" contain the "short list" SL from which receiver 1 selects (step P3) for one media position to be output in each slot. If none of the indicated media positions is available for a specific slot, then the receiver 1 output for this slot the content of the line media (i.e. broadcast on a regular basis).

[0120] For each slot having the "short list" SL, receiver 1 selects one media position to be output in this slot, based, at least in part, on meeting the collision code restrictions by the media positions selected for output in any other slot within this the gap itself and / or by the position of any position of linear content to be output in any slot within the gap. These collision code restrictions are met locally on receiver 1, so the restrictions are resolved only

Between the media positions currently selected for output on receiver 1 and overstepping of restrictions between potential collisions is avoided.

[0121] In one version, the receiver 1 satisfies the collision code restrictions by selecting the position of the media to be output in each slot in turn and satisfying the collision code restrictions for each subsequent slot based on the selection made in the previous slot or slots. Collision code restrictions may therefore contain filters on the media item collision codes that can be selected based on the collision codes of previously selected items. These filters are relatively simple to implement on receiver 1.

[0122] Alternatively, receiver 1 may meet the collision code restrictions by taking into account some or all of the possible combinations of selections from the short SLs of each substitution slot within a program gap, and excluding possible combinations where the collision code restrictions between choices for different slots are not met. The number of possible combinations will probably be low, as there may be only 2 or 3 substitution gaps in the gap and only a few media positions on each associated short list, so collision code restrictions can still be met without being too complex on receiver 1.

[0123] There may also be a need to consider collisions with any line media positions, unless "long lists" are selected by scheduling function 8 so that there will be no potential collisions with any of the line media positions within other slots in the gap.

[0124] Where more than one short list item is available to choose even after the collision code restrictions are met, or more than one possible combination is available, receiver 1 can select one of the items based on prioritizing as described above.

[0125] A specific embodiment in which the fulfillment of the constraint and the prioritization are combined at the receiver 1 is shown in Fig. 9. In this particular embodiment, each substitution slot in the program interval is included in the sequential order.

[0126] For each substitution gap in the gap, receiver 1 obtains a long LL and filters out invalid or unavailable items in step P2 to obtain a short SL. Within the selection step P3, receiver 1 first filters the short SL list (step Q1) by removing those media positions that do not meet the collision code restrictions with the media positions already derived in the current break, stored in the data of the SD break session. SD session data may contain media position collision codes already outputted in the break. Receiver 1 can also delete media items that have already been output by the receiver a predetermined number of times and / or earlier than a predetermined time elapsed as specified in the given CD campaign. The result is a filtered FSL shortlist.

[0127] In step Q2, receiver 1 determines how many media positions remain on the filtered short FSL. If there are more than one, the receiver 1 selects the media position having the highest priority (step Q3), which can be determined according to a global, special and / or local priority assessment, as described above, which is then selected for output (step Q4). If there is only one media item on the filtered short FSL, this item is selected for output (step Q4). In any case, the CD campaign data is updated to register the output of the selected medium position, and preferably the output time, so that the time period since the last output can be calculated. If there are no media items in the filtered FSL shortlist, the linear content is selected for output (step Q5).

[0128] When the line or substitution media position is output, the gap session data is updated (step Q6) to record any collision codes associated with the output position. If the last substitution gap (step Q7) is processed, then the process ends for the current break, but can be restarted for the next break. If not, the process is repeated in step P2 for the next tight substitution within the gap.

Additional media positions [0129] In an additional or alternative embodiment, receiver 1 may store additional substitution media positions that are not allocated to a particular campaign, but may be selected for output in slots where there are no substitution media positions available for receiver 1 campaign. These additional media items may be unplanned in the sense that they are not indicated in any substitution schedule, or may be scheduled in specific slots.

