System and method for targeted advertisement delivery

Abstract

The present invention is directed towards systems and methods for the delivery of programming content with targeted advertisements. One embodiment of a method according to the present invention comprises receiving a request for programming content from a given user, determining a given demographic group to which the given user belongs and determining whether the requested programming content is being streamed to one or more users associated with the given demographic group. If the requested programming content is being streamed to one or more users associated with the given demographic group, the requested programming content is streamed with advertisements targeted to the given demographic group to the given user. If not, a new stream is generated for the requested programming content with advertisements targeted to the given demographic group, which is streamed to the given user.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing illustrative embodiments of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram presenting a switched digital broadcast cable TV system operative to provide targeted advertisements according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for providing targeted advertisement to the user according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for utilizing a switched digital broadcast TV system to provide targeted advertisements in a unidirectional broadcast distribution network according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for value maximization in a switched digital TV system according to one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for determining spot value in a switched digital TV system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for delivery of programming content with targeted advertisements over a communication network, the method comprising: receiving a request for programming content from a given user over a communication network;determining a given demographic group to which the given user belongs;determining whether the requested programming content is being streamed to one or more users associated with the given demographic group;if the requested programming content is being streamed to one or more users associated with the given demographic group, streaming the requested programming content with advertisements targeted to the given demographic group to the given user; andif the requested programming content is not being streamed to one or more users associated with the given demographic group, generating a new stream for the requested programming content with advertisements targeted to the given demographic group and streaming the requested programming content to the given user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving comprises receiving over a switched digital cable TV network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving comprises receiving a request for program content selected from the set of program content including one or more of a cable TV channel, a broadcast channel and a video-on-demand (VOD) program.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a demographic group comprises comparing one or more demographic characteristics of the given user to the demographic characteristics of users associated with one or more demographic groups.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein comparing the one or more demographic characteristics comprises selecting one or more demographic characteristics from the group of demographic characteristics including gender, age, ethnicity, geographic location of the residence, marital status, education, income, interests and user-specified preferences.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising splicing an advertisement into the requested programming content.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising targeting an advertisement to the given demographic group based on one or more demographic characteristics of users associated with the given demographic group.

8. The method of claim 7 comprising selecting one or more demographic characteristics from the group of demographic characteristics including gender, age, ethnicity, geographic location of the residence, marital status, education, income, interests and user-specified preferences.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the new stream for the requested programming content comprises checking for available advertisements for the given demographic group.

10. The method of claim 9 comprising not generating the new stream where the check determines that advertisements are not available for the given demographic group.

11. The method of claim 10 comprising streaming the requested programming content with advertisements targeted to a demographic group that is similar to the given demographic group of the user.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the new stream for the requested programming content comprises checking for available bandwidth for transmission of the new stream.

13. The method of claim 12 comprising not generating the new stream where the check determines that bandwidth is not available for the transmission of the new stream.

14. The method of claim 13 comprising streaming the requested programming content with advertisements targeted to a demographic group that is similar to the given demographic group of the user.

15. A method for delivery of programming content with targeted advertisements over a communication network, the method comprising: receiving a request for programming content from a given user over the communication network;determining a given demographic group to which the given user belongs;determining whether the requested programming content is being streamed to one or more users associated with the given demographic group;if the requested programming content is being streamed to one or more users associated with the given demographic group, streaming the requested programming content to the given user;if the requested programming content is not being steamed to one or more users associated with the given demographic group, generating a new stream for the requested programming content and streaming the requested programming content to the given user; andsplicing one or more advertisements targeted to the given demographic group into the requested programming content streamed to the given user.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving a request comprises receiving over a switched digital cable TV network.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving comprises receiving a request for programming content selected from the set of program content including one or more of a cable TV channel, a broadcast channel and a video-on-demand (VOD) program.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein determining a demographic group comprises comparing one or more demographic characteristics of the given user to the demographic characteristics of users associated with one or more demographic groups.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein comparing the one or more demographic characteristics comprises selecting one or more demographic characteristics from the group of demographic characteristics including gender, age, ethnicity, geographic location of the residence, marital status, education, income, interests and user-specified preferences.

