WO2004054147A1

WO2004054147A1 - Rating data collection method and system

Info

Publication number: WO2004054147A1
Application number: PCT/IB2003/005578
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andrew J. Hickman
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
Priority date: 2002-12-12
Filing date: 2003-11-27
Publication date: 2004-06-24
Also published as: AU2003283666A1; GB0229235D0

Abstract

A method of, and system for, obtaining rating data associated with a piece of audio-video content is disclosed. A quantity of content reference identifiers is received, each being associated with a piece of audio-video content. Rating data is obtained in accordance with the quantity of content reference identifiers received. This enables automation of the collection of accurate rating data for scheduled TV programmes for example. The method may advantageously be implemented on a server (12) being in communication with a plurality of user-interface devices (14) via respective return channels (22).

Description

DESCRIPTION

RATING DATA COLLECTION METHOD AND SYSTEM

This invention relates to a method of obtaining rating data associated with a piece of audio-video content and to a system for obtaining rating data.

Traditionally, the small number of television channels and single method of delivery (wireless broadcast) meant that an end user could easily track the programme schedules to monitor the content delivered to them. However, following the introduction of digital television and the Internet, there has been a rapid increase of the number of channels (now numbering into the hundreds) and content available to an end user. Equally, the number of delivery methods has also increased to include broadcast via fibre optic cable, satellite and the old copper wire telephone network. An end user is hard pressed to follow even a small proportion of the content available, with the resulting reduction in enjoyment of the available services.

Various interested parties are working on a number of methods of addressing this problem. One such group is the TV-Anytime Forum (www.tv- anytime.org) which is developing a system for searching, selecting, locating and acquiring content wherever (i.e. traditional broadcasting, Internet-based etc.) or whenever (i.e. scheduled or instantly accessible) it is made available. In order to realise this concept, the Forum has identified three distinct technical areas with requirements for standardisation, being metadata, content referencing and rights management. These three areas are considered to span the minimum basic features needed to implement a workable end-to-end TV-Anytime system, in which consumers can search for content, make selections, and acquire content for viewing or capture.

The document TV038r2 (7 April 2000) "Requirements Series: R4 on Content Referencing Requirements (Normative)" produced by the TV Anytime Forum refers to various aspects of the content referencing. This document is incorporated by reference herein. The TV Anytime Forum has specified a Content Reference Identifier (CRID) that identifies a specific content item, but does not specify where that content item can be found.

With an increasing number of available television channels and the resultant increase in broadcast content, service providers (i.e. the broadcasters) have a more difficult task to collect rating data for this broadcast content. The popularity of broadcast television programmes is an important measure to the broadcasters. By gathering rating data relating to particular programmes, they can plan future broadcast schedules to provide maximum benefit to the end users. For example, if a programme of a given type is found to be very popular, a broadcaster may wish to broadcast further programmes of that type, arid perhaps during a prime-time slot in a schedule, and/or offer repeats of that programme at a later date. Moreover, if a programme is found to have very few viewers, i.e. a poor rating, the broadcaster may decide to remove future episodes from the schedule. In addition to providing benefit to broadcasters, rating data can be of value to other parties such as programme review writers who publish reviews in newspapers and magazines for example.

There are several known methods available to the service providers for collecting rating data. For example, rating data can be obtained from random samples of the population by telephone surveys. "Black box" metering equipment can be placed in a sample of households to monitor which programmes are being viewed and at what time. More recently, the Internet has been exploited to carry out on-line voting in order to give an indication of the popularity of broadcast programmes. However, these methods take into account only a small sample of the total viewing population and therefore the results must be extrapolated to obtain meaningful rating data.

WO01/72042 discloses a broadcast system which broadcasts metadata to a plurality of clients. Each client is required to update and maintain a local meta-data table and a content rating table. The latter comprises rating values for associated data files and can either be explicitly input by a user or implicitly generated by the client's system. Rating data from the tables based on these rating values is transmitted to the server. This, however, requires each client system to perform some form of calculation to generate the rating based either on the previous access of particular files or entries made by the end user. In order to carry out such processing and storage of data, purpose-designed client systems are required. The server must interrogate the client systems and analyse the tables to obtain the rating data which may be inconvenient to both the server and client systems.

It is therefore an object of the invention to improve the collection of rating data.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of obtaining a method of obtaining rating data associated with a piece of audio-video content comprising receiving a quantity of content reference identifiers each being associated with said piece of audio-video content and obtaining said rating data in accordance with said quantity of content reference identifiers received.

By exploiting the relationship between a client-system's interest in a particular piece of audio video content and the transmitting (by the client- system) of the content's associated content reference identifier (CRID) in order to obtain more information, rating data for that content can be obtained automatically by a broadcaster before the content is even broadcast. The quantity of CRIDs received, for a given piece of content reflects the overall interest in that content from the (potential) viewing population. For example, a high quantity of received CRIDs indicates a high rating for the associated content, whereas a low quantity (as low as zero) indicates a low rating. The collection does not require any additional action by the user.