[0130] Additional media items can be downloaded to receiver 1 by including them in the list of substitution items for receiver 1 as described above. This can be achieved by creating a pseudo campaign for additional media items with associated segments. In one particular example, additional media positions represent "hyper-local" ads, such as those related to local activities and services, and are divided into a large number of segments based on small geographical areas. [0131] Receiver 1 can automatically select the position of additional media to be output in any slot for which no scheduled substitution media position is available. Alternatively, the substitution schedule may indicate only some of the slots as available for additional media items, either solely or as an alternative to one or more campaigns designated in the same slot. In this alternative, additional media positions can be determined by the campaign ID corresponding to the associated pseudo-campaign.

[0132] Supplementary media positions may be selected so that they do not have collision codes that conflict with other substitution media positions at the same interval so that it is not necessary to apply the constraints for the secondary media positions. Alternatively or additionally, additional media items may be split into multiple pseudo-campaigns, each having different collision codes, and the substitution schedule may designate one or more specific pseudo-campaign IDs in the slot, so that the constraint is met by scheduling function 8. The aggregation function described above can be used to group additional media items into multiple grouped pseudo campaigns, each of which is planned using the grouping attributes of the additional media items contained within the grouped campaign. This grouping can be done automatically, by selecting additional media items for a grouped pseudo-campaign, based on the similarity of attributes. Segments of grouped pseudo-campaigns may define relevant non-overlapping geographical areas. For example, one grouped pseudo-campaign may relate to local Indian restaurants, with each media item addressing an Indian restaurant in a different, small geographical area.

[0133] Alternatively, the receiver 1 may perform satisfying the constraint on the position of the additional media by selecting for output the position of additional media having a code or collision codes that do not conflict with other media positions selected for output in the same interval, on

- an example as described above. Supplementary media positions will generally have a low priority, so that receiver 1 selects the secondary media position for output only when all scheduled substitution media positions have been selected in other slots within the gap.

Recording and Playback [0134] The above embodiments have been described mainly in relation to watching live broadcast programs, with insertion of additional media items into the live broadcast stream being shown. In one embodiment, where the received broadcast stream is recorded locally by receiver 1, such as PVR, the inserted substitution positions may be recorded within the recording of the received broadcast stream, so that the content displayed at playback will be identical to that observed when watching the stream emitted live , with any substitution media items inserted. This embodiment is advantageous in that the user can watch in the playback material exactly the same content that was visible when watching the live broadcast. It should be noted, however, that the above embodiments do not require the broadcast stream to be watched live; instead, the stream may be recorded for viewing at a later time, with the insertion of substitution media items during recording, or associated with a registered program, so that they are read automatically and combined with the playback material.

[0135] In an alternative embodiment, the registration may include data identifying the joining points and substitution schedule, and media substitution may be performed at restoration, provided that the necessary campaign metadata, profile data and substitution items are still available on the receiver; these entries may be recorded for the duration of the associated registration is maintained on receiver 1. This approach is more flexible as any updates to the profile data, campaign metadata and / or substitution items can be considered when selecting a substitution item to play. However, the user experience is from conventional recording, in which the user expects to see when playing the same content that was previously viewed live.

[0136] In this alternative embodiment, the substitution pause during playback ("playback pause") may be defined differently from the substitution pause in the live stream ("live pause"). For example, fewer slots may be defined during a playback pause than during an emitted pause. This is advantageous, as during playback the user is able to skip the break completely by fast rewinding or skipping to the end of the break. By providing a shorter break in playback, the user has less incentive to skip the break. In one alternative, you can prevent the user from skipping the break by technical means such as stopping fast scrolling or skipping, but this is not too burdensome for the user as the playback break is relatively short.

[0137] A further advantage of placing a small number of slots in the reproduction pause is that constraints are simplified; in the extreme case of only one slot per playback break, it is completely avoided to meet the limit between different slots during a break. This is especially advantageous in embodiments where some or all of the restrictions are met at the receiver. [0138] The number of slots may be limited in the playback interruption simply by removing or skipping one or more slots defined in the live broadcast interruption. Selecting slots to remove

This can be done, for example, according to the metadata contained in the substitution interval schedule. Alternatively, you can define different slots with different substitution break schedule data for the playback pause.