20. The method of claim 15 comprising targeting an advertisement to the given demographic group based on one or more demographic characteristics of the users associated with the given demographic group.

21. The method of claim 20 comprising selecting the one or more demographic characteristics from the group of demographic characteristics including gender, age, ethnicity, geographic location of the residence, marital status, education, income, interests and user-specified preferences.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein generating the new stream for the requested programming content comprises checking for available advertisements for the given demographic group.

22. The method of claim 21 comprising not generating the new stream where the check determines that advertisements are not available for the given demographic group.

23. The method of claim 22 comprising streaming the requested programming content with advertisements targeted to a demographic group that is similar to the given demographic group of the user.

24. The method of claim 15 wherein generating the new stream for the requested programming content comprises checking for available bandwidth for transmission of the new stream.

25. The method of claim 24 comprising not generating the new stream where the check determines that bandwidth is not available for the transmission of the new stream.

26. The method of claim 25 comprising streaming the requested programming content with advertisements targeted to a demographic group that is similar to the given demographic group of the user.

27. A method of transmitting an analog program stream that includes targeted advertisements to a client device, the method comprising: receiving a request for a program stream from a given client device;identifying one or more demographics for a distribution hub with which the given client device is in communication;determining if a digital program stream that includes targeted advertisements is being transmitted to the one or more demographics for the distribution hub;converting the digital program stream to an analog program stream on the basis of the determination; andtransmitting the analog program stream that includes targeted advertisements to the client device.

28. A method for transmitting an advertisement stream, the method comprising: receiving a request for a channel stream from a given client, the given client belonging to one or more demographic groups;transmitting the requested channel stream to the given client;upon the occurrence of a spot break in the requested channel stream, identifying one or more advertisement streams, a given advertisement stream associated with one or more demographic groups;flagging one or more of the advertisement steams as belonging to a given one of the one or more demographic groups to which the given client belongs; andselecting a given one of the one or more flagged advertisement streams with a greatest value for transmission to the given client.

29. A method for transmitting an advertisement stream, the method comprising: determining one or more features for an available spot in a program stream that is transmitted to a given client, the available spot associated with a value;determining one or more advertisements with one or more features in common with the one or more features for the available spot;selecting a given advertisement with a greatest value;inserting the given advertisement into the program stream for transmission to the given client.

30. The method of claim 29 comprising determining a value for the available spot on the basis of the one or more features.

31. The method of claim 29 comprising: receiving an advertisement from an advertisement source;determining a features set that includes one or more features for the advertisement;storing the advertisement in association with the feature set.

32. A system for delivery of programming content with targeted advertisements over a communication network, the system comprising: a content server operative to provide programming content to a given user upon receipt of a request over the communication network;an advertisement server operative to provide one or more advertisements targeted to one or more demographic groups of users;a control processor operative to (i) determine whether the requested programming content is being streamed to one or more users associated with a given demographic group to which the given user belongs, (ii) stream the requested programming content from the content server to the given user if the requested programming content is being streamed to one or more users associated with the given demographic group, and (iii) request a new stream of the requested programming content from the content server and stream the requested programming content to the given user if the requested programming content is not being streamed to one or more users associated with the given demographic group; anda splicer operative upon request from the control processor to (i) retrieve from the advertisement server one or more advertisements targeted to the given demographic group and (ii) splice the retrieved targeted advertisements into the requested programming content streamed to the given user.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the communication network comprises a switched digital cable TV network.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the programming content comprises programming content selected from the set of programming content including one or more of a cable TV channel, a broadcast channel and a video-on-demand (VOD) program.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein the advertisement server is operative to determine a demographic group by executing a comparison between one or more demographic characteristics of the given user and the demographic characteristics of users associated with the one or more demographic groups.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the one or more demographic characteristics are selected from the group of demographic characteristics including gender, age, ethnicity, geographic location of the residence, marital status, education, income, interests and user-specified preferences.

37. The system of claim 32, wherein the advertisement server is operative to target a given advertisement to the given demographic group on the basis of on one or more demographic characteristics of the users associated with the given demographic group.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the one or more demographic characteristics are selected from the group of demographic characteristics including gender, age, ethnicity, geographic location of the residence, marital status, education, income, interests and user-specified preferences.