This rating data may be used to adapt broadcast schedules in a way that will benefit the end users. Particular pieces of content may have already been allocated a broadcast time in a schedule which can be changed. For example, a broadcaster may change a previously allocated broadcast time slot to a peak viewing time slot if a large quantity of CRIDs have been received thus indicating a popular interest from the viewing population. The broadcaster may even allocate a further broadcast time so that the content is repeated at a later time. If the quantity of CRIDs received is zero, then advantageously, a broadcaster may remove the piece of content from the schedule in accordance with the indication of low interest in the content.

A CRID may be associated with a piece of audio-video content which has not been made. Collected rating data can be used to estimate the popularity of such content if it was to be made and subsequently broadcast. If, for example, rating data obtained for this content indicates a low interest then the (potential) makers of such content may decide to not make the content thus saving production costs and time. In a preferred embodiment the CRIDs are initially transmitted to a plurality of user-interface devices. Each user-interface device is preferably compliant with TV Anytime systems and may comprise a personal video recorder for example. User-interface devices may request more information from a location resolution service-provider regarding the content associated with a particular CRID by transmitting the CRID back to the service-provider. Advantageously, the CRIDs are received via respective return channels. This allows existing infrastructure to be exploited to obtain rating data and without causing inconvenience to the clients.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a system for obtaining rating data associated with a piece of audio-video content comprising a receiver arranged to receive a quantity of content reference identifiers each being associated with said piece of audio-video content, and a processor arranged to obtain said rating data in accordance with said quantity of content reference identifiers received. In a preferred embodiment the system further comprises a plurality of user-interface devices each in communication with the receiver via respective return channels. These return channels preferably comprise a wired connection such as a fibre optic cable.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of a system for obtaining rating data;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of a system for obtaining rating data; and, Figure 3 is a flow-diagram of a method of obtaining rating data.

With reference to Figure 1 , the broadcast system 10 comprises a server 12 and three user-interface devices 14. It should be appreciated that a typical system will comprise many more user-interface devices but only three are shown in this example for simplicity. Each user-interface device is compatible with TV Anytime systems as defined by The TV Anytime Forum (http: /www.tv- anvtime.org) and may comprise a personal video recorder, a display, a CPU or a set-top box for example. A client-server relationship exists between the server 12 and the user-interface devices 14 wherein the server 12, under the control of a broadcaster, broadcasts television programmes to the user- interface devices 14 via a wireless network. For the purposes of the following description a "broadcaster" or "service-provider" may be any company or system which is capable of delivering audio-video content to a plurality of "clients" or "end-users". The wireless network will now be described briefly. The server 12 comprises a transmitter 16 which is connected to an antenna 17. Signals broadcast from the antenna 17 are received by respective aerials 18 connected to the user-interface devices 14.

The server 12 further comprises a receiver 20. Each user-interface device 14 is linked to the receiver 20 via respective return channels 22. These form part of a wired network and may comprise a telephone-line for example.

An example method of obtaining rating data according to the invention and with reference to the system of Figure 1 will now be described. Content reference identifiers (CRIDs) are transmitted by the server 12 to the user- interface devices 14 via the wireless network 16, 17, 18. Each CRID provides a unique identifier for a piece of audio-video content, independent of how that content is obtained. The format of CRIDs is defined by The TV Anytime Forum. By using the received CRIDs, TV Anytime compliant devices, such as Personal Video Recorders, are able to offer enhanced recording features. For example, this may include one-touch recording, recording groups of programmes or smart recording of repeat episodes to avoid recording conflicts. In order to record the content associated with a particular CRID a user- interface device 14 requires more information regarding the scheduled broadcast time. A process termed herein as location resolution is therefore carried out. The location resolution service may be provided by various companies or systems. In this embodiment the service is provided by the broadcaster. Therefore, the request for schedule information is executed by a user-interface device 14 by sending the relevant CRID to the server 12.

The receiver 20 receives a quantity of CRIDs each being associated with a piece of audio-video content. These are received via the return channels 22. The number of CRIDs received is proportional to the interest in the associated content of the users and thus the rating. A processor 24, located in the server 12, obtains rating data in accordance with the quantity of CRIDs received. An automatic process of obtaining rating data is therefore provided. By exploiting the process of location resolution in which CRIDs are sent by the user-interface devices to the server, no extra action is required by the clients to obtain rating data. In fact, the client systems are not inconvenienced in any way to obtain the data.