[0139] The substitution selection for the slot may differ between the live interval and the reproduction interval, even with the same interval schedule data. The selection may depend on the playing time. For example, if more time has passed than a certain period, such as 7 days, from the time of broadcast, substitution may be activated and the line media position may be suspended, or vice versa. One or more line or substitution media items may have predetermined expiration times, determined for example by break schedule data and / or campaign metadata, after which they may not be shown in playback.

[0140] Play time of the day may be considered, so that media items having water division restrictions may not be selected outside of the watershed times defined. Campaigns can have defined periods of time after which they cannot be selected for output. If no other substitution media items are available, an additional media item may be selected as described above.

[0141] Similar approaches can be applied to a PVOD (Push Video on Demand) system in which broadcast programs are recorded automatically without a specific selection by the user, as described, for example, in WO-A-06/125971.

Reporting [0142] It is also important to determine, or at least reliably estimate, the ratings for each campaign, in other words how many times the campaign has actually been shown, and optionally, how many viewers of the target demographics of the campaign. In the conventional linear advertising model, the test certification is used to estimate the audience size for each channel over a given period of time, and the ratings for a specific campaign are derived from these values. In the substitution model of an advertising message, additional information is needed to determine these values ​​for each of the substitution options within the S gap, especially if one substitution gap contains options from different campaigns.

[0143] If the segments of each of the campaigns within the P pod do not overlap, the selection of the campaigns to be derived for each slot by receiver 1 is deterministic, with determined profile data stored on each receiver 1. Therefore, it is possible to determine or at least estimate the rating of each campaign without detecting which campaigns were derived by a specific receiver 1. Instead, all that is necessary is to determine or estimate the number of receivers 1 tuned to each transmission channel and the profile data of those receivers. In one example, viewership data 7 containing data sets in the form of [Subscriber ID], [Channel], [Time of Day] are sufficient; this data can be collected by profile management function 11 and combined with information from the aggregation function to determine which campaigns would be output by individual receivers. These viewership data can be reported through return channels from receivers 1, or obtained from audit certification. In this way, the amount of data to be collected is minimized and reporting accuracy improved.

Receiver details

[0144] Fig. 10 shows in detail the functional components of the receiver 1 in specific embodiments of the invention. In this example, the received signals are input to the first and second tuners 110a and 110b, but any number of tuners can be used at receiver 1. Tuners 110a and 110b can be tuned to the same or different channels of a satellite television broadcast network to simultaneously receive the same or different television programs and / or media positions. Signals from the first and second tuners 110a and 110b are transmitted to the cross switch 111, which separates the data received from the first and second tuners 10a and 10b into data for direct output to the television receiver, data representing the received television programs for recording and subsequent playback and service data user and program schedule data, for example, according to the XSI standard. The receiver 1 has a hard disk drive (or other storage medium) 113 that receives from the cross switch 111 compressed video and / or audio data for recording and subsequent playback via recording and playback systems 116. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 10, receiver 1 includes two demultiplexer recording pipes (DMRec1 and DMRec2) that are coupled to Random Access Streaming Protocol (RASP) circuits to analyze data in the received stream and index data as it is received. Recording and playback systems 116 are also configured to perform decryption of received data, e.g., before video and audio data are transmitted to display on the display, using stored decryption keys, according to the encryption method used to encrypt the received data.

[0145] The received signals contain digitally encoded data. In this example, the data is compressed using the Digital Video Broadcast / Moving Pictures Expert Group 2 or 4 (DVB / MPEG 2/4) or H.264 standard, which allows both program data and additional data (e.g. metadata and / or schedule data) on a single channel. The hard disk drive 113 receives and stores compressed data. The data is decompressed only after reading the hard disk 113 from the drive.

