Patent Application
20100169933
The present invention is related generally to multi-media publishing and, more particularly, to publishing and consuming bundles of related content items.
In a typical scenario, a customer purchases a ticket to attend an event, for example, a basketball game. While at the basketball arena, the customer walks by numerous licensed vendors selling items related to the particular event (e.g., a souvenir program), related to the teams playing in the event (replica jerseys), related to basketball (a basketball), or related to sports in general. Because the customer has self-selected himself as someone interested in this event (by purchasing the ticket and by attending), the vendors have a greater chance of selling their merchandise to this customer than to random passers-by on the street outside the arena. The customer is often delighted to have the opportunity to show loyalty to “his” team by purchasing from these vendors. These sales are also very important to the sponsor of the event, and in some instances the portion of the vendors' sales that go to the sponsor outweighs the profits made from ticket sales.
The sponsor of the event can derive further advantage from the customer's self-selection (in addition to the ticket price and whatever portion is received from the sales made by the licensed vendors). For example, the sponsor may be able to create a mailing list of self-selected customers based on information gather during the ticket-purchase process. The sponsor can use the mailing list to send advertising targeted at the self-selected customers.
In addition to traditional physical merchandise, the sponsor (or licensed vendors) may also choose to provide multi-media content. For example, a film of championship highlights can be sold at the venue or on-line. However, sales of multi-media content have to date followed the paths set by merchandising of physical objects and have not leveraged the unique opportunities provided by multi-media.
The above considerations, and others, are addressed by the present invention, which can be understood by referring to the specification, drawings, and claims. According to aspects of the present invention, a “bundle” of event-related multi-media content items is provided to a customer of the event. The customer navigates through the bundle, tracks down selections of interest to himself, and “consumes” them.
In some embodiments, the multi-media content items include recorded video clips, interviews, and other background information. Other content items can be live video feeds of the event taken from various viewpoints. Advertising for merchandise related to the event, along with coupons for some of the items, can be included.
Some of the multi-media content items are designed to enhance the customer's experience of the event or to build loyalty. A live poll can be sent to registered customers asking questions about the progress of the event, and the results of the poll can be quickly distributed as another content item.
The media bundle is constantly updated during the course of the event, removing items no longer of interest and adding new ones to keep the customer engaged. When the event is over, the media bundle can continue to operate to provide event recaps, post-event interviews, schedules for future events, and opportunities to purchase tickets for those future events.
Bundling the multi-media content items into an interactive, inter-related, constantly updated whole improves the sponsor's ability to sell merchandise related to the event, but it also greatly enhances the customer's experience of the event and, possibly, his receptivity to the sponsor's future productions.
While the appended claims set forth the features of the present invention with particularity, the invention, together with its objects and advantages, may be best understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
a and 2b are simplified schematics of a device for accessing a media bundle;
Turning to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, the invention is illustrated as being implemented in a suitable environment. The following description is based on embodiments of the invention and should not be taken as limiting the invention with regard to alternative embodiments that are not explicitly described herein.
In
The media server 102 makes the event sponsor's multi-media offerings available over a communications network 104 to potential consumers 106, 108, and 110. In particular, the media server 102 can transmit the navigable media bundle, or a link to it, to each potential consumer 106, 108, 110. By means of a computing device 112, a potential consumer 106 can access the media bundle, navigate through it, and “consume” (that is, purchase merchandise or tickets, view videos, participate in on-line activities, etc.) those offerings of most interest to himself. Because the event sponsor's offerings are bundled, the potential consumer 106 is more likely to find items of interest to himself and become an actual consumer. The media bundle can also include special items not available to the general public but only available through the media bundle itself. This can increase the enjoyment of the more dedicated fans of the sponsor's events.
a and 2b show a computing device 112 (e.g., a cellular telephone, personal digital assistant, personal computer, or television set-top box) that incorporates an embodiment of the present invention.