The use of the return channels to communicate the CRIDs to the server allows an existing infrastructure to be used to obtain the rating data. Therefore, no extra communication links are required between the user- interface devices 14 and the server 12 thus providing a cost saving to a location resolution service-provider.

The rating data obtained by the server can be used to influence the adaptation of broadcast schedules. Adapting means 26, located in the server 12, serves to adapt broadcast schedules in response to the rating data collected. The adaption of broadcast schedules may be carried out under the control of a broadcaster or automatically, by the server for example. There are several ways in which broadcast schedules can be adapted in response to rating data. Examples of possible adaptions will now be described.

In a first example, a CRID is associated with a TV programme which has an allocated broadcast time defined by a broadcast schedule. The programme is also allocated a particular broadcast channel. Therefore, in response to the server receiving a location resolution enquiry in the form of the CRID for this programme from user-interface devices, the allocated broadcast channel and time is transmitted to those devices. In this example, the programme broadcast is scheduled for "Wednesday 15^th March at 19:30 on Channel A". Rating data is obtained for this programme prior to the scheduled time. The data indicates that interest in the programme is low. In response to this, the broadcaster adapts the broadcast schedule to change the allocated broadcast time to a slot where viewing figures are typically lower. In addition, the allocated channel is changed to one that is less mainstream and more specialist. Therefore, the scheduled broadcast time and channel is changed to "Thursday 16^th March at 14:15 on Channel B". The changed broadcast data is then transmitted to the user-interface devices 14. It will be appreciated that one of the scheduled time and channel can be changed without changing the other. It should also be noted that a programme having associated rating data showing high levels of interest, for example, can be rescheduled to a more popular broadcast time and/or channel.

In a second example, a CRID is associated with a TV programme which, again, has an allocated broadcast time and channel defined by a broadcast schedule. Location resolution enquiries are carried out in a similar manner to the aforementioned example wherein the broadcast time and channel data is sent to the user-interface devices in response to receiving the associated CRID. The programme is scheduled for broadcast on "Friday 17^th November at 18:00 on Channel C." Rating data is obtained for the programme prior to this scheduled time. The data indicates that interest in the programme is very high. The broadcaster allocates a further broadcast time in accordance with the rating data thereby scheduling another broadcast of the same programme: a repeat. The programme is scheduled for a further broadcast on "Sunday 19^th November on Channel D". This increases the chance of all user- interface devices being able to record or view the programme, without clashing with other programmes scheduled at the same time.

The server 12 can detect from which user-interface device 14 received CRIDs originate. This enables the server to measure the number of devices 14 that indicate interest in recording/viewing two or more programmes which are scheduled for broadcast on different channels but at overlapping time. The number of such devices is likely to be high when two popular programmes have been scheduled for broadcast at the same time for example. In such a case, the broadcaster can reschedule one (or both) of the programmes and/or offer a repeat broadcast as described in the two aforementioned examples.

In a third example, a CRID is associated with a TV programme which has an allocated broadcast time and channel defined by a broadcast schedule. Rating data is obtained for the programme in accordance with a quantity of received CRIDs. The quantity, in this case, is zero which indicates a very low interest in the programme. In response to this rating data, the broadcaster removes the programme from the schedule. The time-slot in the schedule from which the programme is removed becomes available for a different programme. By obtaining rating data in accordance with the invention the broadcaster can make well-informed decisions to remove programmes from the schedule in this way thus saving, otherwise unjustified, costs associated with broadcasting a programme.

In a fourth example, the server 12, under the control of a broadcaster, transmits a CRID to the user-interface devices 14 wherein the CRID is associated with a TV programme which has not even been purchased by the broadcaster. Rating data for the programme is obtained in accordance with the invention. This allows the broadcaster to make a decision on purchasing the programme for future broadcast in view of the obtained rating data. The rating data obtained indicates a very low level of interest in the programme and so the broadcaster does not purchase the programme from, say, the programme producers. This serves unnecessary time and cost associated with purchasing, scheduling and broadcasting a programme. In the case of an unscheduled programme being advertised in this way, the location resolution service provider cannot provide immediate broadcast schedule information to the user-interface devices on receipt of a CRID. Instead, the server 12 may instruct the respective user-interface devices 14 to re-request the information at a later time. Advantageously, this allows broadcasters to provide details of a programme (i.e. publish the associated CRID and offer related metadata), and advertise that programme without scheduling the broadcast at an early stage. For example, a broadcaster wishing to promote next season's new shows may use this mechanism. It is envisaged that rating data can be obtained for a programme which has not even been made. This enables a decision to be made regarding the production of the film before the associated time and money is invested.