[0146] Satellite (and indeed cable) programs are usually encrypted to restrict access only to authorized users, e.g. subscribers. Therefore, receiver 1 has an Integrated Conditional Access Module (ICAM) 114 that interacts with the smart card 114a to determine whether the viewer has subscribed to a particular channel and is therefore authorized to access that channel. Parental control over channel access is also provided, at least in part, through the access control system 114. The receiver 1 further includes a demultiplexing and decryption system 115 which receives from the selector 117 data from a cross switch 111 for direct output or data from a hard disk drive 113 for playback. The demultiplexing and decryption system 115 separates this data into video and audio data for distribution to different places in the receiver 1. The demultiplexing and decryption system 115 is also controlled by access control system 114 to allow signal decryption by authorized subscribers. Receiver 1 also includes a video decoder 118 for decompressing and processing encoded video data received from the demultiplexing and decryption system 115 and an audio decoder 119 for decompressing and processing compressed audio data, e.g. operating in accordance with the MPEG 2/4 standard. [0147] Decompressed video data is provided to standard 120 resolution display systems and / or 121 high definition display systems that combine decompressed

- video data with a corresponding standard or high definition screen display and graphics generating systems 122 using user services and program planning data. Standard definition 120 display systems provide combined standard definition video and graphic data to a standard definition digital encoder and DAC 124, where the data is encoded and converted to a suitable format for direct input into the television. High resolution 121 display circuits provide combined standard definition video and graphic data to a high definition digital encoder and a 125 DAC, where the data is encoded and converted into a suitable high definition format for output to a high definition television if desired. Combined high-definition video data graphic data is also provided to the High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) 126, which also receives decompressed audio data from the audio decoder 119 via 127 audio post-processing circuits for output to the HDMI input of the TV with high resolution if desired. Decompressed and processed audio data is also provided to the DAC 131 audio converter for direct input into an analog audio device or speakers. The demultiplexing and decryption system 115 may also output decompressed digital audio to its own audio interface 133, for example in accordance with the Sony / Philips Digital Interconnect Format (SPDIF) format, for direct input into appropriate audio equipment.

[0148] Receiver 1 is controlled by processor 123, which communicates with various receiver units via a bus (not shown). Processor 123 has associated random access memory (RAM) 134 associated with it. Processor 123 controls the operation of receiver 1 by tuning tuners 110a and 110b to receive signals for the desired channels by controlling demultiplexing, decryption and decompression so that the desired program and / or interactive service data is displayed on the TV screen by controlling the hard disk 113 to record the desired TV programs or to play previously recorded TV programs. The viewer's choice of desired programs and services by the viewer is controlled by the viewer operating the remote control unit 128, which in response to such viewer operations transmits control signals to the input receiver 129 for entering them into the processor 123. The remote control unit 128 also allows the viewer to control the operation of the hard disk drive 13 to record television programs, to play recorded television programs and to program recording television programs, etc.

[0149] The operation of the receiver 1 is controlled by software that causes the processor 123 to respond to control signals from the remote control unit 128 and / or additional data in the received signals. The interaction between hardware and software in the receiver 1 may include functionality as detailed in the applicant's earlier patent application published as WO 01/11865. Operation of the receiver 1 in receiving and decoding data, representing television programs and data defining planning and other program information, may include functionality as described in detail in the applicant's earlier patent application published as WO 96/37996. Operation of the receiver 1 in providing interactive services may include functionality as described in an earlier patent application

- applicant, published as WO 97/23997.

[0150] Within the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) standard for broadcasting digital television, there is a standard for broadcasting scheduling information so that it can be decoded and correctly presented to subscribers in the form of an Electronic Program Guide ( EPG)). This DVB standard is generally known as the SI standard and is included in the specification: ETS 300 468, ETSI Digital Broadcasting Systems for Television, Sound and Data Services; Specification for Service Information (SI) in Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) Systems 2nd edition. Specification for Service Information (SI) in Digital Terrestrial Television (DVB) 2. edition). Guidelines for using this specification are provided in ETSI ETR 211 - DVB SI Guidelines. Receiver 1 is preferably designed to support the SI specification.