The typical user interface of the computing device 112 includes, in addition to the main display 200, a keypad 202 or other user-input devices. A separate television screen and remote control usually form part of the user interface when the device 112 is a set-top box.
b illustrates some of the more important internal components of the computing device 112. The device 112 includes a communications transceiver 204, a processor 206, and a memory 208.
Step 300 does not assume that every potential consumer 106, 108, 110 receives the exact same media bundle (or portion thereof) even when they are all accessing the same event. In addition to considerations of the various capabilities of bandwidth and memory for the various computing devices 112 used by the various potential consumers 106, 108, 110 discussed above, the event sponsor can set up different levels of content and sophistication of the media bundles for consumers who have displayed different levels of interest. That is, one consumer 106 can pay more for a more complete media bundle, or may be sent a more complete media bundle based on his past history of purchases of tickets or merchandise for a basketball team participating in the game.
The computing device 112 may also receive a unique interface for the media bundle in step 300. Some media bundles may simply rely upon a common, well known interface such as an Internet browser, but the media bundle publisher may also choose a unique interface with special features (supported, for example, by Java applets) and download this interface in step 300.
In step 302, the consumer 106 accesses the media bundle on his computing device 112. In step 304, the consumer 106 uses the navigation interface of his device 112 to review the offerings in the media bundle and to select those items that particularly interest him. The navigation and selection commands of the consumer 106 are carried out in step 306.
As one example, the event sponsor may have several cameras set up at the basketball arena. The consumer 106 can choose to watch the live feed from any of these cameras (or several at once in different windows on the display screen 200 of his device 112), or he can choose to watch replays from different angles. This example shows that the media bundle can be very entertaining even for a consumer 106 who is actually in the arena 100 watching the event live: The media bundle can enhance his experience by showing him views that he cannot see live from his seat in the arena 100.
In another scenario, the media bundle includes an interactive poll. For example, the fans can vote on the most valuable player of the game or on the quality of the half-time show. Combining access to archival video and statistics with the experience of the live game, fans can be asked to compare the performance of a rising star with one of the past greats of the game. If the event is a lecture rather than a game, then the lecturer can send out a pop quiz to see who is still paying attention or whether the audience can understand his presentation.
Security can be important to different sponsors for different reasons. Mentioned above is the possibility that different consumers access media bundles of different completeness for the same event. Consumers may be urged to register (and potentially pay) for access to a better media bundle. Then only registered consumers get the full media bundle, while a lesser media bundle may be available for free to everyone as a marketing ploy.
Step 308 is optional but potentially important. The media bundle need not remain static during the time when the consumer 106 is accessing it. Updates can be provided as more multi-media offerings become available or relevant to the developing event. Special merchandise or activities that are available “Only for the next five minutes!” can be sent to promote ongoing interest in the media bundle. In a school situation, a test can be added to the media bundle at a specific time and removed at a later time so that all students are given the same amount of time to complete it.
In steps 400, 402, 404, and 406 of
In step 408, the event sponsor makes the media bundle available at least to registered consumers and maybe to a general audience. Updates to the media bundle in step 410 can reflect ongoing situational changes. For example, a player just breaks a team or league record. Merchandise particular to that player, and to previous players who held that record, can be highlighted.
A carefully structured media bundle can guide the consumer 106 much better than a simple on-line catalog would. The addition of live feeds and interactive activities enhances the experience even of those consumers who view the event in person at the arena 100. Targeted toward the more dedicated fans, a media bundle can enhance the relationship between those fans and the teams participating in the event. In short, adding a media bundle to an event can increase the revenue to the event sponsor while it increases the enjoyment of the consumer 106.
In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of the present invention may be applied, it should be recognized that the embodiments described herein with respect to the drawing figures are meant to be illustrative only and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention. For example, different media-bundle user interfaces are appropriate to different types of events and to different levels of complexity of the media bundle. Other communication arrangements and the addition of other known media types are possible and may be called for in various environments. Therefore, the invention as described herein contemplates all such embodiments as may come within the scope of the following claims and equivalents thereof.