The aforementioned examples have described a CRID which identifies a programme. However CRIDs can refer to a series of programmes or to a group of "sub-programmes" within a programme. An example of such case is a sports programme of "magazine" format which comprises a series of programmes each relating to a different sport and being adjacent one another in a broadcast schedule. If the server 12 receives one such "group" CRID from a user-interface device 14, then a plurality of "children" CRIDs will be returned, each relating to one of the sub-programmes. Each "child" CRID can then be resolved on an individual basis.

Figure 2 shows a second broadcast system comprising a server 12, three user-interface devices 14 and a rating data collector 30. The server 12 supplies TV programmes to the user-interface devices 14 via a wireless network 17, 18. Each user-interface device 14 is compatible with TV-Anytime systems and may comprise any combination of a display, CPU, video recorder, speakers or a set-top box for example. A return channel 22 exists between each user-interface device and the rating data collector 30.

An example method of obtaining rating data using the system shown in Figure 2 and with reference to Figure 3 will now be described. A broadcaster schedules the broadcast of a TV programme for "Monday 20^th March at 10:15 on Channel E", the programme having an associated CRID. The server 12 comprises a transmitter 16 which transmits the CRID to the user-interface devices 14 via the wireless network 17, 18. The rating data collector 30 comprises a receiver 20 which receives a quantity of CRIDs from the user- interface devices 14 via the return channels 22. The quantity of received CRIDs is measured by a processor 24 located within the collector 30 and rating data for the programme is obtained in accordance with the quantity of CRIDs received. The rating data is communicated to the server 12 via a wired link 32 between the collector 30 and the server 12. The broadcaster uses this data to adapt the broadcast schedule using adapting means 26 located within the server 12.

Various modifications of the systems shown in Figures 1 and 2 will be apparent to those skilled in the art of broadcast systems. For example the receiver 20 may be located remote from the server 12 where the processor 24 is located within the server 12. The adapting means 26 may also be located remote from the server 12 being under the control of the broadcaster/service- provider or automated for example. The wireless network 17, 18 and/or the return channels 22 may be replaced by any form of wireless or wired communication infrastructure. For example, the server 12 may be a TV- Anytime web-server which offers a location resolution service using the Internet.

Although the aforementioned embodiments comprise the transmission of CRIDs from the server 12 to the user-interface devices 14, it is envisaged that CRIDs can be received from other sources. For example, the user- interface devices may receive CRIDs from the Internet, from optical storage discs or via an e-mail.

Rating data obtained in accordance with the invention can be exploited for other purposes as well as for the adaptation of broadcast schedules. For example, by gauging the popularity of a programme, advertising rates can be set accordingly as viewing figures are likely to be higher for a more popular programme. Moreover, the rating of a programme can be used as an indicator of the effectiveness of the broadcaster's advertising and supplied metadata for the programme. For example, a low rating for a programme may prompt a broadcaster to improve the advertising and metadata for that programme instead of adapting the broadcast schedule.

In summary, there is provided a method of, and system for, obtaining rating data associated with a piece of audio-video content. A quantity of content reference identifiers is received, each being associated with a piece of audio-video content. Rating data is obtained in accordance with the quantity of content reference identifiers received. This enables automation of the collection of accurate rating data for scheduled TV programmes for example.

The method may advantageously be implemented on a server being in communication with a plurality of user-interface devices via respective return channels.

Claims

1. A method of obtaining rating data associated with a piece of audio-video content comprising: - receiving a quantity of content reference identifiers each being associated with said piece of audio-video content; and,

- obtaining said rating data in accordance with said quantity of content reference identifiers received.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

- adapting a broadcast schedule in response to said rating data.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said piece of audio-video content is allocated a broadcast time defined by said schedule.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising changing said allocated broadcast time in accordance with said rating data.

5. A method according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising allocating a further broadcast time in accordance with said rating data.

6. A method according to claim 3, wherein said quantity is zero and the method further comprises removing said piece of audio-video content from said schedule.

7. A method according to any preceding claim, further comprising an initial step of transmitting said content reference identifiers to a plurality of user-interface devices (14).

8. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein said content reference identifiers are received via respective return channels (22).

9. A system (10) for obtaining rating data associated with a piece of audio-video content comprising a receiver (20) arranged to receive a quantity of content reference identifiers each being associated with said piece of audio- video content, and a processor (24) arranged to obtain said rating data in accordance with said quantity of content reference identifiers received.

10. A system according to claim 9, further comprising a plurality of user-interface devices (14) each in communication with said receiver (20).

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein said plurality of user- interface devices are each linked to said receiver via a respective return channel (22).

12. A system according to claim 10 or 11 , further comprising a transmitter (16) arranged to transmit content reference identifiers to said plurality of user-interface devices.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein said transmitter is further arranged to broadcast said piece of audio/video content to said user- interface devices.

14. A system according to any one of claims 9 to 13, further comprising adapting means (26) for adapting a broadcast schedule in response to said rating data.