[0151] In addition to manipulating data for use in controlled channel access, additional channel data may include short program schedule data, showing so-called event information tables (EIT), defining the layout of programs on each channel. Program schedule data can be stored in RAM 134, and after saving schedule information is effectively available immediately. Alternatively, program schedule data may be saved to the hard disk drive 113. Program schedule data is transmitted regularly, so that receiver 1 will be updated substantially continuously. As will be understood by those of skill in the art, broadcast information may be concise to allow each channel to carry a limited set of program schedule data, without undue overhead in terms of bandwidth requirements on each channel and memory requirements on the receiver.

[0152] In addition, a dedicated EPG channel provides more detailed program layout information, such as program summaries or other auxiliary data, associated with scheduled programs that are saved on the hard disk drive 113. Receiver 1 is adapted to display program scheduling information for several of these channels over a predetermined period of time on the TV. In addition, the viewer can interact with the receiver 1 to program the recording of television programs, watch the desired part of the available program schedule, etc., based on information received through a dedicated EPG channel.

[0153] As tuners 10a and 10b can be tuned to receive different channels, it is possible for the first television program on one channel to be displayed on the TV and recorded on the hard disk drive 13, while at the same time the second television program on the other channel is also recorded to hard disk 13. Operation of the receiver 1 in providing simultaneous recording and reproduction may be as described in the applicant's earlier patent application published as WO 01/11865.

[0154] The hard disk drive 113 of the receiver 1 may be similar to conventional hard disk drives used in computer systems for storing large amounts of data. The 113 hard drive may have a capacity of many gigabytes (e.g. 400 gigabytes or more) and receive video and audio data, e.g. via the SATA interface, for storage in a compressed form in which they are received, e.g. in accordance with the DVB / MPEG 2 standards, as discussed above. This allows you to store several hours of TV programs (e.g. over 100 hours) on the hard disk drive

- 27 EP 2 460 352 B1

113. The hard disk drive 113 may contain two or more storage areas, one for storing television program data and the other for storing metadata and / or recorded media items. Processor 123 controls the operation of the hard disk drive 113. More specifically, processor 123 controls the recording and playback of television programs on and from the hard disk drive 113. Other processors (not shown) may be used to control the hard disk drive 113 as needed.

[0155] Receiver 1 also includes an external interface 135, such as a Universal Serial Bus 2 (USB 2) connector. The USB2 interface can be connected to a transcoding device (not shown) via a USB connection, which enables the delivery of media content in the first format from receiver 1 and transcoding them via a connected transcoding device to a second media encoding format, suitable for playback on a personal media player (not shown). The operation of receiver 1 in providing transcoding services to be as described in the applicant's earlier patent application, published as WO 06/125999.

Computer system [0156] Entities described herein, such as planning function 8 and / or profile management function, can be implemented by computer systems such as computer system 200 as shown in Fig. 11. Embodiments of the invention may be implemented as programmable code for execution by such computer systems 200. After reading this description, it will be clear to a person skilled in the art how to implement the invention using other computer systems and / or computer architectures. [0157] The computer system 200 includes one or more processors, such as processor 204. Processor 204 can be any type of processor, including but not limited to a special purpose processor or a universal digital signal processor. Processor 204 is connected to communication infrastructure 206 (e.g., bus or network). In the categories of this exemplary computer system, various implementations of the application software are described. After reading this description, it will be clear to a person skilled in the art how to implement the invention using other computer systems and / or computer architectures.

[0158] The computer system 200 also includes main memory 208, preferably random access memory (RAM), and may also include auxiliary memory 610. The auxiliary memory 210 may, for example, include a hard disk drive 212 and / or a removable storage drive 214 representing a flexible disk drive, magnetic tape drive, optical disk drive, etc. The removable storage drive 214 reads and / or writes to the removable storage unit 218 in a well known manner. The removable storage unit 218 represents a floppy disk, magnetic tape, optical disk, etc., on which writes and readings are taken by the removable storage drive 214. As will be appreciated, the removable storage unit 618 includes a storage medium utilized by the computer having application software and / or computer data stored thereon.

[0159] In alternative implementations, the auxiliary memory 210 may include other similar means for enabling the loading of computer programs or other instructions to the computer system 200. Such means may, for example, include a removable storage unit 222 and interface 220. Examples of such means may include an external program cassette and a cassette interface (such as the one previously

- resided in video gaming devices), a removable memory integrated circuit (such as EPROM, or PROM, or flash memory) and an associated socket and other removable storage units 222 and interfaces 220 that allow software transfer and data from a removable storage unit 222 to a computer system 200. Alternatively, the program may be executed and / or access to data may be from removable storage unit 222, using processor 204 of computer system 200.

[0160] The computer system 200 may also include a communication interface 224. The 224 communication interface allows software and data to be transferred between the computer system 200 and external devices. Examples of the 224 communication interface may include a modem, a network interface (such as an Ethernet card), a communication connector, a slot and a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) card, etc. Software and data transmitted via communication interface 224 are in the form of signals 228, which may be electronic, electromagnetic, optical or other signals that may be received via communication interface 224. These signals 228 are provided to communication interface 224 via communication path 226. Communication path 226 carries signals 228 and can be implemented using a wire or cable, optical fiber, telephone line, wireless link, cellular telephone link, radio frequency link or any other suitable communication channel. For example, communication path 226 may be implemented using a combination of channels.

[0161] The terms "computer program medium" and "computer medium" are used generally to refer to media such as removable storage drive 214, hard disk installed in hard disk drive 212 and signals 228. These computer program products are means for providing software to the computer system 200. However, these concepts may also include signals (such as electrical, optical or electromagnetic signals) containing the computer program disclosed herein.

[0162] Computer programs (also called computer control logic) are stored in main memory 208 and / or auxiliary memory 210. Computer programs can also be received via communication interface 224. Such computer programs, when executed, allow the computer system 200 to implement embodiments of the invention as discussed herein. Accordingly, such computer programs represent computer system drivers 200. Where the embodiment is implemented using software, the software may be stored in a computer program product and loaded into the computer system 200 using a removable storage drive 214, hard disk drive 212 or communication interface 224, to name a few examples.

[0163] Alternative embodiments may be implemented as hardware control logic, firmware or application software, or any combination thereof.

Alternative embodiments [0164] The above embodiment is described with reference to a broadcasting system such as a satellite, cable or Internet broadcasting system. Aspects of the invention also apply to a video on demand (VOD) system or a PVOD (push video on demand) system in which a program is recorded and / or displayed on demand and includes one or more substitution slots as part of the program. System

The substitution may be applied to the substitution system in a manner similar to the transmission system described above.

[0165] The above embodiment is described with reference to the substitution advertising message, but aspects of the invention are not dependent on the content or commercial nature of the advertisement. Substitution systems as described above apply to other types of media that have restrictions and / or optimization rules. For example, aspects of the invention apply to the distribution of programs with substitution segments, for example to allow the display of alternative content depending on the profile data on the receiver. In this case, there may be restriction rules that limit the combinations of segments that can be output. In another example, aspects of the invention apply to public services or system announcements directed to specific user profiles.

[0166] The above embodiment discloses a video broadcast system in which the broadcast programs and substitution media content include video material and associated sound, where appropriate. However, aspects of the invention apply to purely audio content, such as digital terrestrial radio, or mixtures of video and audio content; for example, the broadcast programs may be video programs, and the content of substitution media may contain only audio content that is output to a still image generated locally at the receiver.

[0167] The above embodiment discloses a time-division system in which inserted media positions are output during breaks within or between programs. However, slots for inserted media positions can be concurrent with programs; for example, the substitution content may be superimposed on the displayed program, or added to the audio output signal or replacing it, for example for dubbing.

[0168] Substitution media positions are described in certain embodiments as containing audio and / or video clips, but may alternatively or additionally contain data and / or instructions that, when executed by receiver 1, result in output of audio and / or video content: for example, video items can be defined as 2D or 3D graphic objects, and audio items can be defined as music instructions, such as MIDI files, or speech synthesis codes.

[0169] Alternative embodiments may be envisaged, but they are within the scope of the following claims.